I agree also. We do not allow our admissions team members to discuss FA, as it is not their area of expertise and we want to be sure that there is not conflicting information.
I think those are excellent ways of stressing that these are loans and they will be paying them back one way or another.
On thing that I have found very effective is telling a story about an elderly woman that called me to ask if there was anything that the school could do about her Social Security Check being garnished because of a loan that had defaulted years prior. I also find it very powerful to mention that they are risking their wages being garnished should they finally obtain the ideal job.
I agree that the admissions department can tell students how important it is to repay student loans, but ultimately the financial aid office should be the ones to counsel the students. I always make sure to tell each of my students to stay in contact with their lenders no matter what....otherwise the IRS will take their money. The minute I say that, I see the importance of student loans settling into their brain. I also counsel each student as they leave and I tell them to contact me with any questions. Sometimes it's easier to contact someone with whom you already have a relationship with.
I would tend to agree that admissions should play more of an encouragement role and the responsibility should be on the financial aid office to ensure accurate information is being presented to the students.
We absolutely agree that the Admissions Office is not the place for financial aid discussions. While the admissions representatives cannot talk specifically about financial aid, they can assist in creating borrower awareness of the importance of repaying their student loans by displaying posters and borrower educational materials in the office. Any borrower with a loan specific question must be referred to the Financial Aid Office.
The Admissions Office is also the best place for collecting good references. When viewed as part of the application process students are more likely to provide complete and accurate information.
The Admissions Department is bound by so many compliance rules I don't think it's in their best interest to advise students on payment plans because they may not entirely be able to present them with the best options possible. Although they can reinforce to the student's that it's in their best interest to repay Student loans because they can maintain good credit.
I believe that the Admissions Department should encourage the students to take student loans seriously and that they should talk to their financial aid planner/officer about the payment options that are available to them.
The actual financial information should be discussed by someone in the financial aid department; someone who is trained to give correct and informative information.
Donnie,
I think the Admissions office should stick to making sure that they reiterate the importance of students paying off loans and keeping their credit in good standing. I think that students are better off speaking with their advisor in the Financial Aid Department. That way the information about the student's rights & responsibilities is clearly detailed and this gives the borrower's the chance to ask questions that the Admissions Dept may not be capable of answering.
