Quick question about the way your college handles your loans (U.S.)

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Assuming you have a college, or have recently graduated one, etc. I've doublechecked with all my friends on this one, and they're as weirded out as I am -- and among us, that's twelve or thirteen schools right there. But maybe someone else does it this way.

Every other school I've gone to, known someone who went there, whatever, Stafford loans were disbursed in one payment per semester. Fall semester starts, you get your check. Maybe it's delayed, because shit always happens, sure, but that's a delay.

Indiana, on the other hand, divides each loan in half. You get one half at the beginning of the semester. You get the other half midway through -- October 22nd, for Fall.

This semester, I can live with that, but only because I was given an assistantship at the last minute. If they don't provide an exception to this policy -- there goes my Christmas travel, because while I should be able to afford it, I'll need to live on savings from January through April. The first half of my financial aid won't even cover tuition: it'll leave me almost two grand in the hole.

This is really fucked up, especially since it's a) such an enormous school, and b) many first-year graduate students don't get assistantships (mine is only for one semester, and only because my department is very small, so there wasn't anyone else to give it to). That means those graduate students, if they don't have a full-time job, don't have the money to pay any bills for the first half of the semester, much less buy textbooks, parking passes, bus pass, and so on. I can't possibly be the first graduate student who has looked at this and said "what the fuck?"

I can't figure out any reasoning behind this. If the money's been transferred to them, they're sitting on it and it's accruing interest for them instead of me; if they're not, it's only because they've asked that it not be transferred, since it certainly isn't either federal policy or the policy of my lender.

(Further adding to the oddity, I can't call anyone about this tomorrow, because it's Labor Day .. which means the offices are closed, even though it's the first day of classes.)

Anyway, not looking for advice etc., just curious if anyone's ever gone to a college that did things this way.

― Tep (ktepi), Monday, 1 September 2003 06:09 (twenty-two years ago)

(I have, over the years, gone through every financial aid fuckup from "we can't give you financial aid because your father's a tax evader" to "you've been selected for an audit, but we didn't notify you until you asked why your check hadn't come" to "we lost your application" to "we filed your information under the wrong name." This, though, is explicit policy, not a mistake.)

― Tep (ktepi), Monday, 1 September 2003 06:11 (twenty-two years ago)

Tep, if you are a grad student, see your grad director. They can often do things like having your School or College advance the money to you in the strength of your financial aid award--they will have you sign a promissory note.

If you are an undergrad, see the university ombusdman and explain the situation; but mention expenses *other* than travel.

― Orbit (Orbit), Monday, 1 September 2003 06:26 (twenty-two years ago)

http://www.angelfire.com/ns/dougquaid/images/rcall102.jpg
Twwooooooooooo Weeeeeeeeeeeeks

― Carey (Carey), Monday, 1 September 2003 06:28 (twenty-two years ago)

No, I've never heard of it, but if it's policy it's policy - you're not going to get very far with the powers-that-be by complaining about the policy's existence. Perhaps if you go to the financial aid office and clearly explain your situation and ask if there's some way to request the funds be disbursed all at once, they will consider it.

Do you have a graduate student council you can go to for advice on this? Or, as Orbit says, go to your advisor if he/she is amenable to helping you.

I'm just saying, take it from me because I learned my lessons the hard way as a first year graduate student: you can't fight the system, and you shouldn't waste your energy trying. I don't mean you can't get concessions and compromises out of the system, but you have to know the policies, figure out who to talk to, decide on a strategy and be really polite about it. What department are you in, by the way?

― daria g (daria g), Monday, 1 September 2003 06:30 (twenty-two years ago)

Yeah, I'm not going to bring the travel up :) It's the rent and so on. I'm a graduate student -- the director is never really around, but I can start with the department secretary, who knows me and would (I assume) know if they can do that kind of thing or not. Man, I hope so. Thanks :)

if it's policy it's policy - you're not going to get very far with the powers-that-be by complaining about the policy's existence.

Yeah, that's the thing -- there's no way I'd be the first person to complain about it. They must get hundreds, maybe thousands, of complaints a year. That's why half of me thinks there's got to be a way around it, and the other half isn't so sure because you'd think it would be mentioned somewhere on their fairly comprehensive website. (The policy is mentioned once, and never comes up again.)

The department's West European Studies.

― Tep (ktepi), Monday, 1 September 2003 06:32 (twenty-two years ago)

Do you have an "Office of Graduate Studies"? Believe it or not, there are things that can be done, but it involves finding the right people. Not in a complaining way, but in a "yes we've had people with circumstances and we've been able tom help before by doing x, y, z, way". The bigger the university, the better your chances. Good luck!

― Orbit (Orbit), Monday, 1 September 2003 06:35 (twenty-two years ago)

We do -- strangely, I haven't needed to do anything with/for them yet (I'm used to having to go to them first, or at least get their approval on things). Come to think of it, I don't even know where they are ... (I'll find out, obviously, it's just one of those "this is much different from my last school" moments.)

― Tep (ktepi), Monday, 1 September 2003 06:36 (twenty-two years ago)

Eep. I just realized I didn't get my deferrment letter when I think I should have. That can't be good. Or maybe they forgot all about giving me a loan! Yeah, that's it!

― Dan I., Monday, 1 September 2003 21:36 (twenty-two years ago)

i've been to college and postgrad at rutgers (a public school) and villanova (a private one). both split the financial aid award in half -- neither gave you yer refund all at once.

and the financial aid offices at both places drove me crazy, FWIW!

― Tad (llamasfur), Tuesday, 2 September 2003 00:34 (twenty-two years ago)

Oh dear. (Hey, I know lots of people at Villanova. Well, most of them aren't there now, actually, I guess.) I was hoping for a universal "that's crrrrraaazy talk!" But no, this is good, I can keep in mind that this isn't purely an Indiana quirk.

― Tep (ktepi), Tuesday, 2 September 2003 00:37 (twenty-two years ago)

whilst at rutgers, they filed my law school loan -- A SIGNED PROMISSORY NOTE, PEOPLE! -- in a drawer and forgot all about it for a month. it was only when i was wondering where the fuck my refund check was that i found out what had happened. Tad was not very happy, and angry letters were sent to Tad's state assemblyman (rutgers is a state school, see) -- didn't change shit, though.

and i was selected for a random audit whilst at villanova! root canal with no anasthesia is more fun!!

― Tad (llamasfur), Tuesday, 2 September 2003 00:39 (twenty-two years ago)

oh wait, tep, i just re-read yer header. rutgers and villanova don't split refunds during the semester -- they gave you yer fall refund all at once during the fall, then yer spring refund during the spring. (the fucked-up financial aid office stories are true, though).

i better learn to read more carefully, then.

― Tad (llamasfur), Tuesday, 2 September 2003 00:41 (twenty-two years ago)

I had a "random" audit two years in a row, and neither time did they notify me of it. Dammit.

You know, considering that all of my troubles except one were at a state school -- because that one, at Hampshire, was "we're considering your father's income" -- you'd think it would have occurred to me at some point to write someone. The last one, last year -- actually, I was on ILE then, I may have bitched about it -- they arbitrarily and without notice decided to wait six weeks to disburse financial aid (like, for everyone).

Oh, crosspost and woo! So far, the crrraaaazy talk is a consensus!

― Tep (ktepi), Tuesday, 2 September 2003 00:42 (twenty-two years ago)

rutgers was notorious for waiting till the last possible moment before disbursing refunds ... sometimes as late as two weeks into the fall semester (their shit was always together for the spring semester). and they didn't exactly go out of their way to let students know when the refunds were ready to be picked up. meanwhile, all that money that rightly belonged to the student is sitting in some rutgers bank account sucking up lots of interest $$$$.

i got fucked and audited at villanova because (a) that year i had 1099-MISC income [did some independent contractor work]; and (b) like an idiot, i forgot to put down the amount of financial aid i had received during the previous academic year on the institutional financial aid application (leading Villanova Financial Aid to wonder how the fuck i paid the tuition that year [logically enough, considering how expensive the place was]).

― Tad (llamasfur), Tuesday, 2 September 2003 00:50 (twenty-two years ago)

two years pass...

Can I ask lots of dumb questions about student loans?

What is it like to live on them? How is the best way to judge what you can and can't afford?

― Adam Rice Lacucaracha (nordicskilla), Friday, 3 March 2006 18:33 (nineteen years ago)

learn to like kraft macaroni and cheese. read the boxes for your entertainment.

― kyle (akmonday), Friday, 3 March 2006 20:49 (nineteen years ago)

adam, come to ohio state with me and we'll do paid internships to work off our tuition!

― Autonomous University of Zacatecas (Jody Beth Rosen), Friday, 3 March 2006 20:55 (nineteen years ago)

I can't, but I think caitlin is going to ohio state. I've been to that campus - it's columbus, right?

Kyle, you can sponsor me.

― Adam Rice Lacucaracha (nordicskilla), Friday, 3 March 2006 21:30 (nineteen years ago)

I've been to that campus - it's columbus, right?

yes!

― Autonomous University of Zacatecas (Jody Beth Rosen), Friday, 3 March 2006 21:33 (nineteen years ago)

JBR, when are you starting at OSU?

― Dave will do (dave225.3), Friday, 3 March 2006 22:42 (nineteen years ago)

spring '07. or fall '06 if i can convince them to let me in. i haven't made my final decision yet, but they want an answer so i'm telling them yes.

― Autonomous University of Zacatecas (Jody Beth Rosen), Saturday, 4 March 2006 00:00 (nineteen years ago)

well if you end up here, I'll buy you lunch with proper salt levels and pure olive oil....

― Dave will do (dave225.3), Saturday, 4 March 2006 00:02 (nineteen years ago)

i'm just looking forward to going back to this place:
http://www.bentogogo.com/

― Autonomous University of Zacatecas (Jody Beth Rosen), Saturday, 4 March 2006 00:05 (nineteen years ago)

Uh, I think it's gone! (maybe not...)

― Dave will do (dave225.3), Saturday, 4 March 2006 00:06 (nineteen years ago)

I guess they wouldn't have a website still, would they...

― Dave will do (dave225.3), Saturday, 4 March 2006 00:07 (nineteen years ago)

their citysearch page is still up.

― Autonomous University of Zacatecas (Jody Beth Rosen), Saturday, 4 March 2006 00:08 (nineteen years ago)

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