<p>Hi i've been admitted to the University of Texas at Austin and I come from a LOW income family. virtually all of my fees have been waived (thank god I don't want to put anymore pressure on my parents), but theres the dreaded ORIENTATION and there is no fee waiver button (click click!) and its approximately 220 dollars. What should I do next? is there actually a way to get this waived that im missing or will I have to go find a job to go pay for this?</p>
<p>anyways lemme know guys! (im new here too so hi to you all!)</p>
<p>With all respect and congrats for getting into such a fine institution, you are going to need to be able to come up with far more during this year for a variety of things, so you will likely need to look at the possibility of a summer job or start saving some money away. There will be numerous things you will still have to find some cash for.</p>
<p>Contact UT Austin admissions/registrar. They often have ‘scholarship’ money available for things like orientation, particularly if it’s mandatory. Be sure to ask about what you might do for your Housing deposit – if you can delay it until your federal FinAid comes through or if they will waive it. If you and your parents haven’t done it already, get your FAFSA in to move the process along. </p>
<p>Even if UT covers orientation, you’ll also need to pay for textbooks, solid interview clothes, and other miscellaneous items (gas money, restaurant fees, an emergency fund) which financial aid doesn’t cover. Low income students often qualify for work study, meaning that you might be able to get an on campus job that essentially pays you to do homework. There are often a number of private businesses just off campus which happily hire college students, sometimes for hourly wages which easily exceed what the university offers. </p>
<p>I would agree that it makes sense to contact UT admissions and see if the fee can be waived. But I also agree that you will need some money for incidentals and entertainment so it would make sense to find some kind of a job at least for over the summer and probably some kind of work-study job as well during the school year. Congratulations on your acceptance and best of luck moving forward.</p>