Collecting Third Party Statements
If you are collecting statements from a third party, do you find this process to be difficult? If so, why?
Nichole,
This can be the situation when dealing with third parties. Many times the third party does not want to be involved in sharing personal information or they really do not know the full story. This can be a very delicate situation that requires the financial aid team to speak with the third party and explain the necessity for the statement. All you can do is try but ultimately it is the Financial Aid professional's decision.
Sincerely, Chyrl
Chyrl Ayers
Sometimes it can be difficult. Some parties don’t want to be involved in the process, or sometime the statements aren’t very detailed and not helpful in determining approval.
Sahri, Very good points. The sources you are trying to collect information from can at times make the process very difficult unless they are aware of exactly what is needed. Ensuring that the student understands the importance of having the third party source provide accurate and timely information can make or break their professional judgment request.
Best of Luck,
David McGuffee
Professional judgments are never easy. In my opinion, the process is difficult and very dreary due to the amount of paperwork we need to collect not only from the students but from other sources. At times, the third party involved doesn’t understand the importance of the required statement or doesn’t understand our deadlines.
With that being said, in my experience, if the student is serious about going to College and manages to express that eagerness to the third party, chances are we can collect the proper documentation in a much more reasonable amount of time.
Gisela, Collecting statements from third parties can sometimes be difficult. It is good that you have not experienced this difficulty yet.
Regards,
David McGuffee
Megan, The collection and evaluation of these statements can be very difficult in certain situations. As you say, all you can do is explain why the documentation is needed per federal requirements and hope the student understands that without it no financial aid can be awarded.
Regards
David McGuffee
I don't usually find it difficult to collect statements from third parties. Most of the time they are extremely willing to help the students in these special circumstances.
It can be really difficult. A lot of people do not want to talk about a situation. Especially if it is about a family member. The best you can do is explain all the details and why you are needing this documentation.
Jennifer,
That is a very good point - the source can make this process easier to complete. I appreciate you pointing this out to the others.
Sincerely, Chyrl
Chyrl Ayers
Depends on the third party you are working with. Usually schools and local organizations are much easier to obtain a statement from than others.
Allison,
The collection and evaluation of these statements can and will be difficult in certain situations. You want to ensure that all students are tried fair and equitable and handled according to their situation. This can be a difficult process for FA Administrators.
Sincerely, Chyrl
Chyrl Ayers
Yes, it can be very difficult at times because a more often than not, 3rd parties don't want to be involved and don't want their information documented. Also, it becomes difficult to determine if the 3rd party is a credible source for information.
Nicole ,
This issue does arise when dealing with students (and parents). The student is not familiar with regulatory requirements and some of these are more difficult to understand. Building a solid relationship with the student will assist you when the need arises to collect additional information.
Sincerely Chyrl
Chyrl Ayers
I do sometimes , because its due to the fact that people just don't understand why we may need something or understand the reg.
I just beginnig on Financial Aid
Darrold,
Interesting perspective. This situations can be difficult but it is great that you have a policy and procedures to ensure evaluation with appropriate resolution.
Sincerely, Chyrl
Chyrl Ayers
No. If the student is honest about their situation there seems to be more than enough documentation sources. After awhile it becomes easy to determine who is trying to pull the wool over your eyes.
I honestly haven't ran too much into these kinds of issues with getting 3rd party statements because ultimately it is the student's responsibility to get them and if they want to go to school they will make sure to exhaust all means to get it. Student follow up and checking on their progress is always key because sometimes the student may need a little help to think outside the box to get that statement. I have actually called a counselor with the student for a statement and sometimes taking that additional step is really beneficial and demonstrates good customer service.
Bobi, As long as the third party has sufficient knowledge of the student's situation it doesn't matter if they are not a teacher or counselor or clergy. It is important to ensure that the information they provide regarding the student's situation is clearly articulated in their statement.
Regards,
David McGuffee
