Did my academic advisor screw me over and make me lost my financial aid?!

Paying for College
1

So I’m currently in a developmental math class that requires me to finish 9 units before I can take regular math. I wasn’t completing the math units on schedule and was put on SAP warning, not for a bad GPA, but for not completing at least 68% of my classes. This was my own fault, and I understand this is the consequence of not being productive in my developmental math class.

I spoke to an academic advisor while signing up for classes and she discussed that if I didn’t finish the unit I was on this semester, I would have to pay for the math class next semester as well as the textbooks for the other classes. But financial aid would pay for my other classes and my tuition.

The end of last semester I was stressed out and focusing on finals for my other classes and finishing my math units. I felt like I wasn’t going to be able to finish the unit I was on so I decided I would take the math next semester and focus on my finals instead. The unit I was on in math would restart if I didn’t finish so it was pointless to continue on with math and was a better idea to focus on my other classes while the unit would still restart anyways. GPA is more important in my opinion and I didn’t mind paying the textbooks and for one class. Maybe it would be a couple of hundred dollars. I learned my lesson.

The semester ended, I got all As except I got a U in the math class like I expected. However, during the break right before the semester started I got an email that my financial aid was canceled entirely due to SAP failure. I spoke to the counselor that told me I would just have to pay for math and textbooks about what happened. She basically told me “All your classes got dropped cause of your SAP failure. Also you owe the school xxxx amount of money by tomorrow afternoon if you want to attend school!” and sent me on my way.

I managed to pay everything last minute and tried to sign up for my classes again but one got filled up so I’m part time student instead of full-time student which makes me behind in my credits for transferring.

I know it was my fault for not finishing the math class, but I’m just upset that the advice I was given was incorrect and it screwed me over. I wouldn’t have left my math incomplete if I was told the correct advice. Also, I dislike how my school never notified me that they would drop all of my classes without telling me just cause my financial aid was taken away. They should’ve asked me first if I would’ve paid it myself.

I’m the first person in my family to attend college so money isn’t easy to get for school and I highly depend on my advisors for advice relating to college cause my parents don’t know how to speak English and don’t understand how college works. This put a lot of stress on my family, paying everything in full last minute. Should I speak to the dean or just accept this and learn from it?

TLDR: My academic advisor gave me the wrong advice which made me lose my financial aid and dropped all my classes. Should I email someone about my advisor giving incorrect information or just accept this as a lesson?

2

You lost your financial aid because of your course performance, not because of your advisor. You did not complete enough courses with satisfactory grades. It’s not just your GPA…it’s also your course completion %age.

You need to find out what you need to do to meet SAP…and how long that will take.

That’s when your aid will be reinstated.

3

The best lesson here is to accept responsibility. If you spend any time longer than a nanosecond thinking about the “wrong advice” you received, than you haven’t really learned the lesson.

4

If you were on SAP, then that means you were already displaying difficulty. Your academic advisor has nothing to do with how you perform in the classroom.
If the school doesn’t receive a payment on your behalf, you are automatically dropped from all classes. In college, you are responsible for everything. It is not like in high school where the teachers and counselors cover for you. You have to take classes, be responsible for the workload, check your portal for emails. In other words, they treat you like an adult.
All of the rules about your university can be read in your online catalog and graduation requirements. No one is going to read that information for you. You are solely responsible for your actions at your university.

5

Your university probably has a student handbook that goes over these policies – you might be able to find it on their website somewhere.

6

Perhaps your advisor was only commenting on what happens in the typical situation when someone doesn’t complete a class and needs to retake it. Your situation was not typical as you had already been notified about your failure to make progress.

7

I am sorry this happened to you. But, you can figure out how to go from here and hopefully get your FA back. As others have said this is on you. Use it as a lesson learned. Your a smart kid, you can do it, frustrating as it is, you will succeed.

8

There are other classes at the school, so sign up for another one and be a full time student, get full time FA if you are eligible, and finish that class!

Or go ask the teacher for the class that you were dropped from if another spot has opened up. My daughter just signed up for a class yesterday that was full when classes started last week but a spot opened.