DURANT, Okla. (KXII) – Move-in day is full of emotions as students and parents unpack for the year, but delays in the FAFSA application present additional obstacles.
Susan Edwards, a freshman at Southeastern Oklahoma State University, is excited to make her dorm room her own.
“I’m excited,” said Edwards. “I’m looking forward to decorating everything.”
Susan says there are a few essentials that students may regret leaving behind, like a cart. The receptionist at Shearer Hall recommends that everyone drink plenty of fluids and, most importantly, arrive early. Check-in is at 10 a.m. and ends at 2 p.m. for the rest of the week.
Anyone moving into a new apartment knows the challenges they face: heat, stairs, and lots of walking back and forth to get settled in. The physical toll is great enough, but the Edwards say financial worries about the FAFSA application can make the start of the school year even more hectic.
Susan accidentally entered the wrong numbers on her FAFSA application, which added even more time to the process of receiving her financial aid estimates.
“For now, they told us we probably wouldn’t find out how much money or FAFSA we were going to get until June,” she said. “So that puts you in a bit of a time crunch if you want to work out a payment plan.”
Her father, Brett Edwards, is a high school teacher and father of three other children, two of whom have graduated from college. He says processing the FAFSA application this year is unique but unavoidable because filling out the form is required by law in Texas.
“Our kids usually do it in October,” Brett said. “They said it would be ready in early or late December, but it wasn’t. It crashed for several days and we’ve had more setbacks since then. So this year was definitely different than the first two times.”
Despite the difficulties, Brett remains calm and advises parents helping with the move to just go with the flow, calm their nerves and trust that everything will be fine.
“Parents who are doing this for the first time can be confident that their children will make it,” he said. “They will make it. They are more independent than you think. You have prepared them and now it is time for them to go out and do their thing.”
Southeastern University students will begin classes on Monday, August 19, 2024. Campus officials told News 12 they are once again expecting the largest fall class in school history. Last year, 555 students moved into the halls, but as of Tuesday, August 13, a total of 470 students were enrolled. There are still three days left until move-in.
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