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Federal work study (FWS) or part-time (PT) job? |
I will be entering grad school this fall and was wondering if FWS or getting a regular PT job would be better. I did work one semester of FWS as an undergrad and only received $2000 for the year. But I transferred universities after one semester and ended up getting a regular PT job because I became a commuter student and working on campus was more of a hassle. In the end, my PT job paid way more than minimum wage and I ended up earning a lot more than I would have from FWS, but I probably won't receive that high of a pay at a new job. The difference this time around is that I have filed my FAFSA as an independent. If I choose to apply for FWS, will the alloted amount be more than what I received as an undergrad since I was a dependent and now I'm an independent. Or will I not receive as much because I'm only going to be an MS student and as I understand it, MS/MA students rarely get anything substantial in the way of financial aid. All in all, is FWS or a PT job more practical? I don't believe that being dependent or independent makes a difference in this case. There is an annual maximum for work study, which you probably qualify for. (while I was in grad school - 2004-2006- I could make $3,000.) Some universities pay minimum wage and some pay slightly above that, but these jobs never pay well. You're right, unless you have an assistantship from your department you will have few aid options. There are some other things that you may want to consider in making this decision. For instance, will you be in a situation where it is more practical to work on campus or off? As you said, as an undergrad living off campus it was as practical for you to have a job off campus. I lived in campus housing as a grad student - without a car in an area where most off-campus jobs could only be reached via car. If you can find an off-campus job that will be flexible enough to fit with your class and study schedule, it will probably pay more. Can you get a job that will fit with your career goals? It may be worth it to make less money while in school if you can leave school with experience that augments your resume. Mine did, but clearly this is not possible for all fields. Barring that, you are more likely to find a work study job where they allow you to study if you're not busy with work. Library jobs and academic department assistant jobs usually let you do this. Could you continue to work at a work study job after you've earned the annual maximum? Some positions don't have any funding other than work study, so once you've used that you can't work at them until your funding renews. If you can find a position that's funded in other ways, you can work year-round. Basically, the short answer would be that it depends on the particular jobs, and a few other factors. Good luck with grad school! Actually, there is technically no annual maximum to how much work study you can receive. Work study is one of the trickiest financial aid awards out there. Pell Grant and Stafford loans are two aid awards which everyone who is eligible for receives. Other federal aid, like Perkins loan, Work Study, and SEOG Grants, are different. Schools receive an annual allowance for these from the government and must budget carefully. Schools usually award these based on more limited criteria, since the funds are limited. Schools will usually impose a deadline to receive these awards, say March 1, to apply and will spread the award out to as many students as possible, which probably explains why you received $2,000-$3000 in Work Study - that is a typical amount. As the academic year goes on, students can often receive more work study as other students had not worked for their full amount, or at all. So its an easy award to "appeal" and get more throughout the year. Also the department you work for can help you appeal to the aid office for more work study if you are a good worker they'll want to keep you. Finally you mentioned you are a grad student. Check to be sure that grad students at your school are eligible for work-study. That is another criteria that schools use to award it. Again since these funds are limited they my only offer it to undergrad students. If you are looking for an on campus job, departments usually hire work study students first (since the pay is work study funds, not department payroll its cheaper for them). You are right they are minimum wage, but if you are working in say the english department or the library it may look better on your resume than a part-time retail job, even if you are making more per hour. former financial aid counselor At the university where I work, we usually do not award graduate students with work-study. Preference is given to undergraduates, typically. I know there are always exceptions - I would contact your financial aid department and see what their policy is. If you are eligible, it is a nice option - depending on the hours and pay you would require. The biggest plus to work-study over a part-time job is that you have the ability with work-study to work in a department on campus that is compatible with the degree you're seeking. Great experience! |
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