Orca Complains™

I  h a t e  the financial aid process.

My parents make a bunch of money so I'm going to hardly get anything in terms of financial aid. However, they're also not going to assist me at ALL financially unless I stay here and live with them (which is not happening - I feel crappy enough already). I can't get most scholarships because I'm dumb. I'm going to have massive debt by the time I get out of college, probably.

Plus school sux. For those who don't know, my school has students complete 60 hours of community service as a requirement to graduate. I've done 81. Only 41 of those hours count - the school is ridiculously unbalanced when it comes to giving kids the hours they deserve. I thought I had all 60 completed because of the 10 hours I did last week which the person I did them for said would be doubled since I was pretty good. They ended up only giving me 6 out of the actual 10 I did. Now I need like 19 more hours by May 2, five days from now.

Speaking of deadlines, the community college I need to go to has priority registration for my category of students on May 9 - 11. In order to be eligible for this priority registration, I may have to go to Sacramento (4 hours away) in order to take a test, wait a day, and then go BACK TO SACRAMENTO to meet up with a counselor. I don't know how I'm going to do that, since my parents have already told me that they do not want me leaving town for college. I doubt they'll drive me.

Venting over for today.

Oh my fucking god, and apparently I can't have my FAFSA processed AT ALL unless I can figure out how to show them I'm going to graduate high school? I am so tired of all of this.

Do you have any friends that could drive you to where you need to be?

None of my friends who I know well enough to ask for that can drive. I MIGHT be able to do the things online, but that's incredibly uncertain.

My god, that all really sucks, Orca. The financial aid process is always terrible.

That shit about you not having 60 hours sounds really annoying though. I mean, fuck that! You really need to complain to somebody about having all your hours done, because at this point it seems like being an obnoxious piece of shit is the only way to get through these people.

Am I the only person who's never had any problems with teh financial aid system?

The thing that's bullshit here is your college of choice wants you to do all this registration shit in May when Fall classes won't begin till August. I don't even get that, its bizarre. It would have been vastly preferential to have waited to fill out your FAFSA until after you graduated if you could have.

Your whole college situation is really horrible, man. I'm sorry. I know its not place to say, but you really don't seem happy at all around your family, so I encourage you to try to make your way on your own, if that is at all possible. Personally, even though life is really hard for me living on my own, I'm really happy having the personal freedom I do, and I wouldn't want to live any other way.

As for your community service hours? Holy shit that pisses me off so hard. Fuck mandatory community service. Slave laboooooorrrrrrrr. At this point, you should just accuse them of cheating you. Raise hell until its no longer a problem.

Fish, you didn't have financial aid problems because you were legally homeless. The main problem is that both me, Fountain, and Orca have encountered is when they try to bullshit us and claim our parents make too much money when they really don't.

Sorry to hear it Orca, I think the only reason I haven't really ever had a problem is because my parents are separated and i just go with my moms tax info, and well she lives paycheck to paycheck like most others but has a decent sized house hold.

Nexeria wrote:Fish, you didn't have financial aid problems because you were legally homeless. The main problem is that both me, Fountain, and Orca have encountered is when they try to bullshit us and claim our parents make too much money when they really don't.

Well, this is factually incorrect. Once I hit 18 I was classified as dependent under my parents by default because I still had contact with them. I've always had to file under my parents and such, actually. According to the way FAFSA works, I don't get to claim that homelessness because I was at no point emancipated nor was I in foster care.

My parents apparently made too much money, too, so I got zip from financial aid.

Maybe try looking up community service scholarships? If you have documented evidence of all your hours, you could be eligible for one of those? My state has Bright Futures which is a scholarship anyone can get as long as they meet all the qualifications (at least 50 hours done).

I'd also say that I had to get student loans (which I am gonna have to start making payments on here soon enough) and as long as you're going to a cheaper school, it shouldn't be that bad in the end. Can always see if your school is hiring at all. Definitely try to be an RA if you have on campus dorms because you get a free private room, free meal plan, a semester stipend, job experience, and lots of opportunity to meet new people.

You guys are all really nice.

My mom decided to tell me today that when I turn 18 if I don't have a job she's kicking me off of her health insurance plan (along with the whole kick-me-out-of-the-house thing).

What like it's your friggen fault you can't find a job when you're a student trying to pass highschool, set up to go to college, and do community service, all while the system and your parents are nothing but obstructive?

And she threatens to kick you out, but will only help you if you're around?

What is this logic? XD

@Orca, that doesn't make any sense. It may have been easier for her generation to all find jobs at 16, but now with how shit the job market is, most of those 16 year old jobs are going to 30 year olds.

I couldn't even find my first job until I was 19 and that was only thanks to my mom's connections.

Megantron wrote:@Orca, that doesn't make any sense. It may have been easier for her generation to all find jobs at 16, but now with how shit the job market is, most of those 16 year old jobs are going to 30 year olds.

I couldn't even find my first job until I was 19 and that was only thanks to my mom's connections.

I know that feeling, I didn't get one till I was about to graduate thanks to my step mom, other than that it would have just been a bust, then my dad got me into another job.

^ Yeah, even the job I have now is only because my manager has been my parents' neighbor for the past 10 years.

That seems to be the only way to get hired these days: get lucky, have connections, &/or be persistent.

I agree, it is kinda bad when even if you have experience and you get looked over for someone who doesn't just because they know them.

I did it.

I mean, I managed to get community service done.

I missed priority registration though because the counselors never replied to me about the online appointment I needed. Which is lame. I've sent them 3 requests now, and actually just sent a 4th so yeah.

I got booted from a chat, which most of the folks here know. I normally wouldn't care but 1) I was booted merely because a mod didn't like me, not because I did anything wrong and 2) the chat didn't allow exchanging contact info with other members so I may have lost a guy I really enjoyed talking with forever.

I'm currently studying for a really big test that will determine whether or not I graduate. I'm worried.

Still don't have a job.

I've been having random bouts of intense sadness for no reason, which also sucks, but I guess depression is just part of your average high schooler's life these days.

I'm eating a hot pocket right now though which is cool. Kinda makes it easy to forget that I won't be able to afford food in like 3 months.

How'd you manage the community service?

DorkOrca wrote:I've been having random bouts of intense sadness for no reason, which also sucks, but I guess depression is just part of your average high schooler's life these days.

Same here, we can be sad together.

All I can see is that sometimes it seems like nothing will be going your way, but eventually everything will either fall into place or your will find out how to get through the obstacles and come out stronger than ever.

Mr. Fountain wrote:How'd you manage the community service?

fraud

Actually by creating assignments for my programming teacher. He gave me all my hours for it.



So, I'm moving in a month. Everything sorted itself out somehow. My main worries right now are being able to obtain my math class and one of the people who said she was going with us potentially bailing out because her dad wants her to live on campus, which could screw up prices. I'm not near as stressed as I used to be because my dad decided to help me out with rent. Mainly family things are bothering me, but I'm moving so soon that they'll all be irrelevant and most of my stress will come from college itself.

I guess we'll see what happens. To be continued.

Glad everything seems to be working out for ya