<p>So i sent several emails to this person at Berkeley (someone in the admission office)… over the course of 3 weeks and I still haven’t gotten a response. I also called. still no response. </p>
<p>Ok, I also emailed someone in the financial aid office… should I wait for like 3 months til i get a response also? </p>
<p>grrrr. just letting out frustration. I’m just so used to emailing small schools and getting a response within hours</p>
<p>I e-mailed them about something (schedule-related I think) a while back, got a response in a day.</p>
<p>Don’t email specific persons in the financial aid office. Send a brief email message to the general financial aid office email address. They will answer your questions there, or else they will forward it to the appropriate persons.</p>
<p>Well, I sent an email about switching Cal Grant B to Cal Grant A to see if they will actually give me the full award that I qualify for A, but I haven’t received any response from the financial office since 3 weeks ago, when I sent it in.</p>
<p>i think it depends on what you entered for the subject title. These people recieve hundreds of emials a day… so if the subject is odd they might just delete it. I know profs do this…</p>
<p>Toaster, Cal Grants are not negotiable. They are determined strictly by a formula proposed by the state. Even If you were trying to get your grant changed, calling the FAO office at Berkeley is the wrong place to start. Universities don’t set Cal Grant awards; look at the Cal Grant letter you received from the state and work from there. I’m not sure what you are trying to argue, but Cal Grant B is “better” than Cal Grant A, anyhow, in the long term; you don’t want that grant changed.</p>
<p>Lo1603 brings up a point that alludes to a bigger picture: you must learn how to properly initiate dialogue over emails. Proper heading is an important start, but conciseness and directness are other critical components. One of my professors told his students to limit emails to 50 words. While other high profile persons or offices do not officially post this as requirement, it is a good rule of thumb to follow. With the example of the poster Toaster, his question was not the correct place to submit that query and thus no response has been received.</p>
<p>I’ve had no problems so far…
I sent a question to the MCB department and got a reply within two days. I sent a question about telebears (i forgot to who) and got a reply within a day.</p>
<p>Thanks for the insights, ttgiang15.</p>
<p>Can you explain further why Cal Grant B is “better” than Cal Grant A? For me, if I switch to Cal Grant A, I get more money. And because I did not received any financial aids, I need as much money as possible. I believe the only “disadvantage” between A and B is that B sends me a check, while A is directly reported to the school. Though, I am not EXACTLY sure. Hopefully someone with a hand-on experience can clear it up for me.</p>
<p>I contacted Cal’s Financial Aid office because I talked to the Cal Grant administration, and they said that the amount Cal decides to give to me can VARY from the amount stated on the Cal Grant. Thus, if I switch to Grant A but Cal decides to give me less, then I might as well stick with B.</p>
<p>I guess I should re-send my original email after checking the title and shorten the content.</p>
<p>Try this website to learn more about Cal Grants and the difference between A & B: <a href=“http://www.csac.ca.gov/doc.asp?id=915[/url]”>http://www.csac.ca.gov/doc.asp?id=915</a><br>
Its not up to Cal to decide the amount of your Cal Grant and whether it is A or B - that is up to the State of California Department that handles the Cal Grants. Also the “Cal” in Cal Grant doesn’t mean UCB. Cal Grants are for California students attending a college in California.</p>
<p>From what the Cal Grant staffs told me, the distribution follows these steps:</p>
<p>1) Amount of $ you are entitled for are sent to the school.</p>
<p>2) The school reserves the right to deduct the amount you received from your Cal grant.</p>
<p>Meaning, despite the fact that I am suppose to get, $6000 from Cal Grant for example; my school can exercise the right to actually give me less than $6000. I have been trying to contact Berkeley if they will do such a thing if I switch to Cal Grant A.</p>
<p>To date, I have not seen a college exercising the right to give less than the established amount for Cal Grant B’s. Keep in mind that the amount posted on any Cal Grant informational website is “up to $such+such,” not a guaranteed sum. From what I’ve heard, and as my brother tells me, that Cal Grant A always starts you off with ridiculously high (compared to B) amounts for students of low- to middle-income families to make financial aid packages more enticing, but as the years go on, that amount progressively drops. With my brother’s Cal Grant B, he was awarded more money every year after freshmen year than peers with Cal Grant A. Cal Grant B is created for students from disadvantaged or low-income backgrounds, circumstances with more pressing need for money. Rest assure that what you got is what you deserve, and it’s the best plan out there. Also, if you read the description of Cal Grant B, this money can be used to cover costs outside of Room&Board and Tuition. If you look at Stafford Loans, whether it is Subisidized or Unsubsidized, it must be used first to pay off tuition, then room, then extra money is for you to pocket. Both Stafford Loans and Cal Grants give you more money after your first year on a graduated scale. Let’s take a Cal Grant A and a Stafford Loan. The first year, Cal Grant A students are eligible to receive more than $1551.00 (set Cal Grant B amount) and couple this with Stafford Loans, keeping in mind that Cal Grant A is to be used for tuition. Once Year 2 comes around, the FAO will increase your loan amount along the scale but reduce your Cal Grant A amount, because this new amount will be sufficient to meeting tuition costs. If you had Cal Grant B, you’d get the maximum Stafford Loan amount in addition to the maximum Cal Grant B amount, because Cal Grant B can be used for calculated expenses outside of tuition. In the end, you will receive a whole lot more money with Cal Grant B. </p>
<p>Hope that clears thing up,
TTG</p>
<p>Just call them, it will save you a huge headache and a lot of anxiety.</p>
<p>Calling is much more efficient. Over e-mail, the answer will always be “Sorry, no,” regardless of the question. You’re just an anonymous robot over e-mail. But if you go into the office in person, you get everything done in 5 minutes with big smiles.</p>