WonL

The random thoughts of an architect-turned- lawyer from the deep south living in Washington, DC...

Friday, May 12, 2006

Part Deaux

Financial Aid Saga Part 1 found here.


Imagine my surprise to receive the following email in my inbox this morning from head FALO "Your summer loan paid by wire into your account last night. You should apply for a refund right away so that you will have funds available for the program abroad." (She also attached a link to the form I need to fill out.)


For a moment, I was pleasantly surprised at how prompt they were once I got angry. For a moment, I thought that standing your ground (even with financial aid people) may actually work. For a moment, I breathed easy thinking I could tear up the check my parents over-nighted to me. For a moment, I felt bad about all the mean things I said and thought during Saga Part 1.


That moment passed.


The "Refund Request Form" says things like "refunds are not available for pick-up" and "it may take up to 14 days for my check to arrive in the MAIL." (This is, of course, a problem because my summer tuition is due in 5 days.)


So, to re-cap, the process is quite simple as a GW student, in order to get finacial aid to go to summer school through G-Town:


Contact GW...who contacts G-Town...(who never gets back to them) so contact G-Town yourself...who gets back to GW...who then asks for money from YOUR LENDER...who sends it to GW...who puts it in an account they call yours...then hold it in the account until you ask for the money (which if of course comical because chances are you began this hellish process in the first place because you wanted the money)...since they do not allow you to walk into their door, they send you a check...which you will then have to deposit in a normal bank account...to then write a tuition check to G-Town. Dear Lord, next time, I'm going to Ace!




Almost forgot my favorite part of the story: I inquired as to why I received a bill for $35 from GW and was told I am being billed for "continuous enrollment which must be in place in order for a summer loan to pay into your account." In other words, they actually charge me to f*ck this all up. Seriously