If only - Page 7

Shawnee123 · 11-01-2006, 12:14 PM

Iggy,

I am a financial aid administrator, and I know exactly what you are saying. I say time and time again that there is an entire poplulation of students who don't get any federal or state grants, yet their family really doesn't make enough money to comfortably send their kids, or themselves, to school. We as administrators see this all the time, and there is nothing we can do about the regulations, though we help all we can.

You should be able to get federal stafford loans easily, as long as everything else is OK, meaning you have taken all the FAFSA steps and have a valid ISIR (what the schools are sent from the results of FAFSA processing; valid meaning all verification, or other docs, have been received and processed.) Stafford loans are figured on cost of attendance (a school's formula, based on federal guidelines, for determing what it should cost that student to attend school, taking into account tuition, fees, books, costs for transportation, living expenses, child care costs, dependency status, year of school...etc and so on.) Then, aid already received is subtracted from the equation. However, dependent students are limited by annual amounts.

I was just in a meeting last Monday at the State House talking about a NEW grant we have to administer, in very short time...that once again is for students who have a zero EFC (expected family contribution.) It is a convoluted story, but I did point out to the board of regents lady that we are ignoring a very large population of students and next time they want to look good they might consider helping out those who don't get help. I didn't say it nearly that harshly, but I got applause from all the other FA administrators in the room.

I always suggest students write to their congressman. It might sound silly, but the best way to effect change is for them to understand that a large part of their consituency is unhappy and wants change.

In the meantime, keep your eyes out for scholarship opportunities. We have many institutional scholarships (I am scholarship chair) to give out every year and we find so many who don't apply because they think they have no chance.

Watch for third party scholarship opportunities in your community from civic groups. Apply for everything. Spend time on your app...sell yourself!

Also, there are national scholarships available that target a million different categories; there may be a scholarship for blond haired, green eyed people with 6 toes. You can enter yourself in a database at www.finaid.org ...find scholarship searches. They take your information and inform you of scholarships that you might be eligible for that you otherwise would never had known existed.

Most of all, hang in there. Be very careful of scams. DO NOT give money to organizations who say they will find you more aid. Any self respecting FA administrator at any respectable institution will provide you with all information for free.

I wish you the best of luck. Keep applying for scholarships!

Iggy · 11-01-2006, 12:36 PM

I have tried fastweb.com It looks for all scholarship applications I qualify for based on the information I gave. I have applied for most of them, but no luck. My EIC is around $8500 this year. That is why I can't get grants. The last time I recieved information on the stafford loan (it was last year or the year before, I can't remember) it said that if I went full time to the local college then they would give me $1000. The problem with this is that full time tuition (12 credit hours) at that school is around $3000, and I can't pay the difference. They wouldn't give me money for going part time, at least that is how I understood it.

But I will write to my local congressman. I don't know why I didn't think of that, it makes perfect sense. If I don't get any aid from it, at least I will have voiced my opinion. Maybe one day that will make a difference.

9th Engineer · 11-01-2006, 03:06 PM

I retract the firing portion of my comment, that's a little harsher than I really meant. I'm just frusterated at how many people feel that doing just the minimum to get by is enough, even here it's a big population. If some people are in jobs where they need to work in concert with many other people, some of whome are less than timely with their contribution, I understand that and that's not who I was refering to. I was listening to one of my roommates friends whine about how she was going to have to take both macro and microeconomics in the comming semester and was seeing red at the time. Both courses are really a joke anyway, and I swear if I have to listen to Ms. 'but it's gonna be haarrdd

' even one more time I'm going to go postal.

John Adams · 11-01-2006, 10:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Shawnee123

Hmm...where is the "freedom" in this, oh founder?

Bwhahaha, obviously you got it. Cool, I usually have to explain it.

I work for a company that will eventually be put under the authority of the all knowing and wise UN. After all, the internet should be censored equally for everyone.

9th Engineer - every employee has to sign a form with their onboarding docs acknowledging their compliance with data collection. So theoretically they all know we collect this stuff but realistically every time I have shared something with one of them they have been amazed.

Aliantha · 11-01-2006, 11:02 PM

There will always be people who do just enough to get by. There will always be those who do more than their share. The law of averages says it'll all even out in the end.

I surf the web when I'm at work sometimes. Usually I'm too busy, but on slow days I do now and then.

I'm a salesperson. I always make my quota and am in fact one of the two top sales people in the company. The extra I sell makes up for those whose sales skills or product knowledge are not equal to mine.

My boss knows I surf the web sometimes. We all do. We know we're being monitored every moment we're online. I'm sure if my boss had an issue with it he'd tell me and I'd expect him to. I'm sure as hell not going to feel guilty about doing it though because I make more money for the company/hour worked than just about every other salesperson. On the other hand, if they offer me a payrise then I could be persuaded to limit my browsing time.

morethanpretty · 11-02-2006, 02:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 9th Engineer

I was listening to one of my roommates friends whine about how she was going to have to take both macro and microeconomics in the comming semester and was seeing red at the time. Both courses are really a joke anyway, and I swear if I have to listen to Ms. 'but it's gonna be haarrdd

' even one more time I'm going to go postal.

Some people, some very smart people, find those courses difficult. Just because something is easy for you don't assume that it should be easy for other people. I find math (alg atleast) fairly simple and easy, but my boyfriend is on his 3rd try of the class after having had to take all of the remedial courses.

Flint · 11-02-2006, 02:48 PM

I guess 9th isn't a "compassionate conservative" . . . he's old-school, hard-core baby!

Happy Monkey · 11-02-2006, 02:56 PM

My econ final was difficult. I forgot my calculator, and had to calculate 0.7^9 by hand, and there was no partial credit.

Shawnee123 · 11-02-2006, 03:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Happy Monkey

My econ final was difficult. I forgot my calculator, and had to calculate 0.7^9 by hand, and there was no partial credit.

If there HAD been partial credit I would have answered "1" It would have to be in somewhere.

morethanpretty · 11-03-2006, 08:08 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Happy Monkey

My econ final was difficult. I forgot my calculator, and had to calculate 0.7^9 by hand, and there was no partial credit.

My sister's calculator died on her right before her SAT...she still ended up with a 1310...I wish that I could hate her.

footfootfoot · 11-04-2006, 08:21 AM

1310? That's the result of inflation. You kids today think your scores are so big, why back when I was a kid, the most you could get on the SAT was 3.

In fact, it wasn't even the SAT back then, it was just the AT. /curmudgeon

9th Engineer · 11-04-2006, 12:59 PM

Ya, not alot of 'compassionate conservative' in here, it's the bitching that really got on my nerves. We're in university here, not highschool. If she finds those courses hard but still has to take them concurently then she'll just have to buckle down, work hard, and maybe drop a few side intrests off her calender. Frankly I'm amazed at how many students seem to think they should be able to be in a frat/sorority, four different student groups, and still have two or three nights a week for going out with friends. That's not how college works if you want to come out with a competitive skill set. And yes, that's what I believe everything boils down to. Someone mentioned that it doesn't matter if you have a degree from a good college, you're still at the mercy of 'The Man'. Well a degree doesn't mean dick if you arn't more skilled at what you do than most of your peers, that's how the market works, not some ghostly 'Man' working to keep you down. The skilled always rise to the top and succeed, the less skilled blame their lackluster results on something other than themselves.
So yeah, no NeoCon's here, I'm all old school!

DucksNuts · 11-04-2006, 06:32 PM

Women's Day - 30th October 2006

Bachelor Malcolm Smith finally felt ready to take the next big step as he exchanged vows with Caroline - a shapely blonde wearing a white wedding dress bought on ebay.
Dressed in a military-style outfit, he made his vows to Caroline watched by Rebecca, their witness.
He'd spent weeks scouring the charity shops looking for the perfect dress for his "bride", and he'd also found a $35 pink frock for Rebecca. Malcolm didnt know Caroline's ring size, so instead of a gold band, he bought her a fake diamond tiara and pearls.
He had the day of his dreams, despite the fact that the bride, witness and other guests were all life-size dolls. And after the one-hour ceremony, Malcolm lugged his 60kg wife awkwardly upstairs before consummating their marriage in the bedroom.
"It nearly gave me a hernia, but it was worth it and felt really special."

The lonely singleton, who has only ever had one real girlfriend, has a total of five mannequins and insists they're so life-like he has fallen in love with them - and given up on his quest to find a human girlfriend.
"The opposite sex has always been baffling to me," says Malcolm, a computer programmer. "So, I decided to turn to dolls".
He bought his Read Dolls, marketed as the "world's finest love dolls," for more than $12,300 each from a company in America..........(snip)

...."Its relaxing, and nice that they don't answer back. I think conversation is overrated," he says. He loves to have tea parties at weekends, and takes the dolls out for drives.
It may all sound utterly weird, but it works for Malcolm, who insists he has a good love-life. "At least I never get criticised on my performance", he jokes.

9th Engineer · 11-04-2006, 07:07 PM

Are you really going to complain that this guy isn't going to be hitting on you at bars?

wolf · 11-05-2006, 01:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by morethanpretty

My sister's calculator died on her right before her SAT...she still ended up with a 1310...I wish that I could hate her.

The idea that you can USE a calculator on the SAT horrifies me. More than the above marrying a plastic sex doll story.

11-01-2006, 12:14 PM	#91
Shawnee123 Why, you're a regular Alfred E Einstein, ain't ya? Join Date: Jun 2006 Posts: 21,206	Iggy, I am a financial aid administrator, and I know exactly what you are saying. I say time and time again that there is an entire poplulation of students who don't get any federal or state grants, yet their family really doesn't make enough money to comfortably send their kids, or themselves, to school. We as administrators see this all the time, and there is nothing we can do about the regulations, though we help all we can. You should be able to get federal stafford loans easily, as long as everything else is OK, meaning you have taken all the FAFSA steps and have a valid ISIR (what the schools are sent from the results of FAFSA processing; valid meaning all verification, or other docs, have been received and processed.) Stafford loans are figured on cost of attendance (a school's formula, based on federal guidelines, for determing what it should cost that student to attend school, taking into account tuition, fees, books, costs for transportation, living expenses, child care costs, dependency status, year of school...etc and so on.) Then, aid already received is subtracted from the equation. However, dependent students are limited by annual amounts. I was just in a meeting last Monday at the State House talking about a NEW grant we have to administer, in very short time...that once again is for students who have a zero EFC (expected family contribution.) It is a convoluted story, but I did point out to the board of regents lady that we are ignoring a very large population of students and next time they want to look good they might consider helping out those who don't get help. I didn't say it nearly that harshly, but I got applause from all the other FA administrators in the room. I always suggest students write to their congressman. It might sound silly, but the best way to effect change is for them to understand that a large part of their consituency is unhappy and wants change. In the meantime, keep your eyes out for scholarship opportunities. We have many institutional scholarships (I am scholarship chair) to give out every year and we find so many who don't apply because they think they have no chance. Watch for third party scholarship opportunities in your community from civic groups. Apply for everything. Spend time on your app...sell yourself! Also, there are national scholarships available that target a million different categories; there may be a scholarship for blond haired, green eyed people with 6 toes. You can enter yourself in a database at www.finaid.org ...find scholarship searches. They take your information and inform you of scholarships that you might be eligible for that you otherwise would never had known existed. Most of all, hang in there. Be very careful of scams. DO NOT give money to organizations who say they will find you more aid. Any self respecting FA administrator at any respectable institution will provide you with all information for free. I wish you the best of luck. Keep applying for scholarships! __________________ A word to the wise ain't necessary - it's the stupid ones who need the advice. --Bill Cosby

11-01-2006, 03:06 PM	#93
9th Engineer Bioengineer and aspiring lawer Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: Pittsburgh Posts: 872	I retract the firing portion of my comment, that's a little harsher than I really meant. I'm just frusterated at how many people feel that doing just the minimum to get by is enough, even here it's a big population. If some people are in jobs where they need to work in concert with many other people, some of whome are less than timely with their contribution, I understand that and that's not who I was refering to. I was listening to one of my roommates friends whine about how she was going to have to take both macro and microeconomics in the comming semester and was seeing red at the time. Both courses are really a joke anyway, and I swear if I have to listen to Ms. 'but it's gonna be haarrdd' even one more time I'm going to go postal. __________________ The most valuable renewable resource is stupidity.

11-01-2006, 11:02 PM	#95
Aliantha trying hard to be a better person Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Brisbane, Australia Posts: 16,493	There will always be people who do just enough to get by. There will always be those who do more than their share. The law of averages says it'll all even out in the end. I surf the web when I'm at work sometimes. Usually I'm too busy, but on slow days I do now and then. I'm a salesperson. I always make my quota and am in fact one of the two top sales people in the company. The extra I sell makes up for those whose sales skills or product knowledge are not equal to mine. My boss knows I surf the web sometimes. We all do. We know we're being monitored every moment we're online. I'm sure if my boss had an issue with it he'd tell me and I'd expect him to. I'm sure as hell not going to feel guilty about doing it though because I make more money for the company/hour worked than just about every other salesperson. On the other hand, if they offer me a payrise then I could be persuaded to limit my browsing time. __________________ Kind words are the music of the world. F. W. Faber

11-02-2006, 02:48 PM	#97
Flint Snowflake Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Dystopia Posts: 13,136	I guess 9th isn't a "compassionate conservative" . . . he's old-school, hard-core baby! __________________ **************** There's a level of facility that everyone needs to accomplish, and from there it's a matter of deciding for yourself how important ultra-facility is to your expression. ... I found, like Joseph Campbell said, if you just follow whatever gives you a little joy or excitement or awe, then you're on the right track. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Terry Bozzio**

11-02-2006, 02:56 PM	#98
Happy Monkey I think this line's mostly filler. Join Date: Jan 2003 Location: DC Posts: 13,575	My econ final was difficult. I forgot my calculator, and had to calculate 0.7^9 by hand, and there was no partial credit. __________________ _________________ \|...............\| We live in the nick of times. \| Len 17, Wid 3 \| \|_______________\| [pics]

11-01-2006, 12:36 PM	#92
Iggy Back and ready to tart up the place Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Kansas Posts: 850	I have tried fastweb.com It looks for all scholarship applications I qualify for based on the information I gave. I have applied for most of them, but no luck. My EIC is around $8500 this year. That is why I can't get grants. The last time I recieved information on the stafford loan (it was last year or the year before, I can't remember) it said that if I went full time to the local college then they would give me $1000. The problem with this is that full time tuition (12 credit hours) at that school is around $3000, and I can't pay the difference. They wouldn't give me money for going part time, at least that is how I understood it. But I will write to my local congressman. I don't know why I didn't think of that, it makes perfect sense. If I don't get any aid from it, at least I will have voiced my opinion. Maybe one day that will make a difference.

11-04-2006, 08:21 AM	#101
footfootfoot To shreds, you say? Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: in the house and on the street-how many, many feet we meet! Posts: 18,449	1310? That's the result of inflation. You kids today think your scores are so big, why back when I was a kid, the most you could get on the SAT was 3. In fact, it wasn't even the SAT back then, it was just the AT. /curmudgeon __________________ The internet is a hateful stew of vomit you can never take completely seriously. - Her Fobs

11-04-2006, 12:59 PM	#102
9th Engineer Bioengineer and aspiring lawer Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: Pittsburgh Posts: 872	Ya, not alot of 'compassionate conservative' in here, it's the bitching that really got on my nerves. We're in university here, not highschool. If she finds those courses hard but still has to take them concurently then she'll just have to buckle down, work hard, and maybe drop a few side intrests off her calender. Frankly I'm amazed at how many students seem to think they should be able to be in a frat/sorority, four different student groups, and still have two or three nights a week for going out with friends. That's not how college works if you want to come out with a competitive skill set. And yes, that's what I believe everything boils down to. Someone mentioned that it doesn't matter if you have a degree from a good college, you're still at the mercy of 'The Man'. Well a degree doesn't mean dick if you arn't more skilled at what you do than most of your peers, that's how the market works, not some ghostly 'Man' working to keep you down. The skilled always rise to the top and succeed, the less skilled blame their lackluster results on something other than themselves. So yeah, no NeoCon's here, I'm all old school! __________________ The most valuable renewable resource is stupidity.

11-04-2006, 06:32 PM	#103
DucksNuts Bitchy Little Brat Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: Queensland, Australia Posts: 5,067	Well shit!! Women's Day - 30th October 2006 Bachelor Malcolm Smith finally felt ready to take the next big step as he exchanged vows with Caroline - a shapely blonde wearing a white wedding dress bought on ebay. Dressed in a military-style outfit, he made his vows to Caroline watched by Rebecca, their witness. He'd spent weeks scouring the charity shops looking for the perfect dress for his "bride", and he'd also found a $35 pink frock for Rebecca. Malcolm didnt know Caroline's ring size, so instead of a gold band, he bought her a fake diamond tiara and pearls. He had the day of his dreams, despite the fact that the bride, witness and other guests were all life-size dolls. And after the one-hour ceremony, Malcolm lugged his 60kg wife awkwardly upstairs before consummating their marriage in the bedroom. "It nearly gave me a hernia, but it was worth it and felt really special." The lonely singleton, who has only ever had one real girlfriend, has a total of five mannequins and insists they're so life-like he has fallen in love with them - and given up on his quest to find a human girlfriend. "The opposite sex has always been baffling to me," says Malcolm, a computer programmer. "So, I decided to turn to dolls". He bought his Read Dolls, marketed as the "world's finest love dolls," for more than $12,300 each from a company in America..........(snip) ...."Its relaxing, and nice that they don't answer back. I think conversation is overrated," he says. He loves to have tea parties at weekends, and takes the dolls out for drives. It may all sound utterly weird, but it works for Malcolm, who insists he has a good love-life. "At least I never get criticised on my performance", he jokes.

11-04-2006, 07:07 PM	#104
9th Engineer Bioengineer and aspiring lawer Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: Pittsburgh Posts: 872	Are you really going to complain that this guy isn't going to be hitting on you at bars? __________________ The most valuable renewable resource is stupidity.

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