As an undergrad in zoology with a minor in chem, I had a 3.6 GPA and pretty good relationships with just about everyone in my dept. I had a pretty good success rate. The one I'm most proud of is the NSF Green Scholarship for 15,000 my last year in school. It was a sustainability scholarship so I had to write an essay on how I would use sustainability in my career etc....

Undergrad assistantship is not work study. Work study is included in your aid and you don't get a paycheck. Basically you work off your tuition. Undergrad assistantship is a paycheck and isn't on your aid account.

I'm an Ohio native so I'm with you on the whole no jobs thing. I think our 2 states make up 8 out of 10 of the fastest dying cities in the US. Woo-hoo!

How much do you have to make up? Is this for room and board plus tuition or is this just to cover their "expected cost of living"? According to my university now I need like 35k a year to live. However, I love ramen noodles and spaghetti so it's not even close to that. They include a lot of stuff in those costs that you can cut out. Rent books instead of buy. Get a roommate. I know the pride gets hurt - but a lot of kids I went to school with were on food stamps. I worked 2 jobs my whole time bc my hubris will not let me go on food stamps but it's always an option.