Okay, first of all, that would be kind of a cool name for a folk rock band: F.A. Blues. You know when it's not fun and amusing though? When the FA Blues are screwing with your life. Of course the biggest pain, the one anyone who has ever applied for financial aid know about, is the FAFSA. The FAFSA is the kind of government instrument that is used to scare confessions out of hardened criminals. "If you don't tell me what I need to know, I'll make you fill out the FAFSA. As a 19-year-old first time college student who is married, works full-time but is paid in cash and whose parents have a home business and boat." "Nooooooooooooooooo!"
If by some miracle you have escaped this terror of governmental aid tyranny, let me describe it to you. First of all, unless you are twenty-five, you have to fill in your information and your parents' information. Which of course means that you cannot simply fill this out on your own. You need your parents' social security numbers (both of them) and their tax information. Which then means that filling this out is a total waste of time until you've done your taxes. But the priority deadline for aid submission? February 15. Some people don't even have their W2s by that time. Filling it out is a special kind of hell (where the people who talk at the movies are ;))
But I made it past that step! I was home-free baby! Until I hit One. Little. Snag. See last year I filled out all of this crap to get loans approved to fund my schooling. This year, I got my award letter, sent it back, and thought I was golden. It didn't say anything about reapplying for loans or needing to do anything other than send back the letter.
Now, I'm going to say here and now (and maybe this is the panic talking) but I hate large packets of information. Especially when said information is largely superfluous. But of course, there's that one little bit of paper that you need and yet don't see because it's part of this stack that seems like crap.
Which is why I missed the application for the Parent PLUS loan for the 2010-2011 school year. Mom kept thinking something wasn't right, because we had filled all that crap out last year. She asked me a few times if I was sure there was nothing I needed to do. If I was set for school. And I said yes. Just to alleviate her fears, I posted on the school's message board and asked if you had to do anything for the loans to be ready. One person said, check the requirements and you'll be good. I checked.
And then promptly had a panic attack. Sitting there, under the unfulfilled requirements, were two items: Parent PLUS Loan application and Master Promissory Note for the same loan. Noooooooooooo! I have a week to school. I can't have crap happen now!
Then I got angry. Why didn't I get any information on this before now? Come on, I'm all about being proactive and being an adult, but I at least have to know the requirements exist! You can't just say, "Sign the letter, it'll all be good. Oh by the way you have other crap we're not going to tell you about." So of course, I worked myself up into a good panicky state which made my IBS hate me a little and I told myself to breathe (I was hyperventilating, but hey, air was moving in and out).
This is how Dad found me when he got home, panicked and talking a mile a minute about the crap that I needed to do and what I'd missed and what if I couldn't get the funding and I'm supposed to be able to take care of this and oh god I only have a week left! After he'd interpreted my ramblings, pitched at an octave only dogs could hear, he calmed me down and said that I'd done all I could at the moment.
When Mom came home, I told her and then showed her the thing. Then I went to grab the award letter for my records so she could fill out the application. And there, in that pile of superfluous paper, lay the application for the Parent PLUS Loan. I'll tell ya, nothing takes the wind out of your righteous anger than having made a stupid mistake.
That's when the anger turns into an emotional meltdown and you cry for no real reason aside from frustration. Even though you have no reason to be crying and everything is going to work out okay. You still end up in your mommy's lap crying because the world is unfair sometimes and mistakes still happen.
Now we wait for the office to open on Monday so I can make frantic phone calls of increasing frenzy. But Mom and Dad have promised that no matter what, I will be going back to school next Sunday. I just hope that it doesn't come to them going into more debt or having to close out part of their retirement. It'd be great if this could be smoothed out with one phone call and a sympathetic financial aid person (who also happens to have the same powers as Teresa Eubanks, where people find her shortcuts to get things done more quickly and efficiently).
Anyone else had financial aid trouble? What are your horror stories?
"financial aid" That which weeds out the not so serious students from the persistent ones who may actually complete college. It's like a pre-screening system set up to discourage all but the most determined from even trying to attend college. Those silly kids who have mom and dad to pay for everything so they don't have to even fill out the FAFSA form are the ones who end up dropping out after 3 quarters because they JUST COULDN'T HACK IT... which they would have known if they had had to fill out the FAFSA.
ReplyDeleteThat being said.......... I don't ever want to fill out that form or the Parent Plus application form ever again!!!!! This means if you decide to go on to a Masters degree........ you are on your own toots, and I say that in the most loving and encouraging way possible :D
Dealing with financial aid is like Men in Black...Any instructions that ever existed to get through the Carniverous maze that is the Government Financial aid program is just hearsay and rumor and dismissed just as quickly. No one will give you any assistance beyond a cryptic suggestion that perhaps you already possess the answer and just need to reflect upon the path you have already traveled to discern the answer to your question. Hello...if I had the answer I wouldn't be asking the question...it's like a Zen riddle.
ReplyDeleteI think you may be right about the screening system Mom. The financial aid students figure, "I worked my butt off to actually be able to do this. Might as well keep going or all those hours not reading/playing Bejeweled/doing hobby of choice will be wasted."
ReplyDeleteDad, I have always hated Zen riddles. They don't actually have an answer, just more questions, like a philosophical Hydra.
I HATE FINANCIAL AID.
ReplyDeleteAt this point I have GO THERE Monday to yell at them. Some more.
First it happened in June: "We need your marriage license to make sure you aren't lying about being married to get more aid". So I order a copy of it from the government take it in, they copy it. I ask "Go everything in?" They say, "Yes. You're good!" So I go about my merry way.
Come August-- Husband gets piece of paper to fill out that talks about our income. (BTW our income = NOTHING. ZIP. ZILCH. NADA!) So we put all zeros. Send it back. Husband gets offers.
LATE AUGUST I get same form that husband got earlier. Fill it out that day turn it in the next day. Ask Financial Aid: "IS THAT REALLY IT?" Them: "Yeah". Me go about my merry way.
Now it's September--they still have NOT updated my Web4U and it still says I have "unsatisified" requirements. Now I get to go in there and discover if they are going to do anything to help me.
And, in addition to this--wouldn't it be easier if they had simply used John's form and mine? Or you know, sent them out AT THE SAME TIME INSTEAD OF ALMOST A MONTH APART.
I swear to god these people have no accountability and are the least responsible I have come across. Uuuuugh. If they worked on commission they would be working a HELL of a lot harder.
Wow, that is really terrible. And I'm not saying they have to be responsible for me doing things, but maybe one reminder a little while ago that I still had unfulfilled requirements would have been helpful.
ReplyDeleteI totally know what you mean Ashleigh. Reminders would be good.
ReplyDeleteI went in and talked with them and they were all "Well....we'll tryyyyy to get it done by the first day of school." And it was totally obvious to me that they weren't planning on getting it done by then AT ALL. So it looks like I get to call them once school starts and try and light a fire under their asses or something...