Monday Forum Offers Info on Ways to Pay for BU
Loans, scholarships, and job prospects to be covered at event
At last month’s student financial forum, which brought students together with representatives from several University offices, undergraduates asked questions on topics ranging from scholarships and grants to job prospects in a tough economy. But all their queries contained a common concern: how will I pay for my BU education?
“We’re getting students who have never concerned themselves with financial aid before,” says Laurie Pohl, the vice president for enrollment and student affairs. “They don’t know what’s available to them.”
After seeing an uptick in the number of midyear financial aid applications, from 243 in 2007 to 345 this year, the University Service Center is sponsoring a second financial forum on Monday, December 1, in collaboration with the offices of the Dean of Students, Career Services, and International Students and Scholars. Like the last forum, Monday’s event will include representatives from all those offices, and its goal is making sure that students are aware of the University’s resources and how to get help.
“The message is, ‘We’re here; we’re ready to talk to you,’” Pohl says. “It’s better for us to keep students at BU, because they’ve invested in us and we’ve invested in them. We want to help them work out a plan to continue here without impediment. But if they don’t come to us, we can’t do that.”
The topics covered at the first forum, held on November 3, included opportunities for grant and scholarship funding, midyear financial aid reevaluations, and campus job eligibility and opportunities for both U.S. citizens and international students. Christine McGuire, the executive director of financial assistance, referred students to FastWeb, an online scholarship resource, and encouraged them to look for grant opportunities from local governments and civic associations in their own communities.
“That’s where the majority of students get outside aid,” she said. “Most of that money is sitting right in your hometown.”
Denise Mooney, the associate vice president for enrollment and student affairs and associate dean of students, also encouraged students to come to the University Service Center if financial pressures are influencing their studies.
“It’s important that your academics be your first focus,” she said.
The second student financial forum will be held Monday, December 1, from 5 to 6:30 p.m., in Room 224 of the College of Arts and Sciences.
Jessica Ullian can be reached at jullian@bu.edu.
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