Working towards my degree has reminded me of why I left higher education in the first place. While I'm older and hopefully a bit wiser and realize the tangible benefits of having a degree, I have no greater love for the bureaucracy and the "we have you by the cajones" mentality that seems to pervade the administrations of our institutions of higher learning.
To begin with, there's the issue of financial aid. In preparing to transfer, I added the school code of the school to which I will transfer back in September. I contacted the school in October to find out that they had not received the information. I went BACK to the FAFSA site to RE-ENTER the data, only to find out when I went down to enroll for the spring semester that they STILL had not received the information. BACK to the FAFSA site to re-enter the data a THIRD time, after which they finally received it, but now I have to do the verification step, a step I had to go through back before the FALL semester and which amounts to almost a mini-tax audit. Very frustrating, and in my younger years I would have just considered it more hassle than it was worth and walked away. But these are not my younger years (as my gout ridden right knee reminds me), and I guess I'll go through with things.
To add to that, I went to the website for my college to see if any of my final grades for the semester had been entered. I was notified on logging in that my data was on an accounting hold. I decided to look up the account info to see that I suddenly owe $95 that the school arbitrarily decided to add to my account. Keep in mind accounts are settled early in the semester, so this $95 should not be there. Just another of the bait and switch tactics of higher education. I will, of course, pay it; what choice do I have? Id I don't pay it, I can forget about transferring, and I suddenly effectively have no degree, despite putting in a lot of blood, tears, toil and sweat this last year and a half. But this is money we desperately need for the move and for the (ahem!) gas tank in these times when I can burn up an hour's pay in 60 miles of driving!
I find it compellingly interesting that in this country it is actually easier to get on welfare than it is to get financial aid for college. I'll jump through the hoops I have to jump through, of course, but my experience is NOT leaving me with a greater love for our institutions of higher learning in this country. And the nice little check I will have to write (whose money could have covered a utility deposit!) doesn't help!