<p>Hi,</p>
<p>My brother is a sophomore at Hopkins. My father just got laid off and they're giving him ZERO dollars in financial aid.</p>
<p>Why is the office even called "financial aid" if they don't help people in financial crisis.</p>
<p>This happened after he filled out his FAFSA but would this have made a significant difference?</p>
<p>BTW, we're thinking about pulling him out now for sometime and then have him apply to a state school which doesn't cost a fortune.</p>
<p>And yes, my bro is a citizen.</p>
<p>That's interesting. I'm nervous about having my son start at an expensive school in case our income drops to zero (a real possibility these days) and he'd have to leave -- my friends told me that the school would help out, but I guess it can't be counted on. What a shame that your brother has to leave.</p>
<p>To the OP. Financial Aid departments will listen to requests based on special circumstances ... which makes it seem like your family's new situation might warrent a change in the schools position. That said financial aid calculations are based on both the family's income and assets ... you described what happened to your father's job but we do not have any info on the rest of your family's financial situation (Mom's job, parent's assets, child's assets) to make any sort of statement about JHU's action.</p>
<p>This is horrible. I am very sorry for you in your situation and this really shows that financial aid, not just for JHU, needs to be remedied. I wish your brother and family the best of luck.</p>
<p>That's rough, love. I'm sure your brother will be successful in getting into a good school, esp. if he got into a school like JHU. Good luck! Hopefully the economy will get better since a lot of us are suffering.</p>
<p>In my personal experience, Hopkins' FA office is made up of bureaucracy, extreme rude people, and inability to do things in an orderly fashion. The few times I've actually had to deal with them were anything but pleasant. I submitted my sibling enrollment verification form in the middle of September, and after months of not saying anything, a few weeks ago, the FA office emailed me to tell me that they couldn't find my sister and basically implied that if I didn't come up with proof that she was in college within **one week<a href="with%20very%20specific%20guidelines%20as%20to%20what%20form%20of%20verification%20was%20accepted%20-%20stuff%20the%20university%20doesn't%20even%20send%20on%20most%20of%20the%20time">/b</a>, they would take away my FA.</p>
<p>So, having said that, I'm one of the last people to defend them and their inefficiency. I'm sorry about your father, however, you must note that FAFSA is submitted in May for returning students. Was this recent? Hopkins makes decisions based on the information they had at the time - if they hadn't known about your father's employment, then it's unfair of YOU to blame the FA office.</p>
<p>Regardless of whether or not they know about it, you should contact the office and have them try to work something out. Hopkins tries to be accommodating for the most part, and if your family's financial situation has changed drastically, I think they would try to help your family out, at least a little.</p>
<p>Why are you complaining here anyway? As far as I know, there are no FA officers browsing this forum, and you'd be hard-pressed to find sympathy from other Hopkins students who are also shelling out $50k a year to come here. If you want to do something constructive, call the office, not complain to a bunch of undergrads who have no say in this.</p>
<p>I have never, ever had anything but great interactions with the Hopkins FA office. The key for being treated well is being polite, patient, and orderly. Hopkins will go many extra miles to help its students, whether in the FA office, and across the board. At least that has been my experience.</p>
<p>OP:</p>
<p>It's obviously a difficult time for your family, but if you check out the finaid threads you'll find that layoffs are not uncommon. Typically, a finaid office assumes that your dad will find a job this year; thus, they won't automatically assume zero income for 12 months and give your brother a full ride. Also, FA recognizes that some folks recieve nice severance packages; for example, auto workers get nearly full salary for up to ~12 months. However, FA offices do know that job hunting is difficult in today's environment, and do work with families. They just don't want someone to leave college without trying to help them first.</p>
<p>And, yes, FA offices definitely consider situations that occur after fafsa/profile are filed.</p>
<p>Good luck.</p>
<p>thanks for your posts everyone.</p>
<p>You've got to speak up. Make sure they truly know whats going on income wise, just saying your dad was laid off is not enough - please communicate and negotiate - don't give up or in!! I believe your family can make this work, hang in there.
Let us know how it turns out too.</p>
<p>I think JHU FA is usually VERY good for students who have demonstrated need. If JHU says you don't qualify for financial aid, then there is obviously something that they know, that you don't know. There is clearly much more to the situation - and it doesn't belong on a message board most likely. </p>
<p>That said, I wish your brother the best of luck with his Financial Aid situation.</p>