The Big Test Before College? The Financial Aid Form

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/22/education/22fafsa.html

by tokenadult • 17 years ago

2 11 17 years ago

peregrine3• 17 years ago

The real problem, like the article says, is that it doesn't give a good indication of wealth at all. Because I'm not a minority, not living in a slum, and working my butt off I do not receive Pell grants, only options I am given are small state grants and subsidized loans. Great.

I filled the thing out myself and if you take it slow and follow the instructions you will be fine. But I'd rather they just pulled the information straight from the income taxes records and criminal records you could remove 98% of the questions easily that way, no problem.

Our government cannot find a way to connect everything and save money/time. Maybe someone could create a startup that somehow connects these things. Automatically with the consumers consent. :)

mfhughes4• 17 years ago

> Because I'm not a minority, not living in a slum, and working my butt off

All of which will contribute to your better being able to find a job when you graduate.

When you show up to the interview right after a black or hispanic kid from the ghetto, and you have the same education, who do you think they're going to choose? This world does not treat people fairly, as you are finding out now. The problem is that when you are given the advantage, you are generally unaware of it, when you are given the disadvantage, you are acutely aware of it.

Please at least wait until you get into the real world before you start getting angry at society because you're white and middle class and like to work hard and don't live in a slum, okay? Seriously, just wait a couple of years before you get upset about these terrible socioeconomic circumstances you've been dealt.

Actually, if you lived in California, that might not seem like such a sarcastic joke, when you show up at Berkeley and 50% of the student population is Asian, almost none of whom are on financial aid. Maybe you do have a point, LOL.

peregrine3• 17 years ago

Yea I agree its a little soon and I am doing well for myself. The problem is that they are rewarding the lazy punishing the ambitious. I don't care that they help with minorities or poor people thats all well and fine. But who says that I'm not poor? Next month I will be making more per hour then my mother and she has 20 years of experience, I'd argue she is nowhere near the middle class.

mfhughes4• 17 years ago

If you're having trouble following enough directions to fill out a single form, you might want to reconsider going to college. There's lots of directions and forms involved.

tmilewski• 17 years ago

There really are a lot of directions.

tokenadult2• 17 years ago

The credited response to that is that there are many ever so smart young people who are ready for college but have no access to the details of their parents' financial situation.

tokenadult2• 17 years ago

Here's a link to a proposal for reform of the current financial aid system, with extensive input by economists. (It's long, but worth the reading.)

http://professionals.collegeboard.com/profdownload/rethinkin...

The Big Test Before College? The Financial Aid Form

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