Colleges Try to Help Students Afford School
Forest City, IA-Right now, colleges nationwide are finalizing financial aid forms and sending out acceptance letters. Waldorf school leaders are hoping people give this college a try.
"Some people will look at a private education and think we're not even going to look at that," said Duane Polsdofer, financial aid director.
Many private colleges are seeing the same scenario: people just think it's out of their price range.
But Polsdofer says it's not as pricey as you think, "We become very competitive very quickly."
Polsdofer says this year also faces some extra challenges.
"Recently had a mother write me saying her husband lost job and she called saying she lost her job a week later."
He says it's a call he gets all to often these days.
"Your heart really goes out to them and I have a lot of sypathy."
The financial aid expert says he has to make the decision to exercise "professional judgment". That allows him to adjust a family's financial forms to reflect their current situation. He says he is helping the family by keeping the taxpayer in mind.
"You really have to have a balancing act."
Polsdofer says he's hoping the economic uncertainty doesn't scare away students.
"It's my job to make sure that dream becomes a reality despite parents having financial diffuculties or not."
