Let me share with you how poor people go to college.
I was going to jump right in. But first, good intelligent poor people do their research. They ask: well, how much is this going to cost me? Because that is all that poor people care about. So, they take a trip to the college website and they see this:
And they are all like, okay. $16,467 for tuition, fees, and books. No problem, good start.
Alright, so. Starting the real work.
Number one: They apply to the college in question; here, we are talking about Finger Lakes Community College. They get an application fee waiver (good for twenty dollars) because they are poor.
Number two: They fill out their Free Application for Federal Student Aid. They wait for the government to get back to them.
Number three A: The government gets back to them:
Number three B: Decipher what the government says. They say for a family with an estimated contribution of zero dollars (a poor family has zero dollars to contribute to their son/daughter going to college), the government will give a grant of up to $5,500 dollars for the year. 2 semesters per year means $2,750 dollars per semester. Alright. Some poor people math: $16,467 (remember this is tuition plus books plus fees) minus $5,500 = $10,976 dollars short.
Note: As per the government, you cannot apply as an independent student, even if you are living on your own and incurring your own bills and rent like most lucky 22-year-olds, until you are 35.
Number four: Come up with $10,976. ALRIGHT. There is another option for New York State residents. On to applying for TAP, through New York State Higher Education Services Corporation. TAP crunches some data and spits out this number:
Alright. Poor people math again. The remaining balance for the year is $10,976. Have no fear, TAP is here with $3,654 free dollars. Remaining balance = $7,322.
Number five: Alright, so come up with $7,322 dollars. Here, we revert back to the step one before the real work. Research. What are those fees? What does that tuition cover? Are there any optional fees? Let us find out.
Well, these fees are a bitch. See, what really sucks the most is that these fees do not include tuition, are not optional, and, in poor-people-luck fashion, include the major we are considering in this scenario, which is music. So, let us add all applicable fees that come along with a music major to the grand total above and see where we are at.
Remaining balance: $7,322
Extra fees attached to required music electives: $214 each, for a total of $856
Extra fees for labs: No exact number here. Range given by college to be $5-$50 per course that has a lab. Required courses for music major that require labs = 4. So, minimum charge: $20. Maximum charge: $200.
Extra fee for required physical education courses (good for two credits total): $14.
For a total remaining balance of: $8,212 (low) $8,392 (high) (because of the unknown lab fees).
Number six: Come up with $8,392 to go to a Community College.
For fun, let us do a hypothetical. In some cases, poor people get PAID to go to school (receive extra financial aid and get a reimbursement). We all know the kid who did that and took the extra money to buy a car, cause it’s cheaper than getting “financed” by a “bank.” So, if that happens, in FLCC’s case:
So, you can use your excess financial aid money to “help cover housing, food, transportation, and personal expenses.” After you pay for your housing, food, transportation, and personal expenses, as those are obviously due before are allowed to go to school, not during the 6th week when you receive your refund.
The end.
And, hey:
I write sarcastically. It is meant to be offensive, because I am sick of hearing all these fallacies and make-believe worlds where people in this country go to school for free, if they are poor. It simply is not true. Hate the message, hate the messenger, just stop repeating what you were told; what the commercial said about student aid and affordable tuition. Realize that there are in fact two scenarios, and they are both terrible, out of touch with reality, and, like everything, with strings attached no matter what. Of course you CAN get your entire tuition paid for if you are “poor enough,” whatever that means, and trust me, because you are not in control of the money you are asking for, you are not going to be deemed poor enough without jumping through some serious hoops, if you get that far. But hey, this is the land of opportunity. Worried that your next paycheck won’t buy Imitation Pasteurized Processed Cheese Food Product for some grilled cheese? Apply for college, it’s free! The other option is you cannot apply as an independent student until you are 35, so your financial aid is dependent upon what your parents make until that point (and whether you even know or talk to them is irrelevant). Sounds like a scam to me.
Jami Write 