<p>Okay, so I thought I understood the whole work-study deduction with scholarship deal. I'm going to have my FWS completely reduced but don't know what happens to that money since its meant for me. </p>
<p>Anyone from Columbia in a similar situation... Please help me! I really need clarification on this stuff!</p>
<p>Gotta bump this. Desperate for replies. Lol.</p>
<p>I’ll bump this as many times as I have to until this gets noticed. Trust me… I use my phone in my sleep.</p>
<p>I’ll bump this as many times as I have to until this gets noticed. Trust me… I use my phone in my sleep.</p>
<p>…</p>
<p>No one…??</p>
<p>I’m not sure how to answer your question, but I know how annoying it is to have no replies. Do you a current Columbia student or are you entering soon? Why don’t you try asking your question on a fb group?</p>
<p>WS money is something Columbia pays you if you choose to work. From my understanding (which is limited) it isn’t just a pile of money ready to be given to someone. If you don’t work for it, Columbia doesn’t give it up.</p>
<p>If you know how to use your phone, use it to call financial aid people at Columbia!</p>
<p>When you get a financial aid package and receive FWS, there’s usually some total amount that you can earn, which means that if you want to work, that number is the total you’re allowed to make. This money would typically go to books or “fun things” (as first years are required to be on the meal plan, so you shouldn’t be spending too much on food) like movies or clothes or other NYC things. Columbia, unfortunately, can be a little weird about scholarships. I won a small one that reduced my work study, but ended up being factored into my bill so my parents didn’t have to pay it. My partner’s scholarship ended up in his bank account–Columbia mailed it out in two installments over the fall semester. I have friends who don’t ever see the scholarships again. You don’t need to worry about your FWS being reduced–that’s not money you’ll owe or anything, it’s just money that you were possibly able to earn if you so chose. If you still want to earn money during the school year, there are a few non FWS jobs and obviously jobs at places around campus (ex: Starbucks, Oren’s Coffee, the restaurants). Basically, Columbia is a little sketchy about scholarships but I wouldn’t freak out too much.</p>