Being a recipient of the Post 9/11 GI Bill is one of the greatest things I could have asked for, but the simple fact that I live in Vancouver, Washington truly limits my ability to take full advantage of the program. Vancouver, Washington hosts one community college and one “extended” campus for Washington State University.

Before I decided on a 4 year institution to transfer to, I considered Washington State University, however – they didn’t have the program I was focusing on (International Studies: Asian Studies). When inquiring, however, I realized that on their main campus they had the program I wanted, so I inquired about whether they allowed a sort of distance-learning course, so that I could take the necessary classes at WSU without having to live in Pullman (where their main campus is located). Unfortunately, they declined this idea and only limited their courses to what their local campus offered.

With that being the case, I also began to consider the University of Washington in Seattle. Unfortunately, the cost to move up there would be astronomical, so I decided not to continue with that idea. So instead, I took into consideration Portland State University, a public university that is well known for their international studies and language programs. It’s only a 30 minute drive away, however, it’s considered to be out-of-state. I have yet to, but do intend on emailing my Governor and Representative to address the simple problem regarding the lack of local four year institutions in southwest Washington.

Anyway, now there’s an ongoing problem regarding my tuition after taking out a student loan. Approximately two weeks ago, the balance due on my account was a little over $100, so I decided to take out a student loan to help pay for that and prepare me for when the big bills start piling up next month. Somehow, my student loan activated some sort of process which increased my account balance by almost $2,000. After seeing this problem, I addressed it to financial aid who referred me to my Veteran’s Affairs representative. He has now contacted accounting and the residency officials, however we haven’t heard anything back yet. It’s been almost a week since this issue has been addressed and it’s really weighing heavily on my mind. The VA appears to be on my side so I feel like the issue will be resolved, but I still can’t help but be prepared for the worse-case scenario.

Well, I believe this is enough venting for the time being. I need to start preparing myself for midterms.