OSAP

This article is for the benefit of you out there who tend to go and try to get OSAP to help pay for school. This term has been a learning experience, and I thought I'd pass along some valuable information.

1. Apply early. I applied to OSAP about three weeks before the start of the school term. This is not enough time to get all the problems sorted out if there are any. I suggest applying a year early.
2. If you decide to register yourself as having a disability at any point in time, make sure you make OSAP aware of this. After three terms of having "no disability" on my OSAP applications, and then signing up with the OFPWD on campus, OSAP was upset to see me suddenly having a disability. They upheld my original results for two weeks.
3. If you're not living at home during the school term, fill out an appeal based on that fact right away. Even if you check the little box that says you weren't living at home, they still calculate your loans as though you were (dumb!!!). You're not supposed to fill out the appeal forms before you get your entitlement back, but trust me, it'll save you two weeks.
4. Make sure your parents are quoting you the right values for their income. Underestimations make for overpayments, which must be returned to OSAP before you get any more loans. Either that, or get married to someone with no income, or make your parents beat you somehow, then you're considered independent.
5. If having trouble with the amount of time your OSAP is taking, do go and make an appointment with someone at the Financial Assistance Office. The people in back making everything go can be a great help with suggestions.
6. Don't go on co-op, make $10,000 and come back with $800. You might be able to avoid applying for OSAP altogether that way.

Peace, and happy terms.

Lance David Gilroy
the_shy_poet@excite.ca