My school uses a combination of in-person counseling and an online form that is filled-out by the student while in the FA Director's office. I like this approach as it combines 2 different methods (in-person & online) to remind the student of their responsibilites with regards to the loan. Perhaps our school could also integrate period "group sessions" as this would give the students the opportunity to learn from each other as well....
Robert,
I like your approach – the online form can be good for students who learn better by reading and taking their time with information (some have difficulty absorbing verbal information and conversations may go too quickly for them to think of questions), but having the form completed in the FA office helps keep students focused. The problem with most online tutorials and quizzes is that students at home often pay little attention to the information provided.
Kellee Gunderson
Our school does have one on one Entrance Counseling as students are enrolling at different times and days through the enrollment period. Exit Counseling is done in a group setting as resources and time don't allow for a one on one interview for each student. As part of the Exit Counseling a Q & A part is always included. At the end of Exit Counseling an open invitation is given to any student to schedule a one on one appointment if they have additional questions. It would probably be helpful to follow up, shortly after the group Exit Counseling, and remind students they have the opportunity to schedule a one on one meeting.
We constantly review our entrance and exit counseling. We do the entrance individually, explaining the different repaying options and their estimated repayment 6 months after graduation. For exits, I go into class with the Registrar and Career Services persons. We do this in a group setting, ensuring students know all their requirements for graduation. We have a graduation checklist that is required to be completed before graduation. If I do not have the completed exit information they cannot graduation. I always offer individual appointments if they want to discuss in private. When the faculty shows the student the importance of me coming into class, also with the Registrar and Career Services, it shows the students how important it is to pay back the loans
i think it depends on the student. you can have a general process but some students will take a lot more consoling.
Alexandra,
Great point. Students face unique personal challenges, and no family is exactly like another. Students may have complicated loan situations (e.g. consolidations, private loans, and delinquencies from previous schools); they may have extensive debt or they may be new to loans and credit; they can be dependent students still living at home or they may be supporting numerous dependents. A student loan borrower may have many excellent questions for the FA office, so we should try to be as available and welcoming as possible.
Kellee Gunderson
Exit counseling at our school is done group style. I would simply add the individual counseling as well. People sometimes come up with questions after the group session, and if they know they have a meeting time they can bring up their concerns at that time as well. It is just another opportunity to underscore their responsibility in the process.
Therese,
Your students would definitely benefit if you are able to add individual counseling. Both models have benefits: in a group setting, students can learn from each other’s questions. One-on-one sessions allow students privacy to reveal personal information and openly discuss concerns. I agree that creating more opportunities will aid in your delinquency prevention efforts.
Kellee Gunderson
Currently Entrance Counseling is completed on a One on One basis. However, the option is given to students to complete Exit counseling either On-line or One on One. About half of my students opt for on-line. My own feeling is more students would benefit with a One on One meeting with FA. That is a change I would support.
We provide one on one entrance counseling and small group exit counseling. We also stop by the classes every 10-15 weeks to say hello and do Q&A with students regarding financial aid (specifically loan related information that is provided in entrance and exit counseling. It also helps that the financial aid offices are located in between the two classrooms that typically hold the new students and graduating students. We see our students often and are able to create relationships that are comfortable and professional. We strive to be as welcoming as possible and encourage students to come visit us when we are not in a meeting.
Jeanine,
That is certainly is a helpful location! This is a good point for schools struggling to bring students to the Financial Aid office—we have discussed suggestions to make FA more visible on campus including setting up tables at student events and visiting classrooms, but the physical location of the FA office may also be a great place to start.
Kellee Gunderson
With the entrance counseling, it gets to be a little too much sometimes for a first time student when we complete their Financial Aid packaging because they had just spent an hour with admissions and another hour in their assessment testing. I feel like by the time they get that stuff completed they are already on information overload and won't retain anything that I cover on Financial Aid. Many times, we will reschedule the student to come back in so we can go over the entrance loan counseling with them or we will give them the option to do it on their own with instructions. It gets tricky to get this done sometimes because if they don't have a valid PIN we will need to wait to complete it anyway. We do let each student know that this is mandatory and they will have no Title IV aid disburse until this is completed along with the MPN. For the exit interviews we get a list ahead of time from the registrars department to see who are expected grads are. This gives me time to review each student account to see that all aid has been disbursed, address any potential balances and true up their account with an updated payment plan if needed. We do 2 exit interview group sessions and let the students know it is mandatory by sending out mail, Email notifications and posting flyers around campus. For those students who are not able to show up at the scheduled times for the exit interviews we do schedule them on a one-on-one basis. With the help of my work study we put together individual folders unique to each student with their printed NSLDS information and loan repayment information. In each folder that is provided, we have what is a called a graduation check list where they will need to visit the various departments for a signature to sign off on their graduation. I am very much a stickler and will not sign off on that form until I know I have everything on file and their account has been reviewed. If there are students who I am missing and still need an exit done, I will notify our academics department to help me contact the student. I do think we have a pretty effective strategy with our exit interviews, but the entrance counseling can use some help because of information overload by the time they see financial aid. I honestly don't think admissions would be up to reschedule the student to come back another day when they are feeling a little more refreshed after testing and fulfilling admissions requirements because you never know on the chances of the student coming back.
As is frequently the case in education, repetition is the key. Even if they are "invented," opportunities to discuss rights, obligations, benefits and intended outcomes reinforce a process that students and future professionals need to embrace. First payment and halfway points on in-school payment plans can be acknowledged. Any reward for new and potentially difficult behavior can be expanded into a "life plan" discussion. Many students have never had bank accounts and never met payment obligations in any significant way. However, the student loans will need to be paid, so first-time borrowers need indoctrination, reinforcement and reminders about the way the whole process works. They also need to understand how things like credit history fit into successful achievemnt of life goals.
I think our entrance counseling procedure could be a little more extensive, especially for first time borrowers. I usually have 1 to 2 meetings with the student to complete the FA process. Sometimes students are overwhelmed with all the information regarding loans. I meet with every student who graduates or withdraws to go payments, lender info and make sure they have all the resources they need.
