Do the Ten Step Program: UTA Financial Aid

Getting rewired into my summer classes at UTA almost fizzled out Wednesday. I sadly must admit that I had a financial aid meltdown when I went to do a cursory final check on my financial aid on the second floor of Davis Hall. I made it a point to make a personal appearance twice during the spring semester to check on my summer student loans. They said everything was OK. I just wanted to make sure there were no problems paying for classes and that I had funds to cover a portion of my living expenses. I had a gut feeling saying, “Go check one more time just to make sure you’ve been funded for summer classes.”

A young work-study student manning one of three positions to help students with financial aid dropped a bomb on me that nearly devastated me just like the atomic bomb that leveled Hiroshima in ‘45.

“Your FAFSA application was selected for verification before you will receive further financial aid,” she said. “You have no financial aid available now; you have to fill out a verification worksheet and submit an official IRS Tax Transcript.”

I could feel anger rising up inside of me. Hadn’t I been told "everything is OK" on my last visit to these offices just weeks earlier? I stood there for a moment as I morphed into person I don’t like to be. I tried to wrap my head around what I was told, “Sorry, but you will not be able to go to Summer I classes.”

I’m sure my eyes were bulging out of their sockets and I know all the blood must have rushed to my face because I felt weak in the knees and a bit faint. I was hot as Hades. The work-study student hardly blinked. Was she human? She had a blank look on her face, which irritated me all the more. She looked like one of those people with no clue they have overdosed on Botox treatments. She showed not even one micro-ounce of emotion.

I am certain she had been trained to regurgitate the ugliest phrase known to older-student-kind, “You have been selected for verification.” They  probably learn these words in some secretive one minute financial aid training for work-study students. She handed out this terrible news like she was working at the McDonald’s drive-thru. She might as well have been saying, “Would you like sauce with your nuggets?”

I vaguely remember her assuring me that nothing could be done to salvage my summer classes that I had so carefully selected six weeks earlier. And as for the living expense money I was counting on, well, I could forget about paying my rent and bills all summer too. Not nice.

Whoo-hoo. I was one of the lucky winners of the financial aid special surprise. I had been selected to play the unpleasant game of “Untangle Yourself from Heavy-Duty, Strong-Adhesive, Double-Sided, Non-Perforated, Financial Aid Red Tape.” It was all kinds of fun. There were new rules, more forms to fill out and I had to jump through five more hoops. Yes, that’s right – there ARE more forms waiting for a special select few to fill out each semester. Do worry… you could be the next winner.

I had to fill out the 2012-2013 Verification Form she handed me and was told I had to apply for a Tax Transcript from the IRS. I was informed that it if I requested an IRS Tax Transcript that day it would be approximately three weeks before the IRS would have the documentation mailed to me and then it would take the Financial Aid office at least two more weeks for the Financial Aid genie to compare my FAFSA Application with the Verification Worksheet and my IRS Transcript (This is the mother of all lies. They accepted a copy of my most recent tax return).

It was at this point that I gathered myself up and refused to accept the bad news. I emphatically said that I would stand in the Financial Aid Office as long as it took to repair the damage to my well-laid summer educational plans. I filled out the Verification Form and handed it in with a copy of my last tax return.

The moral of the story: Fight for your right to be educated and never accept the phrase “nothing can be done.” I assure you, something can be done. Long story short, I was “verified” and my financial aid was pushed through that same afternoon while I sat under a tree at the MAC trying to compose myself.

I’d like to keep you from going through this most unpleasant experience so I have 10 good tips for non-traditional students going to UTA on financial aid. I hope they help you continue on down the happy trail while earning your degree from one of the best  institutions of higher education in Texas. 

Never Accept “Never.”

Onward!

Holly

Ten Tips

1.      Make no assumption everything is okay. Check in with the Financial Aid Office at the beginning of each semester, at mid-term and then one more time before the end of each semester. Ask for documentation of your visits and financial aid status.

UTA Financial Aid contact information:

Phone: 817-272-3561
Fax: 817-272-3555
E-Mail: fao@uta.edu
Web Link: http://wweb.uta.edu/ses/fao/

UTA Financial Aid Office – Davis Hall

2.      Go to the Financial Aid office in person in Davis Hall on the second floor. Yes, I know, it’s not a pleasant thing, but going in person will save time you time and frustration in the long run. They have a phone number but no one is on the other end (I have been on hold for upwards of 30 minutes before giving up). I have never had a real person pick up the phone at this office. If someone were to pick up the phone they will not discuss specific financial information over the telephone.

3.      Know government and UTA deadlines for submitting your FAFSA. http://www.fafsa.ed.gov/deadlines.htm

UTA Financial Aid Deadlines and Changes for 2012-2013

·         All 2013 Semester Deadlines Have Passed

·         There are changes to the 2012-2013 award notification process and how you report anticipated enrollment. It is very important that you review these changes by visiting this web page: http://wweb.uta.edu/ses/fao/important_changes.aspx

4.      Request an IRS Tax Transcript for each year in advance. You may need it at the last minute. Don’t wait to order it until the last minute. File a transcript request when you file your taxes. Requests can be made online at www.irs.gov or by calling 800-908-9946. This is a link to online Tax Transcript requests: http://www.irs.gov/individuals/article/0,,id=232168,00.html

5.      Fill out and submit a Financial Verification Worksheet in advance every semester whether they require it or not. Ask for documentation of your submission. This is the link to the UTA verification worksheet: http://wweb.uta.edu/ses/fao/assets/pdf/12_13/verification.pdf

6.      Always allot a good amount of time when visiting the Financial Aid Office. Take a number, be seated and open up a good book.

7.      Don’t talk to a work-study student about your financial aid. They don’t know much and they really don’t care about your future like a staff member hopefully does. Always speak with a financial aid counselor to get everything done correctly. You can do this nicely with a good measure of assertiveness. Would you let an 18-year-old stranger balance your check book or file your taxes? Why risk your educational plans? We are not spring chickens.

8.      Document everything, keep a copy of everything, never give away your original documents without having a back up original and organize your documentation for easy access.

Do these eight steps and…

9.      Save yourself time, lessen the new gray hair to pluck out and avoid a possible panic attack.

10.   Start off each semester with ease and put your energy into your studies instead of fighting your way through the process of affording your course work.