It's looking like minifob#2 is going to be as difficult to get going as minifob#1 was... :mecry:

It is a conspiracy.

I know, as a mother, you have eyes in the back of your head. But you need ears in your ankles to hear them whispering their plots to one another. That's why it's a good idea to get down to their level as much as possible.

And remember, never raise your hand against a child. It leaves your groin unprotected.

The heart has its reasons that reason knows nothing of. -- Blaise Pascal

Everyone's different, obviously, but I went through times like this occasionally...and still do. What I've found is that if you're happy with yourself, the rest follows. If you're not happy with yourself, fix it within reason. If it can't all be fixed at once, be patient and take the small victories when you can.

Today: Verifying FAFSAs
Don't people keep copies of tax stuff? In most cases shouldn't W2s match the freaking first line of the tax form?
Isn't it possible that, when filling out the FAFSA, if it says "if you filed a
1040A take the number from line 36" that you should take the number from line 36? Not decide they must mean line 35?
Does it make sense to guess at "child support received" on both the FAFSA and the verification worksheet and guess two totally different numbers?

These are rhetorical questions. I know the answers. I know mistakes get made. But the sheer number of corrections I have to make is amazing. I've been doing this for over five years and I still find myself mumbling: where in the FUCK did they get that number? It all results in more work on our end, (as we are required by fed regs to resolve ALL conflicting information,) more work on the student's end (who now has to go to the appropriate agencies and get documentation,) and more time for them to find out their final eligibility (which is usually blamed on us,) so no one wins.
But, I'm a bit OCD and am always really careful when filling things out. Like, I wouldn't leave "are you male" blank, prompting a selective service mismatch. I would double check my SSN so as not to get a SSA mismatch...on and on.

Done venting! ;)

FAFSA filler-outer here.

those things are a bitch. Having all the data on hand before starting is impossible. so you start anyway, get partway through, then ahve to stop and go look for the docs with the answer. sometimes, the search is not successful for a while. dinnertime comes and goes. the weekend comes and goes. Involving the children/students in their own paperwork is another challenge.

bottom line: they're complicated, necessary, difficult, important, and rare. That's a deadly combination.

True to all. That's why we have numerous sessions (and every friday for two hours) to help people fill them out. Guess how many people show up?

Of course, I've seen millions of them, but really , if you take your time they're fairly self-explanatory. Some families have very unique situations which are confusing, but the most of it is demographics (name, address, etc) and tax forms (with line numbers given.) The ABC worksheet worries most people, but I always tell them not to sweat it too much. If you've never heard of it (like black lung benefits) you probably don't have it. For the other ABC items that don't have line item guidance (child support paid or received, Social Security benefits) if you do the worksheet ahead of time you know you need a number there and you get it THEN go online with all the info right in front of you.

But I do understand the hectic family thing. Still, if you know it's important and that you are supposed to report correctly (just as you are expected to do for the IRS) you don't do it until you have the answers. Also, remember in the future that 1/3 of all apps are selected by the Dept for verification. You'll have a much easier time if you know you filled it out right the first time.

We are willing to help any student from any school with this. Most FA administrators I know across the country will, as well. Also, the hotline is always there.
:) THanks for the filler-outer perspective. It gave me a chance to maybe help educate on the process.

The new door that my step-father put up. I started to let my dogs in for a while, so I go to unlock the door. I unlock the deadbolt...easy. I try to turn the knob, but it won't budge. WTF? I think "There must be two locks." cuz there's a littlle twist thingie on the knob, so I try to turn it, but my Cerebral Palsybic hands can't even grab the thing. :angry:

I'm gonna have to get my folks to show me how to deal with those locks B4 Friday.

Also, IMHO, Copiah County Human Resources handicap bus service should ask people they hire if they have a problem with dogs (I'd rather not have to explain my situation this one).

guess why I didn't show up?

School is 3000 miles away.

I hate that thing. My wife hates that thing. It's misleading. The first time we filled on out, we got a string of numbers at the bottom, I thought it was an account code. Nope, it was our "expected family contribution". I almost passed out! Yah, rite. We can swing that. If we stop paying rent and eating. It was ludicrous.

s123, you have a talent, like freakin Rainman, to cope with those forms on a regular basis. You may not even be human, I don't know. But I have personally had my ass kicked by them. I'm not railing at you, never. but the form, it really sucks..It's really hard, the stakes are high, emotions are high, money is low, just a fucking hassle, class A hassle.

Thaanks for letting me (and by extension, my wife) vent.

Drax, get these.
They are great, really, I got some for my Mom and she loves them. She can even turn it with her elbow if her hands are full.
I kept one for my bedroom closet door too because it was a small knob and always hard to turn.
Just soften it a little in warm water and slip it over the knob. That's it... no shit... that easy... they don't slip.

Awesome xoxoxoBruce!

Thank you! My mom will love them too! Thank you.

But it'll sure be fun trying...

I should be happy, because I had a job interview today. I was a little nervous and excited beforehand, of course, and had spent a lot of time making sure I was prepared--portfolio updated, forms filled out, what to wear, etc. etc.

I got to the place, met the guy, started the interview, and realized part-way through that my interviewer was extremely hungover.

He even almost fell asleep a few times.

I'm not entirely sure he was aware of half the things we talked about.

sigh.

Clod - Vitex Agnus!!!!! Get it into to you.

I never said the methodology was fair. Try being one of our students who is single, no dependents, and makes 15 grand a year and gets no help. They get screwed worse than anyone.

I was trying to help. I am human. I administer a program that I don't always agree with, but am bound by law to uphold the integrity of. I get my ass kicked on a daily basis by people like you who don't like it. But we try to help. Your school was 3000 miles away? Did I not say FA administrators all over the country hold help sessions, and meet with students regardless of school? It is a public service; and we try so very hard.
Let me ask you this: when you are determining eligibility for federally funded (read: taxpayers, OUR, money) programs (including relatively low interest student loans) why are you miffed that you might have to do some work to get it? Has everything been handed to you on a silver platter? Also, I find that students who find doing the forms tedious and unfair to be the students who don't excel because they don't like to do the work. I'm not saying this is true about you, but you have to see that this process is important to the whole education thing. It is also important because, as I'm sure we all know, there are a lot of system players in the world.

What sort of hoops do you jump through to buy a house, or a car? Certainly an education is just as important and worthy of the effort.

Where specifically were you stumped? Seriously, I'm interested in what part of the form kicked your butt. If it wasn't something that could be explained with a little extra effort or a quick call to the nearest FA office or the help line, I get the opportunity to propose changes to the form every year. Your input could be quite helpful. In the meantime, you can always PM me with questions. I am also bound by law to keep all information private.[/