<p>I applied for financial aid early in march and I am going to start classes in a few weeks and I have not received MY AWARD LETTER yet. I was supposed to received this information in the first weeks of April. So, I called the financial aid office and I found out that they made a really stupid mistake. They said that they have been unable to review my application because they did not have my proof of residency. I was furious because I submitted all this documentation when I applied to the university a year ago. For this reason, I called to the admission office and asked them about this. They said that the university did have my proof of residency and that the financial aid office should be able to see this. I told them that for SOME UNKNOWN reason they didn't. Then, they said that they were gonna solve the problem. THEY HAVEN'T DONE ANYTHING. I have already called them two times this summer, and they always say that they are going to correct this error, but they have not done this. I am still required to submitt this information, when the admission office already told me that they were going to solve this problem. I am very concerned, I am even losing sleep because financial aid money is my only way to go to college, I come from a very low income family ( My EFC is zero). I am afraid that even if they solve the problem now, I am going to receive less aid because we are already in august, and they can make this look like my mistake, when this is really their mistake because the financial aid office already had all my documents and they were very negligent. I really don't know what to do. I don't know where to complain. the institution is a well known four year public university in florida, and I can't understand how something like this can be happening. I can't even belive that this situation is affecting me, my sister that also is going to the same university, and she applied with me to financial aid at the same time, did not have this problem. Can someone please help me? I appreciate any information, it there is any institution that can help me with this issue. </p>
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<p>I would continue to pursue fin-aid and admissions to correct this situation. Try hard not to lose your cool. Treating staff kindly goes a long way.:)</p>
<p>Instead of bickering back and forth about what you sent and what the college is still waiting to recieve, you need to be proactive (especially since you are the beneficiary) to work with the school toward resolving the problem and getting the aid you need. Ask them What can I do to help resolve this?.</p>
<p>If you live in florida, ask them if you can make a face to face appointment to bring them the documents that they need. If they need copies, ask if you can fax them or send them overnight mail.</p>
<p>Keep in mind that if you go to a public university (especially if you are out of state) there is only so much money that you are going to recieve as their first concern are their instate residents. </p>
<p>If you have a zero EFC and are eligible for pell, then don't worry you will get your pell grant. If your school offers SEOG you may not get that because there are limited funds. If you are eligible for an unsubsidized stafford loan you will still be offered one. </p>
<p>Your aid package may be pretty consistent to your sister's package. Don't be afraid to send a copy of your sister's package considering that all things are equal between the 2 of you. If you sister received some big scholarship for being a bright futures scholar or NMS and you were not eligible, don't expect to receive the same award.</p>
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[quote]
sending threats to the financial aid office helps
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</p>
<p>And how's that working for ya? Considering that you are still posting daily looking for ways to come up with money I can only gather not well</p>
<p>Just out of curiosity, what school are you going to?</p>
<p>I'm an incoming freshmen at FAU and had similar problems with their financial aid office, though I'm sure that things like this happen with every school, and isn't specific to the college I'm attending. My situation is slightly different, because I had no trouble with the scholarship I received through the actual school. Once Bright Futures became involved, however, it's been an entirely different ball game.</p>
<p>Like you, I had problems with my residency status (in spite of attending public schools in the state of florida for the whole of my educational career, and having lived in the same house my whole life). Apparently, regardless of whether or not you're eligible to receive state financial aid or scholarships, if the school has you classified as an out-of-state resident, certain administrative "blocks" are placed on actually receiving these funds (at least that's what I've been told). I had to fax over copies of my father's driver's license, vehicle registration, and latest tax statements, as well as my birth certificate and a completed "Information for Residency Classification" form (which was made available through the university), a total of 3 times before things were changed. I was initially calling on a biweekly basis, and upped it to a sometimes daily basis until my status was changed (3 days ago).</p>
<p>If I were you, I'd not only send over your sister's packet, but also try a more forceful approach, and call their office more frequently. Also, you might want to resend any information incase things have been lost - colleges and universities deal with hundreds of thousands of papers, and even if yours are on file somewhere, sending them now might help to expedite the process. It's a pain to deal with, but think about how much the effort could be worth.</p>
<p>Your problem is more important to you than it is to anyone at the school.You should immediately replace the paperwork and deliver it to them either by hand or by FedEx.</p>
<p>true spike
this was a piece of pop psychology that was big in the 70's
Who OWNS the problem?
If you are the one who is most going to benefit or be hurt by the lack of resolution- you own it- and it is more to your benefit than anyone elses to get it resolved</p>