Graduate Services Program - Essay Example

The topic of the report would be an improvement in providing financial aid to poor but deserving students. The current financial aid process requires students to apply for a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) form which would be forwarded to the Federal Student Aid Programs (U.S. Department of Education, 2013). As disclosed, the receipt of the FAFSA by the Federal Student Aid Programs will prompt the Department of Education to issue an official Student Aid Report (SAR) to the applicant.

After which, the educational facility would be provided with a copy of the SAR electronically. The processing normally takes four to six weeks and there is difficulty in following up on the status of the student’s application after the FAFSA has been forwarded to the Federal Student Aid Program due to the volume of applications received. As such, the student who applied for financial aid has little recourse if the application is denied at the last moment and thereby, provides the student with virtually no alternative courses to seek financial assistance and enroll in graduate programs, as planned.

3. Identify the purpose of the report. (What need or problem will the product, service, or program resolve?) 

Hopefully, educational institutions should have their specific financial aid program to support the academic needs of deserving students and which could be processed in a shorter time frame to enable incoming graduate students to plan for their academic endeavors before formal school opening.

4. Identify potential resources that will be needed for support.
To support the report, the potential resources that could be researched are (1) private institutions that provide educational support and financial aid which could be tapped by incoming graduate students; (2) some form of promissory note agreement could be forged between the student and the graduate studies administrator to determine the fees for a particular semester and accommodate the minimum fee that could enroll the student on a lay-away or down payment scheme; and (3) provision of greater opportunities to be accepted to the graduate assistantship program (Graduate Assistantships, 2013).

5. Identify methods to be used to gather information.
To gather pertinent information on the abovementioned resources, the following data could be researched: (1) secondary sources of information on private scholarships being provided; (2) pros and cons of promissory note methods; and (3) weighing pros and cons of being admitted to the graduate assistantship program as students are pursuing their master’s degrees. Likewise, other previous secondary sources of information conducted by authoritative authors on the subject could provide needed support.
If time would allow, other sources of gathering information could be through surveys or questionnaires method, interviews, or through the primary methods of research.
6. Identify criteria to be used to evaluate the information collected. (What factors will you consider to make your recommendation?)

To evaluate the information collected, the factors that would be considered are as follows:

To apply for financial aid or scholarship with other private institutions, the following should be considered: (1) the number of private scholarships that provide educational support and the requirements needed to apply; (2) the time frame to process a traditional financial aid or scholarship application; and (3) the average amount that could be provided.
To forge an agreement with the educational institution for a promissory note arrangement, the following factors are needed: (1) is the school administration amenable to this mode of payment; (2) what are the pros and cons to the students’ points of views and from the perspective of the educational institution; and (3) what other conditions or considerations could assist in forging agreements of this kind.

Finally, when opting to enter into the graduate assistantship program, the following variables need to be considered: (1) the number of hours to render as work for the program in a week; (2) any remuneration during the employment to the program; (3) are there a minimum number of credits that the student is allowed to take; (4) any conditions if the student opts to resign from the program. Read More