$970.37

That is all that is preventing me from attending university next semester. This is after OSAP, all my (admittedly meager) savings, my award from St Mikes, and the money on my bookshelf. I am fucked. here's the timeline: earlier posts relate that OSAP dropped, and dropped, then magically increased my funding. All through November I am checking my QUEST account to see what I owe the University, and predictably, they didn't post anything. Until last Thursday, when a sum is presented to me. Warning: When you apply for OSAP you'll notice that it's divulged in un-equal halves. This may lead the more trusting among you to assume that this means the second term of university will cost less than the first. This is blatantly untrue. This term is about $800 cheaper. My OSAP for this term is $2000 less. Anyone wanna explain that to me? So, now that I know my funding gap, I need to go down to Needless Hell and find out what I can do about it. Can't go on Thursday, or Friday because I'm leaving for Stratford. When I go on Monday, things aren't good. First, I kind of forget what I'm there to ask. I have an RESP that's worth about twice my gap, but I know that accessing it will deduct some ammount from my OSAP, if it's more than the $800 between what I have and what I owe, then there's no point in throwing the money away. I'd rather take my full OSAP, which will stay interest free (hopefully longer than January), rather than exhuast an RESP which could theoretically make a little money.
Also, there was a bit of a miscommunication at the Financial Aid desk. My words were "I have some questions about paying for next term", which I guess she interpreted as actual trouble figuring out how to give them the money, rather than how to get it first. So she sent me down to Student Accounts, where I explained that I didn't have enough money and asked "So, what are my options?". Her response was a look of martyrdom and the words "Not many". This is acceptable. Obviously the women in Financial Aid are meant to like me, and the ones in Student Accounts are meant to be total bitches. They think I want money to finance my crack habit and failing grades, while the Financial Aid women belive I'm trying desperately to save the farm, and just don't have the money to make Uni payments as well. So, with the threats from SA fresh in my mind (She basically told me I might as well pack my bags now, and her tone indicated that she didn't particularily care), I went back to Financial Aid to get it sorted out. The woman can't tell me how my RESP will affect my OSAP. I'll need to make an appointment. Great. Luck briefly shines for me, and I get a timeslot today (rather than in February). So I go home, and enjoy my last day before busting my ass over exams. My new tag for my pirated video games is "RaPisT". I like it well.
I wake up this morning, collect my financial worries in a notebook, and head to the appointment. The woman is very nice. I explain that I need to know how much will get stolen from my OSAP if I cash in the RESP. She smiles and tells me "None at all". She shows me a form, which says that the Ontario govenment has decided that, based on their 2004 income, my parents are expected to contribute around $3000 to my education this year. Since they have so far met $0.00 of that expectation, the $1800 RESP should be no problem. "Oh," I say, "Well it's in my grandmother's name, not my parents." "Oh, well in that case it goes into 'Other Assets', and gets taken off dollar for dollar."
FUCK. That's great. My $1800 trump card is actually worth $0.00 in real money. I'll need to wait until I'm fat enough not to need OSAP before I bother cashing that bad-boy in. And there's a good chance that that will be never. "So, what are my other options?", he asks, trying to remain calm. She tells me that I can wait until the 13th, when automatic bursaries will be filed. All those are waiting for is a program to be downloaded from the ministry. They are assigned based on unmet need. I stupidly don't ask if she thinks I have a good chance with those. However, I assume that I don't and ask her if there are any bursaries I can apply for in the meantime. She says there are, but that it means less paperwork if I wait until after the automatic ones. That's just fuckin grand. Glad to know my future at this place is less important than your filing. Well, whatever, she's been good to me so far. I keep my cool. The other option she shows me is an appeal to use my parents estimated 2005 income to re-adjust this year's loan estimate. Trouble comes in 2 places: 1)If my parents made more money this year than last year, I could end up getting less OSAP 2)Their estimate will be reviewed against their submitted tax return when their financial year ends, and if the estimate is lower than the actual, I'll be owing OSAP cash. Well, whatever, right now it's my only concrete option.
Lastly, I got so desperate I called my old boss at the Y. he's gonna throw me a couple of shifts. here's the trouble. If I don't go to Carl's after exams I'll be home on the morning of the 20th. That gives me exactly 2 weeks before classes resume. I would need to work 16.5 8 hour shifts (at the Y's generous rate of $7.50) to get that money. This includes working on Christmas, my birthday, and new year's eve and day. Also, there's almost no chance that I'll be getting more than half that number of shifts. My options there include skipping the first week of class to get more hours, and asking all my friends if they know anywhere else I can whore myself out for a quick buck this holday season. Unfortunately, actually whoring myself out isn't a very good option, due to my lack of experience.
To sum up, I now find myself asking the same questions I did when I was struggling to pay for first term:
Did I waste my time at the Y? They paid terribly and they never gave me hours. I did always feel that I was making a difference though. The kids at the Y usually couldn't pay, and that's why I wasn't making much to teach them. But I guess at the end of the line that doesn't matter. Besides, I like to think that it was never about the money. The kids who stormed into my boss's office demanding 40+ hours a week only cared about the cheddar. They also hated their jobs... I don't know. I guess looking back isn't important. The point is, that I'm fucked and need money. Suggestions are welcome.