When I'd just started high school, I never saw my dad worry about paying a bill. But now, I see him sitting in his room counting money and thinking out loud “How can I pay this?” Things have gotten more expensive nowadays. Our monthly electricity bill went up about $100. And last year, we would always have snacks around the house, but now it seems that we only have money for basic food items. So, naturally, when I applied for fee waivers at East Los Angeles College, I thought I wouldn't have a problem getting financial aid. But, to my surprise, the school claimed that my dad made too much money. Clearly, the government doesn’t see what's missing from our fridge.
| Applying this year to the California State University (CSU) system was a big scare. With the economy as bad as it is, and with the Govenator saying "Hasta la vista" to some of our funds for state colleges and universities, I thought there wouldn't be enough money to go around. I actually was dreading the day that I had scheduled on my calendar to apply to CSUs. As the day got closer I literally wanted to start counting backwards, like my uncle does with his age. The day finally rolled around and I logged on to CSUmentor.edu. As I filled out the application, only one thought ran through my head. How would I pay for college if I didn't get financial aid?
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YR reporter Ana Beatriz describes how the economy has changed her college plans.
YR Reporter David Dominguez talks about the psychology of applying for financial aid.
They advised that I pay my own way this year and apply for funding the following year. I was doubly annoyed because I hadn't planned on going to community college. I'd done OK in high school, so I got into a few four-year schools. The only thing left was to find a way to pay for my education. I filled out the FAFSA form, which determines how much money your family should contribute to your education. But, I never really got anything back from them, and, I admit, I didn't really follow up. But, I didn't really know how to. So I couldn't go straight to a four-year college after high school and instead had to opt for community college.
My older sister assured me that starting out at a community college wasn't the end of the world, that I could always transfer to a four-year college, like she had done. In fact, she said it would save me money in the long run. She had gotten through community college with fee waivers, so I figured I wouldn't have a problem either.
Fast forward to today. I'm facing the reality of having to pay my tuition out of my own pocket. And that’s only half the story. I'm slowly realizing that fee waivers alone don't help that much. The tuition at community colleges in California is pretty low to begin with (about $20 a credit hour). But fee waivers don't include things like books and supplies. And since I want to be an art major, I'm going to pay a ton of money for those extras that are actually essential.
I'm trying to follow-up on my FAFSA application, but I'm not too optimistic. My sister, who recently transferred to Cal State Dominguez Hills, got her financial aid taken away.
I know a lot of other students in California who are getting their aid taken away as well. It just doesn't make sense, especially since the federal government increased contributions by $600 per student to the Pell Grant, which is free money (not loans) for low-income students to attend college.
Maybe more students are applying to college so there's less money to go around.
Whatever the case, having constantly to think about making ends meet is making it tough for me to focus on my education.
I finally reached the end of the application where they check to see if you "qualify," which essentially means that you're poor enough to send your applications for free. I hesitated to press the button, so I just stayed on the page joking with my friend at the same time.
I finally pressed it, and . . .
. . . I qualified!
I joked with my teacher saying I had never been so happy to be poor! At first everyone in my class was laughing. But then my friend said he didn't qualify and that they were going to charge him $110 to submit two applications. I thought it was crazy seeing as our families made pretty much the same amount of money.
Then there were some students in my class that had to pay regardless of their income because they were undocumented.
Soon I wasn't taking anything for granted, even the severity of my own economic situation.
Previously:
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