On Friday, March 8th, two of our PeerForward Peer Leaders were featured in a MarketWatch article on the impact FAFSA delays are having on students’ college plans.
Paulina Anaya is a Peer Leader at Lake Wales High School in Florida. She was admitted to her dream school, Barnard College, Columbia University, after applying early decision. While Barnard College is known for its generous financial aid offers for students from low income families, Paulina is still unsettled by the uncertainty that stems from her unprocessed FAFSA. As of now, she doesn’t know how much aid she will be offered, and she cannot afford to attend Barnard College without it. The FAFSA delays mean she cannot make an informed decision about whether or not she can afford to commit to Barnard. With Decision Day looming on the horizon, Paulina is left in limbo.
Triana Almonte is a Peer Leader from High School for Law and Public Service in New York City. As a Peer Leader, she has helped countless other students fill out their FAFSA. She has seen first hand how these delays are impacting her peers’ decisions to attend college. These delays are hurting her as well. Affordability plays a large part in many students’ college selection process, and Triana is no different. While she has been accepted to numerous schools she is interested in, she is unable to fully compare them without her financial aid offers. Until her FAFSA is processed, she doesn’t feel comfortable committing to any one school.
