Applying for college financial aid is like stepping into a game show where the grand prize is debt and the consolation prize is also debt. I thought the hardest part of the college process would be the applications. I was wrong. The hardest part is figuring out how to pay for it without selling a kidney.
First, there is the FAFSA. The government’s way of determining exactly how little help you deserve. They ask how much you make, how much you spend, and probably what you had for dinner last Tuesday. After hours of entering numbers and double-checking forms, you hit submit and hope for the best. Then comes the financial aid package. You open it, full of hope, only to discover they think you can magically contribute more money than you have ever seen in your life.
Next, you call the financial aid office. You try to sound calm and reasonable while internally panicking. They tell you to fill out more forms. The CSS Profile? Verification documents? A sworn affidavit proving you are not secretly a millionaire? Sure. Anything to convince them your financial situation is as dire as it feels.
Then there are scholarships. Your child applies for everything. Essay contests. Left-handed student grants. Scholarships for people who can juggle while reciting Shakespeare. You suddenly become an expert in finding obscure financial aid opportunities.
Eventually, you piece together enough aid to make college almost affordable. You celebrate. And then you remember. This process happens every year.
College is expensive. The financial aid process is exhausting. But in the end, you do whatever it takes because seeing your child chase their dreams is worth every stressful form and late-night budgeting session. Probably.