Broward College Financial Aid Problems

[WILLBEANRN]

Hello there. I was wondering if anyone could help me with a financial aid question and give me some advice. I was accepted to the nursing program at Broward College in Florida. I will start January 6, 2010. I applied for financial aid. This was the first time I filled out the FAFSA form. On my SAR, it showed I was eligible for $2300.00.

My school sent me an e-mail that said I was not eligible. I saw flags on my financial aid status. I called the school because I didn't understand why I was denied. The girl on the phone (incompetent) said that it was because I had been going to school part-time and when I start the program full-time I will probably get it.

My husband and I went into the financial aid office yesterday to speak to someone because now I will be full-time. The woman said that I was supposed to petition and I had had 21 days to do it and time was up. I knew nothing of this because the wrong information was explained to me. She gave me a phone number of another person that would possibly let me hand in my petition.

First of all, the reason I needed the petition was this. I'm 37. After 20 years I'm going back to school. In 1990-1995 I attended Broward College (then BCC) for court reporting. I had some withdrawals for a semester back then. But this woman said I had to do the petition because I had too many credits from when I went to school from 90 - 95'. I never got my degree. And now my major is changed. She said all I had to do was explain this.

I called the person I was supposed to speak with who is "on the board". Another words he's one of the people that decides whether they let me have my financial aid. He went through all of my records and decided for himself that I had some withdrawals back when I was 18 and not to bother doing the petition anyway. And over the past year and a half, I dropped my on-line chem class. Took it again and received an A. Then this past time I had to withdraw from my Micro class. I have over 3.0 GPA.

So basically this young guy said, "Nope. Too bad." I asked for his supervisor, whom I was told numerous times yesterday she would call me right back. She never did.

This is absurd to my husband and I. I feel I am being treated unfairly. I was given false info and now nobody wants to help me. I am not a slacker who fails her classes. I have received all A's and B's, which is why I was accepted into the program.

Can someone please tell me if there is something I can do.

Thanks so much.

Michele

[GabbsRN]

I wish I had some advice to give you regarding your situation, but the only thing I can really say is perhaps to try and go to one of the other campuses and speak to someone there in Financial Aid. I have found through my experiences w/ the school (I go there, too and am currently in the nursing program) is that if I have a question, then I will ask several different people. Sometimes, I will get several different answers, sometimes they will all match.

As far as you having too many credits, but not having an actual degree....its possible. You can take 1000 classes, but miss one course you needed for the actual degree. I don't know how many classes are "too many" but I know there is a cutoff somewhere.

[WILLBEANRN]

Hi,

I wound up being able to speak to a supervisor yesterday and she said I could petition. How long have you been in the program?

Michele

[GabbsRN]

Thats good the supervisor said you can petition. Good luck.

I just started in August :) What campus will you be going to?

[WILLBEANRN]

I will be going to north. Which campus are you going to? Do you know how many breaks we will get? I'm going to take my micro and psych during that June through Aug break, but do we get any others where I can take the humanities? Thanks!

[GabbsRN]

I go to north.

No there aren't any other substantial breaks where you can take a class. There's spring break, but thats only a week's time, and then next December there's winter break, but there are 3 weeks and no classes running. I already took micro, but I need a humanities class myself. However, I really want my 6 weeks off in summer, so I am planning on taking my humanities sometime during the program. But that's just me. I figure if they kill us with pharm and math during first semester, I can probably handle taking an easy humanities class some other time.