What Did I Learn From My Financial Aid Nightmare?

I went to the financial aid office at my university the Monday after I got my financial aid denial letter… and I got them to reinstate my financial aid from now until I graduate next spring! It wasn’t easy. I was sent on a wild goose chase to another department which didn’t know what financial aid was talking about; and at one point I was even told that I just wasn’t going to be receiving financial aid at all.So how did I get them to change their minds? I restated the facts that were presented on my original appeal application, and I quoted that The Higher Education Act allows exemptions for students with illness and that Depression is legally an illness. I was persistent and polite.What did I learn from this experience?*Know and understand your university/college’s policies and the laws that pertain to those policies. If you can point out technicalities that help you, such as I did, then, you will be able to resolve your problem in your favor.*You must be your biggest advocate! No one will stand up for you but you…in many cases your parents will not be able to intervene because of privacy laws.*Don’t take no for an answer! I was told no several times, but I knew that no was not an acceptable answer. I also knew that I was in the right. If I gave up after the first no things would be much different for me now.* Maintain your composure. It may be tempting to get angry and yell or swear, to be insulting, or to start crying out of fear and frustration. All this will do for you is make you look irrational, rude, and make you even more upset. It is imperative to remain calm and polite if you want to accomplish your goals.*Joke around if you can or be complimentary. Showing that you are a likeable person makes people want to help you.Just remember that there is no challenge that can’t be overcome if you take the time to think through all your options and do the research that can help you get what you need. If I had not been able to get the financial aid office to reinstate my financial aid I would have had to leave school for a period of time to save up money, but that would not have been the end of the world. It just would have been disappointing and delayed my graduation.

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How to Research Financial Aid and Scholarships For Teaching School

Have you decided to go to teaching school to earn a teaching certificate or license? Well, if “yes” is your answer then without any doubt, you are on the correct path towards making a meaningful career that actually means a lot in the present scenario. Deciding to earn a degree in education is definitely the first and most important step. However, today there are many students who find it too hard to pay for the education fee in the teaching school.If you are one among those students then trying for scholarships, loans and grants can be the best possible option. These financial aids can help you alleviate some or even the entire burden of paying for your education. Today you can find these teacher scholarships through many different resources. But, just in case if you are not exactly aware of various sources where you can get financial support then here are few options and most feasible ways that in turn may help you find scholarships or financial aids for teaching program.1. Look for scholarship options at different online search engines. Try to make the most and effective use of different search engines and websites. Surfing different websites or search engines can help you find about different scholarships and rewards that you can apply for. In fact, the key benefit of following this method is that at times, you may also find sites that may further provide you the entire scholarship listings and other resources for finding art and design financial aids.2. Always visit your chosen teaching school’s financial aid office or website. This can be the simplest yet the best approach you may follow. It is the most easily accessible and practical resource you can access for scholarships.3. You may even visit different teacher associations and education institutions. You may never know that your single visit to few organizations may help you know more regarding different fund programs or financial aid programs offered by these bodies. Though, at times in order to qualify for these programs, you may require declaring your intention to tutor a specific subject or work in a certain field.4. You may also look for or visit the websites of different charitable foundations, teacher associations and civic groups and professional organizations that also offer financial aid for young and talented students.Apart from all this, you can even look for company scholarships. These days, there are many corporations that are offering specific school scholarships for the children of their employees. Try to find out whether the organizations or corporations where your parents are working are providing any such sort of scholarship or not.Certainly getting a teaching certificate can make a great difference to your teaching career potential, but only when you are clever to find the proper teaching scholarship that may help you pay for school. Therefore, research every possible option that can offer you financial aid. So don’t waste your time, take the initiative, search and apply for it as soon as possible.

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