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This is normally a big week for millions of students across the U.S. hoping to go to college. It's when the federal financial aid application called FAFSA is supposed to open to families. There's usually buzz and excitement around early October because the idea of college starts to feel real. But the FAFSA was riddled with problems last year, and because of yet another delay from the government this year, many students are left fearful and uncertain about their ability to stay in school. NPR's Jonaki Mehta has more.
JONAKI MEHTA, BYLINE: On Tuesday afternoon, dozens of high schoolers rolled into Kid City Hope Place in downtown Los Angeles for a college prep workshop. They've all got big dreams.
UNIDENTIFIED STUDENT #1: I want to be doing something medical 'cause I'm trying to be an anesthesiologist.
UNIDENTIFIED STUDENT #2: I want to be a mechanical engineer or, like, biochemistry.
UNIDENTIFIED STUDENT #3: I want to either be a nurse or a therapist.
MEHTA: Kid City is a nonprofit that serves some 300 low-income students with all kinds of enrichment and educational programs. And normally October 1 is a big day because it's when the FAFSA application opens. But today Kim Fabian is focusing on other things to get excited about.
KIM FABIAN: The big announcement that I have today is the Cal State application is officially open.
MEHTA: Fabian is the project director here, and today, as she's leading the college access workshop, a student chimes in to ask about the FAFSA.
FABIAN: It was supposed to open today. It's going to open December.
UNIDENTIFIED STUDENT #4: OK.
FABIAN: Yeah. Question?
UNIDENTIFIED STUDENT #5: Do you guys help us with that?
FABIAN: Yes, I will help you with that.
MEHTA: Fabian told me she's trying to keep the anxiety around the FAFSA at bay because the rollout last year was complete chaos.
FABIAN: It was so frustrating, you know? We know that these are the systems that are supposed to respond, you know? It feels like a broken promise.
MEHTA: Many of these students have parents who are undocumented. All the seniors at Kid City qualified for financial aid last year, but every single one encountered problems with the form. One of those students was Brenda H.
BRENDA H: Nothing made sense 'cause we would go through, you know, our submissions and see, like, where did we go wrong? And we were scrambling 'cause obviously I needed money to go to college 'cause my parents don't have the fund to pay it all by themselves.
MEHTA: Brenda's mom is a seamstress, and her dad works for a bulk spice market. They're both undocumented, which is why she requested we keep their last name out of the story. Nobody in Brenda's family has ever gone to college, so the whole idea of a higher education didn't occur to her until she started drum lessons in the basement of Kid City.
H: I remember I used to be so scared of the upstairs kids because, you know, they were all about college, and back in junior year, I didn't even think I would go to college because, like I said, I'm first generation.
MEHTA: Eventually, she joined the college access program, and her counselors told her financial aid would probably cover her education. But last year's botched FAFSA form was especially challenging for kids of parents without Social Security numbers, like Brenda's. It took them five tries before the application went through. And when her offer finally came...
H: I, like, kind of - I panicked completely.
MEHTA: A lot of her friends with higher-income families got the cost of their education covered, so Brenda thought she would, too, but she didn't get her award offer until a few weeks before school started. And it wasn't nearly enough.
H: That also gave me another reason why, like, maybe it's a sign that I'm not meant to go to college.
MEHTA: Brenda did ultimately make it to Cal State Northridge, but she scrambled to find housing at the last minute, cover tuition and pay for her books.
H: And sometimes I'll catch myself not focusing in class because I'm wondering, how am I going to pay for the next semester? - 'cause this semester is about to end.
MEHTA: Brenda is majoring in psychology. She's struggled with her own mental health, so she wants to become a therapist to help other kids like her. The education department started testing its new form this week and says it's hoping to fix glitches by December 1. Brenda is going to apply again, but in the meantime, she's focusing on her classes and her newfound independence.
H: I've actually been enjoying it. Like I've actually - you know, I kind of fulfilled one of my dreams, which is to be out at night (laughter).
MEHTA: College has been fun and exciting, but Brenda also feels that big responsibility as the first person in her family to go to college. She hopes this year's FAFSA will be smoother and that she'll get more aid so she can finish the education that she never even dreamed of. In Los Angeles, I'm Jonaki Mehta, NPR News.
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