Don't let the hassles of financial aid give you indigestion

$28,380. Let me say that one more time just to make sure it really sinks in. $28,380. Times four. Plus interest. And inflation. Not to mention the $2,140 Yale recommends to cover "personal expenses" (probably all going towards the time you'll spend in DUH recovering from your bills). Maybe you have this much money to spend on whatever happens to catch your fancy. If this is case, this article isn't for you. This is for the rest of you who had to muddle through the FAF, FAFSA, FIS, and enough other acronyms to make you lose your mind.

Most freshmen on financial aid have been awarded a Federal Stafford Loan. Yale has recently implemented an entrance/exit interview program for all students receiving Stafford Loans, but don't let the idea of an interview intimidate you. Just show up at the Financial Aid meeting during Freshman Orientation and go with the flow. If you miss the orientation session, don't panic--the Student Loan office schedules regular group interviews throughout September. Each half-hour meeting consists of watching an "informative" video on the loan process and signing some papers which indicate you realize that Stafford Loans are indeed loans, meaning you'll have to pay them back. Before you sign your life away, however, make sure that the Student Loan office's numbers and subsidation ideas agree with the estimates you were sent over the summer. If they don't, talk to a financial aid officer, but remember that your award may have been adjusted to take new tax returns and any outside scholarships into account.

But that`s not all you have to go through to get your finances in order. Take the carbon copies of your loan agreements and start a file for all your financial aid junk (this is the most important piece of advice in the video). When your checks arrive, you'll be notified through the mail, so don't panic when you get an offical-looking letter from the Bursar's Office. The Bursar's Office is the center of all the financial transactions between you, the undergraduate student, and the Yale Corporation--you'll see plenty of it during your four years at Yale. It's responsible for the infamous bursar's bills that will get sent home to your parents each month, covering everything from your tuition to telephone fees and splurges at Durfee's. Basically, it's home to some of the longest lines and most disgruntled people you'll meet at Yale; it's also the place you have to go to sign your Stafford Loan checks.

For those of you who are receiving Perkins Loans, you'll be contacted in the beginning of the semester to sign your promissory note at the Student Loan Office. If your financial aid estimate includes a Pell Grant, it cannot be authorized without a corrected Student Aid Report. So--and this applies to everyone--don`t wait until you get to Yale to practice your procrastination skills. Send back all requested information immediately. Some other advice: when you pay your first tuition bill, subtract the amount of loans expected according to your current financial aid package. For more words of wisdom, check out the information handbook (it should come with your aid estimate) with the nifty green bulldog on the cover.

Even after all these loans, you and your parents may still be wondering where you're going to come up with the rest of the money to complement the millions Yale is convinced that you have. (I have my own suggestions, but they wouldn't let me print them.) The most popular, legal form of meeting aid requirements falls under the category of "self-help." To put it bluntly, you gotta get a job. It would have been wise to get a job this summer, as Yale expects each financial aid recipient to contribute to their overall financial package. But since telling you to get a job in retrospect is pointless, the next thing you have to do is get an on-campus or off-campus job at Yal. This past year, approximately 2,000 undergraduates kept the University chugging along, staffing everything from dining halls and sweet shoppes to libraries and athletic facilities.

$28,380. Yes, it's a lot of money. Yes, it requires work. Yes, sometimes you'll feel (and believe) that you're signing your life away. But remember, Yale is worth it.

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