Problem with an old transcript & financial aid... need advice

[Girl Scout]

Hi folks,

First off, I'm going to go down and talk to the program director at the school I'll be going to, after this fall semester kicks in and she's a little less harried, to see if she's got any suggestions or can give me a swift kick in the pants to re-motivate me.

But here's the sitch and I was wondering if any of you guys have seen this or dealt with this. I am being denied my financial aid award because of an "I" on one of my college transcripts from nearly 20 years ago.

I completed my FAFSA this summer, put it in, and found I was eligible for a full ride, so I applied at a local college to start knocking out my pre-reqs. So, I got in my transcripts, I drew up a Fall class schedule, and I was just getting all my little duckies in a row so I could get my award and get tuition paid, start school, and get this ball moving.

However, a few weeks ago while adding some other documents to my folder at the financial aid office, I was told that an "I" (incomplete) on one of my old transcripts was going to keep me from getting my award. They told me the only thing I could do would be to get that "I" changed over to a letter grade.

I contacted the college in question, and played phone tag for an afternoon. They said no way, no how, no day, can we ever EVER change that "I" into a letter grade. They said that's that - nothing more can be done. So sorry, good luck. Perhaps because I begged and pleaded, someone finally relented and told me perhaps speaking to the Vice President of the college would help. They gave me his number, I phoned and left a message, and he phoned back. I appealed desperately to him, pulled over on the interstate, during rush hour traffic, absolutely pleading and conveying to him this problem and my desire to overcome it, even if I have to grovel up the line and write 10 page essays every day for a month to beg for the forgiveness of the "I".

He said it was an unusual situation, one that he'd never dealt with, and he needed to talk it over with some of his peers, but he wasn't hopeful of a resolution in my favor. He said something about tracking down the instructor from that class, but wasn't even sure how to, now that it's been almost 20 years, and doubted it could even be done, or that the instructor would still even have his grade ledgers from 20 years ago.

The VP of that college never called me back. I called him back, left messages, talked to others at the college to see if he made any notes in my folder, and there's nada. Nobody knows. And he has still not called me back.

So. As of now, the little window has closed that would have allowed me to get my FAFSA awarded and pay my tuition and start with my pre-reqs this semester. To say that I am crushed is a bit of an understatement. I had to drive up to the college today to turn in my parking tag and badge and I was almost in tears when I left.

So now, in about a month, I'm going to try talking to the director of the nursing program and see what she says. I'm hoping to all that's holy that she's seen this before and she's got an Ace up her sleeve to deal with it.

I just feel like, hey, I'm nearly 40 now, that stupid "I" on my transcript happened when I was a stupid kid, and I made stupid choices, and stupidly did not consider the consequences would chase me down now that I'm a grown woman and am making important career choices... and I feel like I'm being thwarted and punished by the idiotic kid I was all those years ago.

And to make this even better, the course that the "I" is in, is Gen Psych!

Has anyone ever run into anything remotely like this?

[madnurse2b]

Our financial aid office has the ability to handle appeals for things like this. Try yours. And most of the time if you repeat the class you can have the I replaced - ask the current school if they would be willing to allow this to happen at the current school.

don't know if this helps but it is just a suggestion.