Week 12 Reading

When I think of students who receive financial aid I think of people who come from a lower-income background or students who are not depending on their parents to pay for their college. In this week’s reading, many of the students were first-generation college students that come from lower-income households. However, there are students such as Sophie who comes from a middle-class family that relies on financial aid because her father did not support her financially. What I thought was interesting was how colleges determine the cost of living. I receive financial aid and have not really thought about how they determine the cost of living. Universities and Colleges do not thoroughly research the cost of living around the university, instead, they just assume. People who live with their families are expected to afford college because they do not pay rent or any bills. However, many students still live with their families because they can not afford to move out and are helping them financially. It surprised me that 55% of students were supporting their families financially. Colleges should stop assuming a student’s ability to pay and realize that every student is different and has different needs. I was also surprised to read that many politicians and financial aid offer blam the students for being financially illiterate. The cost of attendance does not always accurate and it is what actually determines aid eligibility.