My COA (Cost of Attendance) is 19,988. This includes tuition, fees, room and board, personal expenses, books, loan origination fee, and transportation.
I am at sophomore standing come this August, and I’m curious about not accepting work study through my universities award letter.
I did not work on campus my freshman year, but I believe I did accept work study through the award letter, I just didn’t apply for any on-campus work until this summer.
Since I was awarded somewhere between $1,500-$3,500 for work study, but had not worked, during the last week of Spring semester the first week of May, I was awarded a FSEOG Grant (Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant) for the same amount that my work study was for. The FAO said they reviewed other students who were in need and awarded me because I hadn’t worked, so they wanted to cover the rest of my COA since my FAFSA made me eligible.
I accepted the grant, even though it was finals week, and saved it for this Fall, while working on campus over the summer, where they employed me as a “student worker”, not under “work study”, since they couldn’t pay me in work study funds for the 2014-2015 year.
My question: I would much rather be offered the FSEOG grant at the beginning of the school year instead of accepting work study. I’ve already accepted work study on the 2015-2016 school award letter, but I’m wondering what would happen if I deselect it.
Has anyone had a similar situation happen to them? I’ve worked in insurance the last seven years of my life before considering college, and now that I’m here I don’t feel like going back to a minimum wage job. It makes me feel like I’m 21 again.
I had my FAFSA completed by mid-January and I received my award letter in February/March for this next year, so I know I’m eligible for all of the grants the school offers to people with automatic 0 EFCs, which I have.
I’m just asking if it’s possible to decline the work study and request the grant…or simply decline work study and wait to see if they revise my aid?
Work experience is super helpful when you are applying for jobs during the summer and after you graduate. Why did you decline work study?
Sure, you may get lucky twice. If not, you can always ask back the work study.
It usually doesn’t work that way. When my kid was at Brown she had a grant to replace work/study the first year (they since discontinued this grant.) But she was expected to do the w/s the rest of college to get those funds. Anyway her w/s jobs were valuable. Some paid teaching assistantships were useful for grad school resume.
Were you told the grant was specifically in place of w/s? And this is a specific grant? Why don’t you call them and ask for it again?
I would not decline the job. If there is a grant later that allows you to not do w/s you can just not pick up a job later. But the w/s jobs may not be available to you later.
I haven’t declined W/S yet. I simply wanted the opportunity for the grant amount instead of having to work meager hours for meager pay throughout the next 9 months. I’ve worked in insurance for the last seven years before even considering college. Now that I’m in college, it’s more work than earning a paycheck.
I don’t think anyone implied you declined it, I think we all understand you are contemplating it. Like I said, why don’t you call and ask if the grant is available. If you decline you usually can’t get it back. And if you want a job you might find a good one, one you like or one that brings you closer to profs.
Why would you decline the WS award? Your other thread says you accepted it last year but never applied for a job.
Just do the same.
And I don’t agree with your assessment about WS being working a meager job for meager wages. From your other thread.
It’s still work experience.
I was awarded $3k in work study for the upcoming school year.
Last year I didn’t work and in place of work study, I was awarded $3300 in grant during the last week of the year.
MY EFC is automatic zero, so I know I qualify for the grant.
Should I go into my award and decline the $3k in work study in the hopes that they meet my COA with including
the grant at the beginning of the year instead of the end?
See https://studentaid.ed.gov/sa/types/grants-scholarships/fseog
You may / may not get the FSEOG again, even though you qualified.
Different situation. One of my kids was awarded for FSEOG of $200 to $300 for two years. However, at the end of second year, the FSEOG was replaced with a scholarship of same amount. The school explained that other students needed the FSEOG more than her.
The school was probably able to provide those SEOG funds in the spring because some other student had it in the fall and didn’t return in the spring.
A bird in the hand is worth 2 in the bush. Take the WS.
Call up the financial aid office and ask. If they have the SEOG, I’m sure they’ll give it to you, but they might be out of funds for that grant. Everyone would rather have grant money than WS, because then you’d have the grant money and an income. If you can make more money working in the insurance industry, do that rather than WS