Education Connection
As you may know, the federal government bases how much they decide to give you in financial aid for your education on your most recent tax return. For many people who have been recently laid off, this has created a situation where they cannot get the aid that they require to go back to school and get the education they need to get another job in today’s market. This is an extremely frustrating situation. However, the United State’s government has recently addressed this by sending out an important letter to colleges all across the country.
The letter written by the Department of Education, dated May 8, 2009, and addressed to financial aid administrators, reminded them of their authority to make individual professional judgments regarding a student’s eligibility to receive financial aid. In particular, it offers guidance and reassurance that financial aid administrators can use unemployment documentation as justification for adjusting a student’s financial aid application. And it instructs them to set the person’s income as zero regardless of the amount of unemployment benefits that the student is collecting.
The letter also states that the Department of Labor is working together with states to send out a letter to people collecting unemployment benefits, which encourages them to pursue a postsecondary education and informs them of federal financial aid options. This letter, says the Department of Education, can also be used as justification by financial aid administrators.
According to the letter, in the past, schools have used professional judgments to change a student’s financial aid application sparingly as this has been used by the Department of Education as reason to review a school. However, the Department of Education ensures financial aid administrators that they will take into account the current economic climate and its effects on the number of professional judgments when deciding what schools to review.
What does this mean?
So what does this mean to you? Well, many people who have recently been laid off do not realize that they may be eligible for financial aid. And many people do not realize that a school’s financial aid department has the authority to make professional judgments to change a student’s financial aid application on a case-by-case basis. So if you have been recently laid off and you are interested in going back to school, make sure that you talk to a financial aid advisor at the school that you are applying to, and make sure that you discuss this with them. Do not let them automatically tell you that you are ineligible based off of your last year’s income.
And if you have recently decided against going back to school because you thought you could not get aid or were told you could not get aid, you should rethink it. It could be that if you have recently been unemployed that you have many options to you, including the Pell Grant which amounts to a possible $5350 a year to use for school that you don’t have to pay back! To learn more about this and other financial aid that may be available to you, visit Education Connection’s website and talk to an advisor.
July 7, 2009
[...] Recently Unemployed? Make Sure to Tell Your Financial Aid Advisor … [...]
July 13, 2009
Many of my friends who have been laid off and decided to go back to school had problems with this - thanks for the info!
July 14, 2009
How to Lift Yourself Out of Unemployment Depression
Creating a plan to follow is very helpful in alleviating unemployment depression. Make a daily schedule for job hunting and have a goal of something to do each day. For example, you can volunteer or take a college course to acquire a new job skill and boost your resume. It is also a good idea to take an occasional break from your job hunting schedule. If you look for work from 9am to 3pm on weekdays, make sure to rest on the weekend and do things unrelated to job hunting to refresh and recharge. Spending time with your friends and participating in activities you enjoy will help to keep your spirits elevated.
If the symptoms of your unemployment depression are very serious, you should contact a doctor immediately. Otherwise you can take small steps to make yourself feel better. Getting 30 minutes of exercise each day will dramatically improve your mood and outlook because it releases natural mood enhancers. Eating right will also help to improve the way you feel. When you wake up each morning, take a shower and get dressed. Don’t mope around in your pajamas all day even if you are going to spend the day making phone calls or writing emails. The way you dress affects the way you feel overall and if you are dressed for success, success is bound to come your way.
In moments of discouragement, defeat, or even despair, there are always certain things to cling to. Little things usually: remembered laughter, the face of a sleeping child, a tree in the wind—in fact, any reminder of something deeply felt or dearly loved. No man is so poor as not to have many of these small candles. When they are lighted, darkness goes away—and a touch of wonder remains.
- “These Small Candles” …tombstone inscription in Britain
Quick Tips for Finding a Job - the best way to combat unemployment depression
In addition to taking steps to alleviate your unemployment depression, you should take your job hunting efforts up a notch in order to find a job faster and get out of your rut. You may be surprised how large the network of people you know is and how beneficial your network can be in helping you land a job. Tap into your network by talking to your fellow alumni, neighbors, ex-coworkers, church members, parents, parents’ friends, relatives, etc. Brush up on your job hunting skills by reading books about job interviews and careers. Learn how to cold call well and start cold calling companies you are interested in working for every day to increase your prospects. Create sample job interview questions and brainstorm good answers to them. Do role-play job interviews with your friends and family for practice. Tweak your resume and have other people look over it to help you make it the best it can be.
In conclusion, don’t let unemployment depression get the best of you. Letting yourself get sucked into the cycle of negativity and defeat that an extended period of unemployment can lead you to will only make it harder for you to find work and improve your situation. Stay positive and set goals for yourself by making a daily job hunting schedule. Balance your job hunting duties with exercise, resume-boosting activities, and recreational activities you enjoy. Keep the big picture and before you know it, you’ll be gearing up for your first day of work at the new job.
July 14, 2009
[...] too much last year for financial aid but recently laid off? You might still be eligible. http://is.gd/1xbr4Need job search advice? Read my Examiner column to see how a laid off investment banker got 3 job [...]
July 16, 2009
[...] too much last year for financial aid but recently laid off? You might still be eligible. http://is.gd/1xbr4http://tinyurl.com/mwcbum – You don’t have to worry about getting fired or laid [...]
July 31, 2009
[...] Made too much last year for financial aid but recently laid off? You might still be eligible. http://is.gd/1xbr4Layoffs set at Ind. depot following VX destruction: NEWPORT, Ind. (AP) — About 180 workers are [...]
August 10, 2009
[...] This post was Twitted by onlinecourse [...]
August 16, 2009
hello, i m here again, waiting for the next post