<p>No free money? I’m trying to figure this out. </p>
<p>Maybe it’s the lottery mindset, where every year you buy a bunch of tickets, and think, “this year, this year, … this year I just know I’m gonna get that free money.” Am I right?</p>
<p>One would wonder MisterK, why do you hang around here? Your comments make it obvious that you have never sent children to college or had to deal with financial aid personnel. Scholarships and loans are not financial aid? I don’t care who you are, that’s funny right there.</p>
<p>^Yeah, MisterK, I almost said something myself after your post #15. When I first read the OP’s thread, I wasn’t thinking he was talking about “free money” at all. That is, not in terms of a “handout,” as you seem to be implying.</p>
<p>Scholarships and loans are offered by colleges, based on merits and need. If a student chooses to accept those scholarships and loans, then it’s a normal expectation that the student (and oftentimes parent) will be able to access that money in a timely manner and ask questions of knowledgeable, helpful people in regards to those funds.</p>
<p>It’s like any other business transaction. There can be good “customer service” or bad “customer service.” I’ve had the good fortune of good customer service at my kids’ full-time universities, with the exception of one very rude, seemingly intentionally evasive, insolent, unhelpful guy who answers phones at one of the schools.</p>
<p>My kids get huge merit scholarships from their schools. Some have student loans. We are very grateful for the merit awards, and for the Stafford loans, but they ARE loans that must be re-paid (not handouts), and merit scholarships that the schools chose to award in what can be thought of as an effort to recruit a student to the school.</p>
<p>There’s nothing wrong with, or greedy about, an expectation that those promised funds will be handled expeditiously and reliably, or that the staff handling them will be polite and helpful when you call.</p>
<p>I was wondering if you had a proper picture of what encompasses Financial Aid when I read your posts.</p>
<p>Honestly, with the exception of that one insolent guy who answers phones at one kid’s school, and the polite, but very complicated FA system at the kids’ part-time summer school, and a few oddly ancient practices that make things a little less expeditious than they could be (even wired, same-day payments can’t be refunded at one school until 3 weeks pass, because they have to wait until “the check clears” – they KNOW there was no check involved, they say, but “people used to always pay w checks, so that policy is still on the books”),</p>
<p>^Using my iPhone… Sometimes it sends without me asking it to … Don’t know why.</p>
<p>Anyway, other than those things, I’ve had good experiences with FA. I’m grateful for what they do and the money my kids receive. But I don’t begrudge Big Al’s choice to come on here and express his opinions like everybody else.</p>
<p>I don’t like bullies. And the tone of your posts is bullying. So I wanted to speak up.</p>
<p>^ Oh me, oh my. 
I wanted to let newbies know what to expect. It is unfortunate that so many folks in this country accept mediocrity and attack those of us who speak out against it. Our country was founded on people working hard to succeed because the bar was raised high. Now we have become a bunch of slackers with little or no expectations. </p>
<p>Our schools promote bad students to the next grade so we don’t hurt their self-esteem, never once considering what it will do to their self-esteem when they graduate and realize they are dummies. When was the last time you got fast service at a fast food restaurant? You go in there and there are 10 dummies behind the counter and 3 customers and yet you wait 15 minutes for your food.</p>
<p>We have no standards anymore because we have learned to accept the unacceptable. If you can’t do your job that you are paid for, quit and let someone competent have it.</p>
<p>^Oh boy. I don’t think of them as dummies. To me, it’s sad that people do. Think of the disrespect they get each day from people who think like you do. We need people to do their jobs. And respect goes both ways.</p>
<p>^ Respect is not an entitlement, it is earned. And I am first to complement a person on a job well done. Why would you think someone who is taking money to do a job but isn’t doing the job properly deserves respect? That is what I meant about the problem we have in this country today. If more folks spoke up and said, “Hey Dummy, get off you arse and do your job.” maybe more of them would.</p>
<p>We were in a KFC last night. 8 employees. One customer in front of me. Almost 15 minutes to get my food. If I was the manager, I would be looking for 8 new employees, but the manager was probably asleep in his office. No work ethic any more. It is sad.</p>
<p>Until recently, I was one of those useless financial aid officers. I took crap from folks like you on a daily basis. I was unfailingly knowledgeable, helpful, and polite … despite the fact that I was verbally abused several times a week. I loved many things about my job, but students who feel that they are “better” than the aid officer … that I do not miss.</p>
<p>Seriously, though … there are good and bad employees everywhere. I do know that it is especially frustrating when money is at stake. The thing is, though, that often the problem is something out of the control of the aid officer. A calm conversation with a knowledeable member of the financial aid office will be far more beneficial than the assumption that everything will be screwed up. I was expert at getting students to stop, regroup, and explain the situation. From there, we could figure out what the problem was so it could be addressed. Sometimes it was something the student had neglected to do/submit. Sometimes it was a system problem. Sometimes it was an overwhelmed aid staff that had simply not been able to get to it yet. Sometimes things do inexplicably fall between the cracks. Other times the problem has to do with regulations. There was never anything I couldn’t figure out … but I couldn’t always satisfy the student, as it doesn’t always work that way. But if the conversation can be on a level of mutual respect, things go so much better.</p>
<p>^ Everything you say may be true, but the bottom line is that if the student does everything they were supposed to, aid should be arranged BEFORE school starts. If school policies or lack of staff cause delays, the school needs to fix it and/or make provisions so that the student can start school and get their books on time. That is FA’s job. But instead school plows forward, and student’s are expected to overcome the shortcomings of others. Professors want you to have your books, the school wants their money. The schools need to accept their responsibility and compensate for their inadequacies.</p>
<p>Wow, the tone of this thread is sure hostile all around – but I see Big Al’s point of view.</p>
<p>S2’s school is late and confusing. Student aid (which for us = loans) is a sort of bizarre kickback scenario. They’ll offer a ton of loans and you have to figure out what to take and then they don’t tell you the semester’s bill until a few days before the semester starts. About two weeks later, you may (or may not) get a refund as they sort through scholarships and final billings (lab fees, etc). </p>
<p>It seems like it would be so much simpler if they would send a clear bill – after all, the students register for classes in May.</p>
<p>Think of it from a manufacturer’s viewpoint. I’m a client and I want to buy $20K worth of Whatnots. You’d think it would be the Whatnot factory’s business to make it clear how many Whatnots I’ll be getting and when they will be shipped. </p>
<p>Instead I get a mountain of forms (many with repeated information requests) and it is hard to get clear information on where my order is or when there will be clarity. Then I am billed $21K and in a few weeks I’ll get a refund of $1,553.23 – or some other totally mystifying amount. </p>
<p>My kid can enlist in the Army, get married, buy property, run for office or be tried as an adult in a criminal case at age 18. I think HIS bank account should be evaluated for financial aid purposes (not mine). It’s insane that the kid isn’t “an adult” until age 24 for college billing purposes. </p>
<p>Al, IMHO, the reason it is so frustrating and confusing is deliberate. Lots of smoke and mirrors and required copies keeps parents nervous – and from asking uncomfortable questions (like why is tuition galloping up and why is the football coach paid so much?)</p>
<p>In a perfect world, things would work perfectly. How is a FA office to fix something that is out of their control, such as funds that have not yet been disbursed to the school? Or a staffing cut to their office?</p>
<p>I don’t see his point of view at all. The university is giving him money to help fund his kids’ education, and the overworked staff people are scrambling to make it all happen. He doesn’t appreciate the benefit, and he’s insulting the people that deliver it. How is that justified?</p>
<p>Hi Olymom,</p>
<pre><code> I see you have had some fun with FA too. If folks read my OP they would see that I offered a heads up to new parents that they were in for a possible hair pulling experience in general. I did not single out just staff. The problems vary from school to school. My daughters FA people have been great. There are some institutional policies that need work though. In my girlfriends case, she has dealt with an office full of the stupidest, laziest, most ill informed, useless people. They should all be unemployment.
</code></pre>
<p>The current system is broken. My point is that schools are sure capable of making sure that school starts on time, that they get paid on time, and that students have to have all their books on time. If they put that kind of effort into their FA office, things would work great. But it’s not as high a priority, because there is nothing in it for them.</p>
<p>two of your biggest gripes concerning your girlfriend (a grown woman) are:</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>The school will eventually make her whole. My question once again is how come a grown woman with a job who knows that she is returning to school, has not managed her money enough to at least be able to purchase books and school supplies to get her started in the semester? Why are the FA people incompetent, when she did not do her basic due diligence. </p>
<p>If as you previously stated, she used her money for food and ultilities. You still never addressed
my question, if she is living with you and yours
it sounds like you are the one who may not be carrying your weight as I am sure that she is eattng less than a grown man and his child(ren).</p>
<p>There was nothing to stop her from setting aside money or working a second job if necessary to ensure that she had book money. Are you disparaging her for not doing something that every college aged parent tells their child? </p>
<p>If you are that concerned that she has books when school starts, why aren’t you helping her to ensure that she has books when the term starts? She is going to get the money back! Remember when you point the finger at someone, there are 3 more pointing back at you.</p>
<p>I don’t buy the story that all of gf’s money went to her food and her share of utilities. </p>
<p>Do these people smoke, eat fast food, drink, buy sodas or other snack foods, go to movies, etc.</p>
<p>HAHA. I am amazed at how people can turn things around. If some of you people would think before you type you would realize that people apply for financial aid because they NEED it. It is useless if you don’t get it in time. If we could pay for the books we wouldn’t need the aid. </p>
<p>It’s easy to say be responsible and save money when you have it. My GF and I both lost good jobs in this wonderful economy. We now make about half of what we used to. How may of you would have disposable income for books if your income was cut in half tomorrow and remained that way for over two years?</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>Living it, single parent who left corporate life to take a job making less than half the money that I used to to do the work that I wanted to do.</p>
<p>It would mean not living the way you used to live when you both had better paying jobs. This may mean getting less expensive housing, not taking vacations, lving cash and carry, no eating out, no movies, and not accruing any credit card debt and working extra hours if necessary. </p>
<p>For your girl friend it would be minimally setting aside between 25 and 50 dollars a week for start up money over the summer, which would net her 300-600 over a 12 week period to put toward books. If things are that tight, sometimes it may mean having to work 2 jobs. </p>
<p>From the school’s perspective, they also require a student contirbution from summer earnings, meaning that it is the student’s responsibility to earn and save. I know kids who are working 2 jobs waiting tables and pulling shifts at McDonalds to get their student contribution. Of course you may need money, but it still does not absolve you from holding up your end and setting aside your student contribution. In addition, you would be setting a great example for your own daughter by letting her know that she is both a stakeholder and a shareholder in the financing of her education. </p>
<p>My daughter took a full time non-paying government internship over the summer and still managed to get her rent paid on her apartment over the summer and take some start up money back to school as a grad student because
the bank of mom was done once she got her degree.</p>
<p>And while you were doing everything that u were suppose to do did she include monies paid on her behalf? </p>
<p>Did you include on your daughter’s Fafsa monies paid on her behalf?</p>
<p>If you and gf are living together u are suppose to both put down on your respective fafsas the amount that the other is contributing to the maintaining of your household</p>
<p>One of the underlying assumptions of financial aid … and this is from CONGRESS, not the schools … is that the family has the primary responsibility for funding the education … and the expectation (again, from Congress) is that the money will come from past (savings), present (job), and future (loan) income. People are so often surprised that they should at the very least have money for books. I know it’s tough when someone is struggling to make ends meet, but the purpose of financial aid is to ASSIST with the cost of an education. There is no mandatory college requirement, and the government/schools are not required to fund the full cost. Sometimes they do, but it is not required. And when they do, it may not be on the optimal timetable (from the student’s perspective).</p>