Quote:
Originally Posted by epchick
On some of the financial aid paperwork I received I was asked to list every person that my parents support financially. Well at the time that I was a senior in HS, my parents were supporting my brother (who was significantly older than me). He hadn't finished college, and so after a while in the "job force" he decided to go back and get his nursing degree. Well, my parents were paying for his schooling, and he was living at home. I called up Pepperdine to see if it was ok to list him, and the lady said that was fine, that as long as my parents supported 1/2 of his financial obligations that he could be listed.
So i put him on the list. About 3 weeks later, all my "scholarships" that I had received (that was going to cover more than 1/2 of my freshman year's tuition) were taken away. According to whoever was in charge, there was no feasible way that a early 30-year old man could be supported by his family. They told us point-blank that I lied so that I could get some financial aid money because they've never heard of people going back to college to get a Bachelors.
I'm sorry that doesn't happen in Malibu, but a mostly poor, largely Hispanic community (with many first generation US families), it happens.
My mom talked to the Dean of Seaver College, and he wrote her a note pretty much saying how we were SOL and for me to try again next year.
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Wow, I'm surprised to hear you were treated that way, and have to believe there was some sort of misunderstanding. How long ago was this? My family has always been very impressed with the way the school conducts itself (financial aid office in particular) - it's a kind, classy place. The school was always very upfront with me and everyone else I knew about the financial aid process and they definitely understood the MANY types of families that apply to the school. BTW, only a few of the students are from Malibu, so that's a bit of a cheap shot you took; half aren't even from the state of California (students come from all states and more than 60 countries), and 9% are hispanic (36% of students are minorities). And about 75% of the students receive financial aid. Pepp was very generous to all of my friends there, and none of us were poor or extremely wealthy. I knew very few people there that did not receive some type of grant or scholarship. That school is really expensive, and they know it; therefore they try hard to make the school "doable" for the students they admit.
But getting back on topic, scholarships are different than grants. Scholarships usually are awarded based on merit or other qualifications; grants can be offered for any reason, but they're usually need-based. Parents need to realize this difference; some parents freak out when Pepperdine tells them that only a small portion of the students get merit scholarships. If they listened, they'd hear that the majority of students get grants, which are basically the same thing when all is said and done. It's money you don't have to pay back!