<p>Does anybody know what's up with the financial aid office? I always try to contact them in the Summer, but there's always the same automated message saying that they're busy... I need to ask them if there's any opportunities available to me besides the Board of Govenors Fee Waiver. I didn't submit the FAFSA while I was a regular student there and didn't include them in the 2011-2012 FAFSA... yeah, I have a lot of questions to ask them... should I just go to the office(it's a two/three hour commute both ways)?</p>
<p>Seems like classic SMC to me. I wouldn’t make the drive unless I knew for sure that they were in the office. Unfortunately SMC is usually really bad when it comes to answering their phones so it’s kind of a crap shoot. Try calling the main office and see if the financial aid office is open for that day. When I went there… 6 years ago, the FA office was open in the summer but I don’t know if budget cuts have ended that.</p>
<p>Otherwise if you have other things to do in LA too, I’d say go for the drive, just not on friday or the weekends.</p>
<p>Alright thanks</p>
<p>I’ll save you some times, if you didn’t do FASA you wont get any more aid . Aside from maybe a bookstore loan</p>
<p>I’m a student at SMC. They’re open for the summer, but they never check emails or answer phones, even when they have a low volume of students coming in. Your best bet is to go in person.</p>
<p>As far as additional aid, you’re not gonna get anything without having filled out a FAFSA as the above poster said.</p>
<p>if you didnt file a FAFSA then what do you expect them to do? dont even waste your time</p>
<p>I completed FASFA last Sunday night, then I was awarded the BOG and notified of a potential for the Pell Grant on tuesday. I just sent in documents online via a scanned PDF file. It really should be no problem.</p>
<p>Out of 32,000 students at SMC, 30,000 of them get Financial Aid. Quite a number, eh?</p>
<p>“didn’t include them in the 2011-2012 FAFSA”</p>
<p>I did file the FAFSA, but I only listed the UCs which I applied to… I’m attending SMC in the Fall and Berkeley in the Spring, so I would like to take advantage of financial assistance during the Fall.</p>
<p>Can’t you go back into the FAFSA and have it sent to them now?</p>
<p>^
Yeah, I was told to add them to my FAFSA, but I can’t find anywhere to log in… it seems like it was a one time process…</p>
<p>Alright, I added Santa Monica College “With Parent”… is that all I have to do? Update my FAFSA, then go to SMCs Financial Aid Office Monday or Thursday?</p>
<p>Monday? it’s closed for july 4th. I recommend that you go on Thursday then. Glad you added the school to your application.</p>
<p>^
I wasn’t seriously planning on going Monday since I was told that the application takes 4-5 days to process and 24 hours to update on SMCs side(hence Thursday), but thanks… I don’t celebrate holidays hahaha</p>
<p>Good looking out!</p>
<p>Just keep in mind most of those people in the office are pretty arrogant. They act like they’re giving out the aid out of their own pockets.</p>
<p>Well, most of the workers there are student assistants…</p>
<p>Really? The people that I hand my paper work to seem like they work there for a living,</p>
<p>It’s a mix. I knew one of the guys there who worked the front counter and he was a student assistant.</p>