While working at a state-funded university within the financial aid department, I noticed the lack of knowledge that prospective students have about how to obtain financial aid when applying to colleges. The issues made me wonder if this is widespread amongst traditional and non-traditional students across our nation or a phenomenon that happens within specific groups (African Americans, Latinx, women, first-generation...). Is there more of a focus to educate white America with financial aid needs when applying to schools?
Many minorities being guided towards college have an array of reasons why they are reluctant to go to school. The biggest reluctancy is financing their college career. There aren't many people in my previous department equipped to guide minorities to the answers they were seeking or even come up with solutions to problems before they surfaced. Is this an isolated event? Something tells me it's not. I understand that the financial aid process can be convoluted with information that the average student or parent cannot understand. But imagine being a minority that is first-generation, economically crippled, and without college counseling. What are the chances that you are even going to fill out the college applications???
Most of the time, prospective students are lost in the process from the very beginning. And rightfully so! One would think that to pick a college to attend, you would first have to figure out your financial standing. There is no secret that African American and Latinx students are the most underrepresented population in higher education. Families that have not produced a college graduate or communities that are economically crippled have helped produce the underwhelming numbers of minority students that colleges consistently report. Students will sometimes find that they will not have access to how much funding they can receive until they have applied to a particular school. An example would be the university checklist from my previous college.
Checklist:
Submit Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) at www.fafsa.gov
Review scholarship opportunities and apply online at (website provided)
Check your school email often for important financial aid information and requirements
Review your financial aid status on the portal.. turn in additional paperwork if requested at this time
Notify the office of any additional financial aid resources that you may receive (examples provided)
Review your financial aid award on the portal
Given this basic information from the school's financial aid department, one would likely draw a conclusion that you would have to apply specifically to this school to know how much money the federal government or scholarship committee would be willing to administer to you. But what if this isn't the only school that you would like to apply to? I am on a hunt to find out if there could be an easier way for minority students to obtain their financial status before applying to multiple colleges, which may waste valuable time. After all, financial aid is in the "deadline business"! Also, I would like to figure out a way to bring financial aid literacy to minority communities to prevent parents and students from feeling uncomfortable. Having people in place that represent the community that they are guiding would be a good start. I know that I tend to be more comfortable with people I relate to when speaking about personal financial issues.
So, I asked several questions throughout this blog. Feel free to answer those and the questions posted below.
1) Do you feel that the financial aid process was easy for you/your parent to navigate when you applied for higher education? Elaborate, please.
2) Do you feel that the financial aid process is different for minorities applying to higher education? Why or why not?
3) What do you think would have made your experience better?
I love hearing stories about people's experiences; please, if you feel like sharing, go for it!
