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American University is a college that prides itself in providing its students with a multitude of opportunities, from a world-class education to amazing internship opportunites to being able to live and learn in the nation’s capitol.
But what price must we pay in order to receive such a fine education? This university, while being a wonderful learning institution, has struggled for years in the realm of affordability and financial aid. The cost of college continues to go up and up, but the resources that are provided to students who need assistance to afford American have not been keeping pace. This leads to students having to turn to taking out astronomical amounts in student loans and being buried in debt before they even graduate from college.
Her Campus American partnered up with the Facebook page AU Student Debt Stories to feature stories from American students about the financial struggles they face in trying to attend this University. It hopes to provide an outlet for students to comfortably share their stories in an effort to engage the student body in understanding the big issue at hand.
Her Campus American spoke to Wallis Ann Neff. A freshman in the School of Communication who hopes to double major in Public Communication and Political Science with a minor in Psychology. On campus, she is involved with WVAU where she co-hosts a radio show and she serves as a Senator in the AUSG Undergraduate Senate.
Her Campus AU: Tell us a bit about your financial situation.
Wallis Ann Neff: I come from a very average family. Two parents, two kids, a medium house and a dog. Financially it’s okay Not even bordering good, just okay. My dad is the only one working currently as my mom is unable to work due to her back and spinal issues. My brother is a high school student and academics have always come first for my family.
HCAU: What type of financial aid package is AU providing you with?
WAN: I got one grant for $2000 a year. Not semester, year. This is greatly inhibiting me to think about going to AU for more than a few more semesters. I lobbied online, e-mailed everyone I could, tried to find any sort of loophole I could to increase it, and eventually when I went to AU Central to talk to a real person, I wasn’t able to get any sort of help at all.
HCAU: Are you getting any federal loans or grants or do you have private loans or scholarships?
WAN: Unfortunately, I didn’t get any scholarship this year, and I am on federal loans, but it’s the debts that I’m accruing that is the scariest part. One big factor is that I am going to start paying for my own college tuition and living and other expenses after my freshman year. My parents aren’t able to help forever and pay it on their own, so I have signed up for a loan under my own name that I will be responsible for after I graduate. This debt will be about $200K, and there’s something wrong with that.
HCAU: What do you think is the biggest problem with this situation?
WAN: The problem I see is that I am a deserving student, I’m good for this school, and I’m doing great things here. I shouldn’t have to feel like I am lesser than the other students because I can’t pay for everything. I shouldn’t have to feel like I’ll be kicked out because of an outside force, like AU Central and the lack of help. There is a problem and it needs to be fixed.
HCAU: How do you think the University could or should correct these issues so that students don’t have to face them in the future?
WAN: We definitely need to be able to have more literature and more knowledge on what we’re getting ourselves into. I want to have an educated guess about what is going on when I sign my loans. We can’t abolish loans completely, as much as we’d all like that. But we can try to get the university to give us more accessibility to knowing about them. Also, merit based scholarships need to go to people who have done great things, but who can’t afford this school.
HCAU: How has this affected your future plans? Are you more inclined to work a job that earns you more money as opposed to one you love due to needing to pay off your student debt?
WAN: Yes. Simply put, my student debt has affected my future entirely. I am more likely to choose the job that pays, as opposed to the one that I absolutely love. There needs to be some university-to-student resource to help with this, like maybe a service that can help students find jobs that actually pay, or internship scholarships.
For more student stories like these, please be sure to check out the AU Student Debt Stories Facebook page. In addition, if you are looking for financial info please visit the American University Office of Financial Aid. If you would like to share your own story with us and the AU community, please e-mail Editor-In-Chief Claire Shriver at claireshriver@hercampus.com.
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