Sorry for my leave of absence the last week. I promise to try on top of this a whole lot better. This week has been fairly easy in classes but extremely stressful none the least.Though there hasn't been a whole lot going on this last week in classes, the professors are taking this down time to explain final projects and press on with notes and many other things to prepare for finals. I know that things are quiet now but it won't last. It's the quiet before the storm as I like to call it. Things are slowing down a little between midterms and finals but they'll be picking up again very soon. Also, this week, I've been having some financial problems. Though most people don't really want to hear about this side of college, it is something ever present in each and every student's life. My mother recently lost her job and we're starting to struggle a little. As most people know, tuition here at Bluffton is a little on the pricey side, over $30,000 a year. Thankfully, our financial aid staff are seriously devout in helping students attend Bluffton University. At this point, my family and I are splitting costs, for the most part. Because things are getting a little more difficult in my family, I'm going to have to take a bigger portion on myself, which is a little scary. I want to be able to make some money in my life and not just in debt. So for the last few days, I've been meeting with everyone from the financial aid staff to a few of my professors about my problems. I've been receiving some very good input so far and I'm feeling confident in finding some aid for next year. I know that if I would have went to a bigger school, the school would be like "Bye, Good Luck." Not here at Bluffton, the administration here has really made me feel wanted. They've all made me feel as though they really want to keep me here and will do whatever they need to make that happen. Struggling with financial aid is something that all college students deal with. This is a real problem, especially in our economic situation we are in now. Don't let financial aid problems get in the way of your dreams of attending Bluffton University. They really do a fantastic job at catering to each student's unqiue needs. If you are seriously considering Bluffton, please do not hesitate to meet with our financial aid staff to help ease your worries. Hopefully this helps some of you out there. Don't think that you're alone. We all need a little help once in a while.