Aid debacle

I’ve always told aspiring high school students and various people I meet not to be frightened by the high cost of attending an Ivy League university. Just apply, I say. You never know, I say. Ivies give lots of financial aid, I say. Yet, as August 5th rolls around and the payment deadline of August 11th becomes scarily closer, I continue to wait on pins and needles for my financial aid package. Where is it?? Who knows?? How much have I received??

I am not the only one waiting, however. At very least, several other Cornellians I know personally have yet to receive information about their grants, scholarships, and aid money. There must be many other students eagerly awaiting their package as well though: each time I call (it has been many times now) I am informed that my folder is complete and ready to be analyzed, I am just waiting in line behind others whose information needs to be processed. So if it is now six days before the deadline, there must be quite a long line of people. So what are hopeless poor chaps like myself supposed to do? Don’t bother calling the office, because they experience a “high volume of calls” just about 24 hours a day.

After hours of waiting on the phone to no avail, I decided to go straight to the source – the bursar’s office! Surely Mr. Bursar would have the information I need! The conversation went something like this:

Me: Hi, my name is (see blog author name). I was hoping you could give me some information regarding my financial aid package.
Mr. Bursar: Yes, what seems to be the problem?
Me: Well, you see, I haven’t received it yet. How am I supposed to pay my bill if I don’t know what it is?
Mr. Bursar: Well, I can’t answer any of your questions about your package but I can tell you to go ahead and pay the same amount you did last year.
Me: Hm…that is kind of difficult. What if my family earnings are different from the last year?
Mr. Bursar: …are they?
Me: Yes! Yes! Quite significantly! I should be getting more money!
Mr. Bursar: In that case, we will refund your money on the second semester’s bill.

This, my fellow Cornellians, is preposterous! How does nobody in that office not see the lapse of logic here? Asking me to pay a bill without knowing the price is completely ridiculous. I want to invite the head of Fin. Aid to my house, and not give him directions; see how easy that is! And did my financial situation change? Of course! That’s why it is called ‘financial aid.’ Cornell is supposed to aid my finances! Are we not in a serious economic recession?! If there is one time when financial aid should be extra speedy it should be when…nobody has money!

Luckily, my situation is not quite as detrimental as others could be. But how is this a legitimate answer, to say, “pay the same amount last year and if it is a surplus, it will be refunded.” Take the extreme situation: last year a family where on parent provides income made $90,000. One of the parents feels the crunch of the crisis and loses his/her job, taking another one, only providing $40,o00. That is a humongous difference to the FA office and will cause a substantial change to the parent and student contribution.

On top of all this, even if the package is not received in time, students are expected to pay the late few of 1.25%! At very least, students who did not receive their award before July 28 should have the late fee waived.

As a disclaimer, the man in the Bursar’s office was friendly and helpful (to the extent he could be), and if the FA office reads this, please do not take away my money. Thanks.