

The Big Test Before College? The Financial Aid Form - tokenadult
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/22/education/22fafsa.html

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peregrine
The real problem, like the article says, is that it doesn't give a good
indication of wealth at all. Because I'm not a minority, not living in a slum,
and working my butt off I do not receive Pell grants, only options I am given
are small state grants and subsidized loans. Great.

I filled the thing out myself and if you take it slow and follow the
instructions you will be fine. But I'd rather they just pulled the information
straight from the income taxes records and criminal records you could remove
98% of the questions easily that way, no problem.

Our government cannot find a way to connect everything and save money/time.
Maybe someone could create a startup that somehow connects these things.
Automatically with the consumers consent. :)

~~~
mfhughes
> Because I'm not a minority, not living in a slum, and working my butt off

All of which will contribute to your better being able to find a job when you
graduate.

When you show up to the interview right after a black or hispanic kid from the
ghetto, and you have the same education, who do you think they're going to
choose? This world does not treat people fairly, as you are finding out now.
The problem is that when you are given the advantage, you are generally
_unaware_ of it, when you are given the disadvantage, you are _acutely_ aware
of it.

Please at least wait until you get into the real world before you start
getting angry at society because you're white and middle class and like to
work hard and don't live in a slum, okay? Seriously, just wait a couple of
years before you get upset about these terrible socioeconomic circumstances
you've been dealt.

Actually, if you lived in California, that might not seem like such a
sarcastic joke, when you show up at Berkeley and 50% of the student population
is Asian, almost none of whom are on financial aid. Maybe you do have a point,
LOL.

~~~
peregrine
Yea I agree its a little soon and I am doing well for myself. The problem is
that they are rewarding the lazy punishing the ambitious. I don't care that
they help with minorities or poor people thats all well and fine. But who says
that I'm not poor? Next month I will be making more per hour then my mother
and she has 20 years of experience, I'd argue she is nowhere near the middle
class.

~~~
mfhughes
> rewarding the lazy

Have you ever seen a "lazy" person get a grant to go to college and then
graduate, or are you just assuming someone who isn't white is lazy, and is
getting a handout?

~~~
jerf
I may not be directly participating in this conversation, but I don't
appreciate your invocation of a false dilemma. The situation is more complex
than you are implying, and the whole "Do you approve of affirmative action or
are you a racist?" line has no place here on HN.

And yes, it is what you are saying. I'm not fooled.

~~~
peregrine
I don't approve of affirmative action if I am just as poor and started out in
just as bad conditions but get treated like cause I'm white my life was
automatically easier and college will be automatically easier.

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tokenadult
Here's a link to a proposal for reform of the current financial aid system,
with extensive input by economists. (It's long, but worth the reading.)

[http://professionals.collegeboard.com/profdownload/rethinkin...](http://professionals.collegeboard.com/profdownload/rethinking-
stu-aid-fulfilling-commitment-recommendations.pdf)

------
mfhughes
If you're having trouble following enough directions to fill out a single
form, you might want to reconsider going to college. There's lots of
directions and forms involved.

~~~
tokenadult
The credited response to that is that there are many ever so smart young
people who are ready for college but have no access to the details of their
parents' financial situation.

