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Across the Fence:  So frustrated...what would you do??  |
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Prairie Princess
True Blue Farmgirl
1075 Posts
Jodi
Washington
USA
1075 Posts |
 Posted - May 04 2009 : 1:16:31 PM
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Hey girls...a bit of a long story here, but I could use some farmgirl advice.
Back in January Walla Walla was hit with a pretty epic spurt of winter weather, and since I drive 50 miles a day for work, I was having to pull LOOOOOONG hours to get that driving done in two feet of snow. At the time I was also enrolled in college classes, but my grades started to suffer after the longer work days ((up to 12 hours...six days a week)) began.
Now, I had full financial aid for classes...important little note to stick in here....
I decided to withdraw until the spring quarter, so my GPA wouldn't suffer, and I could maintain some sanity with the draining work demand. I called the student advisor in charge of my withdrawel process and specifically asked her if withdrawing half-way through the quarter would negatively affect my financial aid. She responded that it would NOT, and all she thought I'd have to re-do was the FAFSA....but that would naturally be for the new year, anyway. This was a phone conversation....which is probably the biggest mistake...no written record of the conversation.
About two weeks after I withdrew, I was contacted by the financial/collections department, and informed that I now owed the school close to $3000 and they wanted to start payment immediately. After asking some questions, it turned out since I hadn't completed the minimum 60% of the quarter, my federal loans were returned...and since I no longer had those loans, I owed the school that balance instead....((((would have been nice if that was the answer I got when I originally asked, hmm?? Never would have withdrawn))))
*deep breath*
So after arguing with a very unhelpful person ("""you have to pay for your education eventually, you know"" was one of the lines he used).....I got a monthly payment plan set up that would deduct only $75 for four months. After that, it would go back up to the full payment amount...about $150.
Now note I said I had full financial aid....duuuurrr...because I NEEDED it??? Can't afford the payments????? I never re-enrolled at the start of this spring quarter because I'm kind of ticked off at the school still.......and I'm honestly not happy with the debt being raked up for it.
But now I've been in contact with them since this month is the last $75 payment...to discuss options for deferrment if I re-enroll.....etc....and all I got was a response from a new person specifically in the collections dept. (as if I just ran up a balance, withdrew, and decided I didn't feel like paying) who said the payment needs to be $100 from here forward....basically they will not work with me at all.
AND THAT IS WHERE I NEED SOME ADVICE!!!
Do you think I should just roll with the punches here?? I feel like the total victim in the situation...especially since they discredit or don't care about the fact I tried to prevent this and was misinformed. I'm really tempted to just be a pain and ignore them, but that won't end well for me, lol.  I wish legally I could dispute this....but all in all I know I have to pay that money to someone sometime, but it was supposed to be rolled into my federal loans until graduation.
The main thing is what I'm ABLE to do. They act as if I should be ABLE to pay, when in reality, I'm not. That's why I had the aid to begin with. That's why I checked before I withdrew.
Grr....thoughts??
~Jodi
"Women are like teabags...you never know how strong they are until they get into hot water." Eleanor Roosevelt
www.jodielyzabeth.blogspot.com |
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Prairie Princess
True Blue Farmgirl
1075 Posts
Jodi
Washington
USA
1075 Posts |
Posted - May 04 2009 : 1:20:31 PM
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And I forgot to mention...as I was ranting away...that the interest on the balance is a gazillion times higher than my federal loans would ever be. Add insult to injury already....
~Jodi
"Women are like teabags...you never know how strong they are until they get into hot water." Eleanor Roosevelt
www.jodielyzabeth.blogspot.com |
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rhondacate
True Blue Farmgirl
234 Posts
Rhonda
Janesville
CA
USA
234 Posts |
Posted - May 04 2009 : 1:28:54 PM
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If you re-enroll for the spring, would it be possible to take out a little bit more in Stafford or Federal loans to help pay down this high interest loan or were you taking out the maximum already/?
http://rmfo-blogs.com/rhonda |
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corporatefarmgirl
True Blue Farmgirl
389 Posts
Tamara
Pikeville
TN
USA
389 Posts |
Posted - May 04 2009 : 1:33:20 PM
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Well Jodi I can tell you they will get their money one way or another.
About ohhhh 8 years ago I had to withdraw from classes because of cancer. Took the withdrawal slips in did my thing... 5 years later they came back and said i did not withdraw and i owed them for that semester of schooling... needless to say after 5 years i did not have anything proving i did not attend. very long story but i am now paying over 9,000.00 on schooling i did not go to ( with interest). went to court judge ruled in there favor. no proof i withdrew even though they said i had incompletes in my classes. Pay it be done with it.....
live well,
Tamara
www.thegoodearthfarm.com
"We do not inherit the earth from our ancestors, we borrow it from our children" http://thegoodearthfarm.blogspot.com follow me!
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catscharm74
True Blue Farmgirl
4687 Posts
Heather
Texas
USA
4687 Posts |
Posted - May 04 2009 : 1:34:35 PM
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What kind of financial aide was it? Pell? Loans? Pell has to be paid back, I know that from experience. Loans have six month grace period from the end of when you leave class. Like mine will come due in February 2010, 6 months after I graduate. Sounds shady to me. May I ask the college? Make sure it is an accredited college because I ran into the same problem with one college and they tried to take me for $3000 after I went on deployment and could not finish my classes. Thank goodness my command wrote a letter and got me out of it. Go up to the school, find the head honcho and take someone with you who will help you stand your ground. (((HUGS)))
Heather
Yee-Haw, I am a cowgirl!!!
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Prairie Princess
True Blue Farmgirl
1075 Posts
Jodi
Washington
USA
1075 Posts |
Posted - May 04 2009 : 1:38:51 PM
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I guess I really can't complain, can I Tamara?? I can't imagine having to pay for schooling you didn't even do....I'd be so angry!! :( :(
I suppose I could look into re-enrolling for the second half of the spring quarter. It starts in a few days.... that would probably at least defer the payment, if not get it so I could cover it with student loans again. But now that I wasn't planning on re-enrolling this soon, I'd end up a total frazzled mess....I have SO much going on between now and my move in late June...
I would seriously consider doing it, though....but I'd have to buy school supplies for the classes...which would cost more than the next two payments put together.
It won't be such a big deal after I move, since what I pay in rent will decrease SIGNIFICANTLY! Yay!! It's just surviving until then...
~Jodi
"Women are like teabags...you never know how strong they are until they get into hot water." Eleanor Roosevelt
www.jodielyzabeth.blogspot.com |
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corporatefarmgirl
True Blue Farmgirl
389 Posts
Tamara
Pikeville
TN
USA
389 Posts |
Posted - May 04 2009 : 1:42:00 PM
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oh darlin' you need to get it off your chest so complain . That is what we are here for. i do know how frustrating it can be dealing with anything to do with gov. or schools.... I am so sorry you are going through this lots of {{{{{ }}}}}
live well,
Tamara
www.thegoodearthfarm.com
"We do not inherit the earth from our ancestors, we borrow it from our children" http://thegoodearthfarm.blogspot.com follow me!
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Prairie Princess
True Blue Farmgirl
1075 Posts
Jodi
Washington
USA
1075 Posts |
Posted - May 04 2009 : 1:43:23 PM
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Heather, it IS a school perhaps considered ""iffy"". It's the Art Institute of Pittsburghs Online Division. But they are accredited, and this is the first problem I've run into....
But everything else I owe is deferred the six months. It's just this balance that the aid got pulled out from under....I've been tempted to find a head honcho and see what good that would do me...but been too discouraged to try it since I've talked to three people who've all just been difficult.
I'm thinking about the re-enrollment idea, though...if I could pull that off..............
~Jodi
"Women are like teabags...you never know how strong they are until they get into hot water." Eleanor Roosevelt
www.jodielyzabeth.blogspot.com |
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Alee
True Blue Farmgirl
22941 Posts
Alee
Worland
Wy
USA
22941 Posts |
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Amie C.
True Blue Farmgirl
2099 Posts
Finger Lakes Region
NY
2099 Posts |
Posted - May 05 2009 : 07:03:01 AM
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Jodi, this kind of thing happens too often. If earning the degree is important to you, I'd just go along and find a way to pay, assuming that you can't get anywhere with whoever is the supervisor in charge of the people you've spoken to already. Like someone else said, maybe you can borrow a little more in your next year's loans to cover this.
Something like this happened to me also, and what I found is that people in academic offices have absolutely no responsibility to be right or even honest. I was actively exploited for personal gain, but of course no way to prove it. $3000 is a very small amount when we're talking student loans, so don't feel too bad about being cheated.
But of course, keep fighting it up the chain of command. No reason why you should pay if you can force them to admit that they made a mistake. |
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Alee
True Blue Farmgirl
22941 Posts
Alee
Worland
Wy
USA
22941 Posts |
Posted - May 05 2009 : 07:32:19 AM
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Heather- what it is (and most colleges do this) is that if you don't complete 60% of the semester they return the money to the Federal government as unutilized and then they demand payment in full from the student. So you end up having to pay for a semester that you dropped from AND without the benefit of financial aid which would give you the grace period. Since the college is demanding payment and not the government- there are no grace period and like Jodi is experiencing- interest right away. It's a rotten way to do business and I think it borders on fraud!! When the University of Idaho did this to me, I was in shock! It was the exact same situation as Jodi- I was told it was fine to drop, but never informed that I would have to repay anything- I figured I just had to pay my student loans.
Alee
Farmgirl Sister #8
www.awarmheart.com
www.farmgirlalee.blogspot.com
www.allergyjourneys.blogspot.com
Put your pin on the farmgirl map! www.farmgirlmap.blogspot.com |
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Buffalomary
True Blue Farmgirl
199 Posts
Mary
Caldwell
ID
USA
199 Posts |
Posted - May 07 2009 : 10:44:14 PM
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Hi Jodi,
I feel your pain and know your confusion. I have both taught at post-secondary schools and am currently a student at BSU, so although I am not a financial aid expert, I have seen the workings of financial aid from both ends. I respectively suggest you reread your financial aid paperwork, especially the fine print. Everything I am reading here about your problems and those mentioned by others is standard financial aid fine print information. All students have to sign an agreement that they understand the contract and conditions before getting any payments. If you signed that paper, then you will be held responsible for the terms. They do not have to read it to you nor do they have to tell you every detail. It is the student's responsibility to read it before signing. It is true it is not something they advertise, but if you signed the paper stating you agreed with the terms, they are within their rights to require payment. If you can't find anything in the mountain of financial aid paperwork, double check the website and student handbook or catalog. BSU uses all 3 places for this information. Try to talk to someone higher up and see if you can get the payments adjusted. Sometimes, the collecting agents get commissions on the amt they collect; I have no way of knowing if that is what is happening to you, but I have seen it happened in the past.
I wish you luck in getting this changed, but I'm afraid you chances are slim.
Buffalomary
Farmgirl Sister #293
You can take the farmer's daughter off the farm but you can't take the farm out of the farmer's daughter!!
Please visit me at my blog: http://buffalomaryscorner.blogspot.com
Please visit me at Examiner.com:
http://www.examiner.com/x-4876-Boise-PostSecondary-Education-Examiner |
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Across the Fence: So frustrated...what would you do?? |
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So frustrated...what would you do??
