25 years old and deep in debt

[CountDeMoney]

Is there a way to opt out of getting that money? I never knew of how, though I tried. The Financial Aid office just looked at me like I'd lost my mind when I asked about it.

What they need to do is cut the student out of the mix;  the Feds should send the loan directly to the school, and living stipends should be dealt with separately.
Giving a kid a check for that kind of money and expecting them to do the non-stupid kid thing is a bit much.

[Baron von Schtinkenbutt]

Is there a way to opt out of getting that money? I never knew of how, though I tried. The Financial Aid office just looked at me like I'd lost my mind when I asked about it.

What they need to do is cut the student out of the mix;  the Feds should send the loan directly to the school, and living stipends should be dealt with separately.
Giving a kid a check for that kind of money and expecting them to do the non-stupid kid thing is a bit much.

When I got a loan to cover the tuition for my aborted Masters degree, the loan money did go straight to the university.

[merithyn]

Is there a way to opt out of getting that money? I never knew of how, though I tried. The Financial Aid office just looked at me like I'd lost my mind when I asked about it.

What they need to do is cut the student out of the mix;  the Feds should send the loan directly to the school, and living stipends should be dealt with separately.
Giving a kid a check for that kind of money and expecting them to do the non-stupid kid thing is a bit much.

The tuition money does go straight to the school. The check is whatever is left over from your financial aid. Part of the financial aid package includes living expenses.

[Iormlund]

I was reminded of this thread last week, when the Chinese girl I met in Turkey told me she was borrowing ~$60k a year to attend Cornell ($40k tuition + expenses). 

What is her life plan?

Get a job and pay it back, I guess. She did seem fairly thrifty and intelligent, so she might do fine in the end.

Failing that, she could always run back to China.

[CountDeMoney]

The tuition money does go straight to the school. The check is whatever is left over from your financial aid. Part of the financial aid package includes living expenses.

Well, fuck 'em then.  They deserve their fucking debt so Caliga cannot hire them.

[merithyn]

The tuition money does go straight to the school. The check is whatever is left over from your financial aid. Part of the financial aid package includes living expenses.

Well, fuck 'em then.  They deserve their fucking debt so Caliga cannot hire them.

My question was one of opting out. Just because you received a certain Financial Aid package doesn't mean that you should have to accept the debt. Someone living at home isn't going to need the same living expense amount as someone living in the dorms. That's where I think a lot of the problem comes in.

I think that I agree with you in that the living expenses should be a separate fund all together.

[Maximus]

My question was one of opting out. Just because you received a certain Financial Aid package doesn't mean that you should have to accept the debt. Someone living at home isn't going to need the same living expense amount as someone living in the dorms. That's where I think a lot of the problem comes in.

I think that I agree with you in that the living expenses should be a separate fund all together.

Grants were automatically applied. Each loan had to be explicitly accepted.

[merithyn]

My question was one of opting out. Just because you received a certain Financial Aid package doesn't mean that you should have to accept the debt. Someone living at home isn't going to need the same living expense amount as someone living in the dorms. That's where I think a lot of the problem comes in.

I think that I agree with you in that the living expenses should be a separate fund all together.

Grants were automatically applied. Each loan had to be explicitly accepted.

So that's changed since I went to school last, and I didn't realize that you had to do that. Thanks.

[Baron von Schtinkenbutt]

Grants were automatically applied. Each loan had to be explicitly accepted.

Now that you mention it, when I got my loans I had to explicitly accept them, as well as specifically accept the amount for each.  I could have received more money than my schooling cost, but I chose not to.

[Phillip V]

Overweight graduate school applicants could face bias in admissions

Researchers analyzed the grad school applications of 97 applicants, and found that candidates with a higher body-mass index who were asked to do a face-to-face interview had lower admission rates than thinner applicants and overweight applicants who didn't have to do in-person interviews. For women, the negative correlation between weight and the chance of getting accepted was even higher. "We have yet another example of weight bias at work," says Ted Kyle, chair of the advocacy committee for the Obesity Society.

http://www.marketwatch.com/story/grad-school-slim-chance-for-heavier-applicants-2013-07-25

[Ideologue]

Ha.  Fat fucks should count their blessings along with their calories.

[The Brain]

The Great Society may have been a decent idea, the Obesity Society not so much.

[merithyn]

Ha.  Fat fucks should count their blessings along with their calories.

God, you're a prick.

[Ideologue]

I'm a product of my environment.

[Ideologue]

All kidding aside, obviously I don't support appearance being a metric by which prospective grad students are judged.  It's unfair, meaningless, and wrong.  Happy?