Frustrated

Just got back from a fun-filled afternoon enrolling at school, my math basically sucks so I have to take all these remedial classes which I don’t mind but financial aid gives me a hard time about paying for them which causes me to have to sit in their office for numberous hours filling out countless paper work which causes me to miss hours at work that I could actually spend money which causes the need to spend more time in financial aid asking for more money to pay for school…it’s a vicious cycle. I just keep singing the song from Finding Nemo to myself “just keep swimming…just keep swimming”. I also envision myself in the white lab coat! It helps tremendously. Sorry to vent here but it keeps me sane.

I frequently quote/sing to myself the famous Penguins phrase, from Madagascar, “Smile & Wave boys; smile & wave!” I usually do not sing out loud - even my 6y/o quips, “Daddy, please don’t sing.”

Thank you, I shall now effectively have Dori stuck in my head for the next few hours.


I’m trying to think if I have a mantra I sing. You’d think I would, but nope…I can’t think of one. Oh wait! I think it’s from an old christmas special and maybe the character is teaching the abominable snow monster to go somewhere?


But I do hear in my head often…“Put one foot in front of the other and soon you’ll be walking 'cross the floor. Put one foot in front of the other and soon you’ll be walking out the door”.


I guess I do have a mantra after all.

My bosses are the frustrating ones today, they’re all saying “well just write a check for the classes and books”…wow how brilliant they are!!! GOLLY GEE!!! If only I, the mere assistant had thought of that! Now if they just give me a HUGE raise to cover all of that I would. I think they forget that they are the ones making all the big bucks and I’m just the one printing the checks. sigh I have until Friday to get all enrolled. I shall keep swimming!

If it makes you feel any better, I’ve been trying to get my financial aid worked out so I can get my textbooks. No one has seen fit to return my phonecalls. I have aid at the cc. but that doesn’t transfer. I have to give that aid back to the state and get another financial aid package put together all before Tuesday.

For the most part - essentially with only 1 exception in ALL of my many many college years - Fin Aid offices are populated with folks who are not invested in your academics as you are…sort of a “duh!” revelation. And, they spend their day listening to folks piss & moan about money…and I suspect most of the folks doing the pissing & moaning are the younger set who have done things less-than-smart to get themselves into a crack. This cannot help but foster a sense of apathy in the FA people. It is not an excuse, but a reality that you will have to deal with. I have often thought that some business minded person who knew the intricacies of FA & dealing with Uncle Sam’s incessant red tape could easily build a customer-focused FA alternative. I think it would take off like a wildfire, even if there was a small service charge added onto the bill just to have reliable, service-oriented interactions & not non-stop frustration.


I do want to note the “exception” I mentioned above was my med school. The FA office was phenomenal, always helpful and the customer service was superb. I do not know if this is just KCOM (virtually all of the student support sections function at this level) or if all med schools press their FA sections to do well because of the enormity of their investment in each student.

I would definitely trade a small chunk of the change to have someone quickly handle the issues! It’s just an issue with that I was going to attend OU and changed to UCO last semester and for whatever reason OU still has me enrolled there, I believe that the FA woman I sat with yesterday and I finally got it figured out and corrected.


On a happy note, I did get moved to the front of the line. Everyone in there (about 15 people were being rude and nasty) and I walked up and happily asked the woman how she was doing and where I signed my name, she asked what my problem was and I told her so instead of making me wait she handled me right then. My issue was not a small one but I believe that because I was being pleasant and polite she bumped me to the front of the line!!! Yesterday was a great day!


FYI I am now enrolled in Elementary Algebra (laugh now…I am horrible at math) and General Biology for Majors. I got all my financial aid figured out and textbooks and supplies bought! I even got a free UCO t-shirt from the bookstore.