I'm back again to comment on Abby's post about Loans. I too have a loan for school only I never knew I did. As a senior at Morgan State University, I have learned many things abour financial aide since freshman year. When debt was high and funds were low, I found myself at the mercy of the Montebello Monster.(Ie: The financial aide office at Morgan State University) Instructed by a financial aide officer that knew just as much about aide as I did, I was doomed. Then, after filling my late FASFA(federal financial Aide) she informed me that my schedule, drop due to non payment had been reinstated. Great!!! Right!! Well The next semester I realized I had signed for financial aide in the form of a loan. A loan that I did not have to pay interest on til 6 months after graduation. Who Knew!
Fastforward one year and a bad transcript later, I "took a break" and left school for a semester. To say the least, my loan quickly came out of deferrement and I had four bill invoices before I could say.. "hey, I'm still enrolled" Any who, it took forever to prove that I was still in school even after I registered for my fall classes. In a nutshell, I wish I just found a good scholarship instead of that quick fix federal loan, even though its interest free til after graduation. Read the fine print before you sign and if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.. Even at the hands of your financial aide officer!
Credit Unions Rock!
Basketball Champs!
Dani, Sierra, and Kim played ball during the GABbers launch meeting on May 17, 2008.
Young adult financial classes every 2nd Wednesday in Linthicum, MD. Learn more.
Get your SUB!
Student Unlimited Banking
3 comments:
Wow!! The financial aid officer huh? Well, this is a great example of doing research for yourself!
I just read an article today about a cool website for funding college
http://www.finaid.org.
Check it out!
What a great (and funny) post. I can relate to the Montebello Monster. I too graduated from Morgan State, and I remember the lines throughout Montebello and out the door. I also remember being really annoyed with the "assistance" offered.
It sucks that things haven't changed.
Anyway, you all should know that as credit union members, you qualify for other benefits such as GAB (:-), a scholarship through the Maryland Credit Union Foundation that usually opens in January, and SECU has additional scholarship opportunities that you may qualify for.
(I've been in a "scholarship zone" lately. Today we rewarded our credit union foundation winner with $2k, and it two weeks we're having a scholarship ceremony where we'll award over $20k to 15 college students.
Also, check with your local State delegates and your local senator's offices. They often have scholarships available!
I am sorry to here about that but yea it is definitely a good idea to research everything before you sign it. My mom helped me with the loan and I also looked everything up. I hope everything works well for you in the future!
Post a Comment