<p>We didn't get financial aid in the past but decided to really push the issue this year. Initially all we got was a big fat student loan. Needless to say that doesn't help, especially since its unsubsidized. I can definitely get better rates elsewhere, and do. So we argued the financial aid and just received a response. The problem is that they gave us the bulk in work study, with a small amount in cash scholarship. It looks like we have to accept the work study, or we don't get the cash. The problem with the work study is that my S worked close 70 hours a week this summer, in order to not have to work during the school year and he has an unpaid internship that he will be working during the school year, which is not part of the university. Therefore he can't afford to be working two jobs and still do his school work.</p>
<p>Is this normal that they make you take workstudy? I was under the impression that wasn't the case normally. Anybody have any advice.</p>
<p>Thanks</p>
<p>Colleges usually reserve work study for students who really need the additional financial help. They figure if you really do need it, you’ll take the job. You are saying you need help, but you only want a certain kind of help. FA doesn’t work that way. If your S needs financial help for school, then the unpaid internship may have to wait for another time. Work study is usually 10-15 hours a week. He can take any portion of the work study award, so he could work even just 6 hours a week if that cash would help. Maybe he should cut down on unpaid internship hours and then he will be able to find a least some hours to work for pay. Or, he could even find a work study position for weekends only. When you are on campus, there’s a lot of time to fill besides the hours sitting in classes. Even with studying there are lots of leftover hours. How badly do you need the financial help?
Also, a lot of work study jobs are things like sitting collecting library books, or working the desk at the sports complex. I know lots of people who study while working the work study job.</p>
<p>They usually expect students to contribute 2500 a year. If your kid doesn’t want to work, then it usually comes out of parent’s pocket. Are you sure the cash award is tied to him working?</p>
<p>Like I said its not that he doesn’t want to work he worked 70 hours a week during the summer for 13 weeks. He contributes almost 8K to his college expenses. So he triples what most kids do, if 2500 is the asking number. So he’s not lazy, as for the unpaid internship, thats not something he can give up. If he did it would be cost prohibitive down the road when it came time to enter the workforce. For the small amount of cash they are giving us its certainly not worth it. I just didn’t think that kids had to take work study.
Apparently according to the finaid we received when you check off the 'accept/decline" button its all or none.</p>
<p>Oh well…paid 60K last year, I guess I can do it again 
Thanks for your help</p>
<p>I still don’t understand why he can’t do the unpaid internship and a few work study hours for the additional help if you want it so badly. Lots of kids are able to study and work. How many hours is the unpaid internship? The word here is “unpaid”. Sure, it’s nice, but for kids who need help financially, sometimes they have to combine unpaid with paid. A few hours a weekend manning a desk (I’m not saying party nights!) would certainly be do-able, I would think. And work study jobs aren’t hard or strenuous, like maybe his regular summer job is. When you need time to study or whatever around exams, the work study employer will adjust the work schedule to meet the student needs.
Schools usually have limited work study funds to give out. If you are able to pay for school out of pocket, and just fought for FA to see if you could work the system, then I hope the work study funds can go to someone who can’t attend school without that help.</p>
<p>Teachandmom: I appreciate everyones advice but you don’t have to get rude. If you have nothing nice to say than don’t say anthing at all. Not that I have to prove myself to you but I stated already that we take loans and my S works his tail off. More than most kids do. No I don’t have 60K sitting in a bank account just waiting to be withdrawal every year thats why I take loans and decided to really push the envelope and see if there was anything they could help me with. At the end of the day its not worth all the stress it will cause for $1500/yr in finaid from the school. There are a lot of people out there scamming the system. You have definitely picked on the wrong person. As a family we have all worked our tails off to provide for ourselves. I pay my bills on time and taxes. Please go pick on someone else. You’ve got the wrong person today and I’m not in the mood to debate this issue any further.</p>
<p>Just because a work study award has a dollar amount doesn’t mean you have to work that many hours (it is a maximum). There are plenty of work study jobs with limited hours. I would accept the award and then look for a job where your son can work limited hours (i.e. 4-8 hours a week). Most employers (especially on campus ones) are very flexible in working with the students schedule.</p>
<p>Thank you Kdog thats the advice I’m looking for.</p>
<p>Work study is designed to be easy and flexible. It’s probably one of the easiest jobs anyone will ever have in his life. That’s why TMom is saying, “why not?” All of us who did w/s, have kids who did, or friends’ kids who did it, can’t quite relate to the “not worth the stress.” And, what if he could land that w/s in his dept? </p>
<p>My kids are expected to contribute 2k from summer work- his 8k is impressive. So’s the internship.</p>
<p>How many more hours would he have had to work this summer to get $1500 plus the w/s money?</p>
<p>S has a very full course load. His university is extremely intense and competitive. He actually averaged 4 hours of sleep last year during the last quarter and no he doesn’t party. But thats the dedication it took to get the homework done and attend all the classes. It was crazy. He arrived home after finals and started working his 70 hour week the next day. No time off. He literally hasn’t come up for air. Honestly, how he will do it all plus the internship is a concern for me. So to add any more work is pushing it. I don’t know anyone who works more than him. And the school year is all about studying and building his resume for the future. In all honestly that why he attends the school he does and we pay the money we do. </p>
<p>Lookingforward; He couldn’t possibly make up the $1500 dollars in the next 3 weeks. Theres not enough hours in the day. </p>
<p>So hopefully that explains the “not worth the stress” statement. For those kids who recd w/s did they work 70 hours a week during the summer? I would think not. And thats okay but don’t put me down for not wanting more. At the end of the day my S did what most of your kids did in one full year… So I think he is has done his fair share. </p>
<p>Thanks everyone.</p>
<p>Actually, dun, some of us do work that much in the summer, do ws in the year, and a second job during the year too. I even did an unpaid internship on top of that last fall. </p>
<p>So yes, some of us do. For those who legitimately need ws, there isn’t much of a choice. It’s not a matter of whether we want to work, it’s a matter of need. I think it’s reasonable for the school to think that if you have need and they are providing you with aid that you should be able to work a few hours during the week. Whether it’s right or not, the school has a point.</p>
<p>Also are you sure this is federal work study? If it’s something like student employment, then it really is nothing more than a suggestion of working.</p>
<p>One thing that puzzles me about your aid offer is that the school offered only an unsub loan and then offered WS. Federal WS is need based (i.e. there must be unmet need). If there is unmet need, the school should be able to offer your son a subsidized direct loan in place of the WS. Have you asked the school about this possibility? (assuming you are interested in the option of course - a sub direct loan is sure to be a better deal than private or PLUS loans).</p>
<p>Even if your son accepts the WS, he would still have to find a WS job and then work the hours to earn the WS funds. He doesn’t even have to find a job - he just won’t get any WS funds. My daughter’s first year of school she turned down part of her WS because she had an outside job in the field she was interested in. The school replaced it with a sub loan. She quit the outside job as the hours were impossible with school and found a WS job. That year she never earned anywhere near the remaining WS awarded as the WS job she had was with a prof whose research kept being delayed because of approval issues.</p>
<p>At her school, other awards were not contingent upon accepting the WS offer. Different schools seem to have different policies though. I was surprised to read of one recently who made students accept unsub loans if they wanted to accept Perkins loans.</p>
<p>Swim, that’s what I thought as well. If the op is paying 60k it is likely student employment or something.</p>
<p>My point was the $1500 is like a 19% bonus on the summer earnings. I was assuming that was the scholarship amount. </p>
<p>If you feel he’s maxed out already, then it’s your family’s call. I would contact the school and ask if the ws is a mandatory condition or policy. Not all finaid kids at all schools are required to do it.</p>
<p>roman: Kudos to you. I’m sure my S is not an isolated case and I didn’t mean to make it sound like he is the only kid who works hard. I just was a bit defensive as some were making it sound like he was lazy and unappreciative. As a whole, I will state that kids like yourself and my S are not the norm. So again, you should be proud of yourself!!</p>
<p>Now with regard to the ws. I didn’t realize there were two types of ws. I just looked back at the revised FA letter and it definitely doesn’t state that its federal ws. It just states 'Academic Year Earnings". </p>
<p>I will call the school tomorrow. Again thank you for your advice.</p>
<p>My understanding of WS is it is generally part of FA, but if the student decideds not to do WS then the family would just make up the difference. I was just a bit surprised that it was a condition of getting other parts of FA.</p>
<p>I re-read other posts on this thread, I really didn’t get the sense that people were calling OP’s son lazy. Under normal circumstance, it is not unreasonable for a student to work 10-15 hours a week. Our older daughter double majored in math/econ at a very rigorous school, she worked 10-15 hours and was very active with many ECs. Every student is diffrent, if by working during school year would effect OP son’s school work, then school work needs to come first.</p>
<p>Yup, I thought it wasn’t normally a condition either. Its for that reason that I started this thread. Like I mentioned I will call tomorrow. Thanks again.</p>
<p>If it’s just “academic year earnings” you can accept that without obligation, I believe. It just means they think your kid can earn $X working a reasonable number or hours per week during the school year. But the kid is on his own to find the job anyhow. My S has this in his financial aid package. He did not get a job first semester, and that just meant he had less money for books and personal expenses. He spent down his savings, and then got a job 2nd semester. If your kid doesn’t need the money from the job, he can just not get a job.</p>
<p>FYI: I called the school and he doesn’t have to do ws. Its packaged as one, with the scholarship money but its not an “all or nothing” deal. Its completely up to him to pursue the ws and if he doesnt its not taken against him.</p>