Opinion

Views differ on Pell Grant – con

As most know, Pell Grant checks aren’t being given out until the last week of October.
For any student not receiving financial aid to attend MCCC, this poses no problem.  To those who do receive financial aid like me, you are living in a world of hurt right now.
MCCC made the decision not to allow students access to financial aid money until halfway through the semester (in previous years, we were allowed to pick up our Pell Grant checks on the first day of class).
The reasoning was too many people were taking advantage of the government money by showing up on the first day of class to get their checks, but they don’t.
I know of two individuals who did this, and I am strongly against it. But I have no control over how others live their lives.
The new policy is having a detrimental affect on people like me and I’m suggesting another way to go about it.
I rely on the Pell Grant and the Strafford loan to support myself while attending MCCC.  Sure, I could get a job (like most people), and work while going to school, but the federal money allows me the opportunity to focus solely on my education.
Living strictly on this money doesn’t grant me a very luxurious lifestyle, and I’ve learned how to live very frugally (not only does MCCC teach us in the classroom, but it also teaches us in other aspects of our lives, especially money management).
Regardless, because MCCC is withholding the money until halfway through the semester, I am being forced to beg, borrow, and steal to get by.  Thankfully, I have a large network of supportive people who have my back in this education thing.
They are there for me when MCCC’s new policy isn’t.
 Instead of making every student wait for their checks, how about applying the new policy to first time students?  If you were to look at my track record, for example, you would see that I have been attending MCCC religiously for the past five semesters. 
 What good is it to hold my check back when my record clearly states that I am unlikely to take the money and run? 
  Don’t punish those of us who are abiding by the rules.  A few spoiled apples do not make the whole barrel bad.