Think about a day at work. Think of all the campus departments, students, and families you work with to complete the financial aid process – and even other offices you interact with for tasks like federal program reviews and audits. Depending on the season, you may be busy processing certifications or refunds, counseling prospective students and families, conducting an audit – or all of these and more.
What makes working in financial aid so challenging?
Working in a financial aid office is one of the most challenging roles because it requires so many types of skills – understanding and applying policy, working with numbers and people, maintaining paper trails, juggling deadlines, and managing processes in ebbing, endless cycles.
Contemplate how crucial it is that your office remains compliant with complex federal and state regulations – both for your institution and for the students you serve. Consider all the math you thought you’d never need when you were in school – and now look at all the formulas you use and numbers you crunch on the job. Your role also requires stamina, dedication, precision, and commitment to helping students and families.
Working in financial aid requires teamwork – covering for team members when they’re gone and picking up extra duties with staff shortages. You collaborate with nearly every other area of your institution – admissions, the bursar, the business office, and more. You also partner with the Department of Education, other lenders, and other vendors and people like your ScholarNet representative. Working in financial aid isn’t easy by a long shot – although we hope you find interacting with your ScholarNet rep to be one of the more pleasant tasks in your day.
How did you get here – and why did you stay?
Many of us at ScholarNet didn’t set out to work in the financial aid field – and we know we’re not the only ones. If you’re like many of the financial aid professionals we know, working with students who are trying to get an education to better their lives captivated you. Helping them try to understand a system that seems designed to stymie even experts who have worked in financial aid for decades is a challenge that you undertake because it matters that they get the help they need. It matters that they receive the education they want. It will matter for the life they want to build.
Most importantly – thank you.
We know how hard you work each day – and we appreciate your commitment, today and every day. At ScholarNet, the most rewarding thing we do is provide a solution that’s designed to relieve the workload of the people we serve – you. We often wish our private loan processing solution could handle more of the work on your plate.
Today on Financial Aid Day, we hope you’re thanked by others you work with at your college or university, by the students and families you serve, and by your family and friends who know how hard you work. If you don’t get the accolades you deserve, please try to think of a student or family you helped this year and remember that you’ve made a difference. You may not hear from them today, but they’re in a better place because of your dedication.
Thank you – what you do is amazing. Please find a moment in your busy day and give yourself well-deserved kudos for doing something that matters greatly.