I’m embarrassed to need financial aid

I’m embarrassed to need Financial Aid. Guys, let’s talk about financial aid. I know how humbling it is to be on financial aid, especially when that wasn’t the case when you joined the campus.

Things change. Life changes. Life is unpredictable and that is a conversation a lot of parents don’t have with their kids and so when it happens you’re left completely confused.

However, after the confusion and all the feelings, you will most definitely feel, remember that you have an undergrad to complete.

Why did I title this blog post this way? Because this is how most of the kids on financial aid felt, and how do I know this? Because it was told to me by the head of finance.

They had to discontinue several students over arrears, why is that? Continuing students didn’t want to get on financial aid programs in school. And when the department looked into the matter, what they found was that these students didn’t want their friends to know that they needed financial assistance.

First of all, I shall begin by saying that even as I write this, I am well aware that for some there will be nothing I could say to change their mind. I am only writing this for that one person who will use this to realize that it is not a big deal and make the right decision. With that said, let’s get into everything else.

When things changed for me, I went through all the things that I’m sure a student in a similar position will go through as well. I would love to have been mature enough to not feel angry or betrayed, but apparently, I am not above it.

I still felt all those things and still had to keep my GPA sky-high. To say that I was stressed would be the understatement of the century, but with all that said, I had to pull myself together and figure out the next step. The next step was obviously to seek financial aid.

USIU has several financial aid programs, and now with the pandemic, they have even more. I think I will write another separate blog post just addressing financial aid programs available for USIU students.

This is my advice to those who are struggling with being on financial aid for the first time or those who will; one, if you have so-called friends who make you feel bad about being on financial aid than honey those aren’t your friends, so ditch them and make some new ones, better ones with time.

Two, you have to choose which is more important, your ego or your undergrad. What brought you to said school? What was the purpose of your enrollment to get an undergrad right?

So do that then come what may, stay the course, and do whatever needs to be done to achieve your goal.

Third, why do you care what others think? Why is their opinion of you so important? Do they pay your bills? Ensure your livelihood. What is it? If it is NOT one of the above, then just get over it. This is adulting my friend and as such making thought decisions is part of the gig.

At the end of the day what I say may or may not sway you, which is fine, but my two cents is that it really shouldn’t bother you. As long as your goal is to complete your undergrad, then everything else is neither here nor there. Keep your eyes ever forward. You know what your goal is, which is an undergrad, and a passing grade, so everything else shouldn’t be in your field of vision. And if it bothers you all that much, then your undergrad isn’t as important to you as it should be.

I hope this helps. I will add a link to the USIU financial aid page and another link here to the financial aid brochure. I hope you make the right choice. If you are still having a hard time with it, then hit me up in the comment section below and let’s talk about it :).