ACI makes me mad
So here's the story... the kid from the Bronx, Alex, was having problems working out the financial situation at ACI. He still went there in the fall on the good faith that they would actually help him work it out when he got there. The school itself only gave him like 3 thousand dollars. He got all the federal aid, including a big stafford loan and a PLUS loan, but it still wasnt enough.
Here are my complaints.... He shouldnt have had to pay anything. He was in the top 5% of his graduating class; he had tons of community service and school involvement; he had a recommendation from an alum; he's hispanic; and he is TOTALLY unique for that school.
He deserves a full ride WAY more than most the people that I know.
When he got there, the way they helped him work it out was to tell him to apply for a bank loan. Well, that's great except that nobody in his family can cosign with him because they don't work and he has no credit. So, they told him to sign that he would make payments. Again, that would be like 300 dollars a month and he at that point had just got there and had no job. Even still, thats a good chunk to pay each month your freshman year.
I wrote an email to Bennion, Juanita pearson in financial aid, the president and arnold hernandez. Bennion and Pearson wrote back and said they were on it. A couple of weeks later, Juanita wrote again and said thanks to the great efforts of many people, they were able to help Alex resolve the situation. I called Alex and he said that the "resolution" was that they got him a bigger stafford loan (I am guessing that they added an unsubsidized chunk) and that he was still short money. How the heck is that helping him?? It's like they haven't even noticed that he really can't afford this. I just don't get it.
So, I think I am going to write to the alumni people and just let them know that since the school is inept and have their heads shoved in bad places, that I will never be giving a cent to the school or recommending any more of my students to go there unless this is resolved in a much better manner. If anyone else would like to express their displeasure with the situation, or have any other ideas for how to go about helping him out, please let me know. Thanks!
Here are my complaints.... He shouldnt have had to pay anything. He was in the top 5% of his graduating class; he had tons of community service and school involvement; he had a recommendation from an alum; he's hispanic; and he is TOTALLY unique for that school.
He deserves a full ride WAY more than most the people that I know.
When he got there, the way they helped him work it out was to tell him to apply for a bank loan. Well, that's great except that nobody in his family can cosign with him because they don't work and he has no credit. So, they told him to sign that he would make payments. Again, that would be like 300 dollars a month and he at that point had just got there and had no job. Even still, thats a good chunk to pay each month your freshman year.
I wrote an email to Bennion, Juanita pearson in financial aid, the president and arnold hernandez. Bennion and Pearson wrote back and said they were on it. A couple of weeks later, Juanita wrote again and said thanks to the great efforts of many people, they were able to help Alex resolve the situation. I called Alex and he said that the "resolution" was that they got him a bigger stafford loan (I am guessing that they added an unsubsidized chunk) and that he was still short money. How the heck is that helping him?? It's like they haven't even noticed that he really can't afford this. I just don't get it.
So, I think I am going to write to the alumni people and just let them know that since the school is inept and have their heads shoved in bad places, that I will never be giving a cent to the school or recommending any more of my students to go there unless this is resolved in a much better manner. If anyone else would like to express their displeasure with the situation, or have any other ideas for how to go about helping him out, please let me know. Thanks!
posted by Jennifer Q @ 1:25 AM
3 Comments:
At 11:30 AM,
Anonymous said…
I would suggest you express your displeasure to ACI regarding their "resolution" and ask if this is temporary. In other words, will this be for just this year or semester and will they be doing more to provide him with financial support in the way of grants and scholarships in the future. I'd also ask them if they are continuing to look for scholarship assistance. If not, I would consider getting him to a school that will support his efforts and let ACI know you will be doing so. I'm sure they do not want to lose the diversity or the money.
Also, aren't there some scholarships that he can apply for? Or has he done all that already. I know there are scholarships for first in your family to attend college, geographic area, racial background, there are even some for people who can waterski. I know he's busy but maybe he could research and find more assistance without the aid of ACI. - Momster
At 12:14 AM,
Ines Tucakovic said…
I was talking to him about that problem
a couple of weeks back. He seemed really
bummed and it pissed me off as well. He
really is a unique kid for this school
and he should get a full ride.
As far as taking care of this problem, you
should do both. Write an article to the
Coyote like Arzhang said, AND write to the
alum. Me, as pissed as I am, probably will
have a decreased giving rate due to the
shitty job our financial administration
does when it comes to helping students.
It's outrageous.
At 6:14 AM,
Anonymous said…
He didn't make it, he went back to New York. He was a hard worker.
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