Financial Aid Suspension!!

kwagner_51 · Jul 7, 2003

Well, I talked to WorkOne. The lady that can help me is on vacation until next Monday! :mad: I have an appointment with Mr. Summit tomorrow to discuss my suspension. I am having a hard time understanding why...when there is such a shortage of nurses...that I have to fight tooth and nail to get the help I need to complete my degree. I guess that's what happens when you go back to school @ 42.

Thanks Again!

In His Grace,

Karen

tonicareer · Jul 7, 2003

I live in Indiana too. Have my whole life and Indiana is not at all interested in adult education. Almost everything is geared toward the young. I haven't been able to find any hospital funding either and I have a 4.0 in all my classes so far. Plus tuition is high here since most of the schools are run by Ivy Tech/VU. There is no competition so they can make tuition very high. The hospitals would rather recruit from out of state or the country than help students get the scholarships. Also I don't think many people would qualify for food stamps or welfare if they have a working spouse. The food stamp and welfare laws are very strict now. I can't get loans and such either. But students who get a C average and barely show up for classes can. I have spent so much time researching scholarships and most I don't meet age requirements/state requirements or whatever. Indiana is not an easy state to live in and get an education.

kwagner_51 · Jul 8, 2003

I talked to Mr. Summit today. I qualify for a Pell Grant BUT I won't get it because the director of Financial Aid at VU has decided that since I have been in school on and off for 14 yrs. I should get a four yr. degree. According to Mr. Summit, I will not get off financial aid suspension PERIOD. It doesn't matter that I qualify for the grant, it's the fact that I have too many hrs. and am not gainfully employed.

This is the FA Director's new rules as of 2001. I don't think it applies to any other colleges. I don't quailify for ANY title 4 federal aid at VU!!

Does anyone else smell dicrimination?

Good Luck to all of you as you follow your dreams!

In His Grace,

Karen

2banurse · Jul 8, 2003

I can definitely understand your frustration, Karen. You did mention that you were already accepted into the program, right? Are you able to carry the first semester of nursing school?

My suggestion would be to speak with the head of the nursing department and let them know the situation. You were accepted into the program because you met the academic requirements, not financial. Many times once you start the program, hospitals will be more inclined to work with students in exchange for a commitment for a year or two. I know that in the school I attend, after you complete your first semester, you can be hired as a nurse tech in one of the local hospitals. The hospital actually encourages it, hoping that after the program is finished, you will work with them.

Do you have a college foundation that works with scholarships?

Just some ideas...wishing you the best. I totally can comprehend the anxiety that comes with money, and the lack thereof!

Kris

tonchitoRN · Jul 10, 2003

get the book: the tightwad gazette and live the frugal lifestyle. you would be amazed how a family can get by on very little. when my husband was studying our income was approx. $1500 per month. we lived frugally which also meant one car, cooking from scratch etc. it taught us to re-prioritize our wants and needs. you can live on $30K but it will take a lot of sacrifice. good luck.

Nurse Ratched, RN · Jul 10, 2003

Originally posted by kwagner_51
IDoes anyone else smell dicrimination?

I think I can. I can also hear the faint words of a nursing student (is it you?) telling VU to "bite me" and getting thee to IU. Is that an option for you? I believe I heard something recently that credits transfer more easily between Ivy Tech/VU and IU anymore.

I am aghast at the idea that a financial aid committee can tell you what degree to go for??? If you are eligible for the grant, you're eligible and it's your money to be used toward your education. How in the world can they have any say over what program you are in?

kwagner_51 · Jul 10, 2003

Originally posted by tonchitoRN
get the book: the tightwad gazette and live the frugal lifestyle. you would be amazed how a family can get by on very little. when my husband was studying our income was approx. $1500 per month. we lived frugally which also meant one car, cooking from scratch etc. it taught us to re-prioritize our wants and needs. you can live on $30K but it will take a lot of sacrifice. good luck.

I am a member of Cheapskate Monthly. I took a Personal Finance Management class at VU and learned ALOT!!

If we had a steady [same amout each week]income it would be alot easier. For example: This week his check was $390.00. We had to pay 103.00 for electric, & 206.50 for the boys scout camp. That leaves a little more than $60.00 for food for this week. Next week he goes on vacation and will bring home roughly, $1000.00. We will pay rent $530.00 and water $100.00 plus pay off the van $250.00 and we are again broke. He will not get a ck. two weeks from Friday [on the 31st] We also DO NOT have any credit cards!! Our debt consists of rent, utlities food, and our van payment. No entertainment except cable and my PC.

The boys want to go swimming, but the cost is $1.75 per kid and $2.50 for adults. They don't want expensive stuff but I can't even afford a $0.69 candy bar!

This is actually nothing new. We have cut to the bare bone and most of the time the food is what gets sacrificed. This is also one of the reasons I wanted to go into nursing. $15.00 a hr. is ALOT of money for us. He makes $12.20 where he works. I love helping other people and think that nursing will satify two of those goals.

That is why not getting the aid I need to continue my education hurts so much! Anyway, I did talk to my nursing advisor and she will email the commitee on my behalf. I won't know for sure if I changed the FA committee's mind until sometime next week.

Sorry this is so long. The truck is a 1989 Ford Ranger and it is paid for in full. The van is a 1985 Ford Club Wagon. We owe $250.00 and it will be paid for.

We filed chapter 13 bankruptcy in 1998; paid off most of our creditors. Then had to file chapter 7 bankruptcy last yr. because the house we bought in 1997 was infested w/ termites and was not safe to live in. Unknown to us, it was built with scrap lumber from a sawmill and had been infested for over 50 yrs! Illinois does NOT require termite inspections...so our first home buying experience was a NIGHTMARE!!

Thanks for letting me vent! Sorry it was so long!!

In His Grace,

Karen

LPN Student · Jul 10, 2003

Oh my gosh Karen, I just had to post a reply to you. I had emailed you privately before. I'm the one going into the LPN program this fall at VU.

We have so much in common it isn't even funny. Your husband makes about the same as my husband, and I'll be giving up a $14/hr job to go to school, so I totally understand your frustration. We have TWO car payments...one for $400/month and the other for $250/month, plus our rent which is a whopping $750/month! Plus our utilities and food....no credit cards because we had to file bankruptcy as well over our very first house we bought last year. We got to live in it a whole 2 weeks and then had to turn right around and move out into a rent house. We found out the first week we were there that we bought a house with over $17,000 in black mold damage! It was a 2500 sq ft home, and the full, finished basement is where the majority of it was. My daughter is very allergic and could not breathe, so we had to move immediately. We got a lawyer and months and months later, got out of it, but not without losing our entire life savings that we put down as the down payment, not to mention the property taxes and mortgages we paid, and astronomical attorney fees. The lender took a "deed in lieu" instead of foreclosing, but our credit is ruined now for a while. We are no longer responsible for it, but it still hurt us, even though the circumstances were beyond our control. It would have cost us $10,000 in attorney fees to sue the seller, and no guarantee that we would win. We accrued $4,000 in attorney fees just by talking on the phone and emailing back and forth and for them filing some paperwork for us. It was an absolute nightmare!

One thing I did find out....for anyone buying a house, here's a little tip.....make sure you pay good money for the best house inspection money can buy, but I also found out that the disclosure statement is absolutely, 100% NOT worth the paper it is written on, unless you have thousands and thousands of dollars to go to court and MAKE it worth the paper it is written on.

That's my tip for the day!

tonicareer · Jul 11, 2003

If you are lucky enough to live near Illinois check on school costs there (I have heard their community colleges cost less). Maybe you can trade in for less expensive cars and give up the cable. Camp seems too expensive too. I know it is hard to say no to the kids but you may have to. The economy in Indiana is so bad right now. Plus I think they probably have some kind of rule in this state about getting two associate degrees rather than a BS or BA degree. You said you already had one AS degree. I decided to get an LPN but can't get in due to competition and I can't get financial aid either and I don't make any where near 30,000 a year. I don't know what the answer is for you. I understand the discrimination thing, I find it is very difficult for non traditional students in this state to get an education. Maybe you could seek the advice of an attorney or file a complaint against the school. Good luck and let us know how it goes.