Financial Aid

Writ 1301
12/13/07
Personal Narrative Final
Over the years, hundreds of thousands of college Universities have enrolled and graduated tons of its intelligent students. For many of us students college is just the next step that eventually had to come but for some of us the accomplishment of making it to college could be considered a dream come true. I am one of those students who has just fulfilled that dream. That was the case for me because I had never actually though that I would really make it into a nationally high ranked university. I never even had the motivation because no one person in my family has ever graduated from a major university.
Even though I had the necessary resources to help me with my transition to Post-Secondary learning, I believe that colleges should make the admission process much easier to deal with from a financial standpoint. For example, colleges should generally decrease the cost of attendance. I think the financial help that students receive is the most important factor in students and their college choice decisions.
The journey to college begins finally in the final year in high school. Many of the students prepare themselves to take the necessary tests and exams to determine if they qualify for admission into the colleges of their liking. As a senior in high school, I myself wanted to go to a high ranked college in the southern half of the United States. The problem I ran into with going to school down south is that the cost of tuition is generally higher for out-of-state students. This same rule applies to not only large universities but to small community colleges as well. After discovering the differences between out-of-state and in-state tuition, I then began to turn to the FAFSA. The FAFSA is also known as the Free Application for Federal Student Aid. It is designed to determine what students and their families will be able to financially contribute to college and how much they will need if they can’t afford it. The Free Application for Federal Student Aid also could possibly make a student eligible for scholarships that colleges offer such as the Founders Free Tuition Program at the University of Minnesota. I was granted this scholarship because me or my family does not make enough money to support me in college according to the Free Application for Federal Student Aid. Despite the fact that the FAFSA is helpful, it is not always a sure source of financial contribution and should not be the only option for our students.
I was recently living proof that the FAFSA is not 100% reliable for education finances. During my first semester as a college student I had to constantly check my financial aid status online. I knew I was given the Founders Free Scholarship but for some reasons I did not understand, I found myself faced with charges that the school had given me. During this semester I did have a job on campus but because I did not have any other personal sources of income I had to use all of the money I was making just to support my own needs. Suddenly even more charges had began to show up on my tuition bill because the due dates to make payments had passed and I was given multiple late fees. I was then threatened by the school stating that if I did not pay my account in full by December 26th I would have to terminated my registration and discontinue my college experience.
Even though I did find the funds that I needed to pay the rest of my tuition, the whole process was temporary burden on my life. This burden had caused me to lose track of what I had to take care of academically. For example, I had lost study time and sleep during the week that finals had begun just so that I could find a quick source of income to pay my tuition bill. I think that there should be more loan options made available that does not require a co-signer because many students are missing out on money opportunities because of not having a credit history.
At the university of Minnesota there are a variety of different job opportunities made available for students to gain some financial assistance. I currently work at the MacNamara Alumni Center in the Disability Services department. The job does pay well but there is a limit that the job has which does not allow me to work as many hours as I desire. My job assumes that if its student employees work too much then they will not be able to dedicate enough time to studying. I agree with this fully and I think this is a legitimate reason why these universities should provide more financial help to its students.
Another problem that I have is the honesty schools share with its students about financial support. When I had first ran into the problem with my tuition account being past due, I looked in everyplace that I could for support. I even went into the One Stop students service office where there is supposed to be the best help available. When I had gone to the desk to speak with someone they had given me information that I was not pleased to hear. I was told that the school did not have any more funds available to give to students and that there was nothing at all possible that could be done to help me with my situation. I was soon after sent to speak with a woman who was also located inside the One Stop office. This woman had informed me that there was always a solution to every problem and that whom ever I was originally speaking with did not take the time to actually look into some alternatives for my financial troubles.