Hello. I am an only child with a single mother. We live under the poverty level and have been struggling a lot over the past two years. We completed the FAFSA and got back an EFC of $0. The amount of need-based and merit-based aid a school in my state offered me equaled the total cost of attending, so I officially owe the school nothing at this point, which I am truly thankful for.
However, I entered many outside scholarships and have won a few already (small amounts like $500). Out high school also gives out small scholarships at the end of the year that I’m expecting to win some of (as I’m in the top 2% of my class, have a 33 ACT composite, 4.0 GPA, a large amount of community service hours, etc). Because of our financial situation and my mom being out of work, I will have no money at all to purchase supplies for my dorm (ie bedding, towels, toiletries), books and other expenses, and spending money for using with others and surviving on my own. We are completely in the hole and barely make it by as it is. After researching online, I kept seeing that I would have to report these scholarships to the school, which will then be paid to the school to offset the aid they offered me (even the scholarships paid directly to me). Is this true? Should I explain this to the school and petition to get some of the scholarship spillage so that I can survive (the ones written out to me, I mean.) I plan to get a job on campus, but I don’t have any money to spend on a good laptop and other items I need for the first few months. I’m really freaking out right now- should I be?
You researched and found this about your college? Or colleges in general? Not all colleges handle this issue equally. Your best bet is to contact your college’s financial aid office directly and ask them what will happen.
Unfortunately, not this year. My mom currently isn’t in a position to drive me to a job and I don’t have my license or permit (and our car is in a sort of compromising state, and she’s bedridden most of the day so she can’t teach me how to drive)
Work this summer. Work on campus. Find good deals on housing essentials – not by googling ‘dorm stuff’ and related terms: you’ll get marked-up prices that way.
Money from the summer should be enough to purchase the essentials. You can buy less essential items throughout the year as you work on campus (coordinate this now! Most on campus jobs on most campuses fill up very quickly – this includes work study jobs. Contact professors and ask about paid research or administrative assistant roles. Contact department admins and ask about being a receptionist. Contact the tutoring labs and the digital literacies center(s) and ask if you can be a tutor for subjects you’re strong in – maybe tutoring students in remedial classes, since freshman may not be able to do much beyond that. Etc).
Some scholarships are direct-to-you: the Lint Center and GoEnnounce ones are the only two I know of (other than Generation Google, which is closed now).
Petitions for refunds are usually not accepted if the school’s policy absorbs scholarships like that to offset their need-based aid. However, appeals asking for a portion of the COA to be set aside for a technology stipend (read: laptop) is common, especially among generous schools. So you may be able to get a small refund that way. Contact your school, explain, and see.
You could take your bedding (or get some from the thrift store) and toiletries from home, use school computers, and socialize at free on campus activities. You will need books, but the library may have copies you can use. If your scholarship is truly full cost of attendance there should be a book stipend.
Does your FA include loans and grants or just merit? If it is all merit and grants, then take take a small loan.
Consider public transportation to get to a job. Also, look for babysitting and odd jobs you can do in your neighborhood.
You need to check with the school you have chosen, but it is possible that the school awarded scholarships will be reduced, by outside scholarships but not the Pell grant so the school could give you that amount in cash. However, you usually don’t get that amount until a few weeks into the semester. The school can arrange that any books you need be charged to your account and paid with the grants you receive. You may be able to keep the scholarships you receive and use them for ‘set up’ but then you might still owe the school some money when you start.
You really need to work and earn some money. No one wants to go to school with no cash. No one wants to only have a meal plan and not another cent to buy a candy bar or a bottle of water sometimes. You will also need some money in Jan to pay the taxes on the room and board portion of your scholarships.
