# White middle class Male = little or no scholarship money **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [April 7, 2004, 2:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/white-middle-class-male-little-or-no-scholarship-money/238743 "2004-04-07T14:20:43Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![WernhamHogg](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/a587f6/32.png) [@WernhamHogg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WernhamHogg)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2004, 11:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/white-middle-class-male-little-or-no-scholarship-money/238743/21 "2004-04-07T23:28:50Z")
> [@GaWd](#): > > there is a disproportionate amount of scholarships offered to minorities. Cite? ---
**Author:** ![GaWd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/f08c70/32.png) [@GaWd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GaWd)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2004, 11:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/white-middle-class-male-little-or-no-scholarship-money/238743/22 "2004-04-07T23:39:11Z")
No cite. Go and leaf through a scholarship guide. I bought one right out of high school. After going over it page by page and realizing that I qualified for about $2000 worth of scholarships(one for Athsma and one for Epilepsy), I realized that I was going to have to use grants and loans for my schooling. Now in adulthood, while living well below the poverty line, I don’t even qualify for most grants anymore. Sam ---
**Author:** ![monstro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba9def/32.png) [@monstro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/monstro)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2004, 12:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/white-middle-class-male-little-or-no-scholarship-money/238743/23 "2004-04-08T00:21:34Z")
> [@GaWD](#): > > Be sick of it all you want. But don’t play dumb or be willfully ignorant of the fact that there are less opportunities for people who aren’t of some ethnic background(black, asian, mexican, slovakian, spanish, french, Etc. Etc.). I’m not denying that race-based scholarships are more geared to racial minorities! But did you know that… There are more scholarships geared towards poor folks than rich folks? There are more scholarships geared towards science majors than English majors? There are more scholarships geared towards genuises than slow-learners? There are more scholarships geared towards the children of firefighters and veterans than the children of television repairmen and janitors? And yet there are still opportunities for people who don’t fall into these groups. I know whites who have bunches of scholarship money, and none of them are poor, super smart, or the child of an Important Person. Unless someone can show that increased funding for minorities has resulted in whites receiving less scholarship money, the OP will not get any pity out of me. Times are tough for everyone, not just white males. ---
**Author:** ![amarinth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3be4f8/32.png) [@amarinth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/amarinth)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2004, 12:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/white-middle-class-male-little-or-no-scholarship-money/238743/24 "2004-04-08T00:35:20Z")
> [@GaWd](#): > > Not that I have a problem with paying for my own damned education(I pay for my books and fees out of pocket every quarter), but the OP isn’t wrong. For a white guy who isn’t living on the street, there are no scholarships. None. Hell, my wife doesn’t have many options, either, and we’re fucking poor. > > I’d say the scholarship scale was decidedly tipped towards minorities, no matter their economic status. If there was ANYTHING I could change about the secondary school system it would be increased availability of funding for EVERYONE, instead of concentrating as much on minorities. > > That might be an unpopular viewpoint, but it’s hard to get by when your schooling comes out of your pocket and somebody else gets their education handed to them. > > Sam My gosh - what is this incredibly expensive bill I’m paying every month (and will be paying every month for the next several years) that says “Department of Education” on it? (Not to mention the other 3 that claim to have been related to education…they must be fooling me). Because, apparently, being both black and female, I should have just reached out my hands and people would have stuffed money into them desperate to pay for my college…hell, they probably were handing out free hawaiian vacations and carribean cruises for spring and summer vacation, too. :rolleyes: I got exactly one scholarship that was related to race or gender (National Achievement) - and by taking it, I opened up a scholarship for a white person (otherwise I would have gotten the National Merit from the same group - they were only willing to give up to one of each). The rest were open to everyone - though I’ve no idea who applied for them. I also went into amazing debt, and worked through school and through summer. I spent my breaks in the dorm, only came home for Christmas and Summer (I lived at home, no extra expenses, and worked). And no, I didn’t have a car on campus. This “minorities are taking away all the scholarship money, woe is me” is pure bullshit. As far as the OP - college costs have greatly outpaced inflation and percentage of income for a middle class family. And, yes, it sucks. ---
**Author:** ![ZebraShaSha](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/eada6e/32.png) [@ZebraShaSha](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZebraShaSha)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2004, 1:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/white-middle-class-male-little-or-no-scholarship-money/238743/25 "2004-04-08T01:02:59Z")
All of you who are saying that money was not handed to you just because you were black and or female, how hard did you try? I would be willing to write essays for tons of scholarships, but I more than likely will not have the oppurtunity. I am white and male. (I am just saying that a girl from our school recently (yes, black) worked hard at getting scholarships and earned 1.3 million and a full ride to MIT. You can not tell me that a significant ammount of that was because she was a normal high school student.) ---
**Author:** ![monstro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba9def/32.png) [@monstro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/monstro)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2004, 1:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/white-middle-class-male-little-or-no-scholarship-money/238743/26 "2004-04-08T01:16:33Z")
> [@ZebraShaSha](#): > > All of you who are saying that money was not handed to you just because you were black and or female, how hard did you try? I would be willing to write essays for tons of scholarships, but I more than likely will not have the oppurtunity. I am white and male. > > (I am just saying that a girl from our school recently (yes, black) worked hard at getting scholarships and earned 1.3 million and a full ride to MIT. You can not tell me that a significant ammount of that was because she was a normal high school student.) Not knowing her grades, extracurriculars, prospective major, application essay, letter of recommendations, or her financial situation, it is difficult for me to just assume she was granted money because she was black. 1.3 million dollars is not typical for _anyone_. A full scholarship is not typical for anyone. She must have worked her ass off filling out a ton of scholarship apps. Good for her. My sister had an above-average SAT score (better than mine), good grades, tough h.s. classes, and AP credit and didn’t get any “black people only” money. And she, as I did, attended the same school as the OP. We both got full scholarships but only because we were Georgia residents. Woe to all the students who aren’t Georgia residents! ---
**Author:** ![GaWd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/f08c70/32.png) [@GaWd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GaWd)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2004, 1:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/white-middle-class-male-little-or-no-scholarship-money/238743/27 "2004-04-08T01:21:32Z")
> [@](#): > > This “minorities are taking away all the scholarship money, woe is me” is pure bullshit. Man, you’re a dumbfuck. Monstro has already apologized for making the same knee-jerk ASSumption as you just made. Go. Now. Re-read. Come back with report in-hand and I’ll write you a scholarship for $5. _I_ never said that minorities were “taking away” anything, and I never made a woe is me post. Sam ---
**Author:** ![Gamaliel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b487fb/32.png) [@Gamaliel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gamaliel)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2004, 3:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/white-middle-class-male-little-or-no-scholarship-money/238743/28 "2004-04-08T03:39:24Z")
> [@Meros](#): > > That’s still very dependant on what you want to go to school for. . Of course. But Florida has nine state universities and dozens of community and 4 year colleges which the free ride could be applied to. Surely a relevant program must be at one of these schools. And CS? If he means computer science, then the OP is flat out wrong that UCF is the only comp sci program worth mentioning. I can dig up some email addresses of some PhDs in that field I’ve known down here if you want. Does society owe you an education? Yeah, probably. Does society owe you a dream education in the super-specific field of your choice and funded to the extent you deem appropriate? No. Despite Jeb’s mismanagement, most programs at Florida state universities are perfectly adequate. He should suck it up and get an education with the rest of us proles. ---
**Author:** ![CrazyCatLady](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/dfb087/32.png) [@CrazyCatLady](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CrazyCatLady)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2004, 6:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/white-middle-class-male-little-or-no-scholarship-money/238743/29 "2004-04-08T06:05:47Z")
What a load of horseshit. There are _tons_ of academic-based scholarships out there, with no stipulations as to race, gender, ethnicity, or handicap. Those scholarships are how my husband and I both paid for college. Of course, having a good GPA isn’t nearly enough to get those scholarships. You’ve got to do well on the standardized tests, have extracurricular activities, write a lot of essays, etc. He got a better scholarship than I did, even white middle-class male and all. Do you see me fucking whining about how the man was keeping me down? Fuck, no. He had a stronger list of extracurricular activities and probably wrote a better essay, that’s all. ---
**Author:** ![Improv\_Geek](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/b3f665/32.png) [@Improv\_Geek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Improv_Geek)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2004, 6:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/white-middle-class-male-little-or-no-scholarship-money/238743/30 "2004-04-08T06:49:03Z")
Alright alright, I’m sorry. This was a place for me to vent on frustrations from a discussion with a friend. There are tons of scholarships out there, but it just seems like he got passed over for a lot of them. The much more humbled OP. ---
**Author:** ![CrankyAsAnOldMan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crankyasanoldman/32/11670_2.png) [@CrankyAsAnOldMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CrankyAsAnOldMan)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2004, 2:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/white-middle-class-male-little-or-no-scholarship-money/238743/31 "2004-04-08T14:00:19Z")
GaWd, I don’t get it. How can you say this in your first post: “but it’s hard to get by when your schooling comes out of your pocket and somebody else gets their education handed to them.” and then say this later: "Hell, I never even said that scholarships are “handed” to minorities, " The fine point being here that you merely said just their EDUCATIONS were “handed to” them? That’s more defendible, somehow? That’s even more insulting, because an education is a lot more than scholarship money, and to suggest that they do nothing for their educations is a pretty sorry slap. I don’t believe anyone who both claims they are lower income AND says “I DON’T QUALIFY FOR GRANTS!” That’s ignorant of how financial aid works, and makes me question what you really know about aid and why you would venture such an uninformed generalization. You can’t come to that conclusion after researching scholarships in a book. A book like that is generally going to describe some subset of scholarships available on a national or regional level. I highly doubt they are the definitive answer on what ANY PERSON or group of persons, be they black, white, poor, rich, male, etc, is going to be able to get in terms of financial aid at any of the 3000+ institutions in this nation. And by the way, this is called “postsecondary” education, not “secondary.” It’s a little weird to use language that you did not “qualify for” grants. It’s far more accurate to tell whether you qualified for need-based aid. Depending on your college, they may meet that need with grants and they may meet it with loans or they may meet it with a combination. If you have a high need, but got absolutely no grants, it means your college doesn’t have a very good aid budget, or it means they’re decided to give you a less appealing package for some reason. It might not be because you are white. Or male. The reality is, public higher education is not funded at a level where all who want to attend can afford it. I wish it were so. It isn’t. It varies from state to state and institution to institution. Using personal anecdotes at one or two institutions to draw sweeping conclusions is foolish. Ironically, maybe even perversely, some of the truly poor will find a private college more affordable. Usually their aid budgets are funded to a level where they can offer very attractive aid packages. ---
**Author:** ![CrankyAsAnOldMan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crankyasanoldman/32/11670_2.png) [@CrankyAsAnOldMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CrankyAsAnOldMan)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2004, 2:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/white-middle-class-male-little-or-no-scholarship-money/238743/32 "2004-04-08T14:09:26Z")
> [@ZebraShaSha](#): > > (I am just saying that a girl from our school recently (yes, black) worked hard at getting scholarships and earned 1.3 million and a full ride to MIT. You can not tell me that a significant ammount of that was because she was a normal high school student.) Can you tell me more about this? I am unaware that any single person could actually get $1.3 million, which far outstrips the cost of any college education in the United States. What might be the case is that she received multiple scholarship offers which totalled some very high amount, but she will turn most of them down (they are tied to other campuses) and accept just the $150,000 or so scholarship value of the MIT full-ride. I have no doubt that as a black student she was particularly appealing to colleges, and no doubt that she was given extra attention and sweet aid offers because she’s sought after. But her example doesn’t convince me–nor should it anyone–that whites and males do not also get aid. ---
**Author:** ![Dangerosa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/22d042/32.png) [@Dangerosa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dangerosa)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2004, 2:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/white-middle-class-male-little-or-no-scholarship-money/238743/33 "2004-04-08T14:22:25Z")
Its hard to get by paying for your education when someone else’s Daddy pays for it, too (mine did). Its hard to get by when you graduate and your coworker gets set up with a job because he knows someone who knows someone and you don’t. Its hard to get by when atheletes get the good scholarships, get to register first for class and get special tutoring and you don’t. Its hard to get by when you study your ass of for a B+ and your roommate manages to get As without ever bothering to buy the textbooks. Its hard to get by when your resume has “State College” on it, and you are up against people who graduated from Columbia. Its hard to get by when your advisor seems to have it in for you, but he likes someone else, so you get crummy referral letters to grad school and she, who has never had your talent, breezes in on personality. Its hard when you interview for a job and you can tell sitting there that the reason you were called in is because they wanted to be able to say they’d interviewed a woman (or ethnic minority) but they have no real intention of hiring one - they really want to hire one of their buddies. Or that you can tell within five minutes that they’d rather hire someone better looking, skinnier, younger or older, whiter, straighter, more Christian or male than you. Its hard to get by when you discover the only reason the boss hired you was because he wanted to sleep with you. Or that the women in the department make 30% less than the men. Life isn’t fair. Welcome to the real world. ---
**Author:** ![Jonathan\_Chance](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jonathan_chance/32/701_2.png) [@Jonathan\_Chance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jonathan_Chance)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2004, 7:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/white-middle-class-male-little-or-no-scholarship-money/238743/34 "2004-04-08T19:46:32Z")
Gotta admit…throw me in with the ‘ain’t no right to a college degree’ crowd. And aid is out there for anyone who wants it in SOME fashion. And I’m another example that white males can get scholarships. My particulars 1. White 2. Male 3. Mediocre high school grades 4. Upper middle class (two parents in 6 figures) 5. Locked up in a school for ‘wayward’ youths 6. Absurdly high SAT scores And just on the basic of the SAT scores I got a first year free ride to Harvard (which I declined) and long-term scholarships to the local state school I chose. Heck, I didn’t even apply. That was just based on my scores (I let the SAT folks share them with all and sundry) and my applications. ---
**Author:** ![susan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/susan/32/17537_2.png) [@susan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/susan)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2004, 8:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/white-middle-class-male-little-or-no-scholarship-money/238743/35 "2004-04-08T20:34:25Z")
Middle class white person here. I took loans to get through college, and graduate school, and worked anywhere from 1-3 jobs at any given time through 14 years of post-high school training. One 2-year master’s degree paid my tuition and a $5000/year stipend in exchange for my teaching undergraduate courses. I supplemented this by washing dishes on work-study. I say this not to say “Get a job and stop whining,” but because it was a satisfactory solution. I took loans because it was clear to me and my family that my future employment picture was good and that as a white, educated person in the US, I was likely be able to pay them back, even with the then-59 cents that white women were earning as compared to the dollar earned by white men. I looked at the stats for jobs I waqs likely to want and be qualified for with the degree I was earning, and made sure that my monthly loan repayment on a 20-year plan did not exceed the amount I was likely to be able to put toward it while still living modestly well (okay apartment, used vehicle, paperbacks). When I graduated with my doctorate I had taken $103,000 in loans between Perkins and subsidized and unsubsidized Staffords. These loans ranged from 5% to 8.25% interest, with the unsubsidized Staffords compounding immediately upon disbursement. My initial repayment total was something like $215,000. Through consolidation, direct deposit and withdrawal, and timely payments, I have knocked something like $43,000 off that. I could take it even lower if I made larger payments, but I like to take a nice week-long vacation somewhere interesting once a year. The cost in loans for my higher education is the same as the average house in my neighborhood. The thing is, I don’t need another house–I needed my education. That education makes it possible to live in said neighborhood AND pay off my loans, even on my rather modest salary as a state university employee. Sure, I’d rather have paid less. However, my college has not managed to retain or tenure a person of color in over 10 years; white people fare better. And at no time in my education, even the period where I received full funding, did anyone ever say, “She’s only here because she’s [fill in underrepresented membership here]” regardless of my demonstrated abilities. Many of my minority friends and colleagues would not have been able to go to school were it not for scholarships. As a working person, I contribute money to funds that support education for both underrepresented students and general student support funds. It seems like the least I can do. ---
**Author:** ![GaWd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/f08c70/32.png) [@GaWd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GaWd)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2004, 8:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/white-middle-class-male-little-or-no-scholarship-money/238743/36 "2004-04-08T20:42:43Z")
Cranky- I didn’t whine about the situation of funding for school after simply reading over a 400 page book 10 years ago. My complaints are well-founded. Without going too far into how much money myself and my wife make, or other responsibilities, Etc, let me just tell you that our crappy $12/hour jobs somehow bump us up out of the “fundable” guidelines for federal, state and local funding. I know this because when I read your post I immediately went back to the “find aid” webpage at www.csumentor.edu to see if I was incorrect. I’m not. Here are the results of my preliminary calculations for aid: > [@](#): > > The following cost is based on your indication that you would be living off campus (apartment or house) while attending San Jose State University. > > Estimated Cost of Attendance (COA) for 9-month academic year $15798 > Minus Expected Family Contribution (EFC) $xxxxx > Equals Estimated Financial Aid Eligibility $0 > > Estimated Federal Pell Grant Eligibility $0 > Estimated Cal Grant Eligibility $0 > Estimated State University Grant Eligibility $0 > Estimated Eligibility for Student Loan $0 > Note 1: This Preliminary Aid Information System (PAIS) provides you an unofficial, preliminary estimate of your financial aid eligibility. The use of PAIS does not constitute an actual application for financial aid. > > Note 2: The Cost of Attendance shown above is for California residents. Students who are not residents of California are subject to nonresident tuition at the rate of $246 per semester unit or $164 per quarter unit. The maximum nonresident tuition charge is $7,380 per academic year. I’m not eligible for the standard Pell grant(federal), the standard BOGG grant(state), CSU grant, or student loans. This is with a job that pays only $2 more per fucking hour than Starbucks and has no benefits. > [@](#): > > How can you say this in your first post: “but it’s hard to get by when your schooling comes out of your pocket and somebody else gets their education handed to them.” > > and then say this later: > > "Hell, I never even said that scholarships are “handed” to minorities, " I will admit that what you quoted was assinine. I was just venting. I’m still not eligible for funding either way, and I’m well below the poverty line in my area. **Dangerosa** Fuck you very much for this gem: > [@](#): > > Life isn’t fair. Welcome to the real world. I’ve been dealing with “the real world” since I was about 18 months old. With all the crap that gets thrown on my lap, I just keep on going. I could assemble an endless list of complaints like yours. With school, I just keep paying out of pocket no matter what, so bite me. Life is unfair, and that’s why I offered up my opinion on this matter, because my poverty-ridden ass can’t get ANY help in trying to become a secondary-educated citizen. Not for a lack of trying, either. Sam ---
**Author:** ![CrankyAsAnOldMan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crankyasanoldman/32/11670_2.png) [@CrankyAsAnOldMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CrankyAsAnOldMan)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2004, 2:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/white-middle-class-male-little-or-no-scholarship-money/238743/37 "2004-04-09T02:42:56Z")
Well, there are still different methodologies for calculating the EFC–there’s federal and there’s an institutional method. No idea which San Jose State uses. I’m surprised that your EFC is over $15,798 given what you’ve said about your means. If you are truly living below the poverty line, then you should appeal. Families do that all the time; sometimes formulas do not take into account certain circumstances. For the love of mike, it’s not SECONDARY education! It’s POST-secondary, or higher education, you’re talking about. ---
**Author:** ![GaWd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/f08c70/32.png) [@GaWd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GaWd)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2004, 3:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/white-middle-class-male-little-or-no-scholarship-money/238743/38 "2004-04-09T03:42:54Z")
Umm, yes it’s **post** secondary, my apologies. I also blew it on the worksheet, and when it came out the only difference was that $1198 was coverable by loans. > [@](#): > > The following cost is based on your indication that you would be living off campus (apartment or house) while attending San Jose State University. > > Estimated Cost of Attendance (COA) for 9-month academic year $15798 > Minus Expected Family Contribution (EFC) $14600 > Equals Estimated Financial Aid Eligibility $1198 > > Estimated Federal Pell Grant Eligibility $0 > Estimated Cal Grant Eligibility $0 > Estimated State University Grant Eligibility $0 > Estimated Eligibility for Student Loan $1198 So my EFC is at $14600. Appeals? Are there appeals? I may talk to a counselor about it. In less than 2 years, there will be 2 of us in the UC system with the same amount of income and fees. It will be impossible to make it by as we do today in community collegs paying for everything out of pocket. How they figure I can come up with $15K per student per year when that’s over half of my salary, I have no idea. Sam ---
**Author:** ![Rocza](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ce7236/32.png) [@Rocza](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rocza)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2004, 4:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/white-middle-class-male-little-or-no-scholarship-money/238743/39 "2004-04-09T04:03:46Z")
Gawd, That still seems high. I don’t know about San Jose State but our EFC for UC Davis was about the same as yours and we had higher income (assuming both of you worked 40 hour weeks). Are you sure you’re using your after-tax income? UC Davis offered us significantly more in loans than what we were “eligible” for according to FAFSA. They understood the high cost of living in CA. They also allowed us (and I know people who took this option and got more money) to document why we needed more money-so we know people who documented child care expenses, medical expenses and living expenses which came out to be more than their standard amount. UC Davis provided either full or partial coverage of the difference. I’m also a graduate student so I get _less_ aid than an undergrad under the UC system. Private loans are also an option. I was eligible for, and received, an academic scholarship (non-need based scholarship). I have also looked into several private scholarships and I know people who have received significant amounts of money from them. I’m not eligible for work-study but I also had a part-time job. You mention “paying out of pocket” a couple of times-are you open to taking out loans? ---
**Author:** ![CrankyAsAnOldMan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crankyasanoldman/32/11670_2.png) [@CrankyAsAnOldMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CrankyAsAnOldMan)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2004, 2:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/white-middle-class-male-little-or-no-scholarship-money/238743/40 "2004-04-09T14:55:40Z")
> [@GaWd](#): > > So my EFC is at $14600. Appeals? Are there appeals? I may talk to a counselor about it. In less than 2 years, there will be 2 of us in the UC system with the same amount of income and fees. It will be impossible to make it by as we do today in community collegs paying for everything out of pocket. > > How they figure I can come up with $15K per student per year when that’s over half of my salary, I have no idea. > > Sam Yes, there are appeals, and I suggest you go that route. Now, I can tell you upfront that what probably WON’T be considered is the fact that in two years there might be two of you in college. Colleges can’t alter financial aid based on what might happen in the future. They go off what they know will definitely happen, and what is going on now. A lot of people make that mistake, projecting their current financial aid eligiblity into the future. No. Things will change. You might have more (or fewer) dependents in collge, your account balances will change, you’ll be closer to retirement, etc. That’s why aid is recalculated every single year, so it reflects one’s CURRENT situation. I really doubt that your EFC would be $15K PER STUDENT, PER YEAR. Something’s utterly fucked up with the formula, OR you’re making the mistake of assuming the aid formula won’t change where there really are two of you paying for college. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/white-middle-class-male-little-or-no-scholarship-money/238743.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/white-middle-class-male-little-or-no-scholarship-money/238743.md?page=3)