@cptofthehouse But among all we don’t know on this thread is how this college handles insurance. One of mine missed the deadline once, the college billed it. I called and they said, oh, we were young to adjust FA to cover that.
Too much we don’t know.
I encourage posters to read the last few sentences of the second paragraph of OP’s original post in this thread.
Whether or not OP is trying to help support his family back home, the point remains that a student from a poverty level background may experience serious mental & emotional issues trying to adjust to a university environment well known for students from wealthy backgrounds.
I believe OP and I believe that OP is experiencing difficulties at WashUStL related to fitting in financially, socially & intellectually.
P.S. I also believe that OP feels “deceived” because OP did not understand the difficulties which would be encountered when transitioning from a world of poverty to a world of privilege.
Maybe WashUStL has or needs to establish a first year program for those making this type of journey.
I agreed with Publisher. Whether or not the school staff have him inaccurate information or he didn’t understand the information he was given, the fact remains that he’s struggling. Posters claiming that he’s exaggerating or should have known enough – at 17 coming from a household below the poverty line – to choose a different school isn’t helpful.
WashU does have a support program for Pell students.
CC is often sound bites, so here’s a little more of my thinking.
Of course, OP isn’t the first to struggle with $. For many, it’s uncharted territory. As is college, frankly, for most. And if you don’t have some of the core money experiences, it can be overwhelming. I know Wustl has a problem with so few low SES kids, in proportion. They’re working on that.
But once in a while, a kid or parent starts a thread just to dump on a college. They list everything wrong and not what else, how they asked, what they did, how they ended up getting hoodwinked. And frankly, so often, the complaints come after a number of years enduring a situation. OPZ said rising senior. Not, I’m a freshman or soph, what can I do?
I don’t expect OP to know what/where to ask. He’s a brand new member here, maybe he just discovered CC yesterday. But some of us do ask ourselves, how did this happen? Is it real or perceived? What did he try? And, why the original misunderstanding?
So, some here asked for the FA pkg details. Explaining now, to a rising senior won’t help much, I know. And some might say, why didn’t the flag go up sooner?
All we really know is OP, right or not, heard “full ride.” But he/she needs to work 50 hours/week (at min wage, over 1k/month, after taxes,) to make this work. That’s a huge discrepancy from “full ride.” We don’t know what that 10k goes for. Tuition and housing are covered, he said. Books, personal, flights, dont add to 10k. WashU estimates personal at $2250 (high, to me,) books at 1k (much higher than mine spent after freshman 1st semester.) Even adding 2k for flights, it’s not 10k, from the limited info we have.
There isn’t enough info here. So, some have questions. Or doubts.
I agree that ALL colleges should require some sessions for financial aid recipients. I have looked at many award letters and even more semester billing statements that are very difficult to read. I’m experienced in reading them and know what to look for, and I still shake my head at some of them. I’ve not seen this from Wash U, however. IMO, it’s imperative that those students who are getting financial aid understand what they are getting, the terms of what they are getting, what they need to do, what resources are available to them, etc,etc. SOmething like that should be available for all students but for those getting money from a school, it can be essential. It’s just too easy to miss a step, lose aid, spend too much, and for those on the edge financially, it means having to leave college. Money issues are a top reason why students have to leave a college. It happens alot. I know several families here who had misunderstandings with financial aid, that caused the student to withdraw and transfer. When I was in college, it was a constant struggle for those of us who needed the aid the school was giving. Things have not changed, in that area.
I know the required health insurance thing is an issue for a lot of families because it comes up a lot. It often starts out as a detail. If you have no problem with it, fine. But a lot of students and families are.
I always struggle when people are envious of families that qualify for their kids to get generous financial aid. Even with that aid, it’s difficult when your home life, your family cannot support you. Most families don’t blink an eye about costs to drive their kid to college within a few hours or home. Or they look for cheap airfare strategies for far away schools. If you are in the category of budgeting miles on your car, gas money, or have no reliable car at all, no working credit card and a bank account if any, on empty, getting to school is an obstacle. So the very first thing you have to do, in order to start college, is a problem. Maybe, you get an advance from the college to get there. For the first trip, maybe family passes the hat for the kid to get there. But future trips? If the amount in the account is only $50 after an advance for the deposits, the course fees, the books, the advance to get there, the orientation week fee, the insurance, how does one get home for the holidays? What about the cell phone? Some of these kids had jobs during high school for their cell phones and personal expenses. They think they got their full ride award at numbers that are more than they can really absorb, and it doesn’t really register that there isn’t much left once all the costs are charged. It doesn’t occur to most kids, that they may have to insist on a lower meal plan-possible at many schools, they need to get their own insurance on the market place if needed, they may need a cheaper room, need to find strategies of getting cheaper books, etc, etc. Also, there are the DIrect loans. As a senior, this student can take out $7500 in Direct loans, $12500 if a parent is denied PLUS. That more than takes care of what those hours of work are paying. No, I hate loans, but in a case like this, I think they are the better way to go than to flunk out or get sick because of too much work hours.
OP didn’t say the college covered a meal plan or fees. He said they subtracted tuition and the dorm costs. Maybe the financial aid package did say how much the grants were, but colleges aren’t very good about detailing expenses. A lot of it is estimates, and OP might not have understood what all the terms meant. If the college handles finances anything like my son’s school aid is applied and subtracted several times over the course of several weeks. It’s pretty far into the semester before the account is finalized.
The financial package we received from a peer school to WashU was not unclear and I find it hard to believe the package WashU offers would be different. The COA is spelled out clearly, tuition, fees, books, room and board, personal expenses and travel. Then you get another estimate of the aid. Grants, loans and work study. These estimates are not off by thousands. You can very clearly see what the college costs and what the college is giving you and what the shortfall is, if any.
My son19 was accepted here. One thing I noticed about the financial award letter is that it did not include books, transportation or personal expenses in the total cost of attendance. However, those costs were noted with estimated $. This is in comparison to State U which included books, travel, and personal spending money in the total cost of attendance. I suspect his free ride included only $ billed directed by the university and not the other expenses.
Medical insurance is included in the university fees. It will not be a separate bill.
Washington University was very generous to our family. We are not 0 EFC nor Pell grant eligible. The website says not to allow finances to hinder attendance, so I encourage the original poster to contact the financial aid office and explain your situation. Working 50 hours per week would affect schoolwork.
Some colleges tell FA applicants that if their family incomes are below certain minimum threshold there would be no family contribution. WashU isn’t one of them, but it does state on its FA page that FA would be all grants (and no loan) if the family income is below $75k. I’m wondering whether the OP had mixed up the two concepts, thinking s/he would receive “full ride” with family income below the threshold. WashU does consider home equity and other assets, so a family with income less than the threshold typically won’t receive a “full ride”. Besides, even “full ride” generally requires student contribution from work-study and summer job. Work-study on campus should also pay significantly more than the state minimum wage, so I’m unsure why OP chose to work for minimum wage. There’s clearly a lot we don’t know about OP’s situation.
Correction: The insurance fee is a separate bill. Its $1942 for the year-due in full at start of first semester. I did note that Medicaid does not meet Wash U’s insurance requirement, so that additional $1942 may be difficult for low income. I was certainly mis-informed. Since this amount does not show up on the award letter, I don’t know if the university provides funds for that for low income students. Our family will pay it, but it sure ruined our budget!
It might be too late, but I would advise you to look into the National Guard. It might not be a popular option, but the number of benefits that you get including, bonuses, loan repayment, and GI Bill makes it worthwhile in your case. It was in my case. The amount of funding that you will get will help reduce your hours or the job altogether. ROTC is another option, but you will not get the financial benefits immediately. I wish you well, and please continue to talk to a therapist, if you haven’t already.
I have 3 sons in college and have run hundreds of NPCs and seen dozens of actual financial aid packages, from Princeton to Stanford to Harvard, (I mention these because they are considered to be amongst the most generous) and yes, WashU. WashU has fantastic aid for low income families, on par with the best , and does not include loans in their packages.
How can you possibly say they were deceptive? They send you a finacial aid package with all of the costs in one area, including estimates for travel, books, and personal expenses. Then they list your sources of funding including WashU grant, Pell, Work Study, and Student Contribution.
Your post doesn’t add up. What were spending mony on that would necessitate working 50 hours a week during the term?! You stated that your WashU financial aid covered full cost of tuition, fees, room and board, and a small refund. So that left you with work study and a student contribution (which they list as $2500/$1550 for 0 EFC students) to cover travel, books, and spending money.
WashU/Pell gave you upwards to 280k. Enough said.
I think it’s concerning that a college student is working 50 hours at a job during school. How is this possible? Our sons are under our not great medical insurance. We did waivers that they have medical so as not to pay additional university medical. A credit was on their portal, we double checked. Last year, as freshman, they both applied to reach Princeton and we were curious what a package for high endowment/meets full need school would look like. They were not accepted though!
WashU gave you a generous financial aid. If not was enough for you, You doesn’t must accept, and go to another college. But, I’m not sure if another college that give need financial aid, don’t expect a EFC or student contribution.
The student must read carefully their financial aid letter, and if is needed contact financial aid office.
Well said Planner03.