Money problems stress me the heck out. Specifically when the rug is pulled out from under me. If I have emergency funds or the broke-ness was expected, no problem. However, when it’s not in my control, I have issues being calm.
As a college student, I have no emergency funds. It’s been difficult figuring things out, because it’s either have just enough money to feed myself or take on a debt in order to have a cash flow cushion. In fact, there was the one semester I took out a loan TO feed myself.
DePauw’s Financial Aid and their lack of transparency has brought me to both rage and tears more than once. I have left their office calm once that I recall, and that was when I entered knowing I was applying for the feed-me loan.
When I choose DePauw, I had been awarded two scholarships. The first was an academic award that goes toward my tuition. The other was based on a jazz piano audition. A few weeks before arriving on campus for the first time, I received news that an anonymous donor (not DePauw related) had elected to cover the part of my tuition the academic award did not. Many happy tears and jumping around resulted.
After DePauw received the anonymous donor’s check, I receive a notice my financial aid had been adjusted. I was no longer a recipient of the music scholarship. What?
Apparently, prior to the anonymous donor’s check, I had been considered a need-based student. After the anonymous donor’s check arrived, I was now viewed as a merit-based student since my need had been covered. With this change in status, any money contributed by DePauw is limited to my tuition.
I did manage to convince them that I still should receive enough money to cover my private lessons since as a College of Liberal Arts student, my lessons are charged outside my tuition.
Next up are dealing with the state grants. My junior year, I was ecstatic to learn I was finally eligible for state grants. Woot! Wait, nope. Nothing to be excited about AT ALL. Of course, it turns out that once again, this money can only go toward my tuition. So what’s DePauw’s decision? Oh, that academic award that was definitely not awarded based on need? Decrease.
I do have to specifically state that the new guy in charge of Financial Aid resolved this issue quite nicely, as I put in a request they allow the anonymous donor decrease his or her amount (especially since the anonymous donor has covered the increase in tuition while the academic award has not) instead of refunding themselves. The new guy in charge agreed this was a reasonable request. Thank god.
Now. Now, I am fighting the School of Music. This summer I receive a warning letter out of nowhere stating I had not fulfilled my scholarship requirements, and if I were not in a major ensemble in the fall, I’d be placed on probation. This resulted in a serious, “WHAT?” since I have been in Jazz Combo for the previous three years, and this is the first I have heard that didn’t cut it. After sending an inquiry as to why the previous 2 1/2 semesters had not been flagged, I was told that there was some administrative disorganization, so I must have slipped through the cracks. However, as long as I am in Jazz Ensemble, there’d be no problem.
While I’m working through a timing conflict with Jazz Ensemble, I’d like to state that (1) I feel Jazz Ensemble and Jazz Combo are of equal importance and that for me personally, Jazz Combo has been more beneficial since I had no prior exposure to such an ensemble and had six years of Big Band experience and (2) I accepted the music scholarship under the terms I would be receiving more money than what I have. I think if they’re going to view Jazz Combo at lesser importance, if I cannot resolve the timing conflict, it is an acceptable compromise.
I am hoping my professors and the administration allow for this compromise, instead of seeing it as a black and white issue.
We’ll see.