"The financial aid process is a very frustrating process for me," Agatha Erickson '09 said. "There was so much paperwork and hoops you have to jump through just to get a little bit of help. Dartmouth likes to brag about how much money they give away every year in aid, but they really make this aid hard to get."
While some students rely on family members to complete the necessary tax and financial aid forms, others fill them out largely on their own.
"I end up [filling out the forms] myself and I have my parents look it over. It was hard for me to get it done because I had put it on the backburner," Hayley Kennedy '08 said.
The financial aid application process this year was complicated by the late mailing of Institutional Documentation Service requirements. IDOC is a service provided by the College Board and used by the Financial Aid Office to collect financial documents such as tax returns and W-2s. Mailed in late February, the original IDOC filing deadline was March 1, but the College extended the deadline to April.
Despite the complexities of many financial aid forms, many students found them easier to fill out once they had finished their tax returns.
"FAFSA was pretty easy. If you do the renewal, everything is filled in for you," Julia Tse '09 said. "When I got all the tax returns together, I could see everything. That was pretty straightforward."
According to Rhonda Walz, manager of H&R Block of West Lebanon, students that file as dependents of current H&R Block customers are able to get free help from the company. Walz also expressed interest in working with the College to provide future discounts on tax preparation services for students.
Despite the difficulties of filing taxes, however, some believe it helps prepare students for life after Dartmouth.
"It's stressful, but you would have to [file taxes] under the stresses of a normal job," said Colleen Fox, Graduate Advisor for the Choates.
