I’m going to reveal something about myself that I’m pretty sure nobody knows. Deep breath—I get nervous having to set up and go to appointments. For example: hair appointments. Since I’m not exactly sure how I want my hair cut or colored (as my friend would say—you dye an Easter egg, you color your hair), I get very nervous about the questions that I am going to be asked and then I worry that I will have to make small talk with the hairdresser like we’ve been friends for years. Here is how a typical appointment with my hairdresser usually goes:
Hairdresser: Oh hello, Hali (which they will probably pronounce ‘Halee’ when it is really pronounced ‘Haley’).
Me: Hi. (This is all I say because I don’t know what else to say.)
Hairdresser: How are things going today?
Me: Great (even though I may have stubbed my toe earlier and hit my funny bone).
Hairdresser: So what are we thinking for our hair today?
Me: (This is where I get really nervous. I know they are the expert so I want them to take control and just cut my hair to make me look beautiful.) Umm…you know, just a cut.
I’ll end this dialogue because I’m sure you get the drift. Now you’re asking, why did I just read all this? Well, a financial aid meeting can sometimes be a lot like a hair appointment. I, personally, don’t feel nervous when I’m having a conversation with a prospective student and his or her parents, but I can imagine that sometimes the student or parent wishes they knew exactly what questions to ask, or want me to take control of the meeting.
So, with this blog post, I’ll let you know how a financial aid meeting goes so that when you visit campus, you won’t be nervous.
After you visit Admissions, you will likely have some free time afterwards, which you can always use to stop down to the Financial Aid Office. You can schedule an appointment by calling (585) 275-3226. We get calls every hour to schedule appointments, so all you have to say is “I’d like to schedule an appointment with my financial aid counselor,” and we will take it from there. Even if you want just a minute or two to talk with your counselor, you can let the front desk know that you are visiting for the day and would like to speak with your counselor.
There are many reasons you may want to meet with your financial aid counselor. These may range from wanting an explanation of your financial aid package to needing to explain an unusual circumstance to just wanting to say hi. When you meet with your counselor, never apologize for taking up their time. That’s what we are here for!! My favorite days are the ones that I get to meet with excited students. I may do the normal “how are you?” questions, and to be honest, I really do care how you are doing.
During the meeting, be completely honest with your counselor. If there is something that you do not understand or want more clarification on, just ask. My motto is, "it never hurts to ask." If at the end of the meeting, there is still one question that you want to ask but don’t know how, just go ahead and say it how you are thinking it. I, for example, would rather you get the answers you need than have you leave with unanswered questions. I recommend stopping by the Financial Aid Office while you are visiting just to meet your counselor. Then, if you receive an email from your counselor, let’s say his name is Shawn or Tom, you’ll know who he is.
I don’t know about you, but I’m getting pretty excited for the 2017 Experience Days!
By the way, here is a sneak peak . . . one of these counselors is Shawn and one is Tom. Now visit and see who is who!
