College, everyone's 1st day tomorrow, but not mine =/ ?

Question

My financial aid never happened I'm still on a waiting list, eventhough I filled out the financial aid forms in early February. So I have no money to go to college this 1st semester.

All my friends are starting tomorrow, (including my bf).

I just feel worthless, like I'm being left behind.

I wish I could go, I really wanted too, so the plan is to work full time this semester and save enough money to go in the spring even if I don't get the financial aid.

has this ever happened to you?

I feel so bad/worthless.

Answer 1

Yes, you have to constantly call them and bug them to make sure they are updating ALL of your documents like they are supposed to, because those counselors can get kind of lazy.

Answer 2

All these organizations wanna give it out to the lazy people, never the hard workers...

That happened to one of my ex's who worked through college as well. It's a shame, but don't feel bad. If they're to blind to help a good student, go out there and show 'em what you're really made of!  

Answer 3

Don't worry. Last semester I had to drop out of college two days before the classes started! My family had to take a trip to China because of international adoption. The school made me pay a drop out fee, yuck! But because I had to drop out, I had a chance to work extra hours and gain enough money to pay for college nasty little fees and large books. Now because I had a semester off, I am really excited to be back in school and that break was just I need to motivate me to work harder in school and to get out of college faster.  

Answer 4

I'm curious to know more about this situation (i.e. where were you intent upon going to school, what your EFC was on your FAFSA form and how frequently you've contacted the financial aid office).  

In my experience with financial aid officers, the squeaky wheel gets the oil.  You must absolutely be persistent even if it means making one phone call and sending one letter per week.  You cannot sit on your rump on this one...remember this is YOUR education.  It is possible that there will be some great good that comes from this experience for you (such as having a much higher value for your educational opportunity).  At this point, I would make every effort to diligently pursue this in an aggressive manner (with your frequency of contact versus your demeanor with the financial aid staff).  You want to mention things in your conversations (or letters) about having an officer contact you regarding your status and ask what they would recommend at this point to expedite and guarantee your financial aid package for the spring semester.

In addition, you need have your ducks in a row by now to be considered for financial aid in the spring (decisions for the fall are made before April 1st).  The worst case scenario is that you must take out student loans for school or even take courses at your local community college or online.  Remember that loans have a lower interest rate than credit cards and you can always adjust your payment plan once you graduate (but you can't graduate if you don't make it past the front door).  

For next year though make sure that you start contacting around April 1st and don't stop until you have a financial aid award letter in your hand for the upcoming year.

I wish you the best of luck in your educational endeavors and hope that things come together very soon.  

Answer 5

Yeah, but usually if you explain your situation they will pull strings to get you in classes.

That happened to me last year, i missed the first week of class while they searched my records to see what was wrong, turned out to be a couple of missed signatures and misprinted information fields (they are really anal about that kind of thing, especially FAFSA) and once that was corrected I was able to go to classes.

Answer 6

Don't feel guilty. The fact that you're working full time to save up for college is nothing short of admirable and very mature.