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Hi, my name is Desiree I know how it feels, it's like I bet your thinking all I want to do is get an higher education yet money is always in my way trying to stop me !! Well first from experience, try signing up for work-study and if you do , it should be as soon as possible. Work study can really help bring in moneym but depending on what school it is they will have a credit requirement, meaning a minimum on how many classes you should be taking, which in my opinion sucks. Also, if your good in a specific area or subject try looking into being a tutor. Most schools if not all pay for you to teach and help people with their subjects. Baby-sitting, I do that quit often and recently got paid 40 from my sister. Its better than nothing. Try asking your family or anyone or may need help in that area. I'm struggling also but believe me when I say that your times of struggling will come to an end. Before I had no money for a car, and no one to help me get my license. It was GOD when i just so happend to run into my friend that I like NEVER see. We were talking and I brung up the license situation and later that week , she helped me get my license. I applied for a small loan and got my first car, now I'm on my second car. GOD did that no me..so stand firm and stay strong and he will come threw for you, believe me he always does.

Jr. Guru,

That was very helpful advice because there is money out there for people to go to school. There is finacial aid and student loans that you do not pay back 6 months until you have graduated. 

Sorry to hear about your struggle...I can identify with your frustration. I've been attending college off and on for over 14 years while dealing with a lifelong disability. I'm not finished yet, either, if I can help it. Paying for school has always been the hardest part of the ordeal for me.

If you remember, exactly what types of financial aid did you say you were interested in when you filled out your FAFSA application? If you wrote down OK to every type of assistance you qualified for: Federal grants, state grants, work/study, and student loans; your school's financial aid office should have asked you whether or not you wanted any loans for Fall semester. If you said no for Fall, then changed your mind, unfortunately there's not much the school can do about that now. And about any scholarships, that's totally the school's choice: if you miss the deadline they decide to set, you're out of luck.

Trust me, the Finanical Aid routine is one of the least enjoyed tasks for any student to deal with...and sometimes crabby or just plain miscommunicating staff people don't make it any easier.  Something doesn't sound right, though, about what you say you were told about the deadlines, and here's why: Your school doesn't ultimately give you Stafford Loans directly. The U.S. Department of Education gives the money to the school, who gives it to you. I'm assuming you filled out the FAFSA application at the beginning of calendar year 2008, or fairly soon after? If not, or if you selected no loans on the app itself, the government's own deadline for turning in all paperwork - including any requested adjustments to, say, add a student loan - for the '08-'09 school year will actually be sometime in June of 2009.

In other words, technically you could wait all the way until June of this new year to turn in your application for federal money, and according to the government's rules, you should then qualify to be paid back for whatever you paid on your own. Of course, this would REALLY be a worst-case scenario and that's probably why your school was so particular about when your paperwork got filed.

Check out this website: www.studentaid.ed.gov. This is the US Gov't-operated Internet space for all things related to students and money. You might be able to call someone, too, who could possibly give you better help. The phone number will be on the website. Sorry this reply got so long, but I hope it gives you something to work with.

Take care and I hope your New Year starts out better! =)
jr

Panda,

You sound like your having a rough time I know it is hard when you are a student but do not give up on your studies. If I think of anything that may help in the future I will post on here but for right now all I can say is keep working hard and God will help with the rest. Just pay attention to the signs you get and don't lose faith.

I've went and asked them already, and they said they wouldn't be able to process the stafford loans in time for this current year. But to try for next year! sure!

.... granted I need next year, but I NEED something for the remainder of THIS year... and they refuse to budge.