Chapter 7
"All your paperwork seems to be in order."
Sam breathed a sigh of relief. He shifted slightly in the uncomfortable contoured plastic chair.
"As to going ahead and taking summer courses, that shouldn't be a problem." Mr. Forest, the Admissions Supervisor, gave him a friendly nod. "We have sufficient openings to get you housing now and registration hasn't quite closed yet. With your grades, SAT, and ACT scores, we're more than willing to cut a few corners if we have to. All your reference letters couldn't have been more flattering." He gave Sam a disarming smile.
Sam turned on one of his own, giving it as much wattage as he could manage. He was more grateful to Mr. Forest and his councilor back at the high school than either man would ever know. "That's great!"
"Only thing is, that while you've definitely been able to get more than enough scholarships to pay for whatever you might need, most of them won't kick in until the fall semester."
Trepidation flushed through him, but he did his best not to let it show on his face. He should have known things were going too well. "So I'll be short?"
"Some. The ones that can kick in now only require a minimum of three classes. So if you stick with that, it should minimize how much you'll need to cover that the scholarships won't."
Sam nodded, a touch of panic vying to make itself felt even as he tried his best to ignore it. He'd known this might happen. He had options. This was no time to fall apart. He could handle this. "My…family is somewhat strapped for cash, so I'm pretty much on my own. Does the school have any job openings that you know of? Or might you have suggestions on any local places to check for part time jobs? Maybe I could take a loan till I could cover the difference?"
"As a matter of fact…" Forest's eyes lit up. "We do have need of a research assistant in the Sociology department. Dr. Weathers received a major grant for a project last year and has fallen behind on some of the background materials, and you do seem to have some skills not normally found in a freshman…like being well versed in Latin, for instance…"
Sam wasn't sure if this was turning out to be his lucky day or an elaborate set up by the faculty. Either way, he wasn't about to complain.