Rant time.

One of the most obnoxious things about being a medical student is the yearly financial aid crap you have to submit. The FAFSA really isn’t that bad–generally you just type in numbers from your W2 and 1040 for taxes, but boy would it be nice if you could just upload your 1040 and have it auto-fill in the information.

The really obnoxious part is that I have to bother my parents so much about it. I’ll be 27 in two months, but according to the government and my medical school, I’m not financially independent (even though I am) and as such, I’m required to submit all of their financial and tax information, too. A big algorithm then spits out an “Expected Parental Contribution” which I guess is what my parents are “expected” to contribute to my education (which they don’t, and I wouldn’t want them to anyway) and I end up just taking out in more loans. But like I said, FAFSA’s not bad.

My ire is reserved for the bureaucracy and idiocy of the College Board . Yes, they’re the same brilliant folks that brought you the SAT and the scoring errors last year . They’re now in the Financial Aid game as well, using a terrible interface to collect mind-numbing number after mind-numbing number to squeeze every dollar out of your financial aid package (and then they charge you $23.00 for the pleasure of processing it).

They want every number with a dollar sign next to it that’s ever been associated with my family. Numbers from 2005 taxes (which the idiots at the College Board already have from me), the amount of savings in my brother’s savings accounts and IRAs–not just my parents’.

Again: I am financially independent. I do not take money from my parents to help pay for my tuition or living expenses, although the occasional care package does arrive. And I certainly do not take money from my 24 year-old brother in college. The only plus side is this is the last year I have to deal with all of this.

I can’t wait to be a resident.

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