In Class Writing Activity for Video

Definitions:

Student Debt: The amount of money that a student owes the University they attend.  Has gotten out of control in recent years.

Meal Plan: Money gifted to a student to help them pay their way through college.

Financial Aid: Money gifted to a student to help them pay their way through college.  There are many different types.

Dorm: A place of living, sponsored by the university for it's students to live in.

Hidden Expenses: Fees that one does not think of, or are hidden when coming to the university for the first time.

Lists:

Housing:

• Dorm
• Apartment
• House
• Suite
• Commute

Types of Financial Aid:

• Scholarships (athletic/academic)
• Grants
• Loans
• Need Based Financial Aid
• Local Scholarships

Hidden Expenses:

• Laundry
• Price of Books and School supplies
• Stuff for room (sheets, fan, appliances , etc)
• Computer stuff
• Hygiene products
• Dorm food

Description: You walk into Brower and smell the food in the air.  It is not a specific smell, or even an extremely good one, but somehow it comforts you.  It is a smell that you have whiffed many times before.  The man in front of you (me) is tall and lanky with dark green eyes and a stupid look on his face.  Although everyone knows that the food is not that great here, somehow he seem excited to be here.  As you swipe in, using a meal plan offered by the school you see the wide variety of food to choose from.  There is a fruit section, main entrees, pizza, salad, coffee, anything you could want is probably there.  Since you already swiped I, you can stay there as long as you want and truly get your money's worth.  On the way out, take some fruit, some coffee, or some other food to help supply your stash of food in your room.

Scene: I flash a picture on the screen of the financial aid office while commentary starts in the background.  I begin to talk about the various forms of financial aid for kids coming into college.  This includes the different types of scholarships, and how to find them.  Nowadays there are so many different ways to get scholarships, and many of these scholarships go unclaimed because people do not know about them.  There are not only scholarships through the school you want to attend, there are scholarships from local businesses, and there are even apps that can help one find scholarships.  After this I will proceed to talk about ways to utilize financial aid even when you are already in college, like if your family income changes from year to year, you may be eligible to receive financial aid.

Memory: I can vividly remember the day that my sister got a full scholarship to the University of Richmond.  I was coming home from a baseball practice and she was the one who picked me up.  She rolled up to the curb that I was waiting on with that old blue mini van that we used to have.  As I entered the passenger side, I could see the smile on her face that was extending from ear to ear.  All of a sudden she just started going off on me, describing how she found out, and how excited she was. She told me that she loved it there but didn't think she could go because of the money.  That is until she received a letter offering her a full scholarship.  This scholarship is a very prestigious award at this school, and not many people receive it.  This showed me that no matter how little you think your chances are of getting that scholarship are, you should still apply.

Another Memory I have is getting accepted to the University of Delaware.  This was my first acceptance letter, so I clearly remember it.  I had just gotten home from a late baseball game, and my parents said that something came in the mail for me.  I went inside and saw a big folder on the kitchen table and knew that it could only be one thing.  So I tore open the outside letter, and saw the UD logo, and a message saying you've been accepted to the University of Delaware.  Not only was this in that folder, but another letter was.  I started reading this one, and saw that they were offering me a $7,000 scholarship.  I was over the moon as you could imagine, as this was a top university, especially for my major.  I obviously did not end up going there, because of money and the fact that Rutgers may be a better academic school, but again, I did not think I was going to get this scholarship, but I applied anyway, and it happened.