(no subject)
I was just on the phone with Al Hamilton, the financial aid guy who fixes account problems for people like me. I got a hold on my account this morning which I guess isn't a huge surprise because last night I was looking over my account and not only is my fall tuition unpaid, but there are inexplicable balances on every semester going back to Fall 07. In the past I've had similar problems, where my scholarship doesn't get paid in full or parts of it get taken back because of state budget crises (Michigan Competitive Scholarship, you're such a tease). But retroactive charges going back a year is the most confounding situation I've found my account in yet.
What was funny about this call is Mr. Hamilton remembers me and kept laughing and saying things like, "Why does this happen to you every semester?" and "When do you graduate?" In the end he was flummoxed and was like, "I'll take this up with the receiving people and call you back."
Sigh. You'd think it'd be simple. I have a full ride. I don't pay my tuition. If there is a balance on my account, it's pretty much either a clerical mistake or something the school hasn't paid out yet.
Except for this one time when I was in a Spring class, and my scholarship doesn't cover those. Check out this amazing math, copied right out of my account summary for Spring/Summer Semester 2008:
Term Charges:
$1,017.50
Term Credits and Payments:
$1,017.50
Term Balance:
$218.00
I mean, really. Is this a joke? Is there someone who, for shits and giggles, screws around with my account on a semi-annual basis?
Normally I am pretty content to sit back and let these issues work themselves out. If a bill comes in the mail, I ignore it. If a check comes, I try and figure out why before I cash it, in case they want it back. But three weeks from now I will be in Europe for a very long time and phone calls costing what they do and time zones rendering communication over long distances trickier and, you know, my need for a place to live make me really want to get all this stuff taken care of, paid for and out of my mind before I leave.
What was funny about this call is Mr. Hamilton remembers me and kept laughing and saying things like, "Why does this happen to you every semester?" and "When do you graduate?" In the end he was flummoxed and was like, "I'll take this up with the receiving people and call you back."
Sigh. You'd think it'd be simple. I have a full ride. I don't pay my tuition. If there is a balance on my account, it's pretty much either a clerical mistake or something the school hasn't paid out yet.
Except for this one time when I was in a Spring class, and my scholarship doesn't cover those. Check out this amazing math, copied right out of my account summary for Spring/Summer Semester 2008:
Term Charges:
$1,017.50
Term Credits and Payments:
$1,017.50
Term Balance:
$218.00
I mean, really. Is this a joke? Is there someone who, for shits and giggles, screws around with my account on a semi-annual basis?
Normally I am pretty content to sit back and let these issues work themselves out. If a bill comes in the mail, I ignore it. If a check comes, I try and figure out why before I cash it, in case they want it back. But three weeks from now I will be in Europe for a very long time and phone calls costing what they do and time zones rendering communication over long distances trickier and, you know, my need for a place to live make me really want to get all this stuff taken care of, paid for and out of my mind before I leave.