I got an envelope from my university’s Financial Aid office this afternoon. It asked for a copy of our tax returns and W-2s from last year. Fine, I can just take the paperwork in on Monday, they’ll make a copy of it, and life will go on. But, no. They want a form with the total amount Airman got last year in housing and subsistence allowances.
In other words, this is the same information I gave on my FAFSA in February and to American Education Services (Pennsylvania’s state financial-assistance people) in May. I have no issues giving this information again; it’s a simple matter of a little subtraction and finding the right boxes. What I have a problem with is that my financial aid for next year is waiting on this information. Since I gave it out twice already, I don’t understand why my financial aid office wants it again. Verification in the form of copies of tax returns I can understand. I just don’t get the whole “fill out OUR form with the same information you gave FAFSA and AES before” thing.
AES is also on my shitlist right now. Every week or two, I’ll get a new form to fill out that asks for completely different information. And every week or two, I call them to let them know that I need to send off for information from somewhere else. And, while I’m at it, I ask them if they’ve got everything they need. And the nice customer service rep tells me that they do. Lather, rinse, repeat.
So I still have no idea what my financial aid package is going to look like for next year. It’ll probably go up, but the increase will be spent on Zantac and hair dye from the ulcers and grey hair this is giving me.
I hear you. I have had a hang-up with every financial aid form I’ve filled out. I fill out the FAFSA, then they always want a verification worksheet too - and they never inform me of this until I call to ask what is holding my aid back. I know now to ask about it, but at first I had no clue. Then my summer aid almost missed the deadline, no one had told me that a separate form had to be filled out for summer aid. I had just filled out the FAFSA a few weeks before and thought since it was for 2004-2005 that would cover it. Nope - I found out on the day summer aid forms were due that I needed a separate form. I can understand why they do this, but why not inform the students of the deadlines? A simple campus-wide email would have done the trick for me.
One thing I learned in my university days which I found extremely valuable…
Whenever possible, go in person to the office.
It’s a lot harder to blow you off when you’re sitting across from them. My mother made a mistake when filling out my financial aid, and I was charged out of state tuition even though I was a resident.
I phoned them and went round and round. I finally stopped by in person and it was cleared up in a matter of minutes.
That’s my plan. I’ve got everything I need right in front of me, and I’m going to the Financial Aid office Monday morning. They can make copies of the tax forms and W-2s to make sure they’ve got what they need. I’m also sending Airman to his finance office tomorrow to get a copy of his end-of-year earnings statement because part of the information they want is on that statement.
Dex, I did think about that, but if that’s the case, why not ask for verification of the information directly? Stuff on forms doesn’t just get made up. There is a paper trail. So why make me jump through the extra hoops?
The only other thing I can think of is that they might be using their own methodology rather than the federal methodology. This is allowed (to a certain degree) and is usually better for the student. Now, why, using their own formulas means they need to collect information from you a second time, rather than using what’s on the FAFSA, is another question.
One possiblility that Doktor Fluff brought up is that the university might be auditing my financial aid file and they want the extra paperwork as a worksheet. As possibilities go, it still eats, but it’s as likely as anything out there.
Try this on for size. My Ex couldn’t get some into college until she filled out some questionnaire. No point to it just “why do you wish to attend our campus?” “Do you plan to get your degree here or transfer?” Utterly pointless yet somehow required before they would allow you to attend.
She filled it out. They lost it. She filled it out again they lost it. She filled it out again the person that took it quit and they couldn’t figure out her filing system and so lost it again. She filled it out again. Sat in the office while they called up the place that needed to receive it. Watched them fax it to the office. The office then said it was never faxed. So she filled it out again sat there again while they faxed it. The main office called and confirmed they had received it. Then there was a problem with the computers and they lost it. She filled it out again watched them fax it again.
Two days later she gets a letter telling her since they had two of those questionnaires by her with different dates she had to come in and explain why she sent two. She filled out a form explain why she did such a crazy thing. They lost that.
She gave up after filling the questionnaire out about 8 times and the explanation 3 times.
Their carelessness and bureaucracy certainly seem stupid, but I doubt the questionnaire was “utterly pointless.” A lot of colleges would like to have that information, and would put it to good use.
Verification is done by the schools because they don’t want to get in trouble with the Feds. And they’re required to do a percentage of students. Some schools just go ahead and do everyone who’s applying for financial aid, just to cover their asses.
Just thank the federal government with a one fingered salute.
