<p>Any advice please. When i first started taking classes at my community college after I graduated from high school 1989 i messed up big time..withdrawing from and failing most of my classes (Mostly withdrawls). most of these courses were college prepretory math courses that don't apply towards your degree..i returned to school in 2002 but had to withdraw from 10 credit hours because of a job opportunity in total their are 36 credit hours I have not passed or withdrew from..Last fall I returned to school full time I completed 24 credit hours all A's and B's in the Fall and Spring and am in the process of completing 12 credit hours for the summer (hopefully as sucessfully) i was awarded an academic second chance in my 2nd semester so my past was wiped off my GPA..and didn't know that the academics and the financial aid were 2 different animals. I have 2 semesters left to complete my AA before going on for my bachlors. I was notified that i have an SAP Hold on my account for not passing or completing 67% of my attempted classes. I can and will appeal but how do you document the fact you were a flake when you were 19 and now your almost 40! without financial aid I won't be able to finish my AA degree, I will not qualify for private loans (lost business due to economy resulting in loss of income/destroyed credit) Nor do i have anyone to sign on a loan for me. What are the chances of my sucessfully appealing this? Or if i transfer to a private university (much higher cost or I would have gone there to begin with) will those attempts still haunt me or like academics will I get a financial aid fresh start?</p>
<p>Your approach should be to explain the fact that you are no longer a flaky 19 year old kid. Explain what was going on in your life at that time, and then outline the difference between then & now. Point out the obvious … the positive changes that can be seen in your recent track record. Be specific. Pay close attention to what is requested by the appeals committee & be sure to turn in everything required.</p>
<p>I don’t know how your school works. Where I work, you would not be able to receive aid for a semester that has passed. For example, if you were denied aid beginning in the fall, you could not appeal now and have the fall or spring term aid. You would only be eligible to receive aid for summer term if the appeal were accepted. </p>
<p>Did you not realize that you didn’t receive aid for fall or winter until now? Did you not wonder why? I always have difficulty understanding why students wait so long — it’s almost a year later — why didn’t you ask about the lack of aid posting to your account last fall?!</p>
<p>I didn’t wait till the last minute or have any clue that there was a potential problem. I had aid for the entire 09 10 school year, including this summer session. We have to reapply each year for financial aid that was in Feb/march after I completed my tax return…the school then requested copies of my tax return, proof of being unemployed etc, etc…it takes forever to process…I was notified a few weeks ago that I will not be getting aid for the 10-11 school year because of the SAP hold…</p>
<p>You got 09-10 aid but will not be getting 10-11 aid due to an old SAP hold? That doesn’t make sense. Have you spoken directly with anyone in the aid office? You need to do that as soon as possible.</p>
<p>makes perfect sense. happened to me. its not an “old SAP” hold. Colleges review files every summer for the new school year, which runs July-June. So in June 2010, they reviewed your file and for the 10-11 school year, you dont qualify. Same exact situation as mine.
All you can do it appeal or suck it up and just take more classes to raise your % completed this semester. A counselor will tell you if what you are taking will raise the % high enough to get you OUT of unsatisfactory progress.
I turned my appeal in July 15th. Still waiting for a reply.</p>
<p>Financial Aid is generally a state or federal program–such as Staffords, Perkins, Pells, CalGrants (in California). Transferring to a private university does not change your status with the government loan/grant programs, so that is not a solution. While many private universities will zero-out your GPA in terms of your graduation honors level, this is not at all the case for anything dealing with government %-status.</p>
<p>I also recommend figuring out with a school counselor how many classes you need to take (without any government aid, unfortunately) before your % works out again. Definitely go through appeals, that may be your best option.</p>
<p>This is exactly what did happen, I was admitted in 09/10 with aid (I hadn’t been in school for 10 years). This is such a frustrating process the school refused to accept my appeal until my summer classes were completed that was this Weds. I waited for my grades to post on Thursday and I submitted my appeal on Friday, was told it could be a couple of weeks before a decission is made, Classes start August 22. The drop happens on Monday night if classes are not paid for…I will reinroll on Tuesday if that happens in hopes that my aid gets cleared before the second drop.</p>
<p>I as well met with an academic councelor grade wise I’m fine, since I returned in the 09-10 school year I’ve completed 36 credit hours making the deans list twice, I did get a C in for one summer course (Algebra). I need 12 credit hours to complete my AA degree 18 because I changed programs and there are 2 prerequisites…I would do it all in the Fall except I have to take 2 sciences and can’t take both parts in one term.</p>
<p>The issues are from 20 years ago when I withdrew from most of my courses over several terms…academic wise this is encouraged I had no idea that a withdrawl would be considered an attempt…How do you attempt something you never took.</p>
<p>In my appeal letter I wrote that I was immature and did not posess the skills necessary to be sucessful in college at 18, I certainly never imagined that mistakes I made 20 years ago would haunt me today. I then pointed out how sucessful I have been over the past 3 terms which I feel prooves my dedication and ability to be sucessful…I then went on to express the gratitude for what I have recieved to date and explained that due to my families financial situation with out continued aid I would not be able to continue my education. </p>
<p>I honestly do not have the ability to pay for anything at this point in time supporting a family of 4 on one unemployment check and credit wise I’m destroyed for any private loans. How sad this all is I’ve busted my A%$ all year only to lose it due to a mistake made 20 years ago…makes no sense one can commit a crime and get their record expunged, file bankruptcy and rebuild their credit but screw up in school and you get scewed for the rest of your life.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>How are you screwed for the rest of your life? You only need to meet the standards for your school’s definition of satisfactory academic progress…which should certainly be much easier than rehabilitating one’s good name or rebuilding a credit record! If you dropped your earlier courses, which you were perhaps receiving aid for, after the drop/add period and received a W, wasn’t that your choice? If there were extenuating circumstances such as medical or financial hardships, most school will grant a probationary period on appeal.</p>
<p>I know that you’re frustrated but I think you have to own your past decisions and move on. It sounds as if you only need to take 3-4 classes to make the 67% completion rate and your gpa is not an issue at all. CC classes are usually very cheap and I’m a bit surprised that you don’t have any resources after 20 years of working to help you get over the SAP hump. Is your spuse working? Does your county/state offer any retraining benefits? Can you qualify for any temporary aid programs like food stamps to free up some of your income? Hopefully your appeal will be successful…good luck and don’t lose hope!</p>
<p>“I had no idea that a withdrawl would be considered an attempt…How do you attempt something you never took.”</p>
<p>A withdrawal usually occurs when a student has been in a class longer than 1/2 to 2/3 of the entire semester. Meaning, the student dropped after the 12th week of a 15 week course! That is certainly an “attempt”. </p>
<p>But besides that point, the whole concept of “attempting a class” is a definition set out by the Federal Government. See–those loans you want to take out are federally subsidized–by me, by your neighbors, by everyone paying taxes. Those federal loans are risk-backed by the government (aka, your neighbors as tax-payers) and the taxpayer is covering that interest that would normally be collected on that loan while the student is at school.</p>
<p>So the government places limits on how many classes a student can attempt and still qualify for federal loan programs. It makes sense to me that staying in a class pass the quick-drop date is considered an attempt. And “not knowing” the rules is unfortunate, but not an excuse for anything as serious as college, loans, taxes, etc.</p>
<p>I wish you well on your appeal. Be glad there is an appeal process! No guarantees, but there is at least a chance there.</p>
<p>“I honestly do not have the ability to pay for anything at this point in time supporting a family of 4 on one unemployment check and credit wise I’m destroyed for any private loans. How sad this all is I’ve busted my *** all year only to lose it due to a mistake made 20 years ago…makes no sense one can commit a crime and get their record expunged, file bankruptcy and rebuild their credit but screw up in school and you get scr*wed for the rest of your life.”</p>
<p>There may be some delays, but you absolutely can finish your degree. This may not be the right timing for you. You may at the extreme case have to wait until your dependents (children?) grow older and turn 18 and can support themselves. You may need to follow-up on child-support orders and make sure you are getting maximum support. You may need to wait until you are employed again and not living on the reduced monies of UI. You may need to save up for 2 or 5 or more years to pay the cost of your college classes out of pocket. You may need to take just 1 class at a time, paying cash. You may need to move somewhere cheaper, or move in with relatives. There are hundreds of ways to finish your degree without depending on the Federal government for financial aid. Hopefully you can qualify again, but if not, know that students manage this all of the time with just as complicated life stories.</p>