so here’s the exact process i have to go thru…
1 – apply for schools (done)
2 – fill out the fafsa and receive ur SAR (done). of course this document sez i should be able to contribute $24k to my own education since it’s based on a tax return from when i was still working. i did some numbers the other day & realized i probably made btwn $10-15k last year. great.
3 – send acceptance letter to school along with a deposit (mine was A$500). have them issue a eCOE (electronic confirmation of enrollment). this was the fight this past week. the school said they wouldnt issue the eCOE until i paid them something like 1/2 of what i owe (about A$12k). we had to go back & forth. krista, the financial aid folks (2 of them) and a couple folks in admittance. Finally on oz friday they said i could wait til i got the loan to pay them. and today (usa friday) we received the eCOE.
4 – since i have the eCOE, now i can apply for finacial aid. meaning a federal stafford loan. swinburne is a title 4 school. i don’t know what that means xcept if it wasn’t i couldnt get a loan. every lending company i look at sez i can apply online, even provides a “FC – Foreign Country” option in the drop down and then doesn’t list swin. RMIT is listed. Uni of Melb is. I’ve even seen Monash. but of course not the one i want. So after 2-3 days of going back & forth w the dept of education, the lenders, various other 800 numbers, i’ve decided i have to do the paper route. a couple of hours ago i received the MPN (master promissary note) form that i need to fill in. guess ill do that tonite & fedex it to cali & fax to oz so they can get this moving. please please please please approve me!!!!!!
5 – after i’m approved for the loan, then i can send in the visa paperwork. i need to show proof that i can pay for school and support myself. more on this later.
6 – they approve my visa because i’m such a super cool girl and i book my flight. i guess i should book it before i send off my visa paperwork.