What Did I Learn From My Financial Aid Nightmare?

I went to the financial aid office at my university yesterday… and I got them to reinstate my financial aid from now until I graduate next spring! It wasn’t easy.  I was sent on a wild goose chase to another department which didn’t know what financial aid was talking about; and at one point I was even told that I just wasn’t going to be receiving financial aid at all.

Important Facts For Double Majors!

If you pursue a double major or concurrent major keep this in mind.  Never, ever, finish one of your degrees before the other (even if you will only have one or two semesters left for the second degree)!

Learn From My Mistakes

Our greatest glory is not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall. - Confucius

From time to time I will share personal experiences so that you may be able to learn from mistakes I make.  In this blog I won't pretend to be perfect at navigating the costs of college.  The intention of this blog is to help others with paying for college.  Sometimes the best way to help others is to put your own mistakes out there for others to learn from. Brutal honesty is missing from the discussion of paying for college and I won't be one of those personal finance "experts" who glosses over the realities many students face today. The following is a situation that started six years ago and has reached its culmination now.  

Just A Bad Day.

I'm sorry for the super late post.  Today was an unusually bad day in regards to my ability to pay for school.  The story is developing and I will keep you posted.  

Tomorrow I will continue with regular posts.  Even bad days end, and bad circumstances can be turned around. 

Under 24 and Your Parents Don't Pay? Sucks to be you!

I wanted to take you through some of my story to help you put together all of the information that I have presented so far.  As the blog progresses I will share more and report on my past, present, and future methods of paying for college.

I have heard many people, including myself, lament the plight of the under age 24 dependent student whose parents can’t (meaning they are financially overextended but FAFSA doesn’t seem to notice) or won’t help pay for college. 

Financial Aid 201

For many students financial aid is used primarily just to pay tuition, but for some students financial aid also helps to pay for some school related living expenses as well.  Let’s say you received your financial aid package and your financial aid package including grants, scholarships, work-study, and federal loans did not even add up to the cost of your tuition.   What do you do?  Well that depends.

Financial Aid 101

Now that you have selected your general pathways to pay for your education, let’s see what kind of break the financial aid office at your college or university gave you.  Oh, you don’t know about finanacial aid yet, do you?  Well here is the breakdown of what financial aid is, what kinds of aid are offered to people, and which options are preferable.

The Goal of College Wallet

I know paying for college can be confusing, overwhelming, and scary.  I’ve been through it…I’m still going through it.  The biggest problem I have had with learning about how to pay for college is that many pathways and techniques are never talked about or barely mentioned.  I decided to start this blog to help everyone (high school kids, parents, and adults who decided to go back to school) out there who needs to learn the financial ins and outs of paying for school. 

Maybe you can learn from my experience both good and bad choices.  I also plan on offering multiple ways of paying for school.  It is up to you to decide what ways are most appropriate for you and your situation.  My goal is to help others who are discouraged or baffled by the high cost of education.