Financial Aid

On five occasions throughout the school year, we host large Saturday campus visit events at which hundreds of families attend from as far as six hours away.   For the past couple of years I have been fortunate enough to give our "financial aid" presentations on these days.  I really do enjoy giving these (two back to back) presentations for three reasons: 1. I enjoy talking, possibly more than anything else in this world, 2. it gives me an excuse to insert pictures of puppies into a presentation* and 3. this is absolutely crucial information for families as they work with their child to make a college decision.  I usually have about 100-120 total people attend these presentations - parents at rapt attention, usually with scowls upon their face; students, bored to death and possibly sleeping on their neighbor's shoulder.  I sympathize with the children: it's hard to process anything when we're 17, let alone the reality that these loans will be OURS and they are OURS to pay back and that can take a WHILE and one day this will mean A GREAT DEAL to us but today is NOT THAT DAY. 

If we take cold calling apathetic high school students who have a penchant for hanging up on you out of the running, financial aid is probably the hardest thing about working in college admissions.  It's important, crushingly so.  It makes college a reality for some students and it destroys dreams for others.  It swells the ranks at the community college and stifles the small, private college.  It keeps parents awake at night and occasionally leads them walk into our office, eyes red with tears.  The problem is simple: there isn't enough money.*

There are those who think they deserve a full ride by the grace of God, and there are those who will scrimp and save and take every dollar worth of loans that they can get, and still can't cover costs.  Regardless of motive, this is a problem.  For reasons good and bad, people don't have savings.  For reasons that pass my understanding, many parents don't want to contribute to their child's college education.***  College is getting more expensive, sometimes shamefully so.  College is a business, and if nobody pays, no school stays afloat.  Aside: states are cutting, swapping, and dealing education funding, while in the land of my birth, right-wing nut job legislators would rather posture about nullifying federal gun laws than accomplish anything.  I understand if they would like our state to be known for more than meth amphetamine (but hey, with Breaking Bad that's cool now, right?) and the adult superstores along side I-70, I just wish they had chosen a tactic other than "hey everybody, we're idiots AND SOMEBODY VOTED FOR US"  

Anyway, on Saturday afternoon I will take that stage to an expectant audience, one that is hoping I can provide them with the secret to a full ride.****  Instead I will give them all the info that they can handle and puppies. They're probably going to leave disappointed.  

*Yes, there are puppies.  And it is awesome.

**  My institution has nothing to be ashamed of when it comes to tuition and aid, and yet people still struggle to close the gap.  THAT is a problem.

*** Favorite reasons given for this:

      1. We paid $20,000 a year for private high school so we wouldn't have to pay for college.  (anvil drops on their head)

      2. My parents didn't contribute to my college education, why should we?  (remind them that college was 30 bucks a credit hour at that point, then anvil drops on their head.)

**** Here it is - are you ready?  Really?  Can you handle it?  Ok.  The secret to a full ride is  your child somehow becoming Lebron James overnight.  Good luck.