Attention college students: be prepared to have to take a cut in yoru financial aid.
During my years of college, financial aid was good. I was eligable for the Pell Grant, the Texas Grant, and the Stafford Federal Loan. In fact, financial aid was so good that I never had to take out loans. Even in this past year of nursing school, which was only 3/4 time status, I received enough from the Pell Grant alone to cover books and tuition. However, I got a rude awakening this year. I got an email from the college stating that I am not applicable for anything, not even unsubsidized federal loans. I am pissed.
The reasons why I didn't qualify:
1) Although I spend 17 hours a week in class and clinicals, the school only counts this as 9. Since tuition is based on credit hours, it's cheaper when you pay out of pocket. However, it's still not fulltime status, which disqualifies you from a lot of financial aid.
2) Although I claimed independency on my taxes this year, the FAFSA will classify you as dependent on your parents unless you are over 23, in the military, have a kid, are married, an orphan, or a ward of the court. I am none of those, so the FAFSA made a dependent out of me. Even though there are 6 kids (3 of whom will be in college in Fall 2007) and 2 adults on a teacher's salary, I still don't qualify.
3) I worked fulltime last year, so I made too much to look poor on the FAFSA.
4) Bushanomics. We have money for war, but not for education. Many students are feeling this.
Don't worry, I'm not going to starve. I am supporting myself, and I don't accept help from family, but I'll be fine. I'm attending an in-state, in-district community college, which charges about $1100 for 9 semester hours. Books are another $150-300. I haven't been working this semester, since Pediatrics is notoriously difficult and I didn't want to risk biting off more than I could chew. I hindsight, I probably could have worked this semester, but the combination of learning the new job and school would have been rough. I'll start working again once this semester is over. In the meantime, I took out a subsidized Federal Stafford loan to tie me over. I'm applying to every scholarship that I can get my hands on.
Oh, the reason that I am not stripping is because I live in Houston, 'nuff said.



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My Expected Family Cost on the FAFSA was ZERO...and I did my FAFSA MONTHS early, the second I was able to I did, but when it came time for funds they were like oh, we see you should get THIS much...but we ran out of funds so you only get THIS much. So I've been paying the rest out of pocket and suffering with the stripping in Houston thing so I won't have to get a ton of loans.


and apply for more scholarships.

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