Now Is The Time To Apply For Financial Aid

Many students look at the financial aid process with skepticism and fear. Some neglect it all together and carelessly mismanage the funds, unaware of the rules and requirements that come along with such a substantial amount of money.

By now, most of you should have gotten your financial aid disbursement.

You should take the time to become an expert on the topic. It’s your money, your opportunity and the key to your education.

I have heard students say the financial aid department is simply not doing their jobs correctly but that’s far from the truth.

Students not trying hard enough to seek the information they need is a huge part of why there are hard feelings from students when it comes to financial aid.

Chimene Garrison, the director of Financial Aid at North Campus, said this time of year is the time to fill out federal financial aid forms. She stressed the importance of filling out forms on time and the benefits of filling out forms online in order to avoid waiting in long lines.

“If you apply for FAFSA, apply now,” Garrison said.

Right now as tax time nears, it’s a good time to get financial aid documents in order.

“Institutional funds are available on a first come, first serve basis,” Garrison said.

There are short-term and long term loans as well as college funds available to all students no matter what your income.

But you have to understand there are applications to be filled out in order to get the money.

There are requirements to receive an award and repercussions if you don’t follow through on classes from a previous semester.

“You must complete… 67 percent of your classes and maintain a 2.0 GPA,” Garrison said. “If you drop a class….or lose a class, you can lose your financial aid.”

I get mad when I hear students say that educational loans are a trap. While many people get stuck with huge bills that they can never repay, the loans at Miami Dade College are not so huge that it will burden you for the rest of your life.

“You get set up with a payment plan to repay the loan over a ten year period,” Garrison said, “this helps, not hinders you.”

You can call what you read here an agreement of peace, a call for understanding or a printed reminder of the voice in your head that’s telling you: “I should check my emails today, or better yet MDC’s financial aid page on the web for any new updates that I might be missing out on.”

To me, both parties, students and the administration greatly need room for improvement when it comes to financial aid.