Financial Aid
Even when we are not required to know everything about the financial aid programs, scholarships and loans, I believe it is our duty as agents to provide all the information, assistance and help to the prospect, so they are able to do the right thing when applying for it.
In other words, it is our responsibility to assure that our prospects are correctly informed and have all the help they need from us.
Sandra,
Any general information that we provide about financial aid must be cautionary in nature. For example when we talk about financial aid, it is for those who qualify.
Patty Aronoff
Admissions has to know about the available sources of funding when talking with a perpective student but leaves the detail to the Financial Aid Department. By working as a team the student benefits by receiving accurate information
Erin,
It is a best practice to allow financial aid to answer all questions regarding financing of their education. Financial aid and other options are so specific to the individual, it is best to leave it to the experts.
Patty Aronoff
I would not be comfortable with that. There is a financial aid department and the prospective student can get all their questions about financial aid answered by them. If I can't speak to any of it, I'm less likely to provide any wrong information. And when it comes to people's money, I do not want to provide any wrong information.
Ronald ,
Good advice! Financial aid is very complex and changing by the minute. If you don't keep up, you could easily mislead the student
Patty Aronoff
Financial Aid is contantly changing. Know the basics, but absoluely Defer to finacial aid.
Jessica,
Very good practice! We can easily mislead with good intentions in mind. It is a best practice to leave it to the experts.
Patty Aronoff
As a Admissions Representative I leave any knowledge regarding Financial Aid to the experts. This approach is the best way for me to avoid providing any inaccurate information to the prospective students.
Therefore, to prevent misleading a prospective student in any way, I refer to a Financial Aid Coordinator should there be a question in which I am unfamilar.
Jose,
FA is the expert and students should be referred to them.
I agree, we should be giving basic information reagarding FA, ie. Grants, Federal Loans and Private Loans. Any further questions should be directed to the Financial Aid Department.
Jovanny,
Leaving the finacial aid discussions to FA is a best practice.
I believe that we should provide all of the information that we are qualified to provide. There is a reason that as part of our admissions training there is no section on financial aid. That should be left to those that are qualified. We have enough other subjects to cover responsibly and don't need to take on topics outside of our expertise.
Barbara,
Great advice. It is a best practice to leave that part to the experts.
I agree that it is vital that admission reps understand the concepts behind the grants, loans and scholarships that the school offers, but I do not think they need to explain Financial Aid to the student in great detail. It can be a source of great confusion and frustration if the student is given the wrong information and is mislead in any way. Once you have done your part in educating the student about the school, programs, and admissions policies, most of them will be left with the question "How am I going to pay for it?" I feel it is better to let the Financial Aid Department help them answer this question and fully explain all their options.
Reean,
What is the saying about the road paved with good intentions? Yes, leave it to the experts.
Pedro,
Also the information should be easy to understand.
I agree because sometimes, although our intentions may be good and we may think we know the answer to certain FA questions, if we provide the prospect with the wrong information, that can get not only ourselves in trouble but the institution we work for as well. Do yourselves a favor and LEAVE IT TO THE EXPERTS! That's what I do. :)
I most certianly agree the it is our duty as agents to provide all the information that we can provide.
Susan and Patty,
Agreed, financial aid is one of the biggest concerns for a prospective student and should be answered by the experts. It should also be the responsibilty of the FAO expert to ensure that the prospect understands the terms and is comfortable with them before moving forward with their enrollment process.
Patti
