Subject:	Financial aid--work-study funds
I'm writing because you are one of the students who requested to be considered for Work/Study funds as part of your 2006-07 financial aid.  Since a lot of students don't fully understand how Work/Study works, I just want to tell all of you a few things about it, and make sure that you still want to be considered.

If you're awarded Work/Study, it doesn't come with a guaranteed job--you'll still need to find one.  Typically, jobs that you can get with Work/Study funding are on campus, or with local nonprofits and government agencies.  The Student Employment office on campus can let you know what's available when you start looking.  The rate of pay varies, depending on the job and the skills it requires.  Graduate students often get paid more than undergrads--$12.00 an hour is what some on-campus jobs paid them last year, and a highly-skilled job could pay more.  Still, some of our students have found that they can make more money by not limiting themselves to jobs eligible for Work/Study funds.

Another thing to keep in mind is that, if you're receiving student loans, your loan amount will probably be reduced by the amount of Work/Study funds you're awarded.  That can be a good thing, in that you're going less into debt for your education.  But if cash flow right now is your priority, you will have more money in hand if you take the full student loan you're eligible for and get a non-Work/Study job.

This isn't meant to discourage you from asking for Work/Study funds--it's just to make sure we're awarding the funds we have to people who know what they're getting into, and who will actually want to use them.  By August 21, can you please let me know if you still want to be considered for Work/Study funds as part of your financial aid for 2006/07?  Thanks much!

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Mary McGhee
Associate Director, MPA Program
The Evergreen State College
(360) 867-6554

mcgheem@evergreen.edu
http://www.evergreen.edu/mpa/