It’s Friday, and I have to admit, I’m pretty worn out this week. My mind is already into the weekend, so I’m not going to tackle a big, convoluted topic today. Instead, we’ll feature an email with a little bit of venting in it. Maybe you guys have more energy to help out than I do today, but I’ll give it what I’ve got.
Dearest Judge Josh…
I have been receiving several emails about how kids will screw up scholarship applications and they have been quite helpful.
Thanks!
But I am still trying to figure out how a $10,000 scholarship can be awarded to the dumbest person you will ever meet just because they have a difficult home life (e.g. their parents are divorced, they live in a trailer park – not someone from a third world country status, mind you).
I have no idea what you’re talking about.
I have tried so hard throughout high school and managed to maintain a stellar GPA (which apparently means nothing).
Oh, c’mon, I always tell you guys NOT to take my GPA posts the wrong way and start thinking GPA is meaningless. It doesn’t mean nothing, it means something — just not everything.
Granted, my SAT’s were average, even upon hours of studying.
That’s why they give the SAT — it’s a standardized test that everyone gets, and it helps admissions panels and scholarship committees alike measure students from various backgrounds against a single standard. It’s why test scores count more than GPA, because at least the SAT is the same everywhere, whereas the courses and teachers that make up a GPA vary widely. It’s going to be pretty tough to get prestigious scholarships with average SAT/ACT scores, honestly — there’s too much competition out there. Local ones are your best shot if you have average test scores.
Regardless, my point is, granting a scholarship to a person from a broken home does not make them smart or provide a future for them.
I absolutely agree, although I still don’t know what you’re referring to.
They haven’t achieved academically yet so what makes scholarship judges think that they will achieve in college?
Again — I’m lost.
What is my incentive to do well when I’m not going to receive any scholarships anyway because they are given to people that judges feel sorry for?
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Your incentive to do well is that scholarship judges usually award scholarships to students who do well. Yes, sometimes students judges feel sorry for get scholarships, but usually they’re students we feel sorry for who also have good test scores, GPAs, records of accomplishments, etc.
I’m not trying to hate on judges, but it’s just frustrating that someone can try so hard throughout high school and receive nothing when they need it, and someone can not try at all because they know they can fall back on the sympathy card.
Man, I really wish I knew what you were talking about here. But anyway, even though I’ve known people to get scholarships because judges felt sorry for them, I’ve NEVER known us (or any other scholarships competition) to award a scholarship to someone who appears to have “not tried at all.”
Also, why are there so many scholarships dedicated to minorities?
Well, there are a lot of opinions on this one, obviously, but the general idea is that minorities are historically underrepresented in both college and the workplace. Scholarships earmarked for minorities aim to accelerate the appropriate representation of minorities in both settings. This is also the thinking behind affirmative-action workplace policies.
How can people be so ridiculous as to think that ALL black or Latino people come from no money and that all white people grew up on a fancy golf course?
I don’t think many people make that assumption, although I certainly understand the frustration of feeling like you belong to the one student group that colleges don’t really care much about, which is the working-class white kid. You’re white, so you’re not actively sought in order to “diversify” the campus. You’re not rich, so you can’t pay your own way, and you’re not completely destitute poor, so the government’s not going to pay your way. You’re sort of in purgatory. I get it. I was there when I was in school, too.
Yes, I am aware there are scholarships for white people as well, but the criteria you have to fit into is unreal.
I’m not sure there are, actually, scholarships just for white people.
I have looked at scholarships that are geared towards women only and even those are no help because I don’t fall under the major they want me too. I’m sorry that I’m not going to major in math, science or engineering… but jeez. I don’t know what else to do!
Take out student loans, probably. (I’m not being dismissive, I just don’t know much else about your situation to offer any more specific advice).
I have applied for soooo many scholarships and I have received nothing. My parents cannot afford to pay for college and I have given up on any dreams of attending an art school out of state simply because it’s a million dollars cheaper to stay in state.
Well, I think that was probably a good decision, especially in light of the financial aid situation.
Why are there not more scholarships for kids like me? I’m average — I’m not some geeky savant, I’m not a minority and I don’t come from a horrible background — so why do they weed out the kids like me? What can I do to get money for college??
Thank you for your time…
Well, I don’t mean to sound harsher than usual, but scholarships aren’t for average students. If they were, they’d be meaningless, and they’d just hand them out to everyone. You mentioned that your test scores were average, and that probably worked against you. There’s plenty of middle ground between being a “geeky savant” and an average student.
One thing you could do is enroll in community college, work really hard and get good grades there. Community college is the cheapest way to go to college, and if you get A’s there, you’ll have a stronger case for scholarships later on.
As for being white: I don’t think colleges necessarily *weed out* the working/middle class white kids — they don’t try to systematically get rid of them (even if they wanted to, there’s too many of you). But they just don’t care about them very much because they don’t have a specific need for them.
Rich white kids (and rich minority kids, too, although they’re in much shorter supply) pay their own way and of course are welcomed; minorities of all socioeconomic statuses are welcomed because they provide the “diversity” that all colleges are obsessed with creating.
White kids who aren’t of particularly noteworthy breeding (like myself!) deliver no financial or PR benefit to a university, so you’re not going to make your way in as a protected class — you’re going to have to fight.
That, though, is a topic for another day. I’m guessing a controversial, overflowing-with-angry-comments sort of day. Which is not today, because it’s the cusp of the weekend and it’s time to relax a little.
Not just me — you, too. Have a good one, people. Back on Monday.
Believe it or not, there are African American and Latino students who are not receiving scholarships due to parents being middle class. I think more than anything, SES counts. And by them not receiving scholarships they are forced to take out loans, if they can. Some cannot because of credit issues and so are forced to take classes at a Community College. These are my friends and although not allowing them financial guidance does not help the University look good, I’m guessing the 7% of African Americans on campus make up for the percentage they are failing to help.Sad day. -_-
Why are people so selfish about minorities getting scholarships, when they are still not able to pay for an entire semester at times? And the criteria for minorities is unreal, for the simple fact they want you to be a poor Einstein.
SO many years have the white race been discriminated against, it is pathetic! I even heard that many foreigners do not have to pay taxes (those who own party stores & gas stations! Why? Where has REAL equality for everyone gone?
Really? White people are discriminated against? You need to get your head into reality and realize that there aren’t enough minorities that own business or have money like that. Just because you never hear about white people not paying taxes doesn’t mean it is non-existent.
Since when has the white race been discriminated against? White people run the scholarships, jobs, this country, and practically the world. Although no one hears about white business owners not paying taxes, it happens. Minorities are still minorities. Regardless of how many people they rally together, the final decision is up to us. As a white kid paying for school in loans (engineering major at that), I don’t understand how you could even think whites are discriminated against. Look at college stats. Only about 10-20% of minorities attend college and most of them aren’t able to finish. What is wrong with you?
There are scholarships out there for everyone but not a huge selection for 40 year old women in the workforce trying to continue an education. I know how frustrating it is!! I certainly found alot dedicated to religous background and sexual orientation though and what in the world does that have to do with anything? Any organization can create a scholarship, evidently.
Gasp! You mean that organizations and individuals can not only start a scholarship fund, but choose who benefits from it? I would never have known that this was allowed!
I am hispanic and didn’t receive any grants or help while attending college. I went to art school, it was expensive, /shrug. I just wish people would stop trying to tell me I can get a grant, when I really can’t :p
Wow, I haven’t read anything this whiny and immature in a long time. My guess is this girl has been handed everything her whole life and now expects to be handed a college education as well. Sorry little sister, but I have news for you – even us “minorities” have to work for it! I am Native American and receive scholarship money, but you better believe it is not a hand-out – I work my butt off to keep my scholarship. The minimum requirement is a 3.5 GPA in all of my college courses, plus a minimum of 100 hours working for my department. I can’t miss more than 5 days total of class in any given year, and I can’t drop any classes. Oh yes, and I’m majoring in Physical Science and Mathematics, not exactly easy subjects. Definitely not a “free ride”. So before you go hating on others and blaming them you need to look at yourself and ask some hard questions.
First of all, why do you feel entitled to get an education out of state? My college is less than 1/2 mile from where I live, because of the cost factor involved. Second, there is no lack of people majoring in art as you say you want to do and the competition for the money that is available is fierce. If you’re intending on majoring in art I assume you had to submit a portfolio – if you didn’t get any scholarships you need to take a long hard look at your work, not at the “minorities” you think are getting something that you’re not. I would look at your intended major long before I looked at your race as the reason you’re not getting scholarships. Third, there are scholarships for everything under the sun, but again, you’re going to have to WORK to find them, and WORK to apply for them – I apply for upwards of 100+ scholarships per year and I’m lucky if I win one or two – welcome to the real world –
no one is going to hand you anything for free in this life and your opinion that people win scholarships because they come from broken homes or judges pity them is ABSURD and ignorant. My advice to you is grow up and get to work. You can’t afford college? Get a part-time job and enroll in your local community college, live at home and if you want an art education at some out of state school you had better get down to some serious work because no one is going to hand you anything – white or minority!
Very, very well-said.
Completely agree. Work ethic, not race, is the key to success.
There are many factors that can help or hinder your road to success, but it is best to look at and see what you can improve with your own work, rather than scrutinizing others.
I will tell you why i think there are many scholarships for minority students. Becuase for them, getting a higher education feels in many instances impossible. In response to the article, I do not know any scholarship foundation that gives scholarships to any one “stupid”. One woud have to be stupid to think that. The federal government gives money to people in need but they have to do well in school to keep getting the money semester after semester. They also give money to middle class people including white people. I am hispanic and go to Santa Monica College. I know first hand the reasoning behind scholarship doners’ aim towards awarding minorities. I will tell you that they interviewed me before I won a scholarship and telling them that my parents were divorced(I they were) , or that I live in a reckless home(if I did) was not going to cut it. I told them that I had to work almost full-time to help support my family of six while going to school full-time as a “business” major and still volunteer as a math tutor in my college. Just to mention, for the most part, that would have been “irrelevant” and I would have not even been getting interviewed if I did not have a 3.89 G.P.A. The reasons why minority students who get good grades while overcoming many obstacles like myself win scholarships is because Scholarship Doners, who by the way are usually college graduates and are excellent analytical thinkers who would not give free money to anyone stupid, realize how impossible getting a good education can be for some students with financial need. Who ever believes that hispanics or other monirities are treated better than whites, they should learn a little more about the scholarship doners and thier reasoning. Ask yourself if you ever had to worry about feeding your family or having to move out of your house because your parents can not pay the mortgage anymore. I know It can get frustrating when people determine the white population as financially fit when that is not always the case. I have alot of friends who are white and whose parents make good money but do not give them a little more than a dime to get by. However, I think it is very unfair for someone to say that minorities simply tell thier sad ” I live in a bad neighborhood with drug-addict parents who fight all the time and hit me at times” story and win scholarships without excelling in any way in thier academics. A word of advice, If you ever take the time to care about someone else while getting good grades, who will be a competitive applicant for a scholarship.
Actually, I am one of those “racial minority” students who DOESNT receive special financial help. I’m paying for school all in loans. I’m a half black/half pacific islander female, and my family makes enough money where I don’t receive grants/scholarships on a financial need basis.
What that young lady needs to understand, is that scholarships given to underrepresented peoples (based on gender, sexuality, ethinicity, economics etc.) are to provide a way for people who ARE smart enough to succeed in college and desire to go with the opportunity to attend college– a chance that would otherwise not be available to them due to economic, historical or w/e issue.
No scholarships are award to “dumb” people for pity sake. I’m assuming she spoke out of frustration. I am a racial minority and I have difficulty finding scholarships also because my family makes enough money to pay for me to go to college. THAT’S THE POINT. I am ABLE to go to college because I have the means. There are people who have the mental ability but not the means. Those scholarships are for such people who couldn’t make it otherwise.
I agree with Judge also, that scholarships aren’t just for the “average” student in the first place. Wealthy white kids receive full-rides all the time IF they have the grades.
Sounds like a lot of us are really frustrated with this whole scholarship process. I know we sure are disillusioned. I really regret ever reading some of the “how to win college scholarships” books because they gave me a false sense of hope. One author claimed to have won $400,000 in scholarships and yes, she was female and a minority. It sure sounds like it’s not only us white folks who are having difficulty finding money for college. I actually teach at my son’s school (very small private school), and since we do not have a counselor, I had to educate myself on this entire college admission/scholarship process. My best advice to anyone interested is to figure out ASAP which college you are interested in, get admitted, and work like crazy to earn as many scholarships at your particular school as you can. My son ended up winning two scholarships for this fall, not huge ones, but we are very grateful, nonetheless. Study hard for your ACTs/SATs and retake them if needed to up your score. We did this too and he came up 3 points in his composite. I honestly think this is what earned him his scholarships. The national scholarships, in my opinion, are just too saturated with applicants and , for us, were a complete waste of time and resources. Hang in there, everyone. I think we all feel each others’ pain!
I am a white female – and between national merit, which I won in 97, and the 700 or so scholarships that I applied for in my junior and senior year of high school (2 five inch thick binders full of applications and essays), it cost me nothing to go to school. It may have helped that I was raised below the poverty line – but I really think the 3.9 GPA in Honors and AP classes (there was nothing above a 4.0 at my school, no matter what ‘level’ of class you took), a 35 on the ACT, a 1540 on the SAT, and the fact that I would write an essay for a $25 scholarship is really why I won so much money. Not because I had to sell plasma to pay my college application fees.
I understand that there are requirements for even minority students — however — there are scholarships strictly available to people of specific ethnic backgrounds and it’s considered okay. If someone tried to establish a scholarship for white students only, they would be called racist. If it’s wrong for one group, shouldn’t it be wrong for all groups? Alternatively, if scholarships are private the people establishing the scholarship should be able to set any standards they want to set; and that includes whites-only scholarships. Equal wrongs don’t make equal rights; and trying to “fix” past wrongs only drives a wedge between different peoples. It’s time we treated people like individuals and stopped worrying about what color they are.
Not really, because, as Judge said: those groups are historically underrepresented at universities. If we want to achieve proportionality between the number of kids who go to college/the total population of that particular group, then scholarship opportunities must be given.
No, sweetie, no one gets a scholarship just for being a certain race or ethnicity. Even the scholarships that are awarded by the Slavic Heritage Foundation have certain GPA requirements. And minority scholarships account for 7%, so where’s the other 93% going?
I am angered by Valari’s comments, She makes it seem as if every minority student, especially the one’s who “don’t try” automatically get scholarships. That’s ridiculous, I am a black student who received good grades in high school and was accepted to several colleges, but I had to go the community college route because I didn’t have the money to go my favorite pick, and yes I did apply for scholarships as well. Personally I feel that she is just lashing out, because she didn’t get a scholarship. I had to work my butt off to help pay my way through school, and I don’t like the fact that she thinks every minority has it easy, that’s why they have these scholarships because generally it’s not as easy being a minority in the States; what about the fact that women make only 78 cents for every dollar that men make in the same positions(Black women 69 cents Latina 59 cents)? What about the racial disparities in sentencing? What about the students in high schools in disenfranchised communities across the nation who are not even told that opportunities like scholarships exist, who are given substandard educations and are not even encouraged to do better? Have you thought about the children who live in stateside war zones, where every walk from school could be their last, because of gang members fighting over turf so they can sell more drugs to people whose actions help fuel the bloodshed? Consider the fact that most kids who come from a physically and emotionally abusive household -and are not given the same foundation that helps children from caring homes succeed- don’t do well, then when you have a kid that comes from that same situation and does well, that’s amazing. I think thats the premise behind scholarships, to reward amazing achievement.
I am also highly pissed off i can’t beleive she even thought of a question like that and you know i’m starting to think she is one of those racist White kids who doesn’t think that she owes any of the african americans or latinos any respect. We are the one who nurtured the grounds she lives on.
frankly, though, it is discouraging as hell to read through pages of potential scholarships only to find that you can only apply to about five out of 200. a lot of scholarships begin as private trusts, set up by people who concretely want to help someone specific. and someone specific is rarely the smart, but not particularly community service or civically involved, above 3.0 but not 3.5 white kid. as said white kid, there are a wealth of opportunities I simply can’t apply for off the bat, and this fact makes me sad. there is nothing racist in this observation.
I’m sorry to see that so many people feel that minorities don’t work as hard as white people. They have to work harder because they’re seen as inferior. Even though white kids might not get as much in scholarships, the odds of them getting a job after graduation are a lot higher. As a poor white kid that graduated college with all loans, I see the advantages white people have. The job that I have now had minorities with way more experience and education than me apply. And I got the job straight out of college. I haven’t had internships, my GPA is like 2.8 and I got this job because I’m white. You guys need to suck it up and stop acting like the world is racist against white people. White people made these scholarships!
Hi,
I am white, and I am middle class. I live in the north, and my family is from Germany. I am the second generation in this country. African Americans and Latinos were not the ones to “nurture the grounds I live on.” My family worked their butts off to be were they are, now. I owe nothing to African Americans or Latinos. The Civil Rights movement ended 40 years ago. I will respect you if you respect me, not because you come from an underrepresented ethnic group.
@Heather, couldn’t agree more! I am so tired of hearing how bad things are for minorities. If you work hard, there are so many programs designed just for you, so how can you say it is impossible. White people from all over face the same challenges you do and deserve a chance to compete in the same scholarships. Don’t call it equality when obviously you are making is unequal. It has been proven that in the next decade or two, minorities as a whole will outpace the caucasian population. Time for some change people!
Thank you Heather!!! I absolutely agree.
Hey Heather,
I’m in a similar situation, I’m first generation Hungarian. Neither of my parents have a four year degree and have worked harder than anyone I know to get where we are, a very middle class family. (I don’t even qualify for un-subsidized loans) However, my parents think I should learn the value of my education, so they aren’t helping me with anything at all. I made a 3.84 (not weighted) in high school, was “involved in my community,” worked part-time since the day I turned 16, didn’t do well on the PSAT junior year, so wasn’t national merit but got a 2270 on the SAT and a 32 on the ACT. I got $2000 dollars for an out-of-state school, which I’m incredibly grateful for, but it’s still not close to enough (and before everyone tears on me for going out-of-state, my state doesn’t have my major.) Even when I write essays about my parents’ struggle under socialism and bla bla bla I have yet to earn a single other scholarship. Now I’m a junior in college, I have a 3.8, work thirty-five hours a week, am involved in various academic clubs and organizations, volunteer tutor elementary and middle school students, I’m bi-lingual (english and hungarian) and have passed all sorts of competency tests in Russian and German. I still apply for every scholarship I’m eligible (which isn’t all that many) and still, nothing. Despite ethnicity, Hungarians are still a “white” race. I can’t think of anything else that works so hard against me. Especially when I know people who were Hispanic and African-American National Merit Scholars with PSAT scores lower than mine and because of that they got a full ride to the same school. I’m still applying for scholarships though! even if I could get a $500 break on a student loan payment it would be great.
Excuse me Deszda. But since when do the requirements change for the National Merit Scholars? Regardless of race, you still have to have a certain score to qualify. I don’t know why ‘white’ people rip on minorities when they don’t get what they want. I understand your frustration though because there aren’t a lot of scholarships for just the normal ‘white’ person and the ones out there have ridiculous requirements. I applied for at least 80 a year and I might have gotten 2. I’m still paying off loans. I went to a state school and there were only 7% blacks and about 3% latino. At the end of the day, you’ll probably still get hired over them with less qualifications. Get over, get loans, or drop out.
“I am white, and I am middle class.”
And how did that happen?
I highly doubt you slaved for anyone, including myself since I’m only 22 years old. I don’t owe african americans anything because they didn’t do anything for me! They did not nurture the grounds I live on, that’s a fact!! And neither did you.
Oh well slavery ended so no more racism then! Problem solved!
Cont’d
Perhaps Valari doesn’t get it, that you have to work hard to be successful. Unless you’re super rich. But they don’t need scholarships anyway.
Coming from a minority in poverty, there aren’t enough scholarships. I agree with the earlier comment that they expect poor Einsteins–usually around a 1400 on the SATs (with only math and critical reading) and an unemployed parent or a family making less than 40,000 a year. So minorities who make a 1200 on the SATs and belong to a family that makes 44,000 a year get no money.
In my opinion, a majority of minority scholarships are looking to save the world–and show the world their saving it (if that makes sense). They judge the winners by 75% eligibility, 20% sob story. 20% is still a big number.
I just want to say that I am an African American female from a working class, single parent family. I worked my butt off in high school and I continue to work hard at USC Upstate. Nothing is ever going to be handed to you. In high school, my guidance counselor wasn’t that helpful so I had to go out and search for scholarships that I qualified for. She even tried to turn our 5 day wait for transcripts to send to colleges into 10 days and so my senior class sent a letter to the principal to override her and make her move faster.
When you are applying for scholarships, you are taking a risk of either not winning it or winning it. It’s a gamble. You can’t compare yourself to other people and beat yourself up because you didn’t win a scholarship. Just because you applied for a scholarship does NOT mean that you’re automatically going to win them. You have to go above and beyond to make sure that you’re able to compete with all the other kids in the country that are applying for the same scholarships that you are applying for.
Local scholarships usually are the easiest to win. National scholarships are a little tougher because you are not the only kid who thinks they have done well in high school. What aids you in winning scholarships is how well rounded you are. What extracurricular activities are you in. What are you doing in your community to improve it. What other volunteering have you done. What organizations have you founded to help improve the community.
Yes there are minority scholarships but they too have stipulations that I don’t qualify for which is frustrating to me. And minority does NOT only apply to race when it comes to scholarships. There are scholarships for left handed people, disabled people, homosexual people, kids with homosexual parents and everything esle in between.
I personally believe that there are way more scholarships for graduating high school seniors going into their freshman year of college than any other classification in college. You just have to work hard. Also the assumptions that you are making are very extreme and they sound like they are being made out of frustration because they most definitely don’t sound like they are being made out of logic. But it’s ok to vent we all have those days. It’s tough for everyone. I’ll be a junior this fall and I’ll be in the nursing program and I’m still trying to apply for scholarships to help out. The overall factor is that college is expensive, very very expensive and you just have to continue to bust your tail in finding and applying for scholarships.
I understand what you’re saying about the sad story because I don’t have one either except for the fact that being that my mom is a single parent there is absolutely no way that I can afford college without the help of student loans, grants, and scholarships. But please before you make these outrageous assumptions make sure you can back these statements up with reliable sources. This could also be the reason why you’re not winning any scholarships.
Is she complaining because she is so “poor” that she can’t go out of state, so she has to “resign” with just going to an in-state college?.. Listen, I am a minority, I go to an in-state college, I’m majoring in art and psychology. I work to pay my school (I don’t make much, honestly) and I do receive a scholarship that pays 20% of my tuition (and I’m not going to say ONLY here, because I’m truly thankful)… My scholarship has nothing to do with me being a minority… my teachers nominated a couple of students based on academic standards…Oh! and I have to keep a high GPA to keep it every semester… So to be clear, the one who wants the education FIGHTS for it, always thinking that free money IS RARE to get… It sounds to me that your parents are able to pay for your school, so don’t complain, most people out there are not even able to go to college, but they educate themselves by reading books and doing non paid volunteer jobs in order to gain experience. In order to get an scholarship, you don’t have to be average, you have to EXCEL!
this is sad a hidden message of racism @ its finest… keep generalizing things to help you look better SMH
Statistically blacks have it harder then whites.
Personally I do believe that there are a lot of minority scholarships but for good reason, it gives minorities–those who have grown up with less than average hope and light for their possible future. They can’t personally fund themselves through college, nobody can now a days, so college can be a big milestone in their future and with just getting by in school, what kind of colleges are going to look at low scored students, what scholarship offers do they have for them? None really, most of the scholarships are won by white students from good backgrounds, parents were doctors, lawyers, etc., so with the help of the minority scholarships it can help out a great deal with minorities.
I think some people here are missing the point. The person who wrote the e-mail is not saying that EVERY BLACK, LATINO, HOMOSEXUAL AND ORPHAN is getting tons of scholarship money. The author is complaining of the fact that THERE ARE minorities scholarships, but there are no scholarships specifically for white students. That is, people from certain minorities, Latinos for example, are eligible to both Latino-only scholarships as well as to general scholarships. All in all, that IS a fair complain. Middle class white people ARE in disavantage when it comes to number of scholarships opportunities (even if the politically correct insist on saying otherwise).
There are scholarshps for everyone, every need. U wouldnt say that there were too many minority scholarships. I have been looking and found both. Not only that, but under certain fields.
I am a minority, middle class, and I didn’t qualify for very many college scholarships. The average test scores are a HUGE no no especially if you need scholarships. I scored higher than average for my scholarship, which was not a minority one, and had average grades. My high though was ranked in the nations top ten and the classes I took were difficult so the gpa was sort of overlooked. My scholarships, financial aid (not much) and loans still weren’t enough. I am in school, I work to pay for it that’s an idea. Also art schools, which I did also apply, are very very very difficult to receive scholarships to and for. They are also very very very expensive and not just the tuition. You’ll have to think out of the box for scholarships. Be creative seek the not so obvious and try for smaller ones that they’ll give out to average students. Also the minority thing is only relative to the school you attend. HBCUs offer MINORITY SCHOLARSHIPS TO WHITE STUDENTS too. You’ll be the minority but you’ll go for close to free like so many black, latino, native american, asian, alaskan, foreign etc do at mainstream universities. Oh and look at schools that offer strong art majors but aren’t art schools. If they have a nice size program then you’ll have a better shot at a scholarship there because they’ll be less students applying.
I, like you, am a working class white girl with a B average who wants to be out of state for art school. There were no scholarships for me anywhere to be found, which is fully my fault for not applying myself as I should have in high school. However, I have excellent test scores and a portfolio that has granted me scholarship money.
Here’s a sad fact though: Art doesn’t have a lot of money in a lot of places. The out of state school I love simply can’t afford to give art scholarships, and the school I did receive a scholarship to only made the tiniest dent in a huge private education tuition bill. But really, a Bachelor’s Degree in Art doesn’t mean much. It’s your Master’s degree that really counts in the job search, which is something I know from experience!
So, I am transferring in-state. It was a hard choice, but now I’ll have my parents’ help with a Master’s degree. I also have kept a job for years and pay for everything except tuition because I don’t want to put that much of a financial burden on my parents.
I have had some issues with some minority scholarships. I have just enough Native American blood to claim some ties in the looks department, but not enough for a scholarship. But it’s not a huge deal to me because a lot of minorities are in at risk situations and going to college will make their quality of life so much better! And your ignorant statement about people from broken homes getting scholarships just because of their situation just reveals how little research you’ve put into this topic.
What I REALLY have issue with is athletic scholarships. There is a student in my major with barely a shred of creativity when it comes to our projects, but has a full ride because of her ability to kick a ball around a soccer field. My portfolio that got money in a private school won’t get me anything in the public one I attended, and she gets a full ride and can’t draw a straight line? That’s something I don’t quite understand.
This makes me laugh, scholarship are investment! Why would a group of people want to invest on mediocre people, when the kid right next to him has the potential to contribute to society.
I am black. I am 21 years old. I am a female. My parents have money and I have a great job. I support myself and get straight A’s. I am applying to medical school in November. Not all minorities receive scholarships because they are from broken homes and all of that. Those who give African-Americans scholarships do so because they want to. You do NOT have to be broke to receive a minority scholarship. They help out minorities because they feel like those are the ones they want to help. They are narrowing the applicant pool to a smaller population. Like Mr.Josh said, I have NEVER seen ANY minority nor any non-minority receive a scholarship that did not deserve one academically. Stop being bitter. I receive scholarships because I excel in the minority pool and in the “non-minority” pool. I have won many scholarships that are tailored to all races. Are you going to be upset because I have taken scholarships away from someone “white”. Maybe I should apply to the “minority only” ones. My apologies. I get rejected all the time from minority scholarships because my family situation is not bad. I’m not upset. They CLEARLY need it more than me. There are MANY scholarships out there for the glbt community. Are you upset with them as well? Do you know how many students are club presidents, have a great gpas, do volunteer work, etc? How many “ideal” students are out there? MILLIONS. You have to sell yourself to the judges. And if that means I did all of the “ideal” things and you did all the “ideal” things but your mom raised you along with 5 other children on her own then by all means I think you deserve the scholarship more than myself and others who are priviledged enough to have to go through that. Those are my thoughts.
It disgusts me when I hear the anti-affirmative action arguments, which is what you are presenting here. “Why aren’t there scholarships for just white students”
There is white racial preference in higher education. This includes in scholarship recipients as well as acceptance. YOU CANNOT BASH ON THE PREFERENCES GIVEN TO STUDENTS OF COLOUR WHILE YOU IGNORE THE PREFERENCES GIVEN TO WHITES.
Example: “Anti-Affirmative Action Believes condemn the university of Michigan for giving 20 pts out of a 150 pt scale for students of colour while they ignored the pts that were given essentially for whites only: like the 16 pts you got if you were from the Upper Peninsula of Michigan (the snow isn’t the only thing white there), the 10 pts you got if you went to a top high school which means your parents live in the right zip code, the 6 pts you got for taking advanced placement classes which are 3 times more availible to predominantly white high schools than those of colour, or the 4 pts you got if daddy went to Michigan. ” – Tim Wise
MINORITIES ARE DISADVANTAGED IN COMPARISON TO THE MAJORITY THIS CANT BE IGNORED UNLESS YOU ARE WILLING TO DENY SLAVERY, SEGRAGATION AND DISCRIMINATION. Affirmative action (in this case minority scholarships) are not giving people something they didn’t work for. Compare minority scholarships to filling up a glass of water half full. Your not giving students a half glass of water they didn’t earn, you’re giving the a half glass of water because the glass of the majority, of the whhite students is already half full. MINOITY SCHOLARSHIPS ARE EQUAL OPPORITUNITY AND IF LITTLE WHITE BILLY CAN’T GET A SCHOLARSHIP THAT HE IS RACIALLY PREFERRED TO GET, WELL THAT SUCKS, MAYBE HE SHOULD HAVE TRIED A LITTLE HARDER INSTEAD OF RELYING ON HIS “WHITE” CARD TO GET HIM BY.
Hi,
I just got into the University of Michigan, and you are trying to say that I got in just because I am white. I have worked my butt of in my 5 AP classes in high school, and I am proud of my 3.8 grade point average. My dad went to community college because he couldn’t afford to go to Michigan. My mom graduated 3 years ago from a 4 year college. My parents have worked hard to make their children smart and respectful. My brother goes to the University of Michigan, and he has a 3.7 grade point average there.
You did notice that 20 points out of 150 is 13% of the total score. That is 13% that someone who was born a different color receives, just for being “underrepresented.” Isn’t this exactly what MLK, Malcom X, and Rosa Parks tried to stop? Why are the people these great leaders where protecting are now trying to do the same thing to Caucasians?
Plus, your information is old. I remember reading that article 3 years ago.
I hope you have a good day. Please don’t take anything I wrote offensively; I am just writing my opinions.
We are ALL unfortunate. It doesn’t matter what race you are. College is much too expensive for anyone. That is why we take out loans…cause our parents cant pay. After you graduate, you get a job to pay off the loans. Its a vicious cycle. You try to go to a state school and they raise their tuition too…and that degree isnt good enough in todays world. Its a no win situation
Here’s a big thing: A lot of scholarships are private, so for instance, little old Mrs. Smith down the road died with $40 million to her name. She’s black and never had a chance to go to college, so she donates that money specifically for black kids wanting to go to college. There are not any scholarships specifically for white kids, I guarantee it. That’s what we would consider “racist.” [I will save you my rant on double-standards for another day]
The thing that bothers me most is that the fact that I’m white is like, a strike *against* me. We went from you’re black/Latino/Asian/what have you *strike one* to you’re white middle class *strike one*
As far as I’m concerned, it should be illegal to offer scholarships on account of race. You want equality? Prove it.
There is not such thing as ‘white’ people. Even albino’s can be from any ethnicity. Caucasian students can receive scholarships geared specifically towards them just like the rest of the combinations of human love. Have you ever heard of community centres for the Croatian or Polish? There are tiny little scholarships that some group will give you if you are for example, Irish and male. That example wasn’t made up. I wouldn’t guarantee that there are “not any scholarships specifically for white kids”.
Who is to say that people can’t give money to whoever they like?
Receiving scholarships is not a right, it’s a privilege-an honour given because of hard work, grades, volunteer work-and however consciously-for fitting into the niche that those backing and judging the scholarship want to give their money to.
LOL strike against you for being white? Yes, I’m sure you have it hard. Also, I hope you’re just as pissed about legacies and athlete recruitment.
I just want to say, that as a female math major (which counts as a minority, as does the fact that I’m Jewish) who does volunteer work and has a high GPA, there aren’t a billion scholarship boards banging on my door wanting me to take their money (admittedly there might be more of them if I put forth a lot of effort and applied for many scholarships instead of just a few per year). I wish there were, though, since I’d love nothing more than to be able to study math without needing a job to do so.
Are there a lot of scholarships for (certain) minorities? Sure. Does that mean that everyone who falls into those special minority classes gets a bunch of free money? No. In my department there are LOADS of people who fall into classical minority groups who get no scholarships but pay for school using grants, loans and jobs. And in some instances, pay for school using loans and jobs only.
Perhaps some/all of this anger should be funneled into productivity instead of ranting about being a white person who’s discriminated against. Everyone has handicaps preventing them from getting all the scholarships they want. Your handicap just happens to be that you’re white and average. I sincerely hope this defeatist attitude isn’t showing up in your scholarship essays, because if so it may be a contributing factor to you not getting any free monies. Maybe as a demonstration that you’re funneling this anger into productivity, you can pick up some volunteer work, go to community college and get a job to start saving up for a later transfer to the art school(s) of your choice. And if that still doesn’t work, then job + grants + loans will have to suffice – just like it does for a larger percentage of students (myself included) out there.
I think you need to chill out. You’re talking about minorities recieving the scholarships and everything. Believe it or not all minorities aren’t recieving much. So cool it. And the reason you might not have gotten a scholarship might have been the way you wrote your admissions statment or the the reasons for needing the scholarship. If it’s not convincing enough, you won’t get it. You can’t apply for scholarships using the same tactic and there are other scholarships you can look for. I have seen countless ones that were out there for any nationality. You just have to know where to find them. But pointing fingers at minorities will get you no where.
I am an African-american female who has applieda for several scholarships and have not received financial assistance from either parent. My EFC is 0, but for some reason I still cant find enough money to finish out my senior year of college. You are NOT the only one who has not received scholarships and although there are minority scholarships, alot of them do require you to be a braniac!!! There are plenty of scholarships that do not require you to list your ethnicity. Like he said…its real competitive out there. Alot of people think that I should be alot of scholarship out there for me, but its not easy.
I do not think that scholarships for certain groups of people are a bad thing as long as all groups are equally represented. This is NOT going to happen. Especially since most of the funds are private and left to the sole discretion of the donor. Every student deserves an equal opportunity to reach their potential regardless of ethnicity, race, religion or background. I think that hard work and achievement should count for something in this world. We have begun to hyper-focus on skin color and have lost sight of the things that can be achieved by those few hard workers that are given a chance.
I am also a white student who finds it very difficult to receive a scholarship. Most of the ones I have found for females are all for minority students, which I am not. The only ones I have qualified for are working student scholarships, which are few and far between and not high dollar amounts unfortunately. I do agree that a lot of scholarships are private so they can award the money to who they wish, but I wonder if there were a private scholarship for an avaerage white female if some would deem it racist? Just curious.
Wow. This is email is ridiculous. I am a minority who has applied for many scholarships and I have only received one. Why does this person degrade minorities so much and say that giving a scholarship doesn’t make someone smart? Or why that if they didn’t succeed now what makes them think they will achieve in the future? I mean seriously what kind of person is that. Stop complaining and maybe you would get scholarships if you actually did something worthy of receiving a scholarship. Your SAT just proved that you were average. Get over it; stop complaining and blaming people,like me, for getting money. I am a minority and I believe I deserve to get money as much as white people do.I can’t believe someone would write an email like this.
I do not think there are too many scholarships for minorities. There are scholarships out there for white people. The country’s population is predominantly white and tend to be considered the ethnicity with more money and own more business. Therefore, they should offer a lot of scholarships to minorities. I don’t know where some people get the idea that you can be a dumb or poor minority and still get a scholarship. That is a false statement because regardless of the fact that some of the scholarships require a person that is a minority, these scholarship donors are still looking for smart and hardworking minorities. Not every minority out there has been granted scholarships, so neither white nor black should be jealous or complaining. Maybe your time will come and maybe it won’t, move on, you do not get everything you want in life.
Why are the non-minority students the “average” student? You imply that minorities are not.
Utilizing racial information of applicants as criteria for determining scholarship awards is a racist policy. Period.
Are you Irish/Italian/polish…? You say there are no scholarships for white people but During my [failed] scholarship searches, I came across scholarships for different types of white people, according to nationality. Unfortunately, I’m not white so I couldn’t apply for one. Also, there are ones depending on what religion/denomination you belong to. I’m in a state university now but when I applied for scholarships, I came up dry and I have great SAT scores. And I’m a woman. All I’m saying is that if you can’t get a scholarship, don’t blame it one minorities having them because 9/10 times, we didn’t get one either. And I’m sure whatever scholarship you applied for, you lost out to a white person. You should retake the SAT’s to increase your chances. And remember that they are always adding new scholarships so don’t stop looking, even when you get into college. Good luck!
I think the hardest thing for me to stomach is the governmental guidelines on taking out student loans. According to them and my FAFSA, I’m only eligible to take out a fraction of my tuition balance because I’m under 24 years old, I don’t have a child, I’m not married, and I haven’t served active duty–therefore, I’m a dependant on my parents and must use their tax information on my FAFSA even though I’m a homeowner! They make too much money on paper for me to receive financial aid, so what message is the government sending? Have a baby young? Get married young?
Apparently. That’s why I am working full-time just to make it through school. UGH!
Are you kidding me! What is the percentage of white kids at Harvard, Yale, Brown, Stanford, University of Michigan etc…? The student body is probably around 70 to 80 percent White, and some people say they are under represented? Give me a break, I believe some people would like to slide back to Jim Crow where Whites had all the advantages and minorities had absolutely none. There was a time when Black kids did not even qualify for grants because of their race; the grants where only for White kids, no one complained then! After centuries of inequality do you think 40 to 50 years is going to correct the damage?—-Please. In closing, one spin answer to these questions is “well I was not there at the time of all of this inequality.” Well, neither was I !
I am going to assume you are an African American. Did you know that Africa tribal leaders would capture another tribe/village, and then they would sell those people to the while slave traders that came to Africa? Slavery has been occurring since the beginning of recorded history. I am not saying slavery, segregation, inequality, ect. are right, but Caucasians did not start the practice. Don’t fool yourself into thinking they did.
I did not live in the 1600, 1700, 1800, or the most of the 1900’s. Like you said, neither did you. Why should you be “paid back” for something that never happened to you by me, who never did any of the wrongs?
Heather
I’m an Asian-American who scored a 1430 on the old SAT in the early 90’s, had a 3.4 high school GPA with 8 AP courses, played violin, sang in an a capella group, taught Sunday school, ran cross country and was on the soccer team. Scholarships applied for: 12. Scholarships won: 0. My folks were middle class and could afford to put me through school with the help of some loans + my work-study, but don’t fool yourself into thinking that minority scholarships are a dime a dozen and have low standards. Especially now, even for those geared toward under-represented groups, scholarships are EXTREMELY competitive. I had the opportunity to meet some low income (African-American and Latino-American) high school senior scholarship winners through my alumni association and they are VERY bright and talented and could easily compete with the top students at any highly-ranked suburban school.
I’m a black woman. I attended school on a state funded scholarship (not for minorities) because of my gpa and ACT scores and the fact that I did just as well or better than my white peers. The scholarship only covered part of tuition and I had to work three jobs and go to school full time until I graduated. I attended a majority white institution and no preference was ever given to be because I am a mionrity. I’m starting dental school in the fall. I think this GIRL (because she is obviously exhibiting the “look at what they have and I don’t” mentality of a child) should suck it up and do what she has to do to get where she wants to go. The fact that she is looking for a pity party is a sign that she has a lot of maturing to do. Life never seems fair to the person living it so he or she does what is necessary to make it more bearable for themselves. She’s an art major, and not to lessen the seriousness of an art curriculum, but I’m sure she can find some alternatives to a four year institution that will relieve her finincial worries if it is causing her this much grief.
Sarah
I feel your pain, my son too is 23 he is in college he do not qualify for grants we make to much money as well. He do not live with us he has to work to pay for his school and apartment. He do not have any children, he is not married either. He did not qualify for any scholarships he graduated with an 3.0. It really really upsets me for not only my child but as others such as your self to have to have it so tough for becoming a prodoctive citizen.
So keep doing what you are doing and with God on your side it will all be worth it in the end. I have to encourage my son as well, because he gets frustrated as well.
God Bless you!
There are actual surveys for caucasians (or more specifically non-African-Americans) at some HBCU’s. Langston University offers 300 dollars per semester to non-African Americans in the form of a “diversity scholarship”. There is a gpa minimum, but it’s low.
I think Allie hit the nail on the head.
Many minority scholarships are for people who have a certain SES AND excel in school. Most scholarships have a GPA requirement of some sort. Money isn’t just handed to you because of your race – you still have to earn it.
Besides, scholarships rarely cover the full cost of tuition of many institutions if you apply for them outside of a specific institution. Those given to minorities are not nearly enough to take away from the fact that working hard will help, but education is stil way expensive.
I’m African-American and middle class, and I have applied for multiple scholarships that I did not get; some I can’t even apply for because of SES. In order to pay for school, we take out loans. Money is not handed to you on a silver platter just because you’re black, or hispanic, or any other minority. It’s based on a combination of things.
As stated above, scholarship judges rarely award money just because they feel sorry for you. Imagine coming from a past where, regardless of how intelligent you were, how high your GPA was, or how hard working you were, you would never get a chance to attend any educational institution only because of your race. That’s why many scholarships for minorities exist in the first place.Also, scholarships are only a very small part of helping an already high scoring student with low SES have a chance at a college education. The rest involves loans, jobs, and work study. It takes work, but there are ways that you can still pay for an degree without complaining about not being eligible to recieve minority scholarships.
I love the way Native Mama responded. And you know what guys you have to understand the source. This is obviously a girl who doesn’t know much about the outside world and how hard other people (not white) have to work. Yes there are many scholarships for us minorities, but think of how many of us there are!! I mean really, in the U.S. whites are becoming the minority soon! So when you look at the popluation of minorities alone, there is fierce competition out there man! There’s so many of us trying to get the same ones and striving to make the grade, without the politics. It’s much harder for minorities in any society, let alone getting money for school.
So my advice to this girl, get some minoritiy friends and see how they feel about it. See how hard they have to work, actually how much HARDER they have to work. We don’t get handouts like a lot of…. other “cultures” I’ll say. And the requirements are just as random and just as tough.
In short, get over it and keep working your butt off. In the end it’ll pay off, no matter what race or color you are.
No matter what struggles with which any group had to contend, being a member of that group, no matter what kind of group it is, is not an accomplishment. I think if we, as a society want to be truly fair, then scholarships based on those kind of factrs should not be given. I think everyone should have a fair shot at any scholarship. I apply only for scholarships where, theoretically, at least, a member of any group could be eligible.
Technically speaking there are scholarships aimed at white students but ethnicity is emphasized as opposed to race for those scholarships. For example, instead of saying white students the organization will say “Italian American, German ancestry, etc. In that case, while the odds of a mixed minority student wining such a scholarship is low, it’s not entirely impossible. Also, some colleges offer students whose relatives have graduated from the school a significant discount, which while not the same as a scholarship can still greatly lower out of pocket expense.
Anyway, while I can sympathize with middle class white students, know that middle class minority students like myself really aren’t doing that much better. I was an above average but not genius student whose father made too much money so i feel into the smart but not smart enough category and the parent(s) make good money but are only co-signing the loans category as well. My advice is to suck it up and get a job if you really want to go to that out of state school or suck up your pride, still get a job, and save for a little while at a community or in-state college. :-/
I think that you are overgeneralizing everything and that you are making your comments out of frustration. I am a hispanic female that went out of her way to do as many extracurricular activities while still maintaining a high GPA in high school ( I was valedictorian of my school). All the scholarships I received were because I did my best in everything that I could do, not because scholarship judges were sorry for me for being a hispanic female.
So, let me get this straight, you want an academic scholarship to go to a private art school out of state and you’re mad because you were an “average” student in high school with “average” SAT scores? I used to work in an art school (a pretty good one actually) in New York City and let me tell you something, there are not too many scholarships out there for artists and if you do get them, you better be a damn good artist. But it’s probably better this way anyways, you would have ended up drowning in debt with a BFA where you cannot get a job with because they water down English and math skills for you.
As for a lot of minority scholarship. You need to quantify a lot. Because, there are definitely not a lot. And if there are, you better be a damn smart minority. Low-achieving, low-SES students do not get scholarships, that’s why they end up in community college and then would have to work their way throughout community college to pay tuition. Just go look at the criteria for a minority scholarship and you’ll see what I’m talking about. And minority scholarships are given to level out the playing field for groups that were traditionally underrepresented and still underrepresented in higher education. With the exception of minority-serving institutions, Af-Am and Hispanic students only make up about 5-10% of any population of a school. And giving scholarships to minorities is not racist, especially when we live in a white and male dominated society.
And my other issue is why would anyone want to give you a scholarship for being average? And the sympathy card is not because the other applicant was Black or Hispanic. It’s because someone’s 3.0 in a low SES school is not the same as a 3.0 in a high SES school. That kind in a low SES school has to work 100 times harder with less resources. That kid might have to share textbooks, work on top of school to support the family, and did not have SAT prep courses. That’s why that 3.0 is better than your 3.0.
And one last point, you think it’s easy for minorities to get scholarship. You should see how easy it is for them to get into college first or to even transfer to a good college. Hispanics community college students have a .004% chance of actually one day transferring to a school in the Univ of California system. Imagine that, then just go look at the freshmen/transfer accept rate for Whites.
“The country’s population is predominantly white and tend to be considered the ethnicity with more money and own more business. Therefore, they should offer a lot of scholarships to minorities.” Maybe I’m misinterpreting this, but I’m offended by this statement. Furthermore, the percentage of white kids at Harvard, Yale, Brown, Stanford, etc, are the kids who either got 4.0s or have money. They are probably not there on scholarships if, as I stated, they got 4.0s. And I agree that scholarships should be awarded blind to race and gender.
That’s my two cents on the issue.
Not everyone from a rough background gets a scholarship. I grew up in a drug house had to raise my brothers until i was 16 and department of children’s services came and place me into my grandparents house. I can’t get a scholarship either. It is frustrating but even if you have a rough background you also have to have good test scores and a decent GPA. Most of those kids that had a rough background all have high ACT/SAT scores and show potential.
Wow, what a bitter letter. I understand being frustrated with the scholarship process as a whole, by why the bitter tone toward minorities and scholarships? I am a minority and I have not won ONE scholarship geared for either non-minority applicants or minority only scholarships. It is a tiring process for all involved, not just non-minorities. Also, where are the supposed abundance of scholarships geared towarrd minorities? I have yet to find this abundance.
I want to say that there is not too many scholarships for minorities. For years we were discriminated against and weren’t able to have as much as the whites now you want to complain about scholarships. Maybe if you do more community service, get a higher GPA, or do better applications then you wouldn’t have to worry about it, because there are PLENTY of scholarships out there for every race so just look around instead trying to blame minorities.
Scholarships are made by organizations to be given to people that the *organizations* feel deserve it.
YOU COULD, always, of course, STRIKE IT RICH and CREATE A SCHOLARSHIP. I hope I can win yours maybe? I’m totally average! I’m also not poor enough to be destitute nor rich enough to buy my way in: Barsch’s “purgatory” (I like that term, BTW).
Unfortunately, since that applies to about half the nation, I’ll have to beg you to remember my name, so that when I say, “I’m Jason from outlawstudent.com” you could perhaps remember and award me a scholarship out of the others? 😛
Cheerio!
Lets see…. I have plenty of the “pity” card, and it certainly hasn’t done me any good, so I’m not really sure what this girl is talking about.
– My parents are divorced
– My father was abusive and is now a homosexual alcoholic drug addict (nothing against gays, but he took out his denial on my brother and I)
– I’m way below the poverty line, making less than $1000 a month.
– My GPA was only 2.6 because, guess what, it’s hard to study when your father is screaming at you and throwing shit at you because he’s drunk off his ass. Maybe a little sympathy would be nice.
– I’m a first generation college student- no one in my family has ever gone to college
– My parents helping? What a joke! But like Sarah said- FAFSA is ridiculous. I’m no married or single mom with a military background, so no help from the government either. I’m under 24, so I’m a dependent? Apparently making 3,000 (total) a month in a 3 person household is too much to get help.
I could go on, but I wont. But I’ve probably applied to hundreds of scholarships and received nothing. Sympathy has nothing to do with it- you need to be smart. Oh, and being an art major (I’m going to major in Graphic Design)- I don’t think a lot of scholarships want to pay for art majors. Math and teaching, yes- art? No.
The reverse racism comments puzzle me. Its seems either no one is listening or no one gets the picture. Like the comment from the actual scholarship judge made, no one is looking for average students whether they are white, black, latino, asian, or whatever. If you’re dumb and rich you can pay your own way, if you poor and smart (notice I didn’t mention race here) you can get a scholarship. Who’s the missing link? AVERAGE PEOPLE of all walks of life. Its not about reverse racism, there are two times more white people than all other races combined in america so unfortunately there’s more blending when it comes to backgrounds, views and opinions offered. Seeking minorites does more than add color (no pun intended) to a univeristy, but it also adds cultural differences that a presented with the goal of producing more cultured, well rounded, productive, and open minded workers for the future of this “melting pot” we call america.
If you think every Black person is going to college on free ride scholarship, I have some land sell you. Real cheap too. You seem to be upset because you dont belong to a protected class and you heard the dollar amount for a minority based grant thinking its a free ride.
Just like there are schoarships for the 18 year old rich kid who’s dad helped him at 11 years old with his calculus problems, there are grants that can help make up the deficits caused by unfair distribution of resources our education system. The cost is to have an experience within a protected class. Do you think our education system treates everyone equally? Our education system distributed to a school is based on propoerty values. If you live in a community where the land is cheap, your public school wont help you at all black or white.
A white person can belong to a class that might enable a scholarship too; the cost is to be dirt poor or have a condition that gets you identified within a protected class. If high school is interrupted due to a disability, most states have programs that will pay for almost of half of the college that is needed. Angry people bark and say thats not fiar It doesn’t give an unfair advantage, it just makes up for the deficit caused by disability. Without it the federal system wont give ’em a chance.
What happens if you need more than 180 credits or 150% of the credits outlined your curriculum to graduate? You will never get the chance to graduate—even if you pay for all that remedial work yourself. Those credits will accumulate and the financial aid department will cut you off once you hit those federal caps. College is the only place where you can go once high school is over and there are people who need an extension because a economic circumstance or disability.
If there are scholarships awarded for whining, this person definitely deserves one. Is she jealous of anyone who is not her? I think you gave her excellent advice, and the only thing I would add is the need for a job, paper route, babysit, dog walk, anything that will get her away from talk radio and right-wing blogs and provide some small sense of independence.
I am kind of offended by her first question about why $10,000 are awarded to basically dumb minorities who had it rough growing up. I have to laugh at that for the simple fact there are quite a few minority scholarships that require you to have a 3.8 gpa period. I went to an ARTS highschool that excelld academically and in the Arts and let me tell you it was not so easy attaining a 3.8 gpa! I had a 3.5 and I earned that more so academically then in my art. The most difficult part was balancing both, and having people who were ranked higher take easy art classes to boost their gpa. AVERAGE will get you no where! If you want any kind of money you have to FIGHT for it and stop sitting around complaining about minorities receiving more than you because they bust their behind to excel and you were AVERAGE!!!! I know quite a few of my peers who recieved a scholarship in the ARTS and they were not average. You might need to re think your major or become more than AVERAGE in your craft!
This post is unbelievable and highly laughable. I am not sure how far along you are in your studies but no offense, you sound very uneducated. Agreeing with the previous post, if you knew half of your own history, you would realize why there are so many scholarships for minorities (not just for Black Americans) and if you cared one smidgen of an iota for equality, you would agree that there should be many more scholarships available. I am truly astounded at the continual disrespect for the deserved quality of life of non-white people groups. They DESERVE a chance, and yes a leg up, heck two legs up, for what your ancestors have put them through. Your ancestors held them back, reduced their numbers (through attempted genocide) and treated them as if they were less than humans for centuries. Now today there are fruits of hope and change, and not without the help of humanitarian effort to assist them in achieving the life many people like you take for granted. You whine about your average whiteness and you take all the privileges that come with it for granted. There better not EVER be a scholarship available for someone that is just an ‘average white person’ because there is no such thing. The worse bum on the street that happens to be white would get better privileges than your ‘average’ minority that you attend school with. By the way, just to let you know, there are plenty of scholarships that are mostly just for your ‘kind’, they are hidden behind the criteria and you need to learn the buzz words and make your self fit, you already have the non-color going for you so there should be no reason why you would not be eligible. Since you insist on stereotyping minorities as ignorant, like your unlearned ancestors did, look for the scholarships that look for A+++ students in math and science programs, you probably won’t find too many minorities there, except a lot of Asians. I have been to several parts of Asia and everywhere I went I saw the importance they placed on the education of their children, especially in the sciences, even in the poor villages; it was quite impressive. They historically are known to work really hard and excel, on purpose, in those areas. Here is some grown up advice: stop being so short-sighted and grow up. Learn your history and care about it so you won’t grow up to be that angry white kid that gets high blood pressure at an early age. Realize that no one is the master of your circumstances, not even the scholarship judges and that you can and will do it without them, like students of all walks of life are doing right now, including me, and are the better for it. Look into fields where there are shortages of something and a sincere need to be met like nurses or doctors or teachers in under served areas; the Appalachia Mountains for instance (which is majority white and poor and rural). Go do something wonderful, give back and serve your people because you feel they deserve a better chance at something. I am sure they need good math teachers in those rural places where poor people of your culture live. Expand yourself, if you do, you will find there are scholarships willing to help you. They would rather put you there to serve those people than serve them themselves. Get creative, open your closed heart and GET OVER YOURSELF! Then and only then will you cease being average. By the way in addition to the last line of the last poster. None of us were there at the time of all that inequality, however if we are white we are reaping all the benefits of having a life of unchallenged wealth, livelihood and opportunity and if we are non white, we are reaping the benefits of having all of our ancestors being held back and prevented in some way, unable to pass much of a financial heritage on to us, and now in our life time we have to bear the burden for it. Oh well, such is life.
“Be the change you want to see” and when you die a wealthy person, make sure YOU set up a scholarship fund for people like you, but please don’t title it for average white kids, what’s so special about that? It sounds bland to me. Better to title it for hard working students with stellar grades who don’t test well. I get that, that is my problem too, it doesn’t reflect your intelligence, you should know that and don’t feel bad about it, just work on it and over come it. This post goes for the rest of you crying for equality. How can you be equal with something or someone when the scales are not balanced from the beginning? Is something wrong with your math? Still unclear: YOU GOT A HEAD START BY DEFAULT, so therefore you have all of your past working for you and people not like you have all of their past working against them. You have an unseen wind edging you forward, and they have a much seen force attempting to hold them back. So where is the equality in that? Just saying. Best to you this weekend.
Minority scholarships exist simply because minorities are generally under-represented in postsecondary education. In Canada there are more scholarships for Aboriginals than other groups (many are also eligible to have their band pay for postsecondary education). Yet there are maybe three Aboriginals in my class of 200.
While I think that says that this method really doesn’t work in encouraging the under-represented into postsecondary (and I suspect it does nothing but cause the sour grapes represented in this letter which will make it more difficult for those who do take advantage of such opportunities), at least it’s an attempt. White kids will come regardless. Other minorities are also well represented here, and there are few scholarships for them.
I do have to say that when someone gives out a scholarship, they’re doing some kid a favour-certainly they have the right to say whom they want to do such a favour for. To complain that someone isn’t doing you a favour requires a crazy sense of entitlement.
I’m a nontraditional white female attending an HBCU as a CompSci major, and there’s no money for me, either. We’ve got very low tuition rates (right around 75/credit hour), and some of my fellow sufferers still work full-time and attend school full-time because they can’t get any money, either. And these are NOT people who got to college based on their skin color – one guy just got an NSA grant, and believe it, if you don’t have the grades, your skin color is no help in that arena. I go to school with smart people. And we all struggle to get by.
You don’t have to be a great student with high grades to get in at Cooper Union – but you do need to be a really good artist, dedicated to your craft. And while you have to pay for your food and lodging, once you’re accepted, tuition is FREE. Community college is a great way to go – the one I started art classes in was rankded third IN THE COUNTRY (stacked against four year schools as well) for the quality of their program and their students’ work.
I realize your complaint is that there is no help for you, but frankly, there just isn’t that much available to ANYONE, these days (it was much better before Reagan took office. I’m old enough to remember that). The sad fact is, if this is what you want, you really are on your own. It doesn’t matter if there are other people who are getting money while you don’t. The only way to make this work is to focus on what YOU have to do to get it done. If you can’t get a scholarship or grant right now, start with what you have and see if your stellar performance can help you get money after your first year.
You know what you need to do – find money for school. Go do it. Don’t waste your time or energy on anything else.
Stop whining like a little baby! I don’t want to say you but really, if one scholarship don’t work, try another one. It’s not the end of the world. If you’re average, present yourself in an unique way to the judges so that they will look at your application over another student’s in other scholarships. There are hundreds of scholarship that are aimed towards all students regardless of background. Try a little harder and stop pitying yourself. You’re the reason why you don’t get the scholarship. You think the entire world is set against you. Don’t think that I don’t have a feel of where you are, I have been in the same position, but get over it. Yes, you’re from the middle class, and you want to go to an art school outside your home state, but the reality is that regardless of what art school you graduate from, you still have a bachelor (that I am assuming) degree in the arts. Life is fair; if you work hard enough and not complain about your situation, you will have your rewards in the end. But honestly, you should be happy that you’re not from the lower class – you have more opportunities in terms of schooling, education, etc available that those who are from the lower class. They might have to bust their behind off to work for their families to support them, yes, they have more scholarships available, but how many do you think actually have the time to fill out the application and perfect their essays so that they can actually win? Not much if they have to balance out their work, schooling, family, and their homework assignments. You, on the other hand, have 3 steady meals each day. You go to school without worry that there won’t be a decent meal available when you get home. You don’t have to worry about providing for your family, etc. You have decent amount of time to finish your homework, eat your 3 meals, etc. Of course you have time to perfect your essay.
It’s not just up to the judges to just “pity” the minorities (as you claim), the applicants must demonstrate their talents to the judges so that they CAN win the scholarship. What’s the point to having a scholarship competition if the judges are just going to give out money to those just because they came from a bad background? The judges might as well hand them out openly, that will saves them a lot of time and energy.
Not to sound rather harsh, but truly evaluate yourself before you whine about how terrible your situation is. If this scholarship does not accept you, forget about it, and move on to the next one. There are millions of scholarships out there, not just for the “minority”, you just need to spend more time to search for them! There are no free lunches in this world.
“Why aren’t there more scholarships for White students than Minorities” is the question that was asked…..and the answer is because for YEARS, the ONLY PEOPLE WHO COULD ATTEND COLLEGE WERE WHITES!!! The “Minority” students were either attending schools (Colleges and Universities) that were predominately of that particular minority (Indian students went to Indian colleges, Black students went to Black colleges) during the time of Jim Crow laws, where “equal but separate” was the law of the day—even though White students could attend these same colleges, the reverse was NOT the same. As for financial consideration, normally, the “minority” students were far-less funded than their white counterparts, and thus during the 60’s, YEARS after Jim Crow was abolished, funding for minority students was made available…..and it’s taken generations to even come close to the equality of White students to get funding for college! To me, when this question is asked, all I hear is not the question, but the racism BEHIND the question, and will put the onus of the person who asked this question as to what they are referring to. Normally, it is a White student who will ask this, and it is not for the reason of financial ability that they ask the question, but more one of a racial matter that they ask………and like much today in the US, is more a cover for a racial indignity or racist slur than a question.
There were 2 kids, both very bright, that I went to high school with. Both applied to a school considered one of the top 10 in the country. The one with the slightly lower grades/test scores got accepted and the one with slightly better grades was denied. The girl who got in was black and the boy denied was white. Both lived in the same town and went to the same school. The whole “diversity on campus” over actual aptitude is a racist policy. On the same note, I will admit as a woman I think the women-only scholarships are sexist. If a woman is just as smart as a man why cant a guy compete for the same scholarship?
Are you aware of these kids’ applications? You don’t know why he was not accepted. And women weren’t allowed in universities many years. We didn’t become equal in enrollment with men until 1980.
Yeah, here in Canada most of the minority scholarships are for Natives, and are sponsored by the government. I used to have a problem with this, but given situations like Char mentioned, I don’t see a problem with it anymore. Most of the other scholarships aimed at minorities are donated by clubs or societies dealing with that community- like, say, a centre for Chinese immigrants giving scholarships to people who help out in the Chinese community in some way. There’s no problem with that either.
I think if there’s any trend I’ve found disturbing, it’s the trend toward requiring either ridiculously high GPAs and a tremendous amount of community involvement. Over the last few years, I’ve noticed these two things seem to be more and more important for scholarships… which is probably why, with a moderate amount of community activities and a GPA of around 3.5, I still can’t seem to get any scholarship money. I think there should be less weight put on volunteer work and more on personal merit & circumstances.
Despite what this person thinks, coming from a low-income background doesn’t guarantee you any help (hardworking or not), but it does make going through school a hell of a lot harder. You think you’ve got it bad cuz you’re white and middle class? Try living in a 1-parent house, living at home AND paying rent (but not moving out cuz it’s still cheaper than having your own place), sharing your room with 2 other people, and your house with 10 other people- including small children you get to help look after- while maintaining a good GPA. Then you apply for scholarships, only to find out that you don’t volunteer enough to get one. Talk about unrealistic expectations.
I think that if you, like most middle-class students I know, have a place to stay for free where your parents are able to help you with some stuff, count yourself blessed. You’ve got a lot more going for you already than us “broken-home” people.
I get where this girl is coming from. I had a 3.75 GPA all througout high school. I had above average ACT scores and still received nothing. I am the furthest thing from racist but she does have a point. I had friends in high school who were black, their families has more money than mine and they came from the same kind of family as me 2 married parents. They both had free rides to college and were able to go to a university, while I am stuck in a community college that I can barely afford. I cannot get student loans because I don’t have a co-signer. So I do think minorities have a better chance at scholarships than the average white person.
Maybe they were better students? With friends like you…
As a multi-racial student, I do not like minority scholarships. Scholarships should be based more on merit, and not on race. I’ve applied to minority scholarships in the past, and I heard a few times from committees that I would have won the scholarship if I was more ‘minority’ and ‘less white.’ And truthfully, growing up I had some confusion of what race I should identify with when asked my ethnicity. If society truly wants equality for all, they should have grants and scholarships not based on race, but on merit, skill, and work ethics.
I am wondering…does the author of this letter perceive those who come from “broken homes” to be under achievers; academically or otherwise? Just because one is from a “broken home” does not mean that they do not excel as well or better than those that are from so called “good homes”, “good neighborhoods”, etc.!! There are many students from these “ignored” areas that have to fight tooth and nail to keep their grades up & hold down jobs to help support their families hoping and praying that they receive a scholarship…what they see as their ticket out of their current living situation (and not all of these people are minorities or athletes)!!
I would also like to know what the author meant by “But I am still trying to figure out how a $10,000 scholarship can be awarded to the dumbest person you will ever meet just because they have a difficult home life (e.g. their parents are divorced, they live in a trailer park – not someone from a third world country status, mind you)”? This too, bothers me!! First of all, one’s living conditions or their parents’ finances is an ascribed status; they can’t control that, that has to do with the parents. Secondly, because one’s parents are divorced, they live in a trailer park or in the projects has nothing to do with the knowledge one has. Just because this may not be your living situation does not mean that you try harder than anyone else to achieve academic excellence.
I found this question highly offensive.
First of all, if you want to complain about scholarships that look for diversity you should probably know more about the topic.
If you went to a “historically black” college and you were white, you would be a minority on campus and would qualify for scholarships from that school. If you went to another country you’d probably qualify for loans because you’re not native, you’re American. So you’re simply shooting yourself in the foot if you choose to assume that advantages going to minorities are the problem. They could work in your favor if you were creative and open-minded.
Next, the word minority is not synonymous with anything that is not Caucasian American. Maybe if you identified with a cultural background other than American you’d see yourself as diverse. But if you choose to ignore what makes you unique, then you’re not going to find scholarships that fit you any way, or have anything interesting for the judges to read about. Try to stand out and think differently from the average student because like the judge said, scholarships are not for middle of the road people. You don’t reward a kid for getting C’s, you reward them for the A+.
Scholarships for black people, hispanic people, asian people, middle eastern people, native american people, different religious groups, membership affiliated groups etc. are usually funded by agencies whose purpose is to help those groups in general or individuals who choose to help those students. This means that they receive donations and money from people who agree with their “mission” and therefore are legally supposed to use that money to help the people they specified through their mission. After all it would be robbery to tell members you want to help disadvantaged hispanic kids and then give the money to some white chick who wants to do art but doesn’t have competitive test scores…
I mean I’d hope that white people would do something for their underprivileged poor someday but that would mean seeing bonds and not thinking of financial support as “welfare hand outs.” It also means sacrificing personal wealth and profit to help other people who don’t have it. That’s not a common belief in America the Free Market Capitalist “best” nation with the working poor, obesity, growing homelessness, human trafficking, drug and violence issues, teen pregnancy, highest infant mortality, and lowest life span statistics than most of the other developed nations.
Given all of Americas “issues” people usually get free money for “haves” who want to give free money to the best students in the group that they target to repair. They can’t fix everything so they aim for one thing to end it. However, with Americans hoarding cash and forgetting about their community and environment those agencies can’t continuously solve the problem. Especially when the recession means that governments remove money from social services before anything else. So, people who want to give others a fighting chance have to narrow their focus to use their money productively. Giving one person $100 can make more happen for someone than giving 10 students $10.
Another thing, life isn’t equal or fair, not even in America. It wasn’t fair that the military recruited members and gave away homes, but the multicultural poor who served at that time were not given what they were promised because their skin was not white. They didn’t like it any more than you don’t like getting a scholarship for performing less than others, especially since they were usually the first ones risk their lives for no payback. They were actually trying harder, which is probably what you think of your circumstances in comparison to those of people who already “have.” Children whose parents got a free home could save their would be rent money to pay for their kids education. The kids of the courageous parents with other skin color, had to struggle to pay rent AND education just like their parents because the US didn’t care about equality. Although we’re not openly racist in this country, we haven’t come a long way in championing equal access. Education is a luxury in America.
If you want affordable access to education don’t live in a competitive capitalistic democracy. Go live in Canada or the UK where they believe in educating their citizens. Otherwise in America you’re deemed too inferior to actually compete in the job market that pays competitive salaries because the tests have labeled you, whether it’s true or not. Welcome to America, the land that judges and emphasizes socioeconomic class.
Even if there were scholarships for white students with lower competitive edge, there’d still be thousands of students competing with you who could win for several reasons. More scholarships for your “type” is not the problem.
I hardly think a scholarship for multiculturalism is any different than scholarships for height, gender, age, or other characteristics. And in those cases one person has to be chosen over their competition. So many of those students of different colors who you’re blaming have the same experience that you do. If you don’t fit the scholarship “types”, blame your genetics or the fact that you weren’t raised or willing to harness the skills that are getting money from scholarships.
Someday when you become a successful artists you can put aside thousands of dollars solely for white students interested in art to promote your idea of justice. In the meantime, I’d get some basic skills to raise enough to get yourself through school. You have to figure out how to deal with the cards you’re dealt in life. Blaming others is not going to get you any closer to your dreams.
As for your savant comment…well sometimes being flexible in skills gives you more professional options, so instead of complaining about not specializing maybe you should learn to highlight what you DO know how to do. And well, if we’re talking about autistic people they could use a little extra money to get an education since disabilities usually cost an exorbitant amount of money.
I hate the fact that you felt it was ok to generalize and assume students getting awards are probably inferior academically to white students. Here’s the thing, I think sometimes caucasian people think minority refers to one or two african american or latino students who are drooling and beyond the ability to compete. There are hundreds of students, including black and latinos from all over the US who could have received more advanced education and performed better in it, than yourself simply because of where they live. Why’s it hard to envision those students applying for the scholarships instead of the ones with the lowest IQs? I don’t assume that Caucasian students are the majority at the oldest universities because they got an unjust advantage despite their mental deficiencies. Your questions just seemed condescending, bitter, and even discriminatory. In fact you sound kind of racist. Just because you have white skin doesn’t make you intelligent or more so than people of different colors…which is what your generalized question to the judge seemed to imply. Frankly, I’d hope that if any judges ever read your question they would blacklist you from future scholarships. You didn’t make it sound like you deserved them. You just seemed like you didn’t want people of other colors to get them if you couldn’t.
Who the hell cares. Has anyone noticed how quickly the people in the world today are sliding morally downhill? Have you awaken to the fact that bureacracy is doing a damned good job of killing off the poor and minorities? And I’m still trying to figure out why everyone is fighting over crap that’s just not that important in the grand scheme of things.
I loved all of your posts this week!
I agree, for the most part, with the idea behind minority scholarships. I currently attend college, and some of my best friends are minorities and cannot get them because their parents supposedly have too much money or whatever stupid reason the scholarship/financial aid office can come up with. I understand it’s difficult.
However, there are always those instances that make me want to scream because of those people who have so obviously taken advantage of the system– those 1 in 100,000 who give minority scholarships a bad name. I actually have an example of one of those, and thought that at this juncture, it would be prudent to remind the posters here that yes, it *does* happen; yes, sometimes those who don’t deserve the scholarship as much win it anyway.
I was pretty proud of my 2150 on the SATs, until I found out that one of my friends in my band had gotten a 2350. Now, we were in a small band, so everyone knew everyone else’s business– hard not to when you spend more than 25 hours a week together, every week. He is one of the smartest people I know– graduated with a 4.0 unweighted (4.6– the highest you could get at my school– when weighted) and was the valedictorian of his class. He was president of the band council, and president of about 3 other clubs on campus, involved heavily in 2 or three others. Outstanding trumpet player. Anyway– he applied to this local scholarship before he graduated and I read his application essay and it was certainly better than anything I had written, and I’ve won scholarships myself. He had gotten accepted into some of the top schools in the country– USC, all of the Ivys, and all of the UCs– after all, this guy looked pretty dang good to acceptance committees. But he didn’t have the money to pay for their tuition and his parents didn’t make enough to qualify for aid, so he needed the scholarship money, because his parents’ credit also wasn’t good enough for them to be able to take out enough in loans for him to be able to afford college. But back to this scholarship he applied for– he didn’t get it. One of the other girls in our band DID. Now, she studied hard– one of those who had to work hard to get good grades. But her grades weren’t anywhere near his– she had about a 3.6 weighted. And her SATs were about the same as mine. She wasn’t involved in anything besides school and band. Her home life wasn’t bad– her parents were very caring, even if they were slightly too protective. And they could afford to pay for college with loans. But she was asian, going into the sciences– three minority groups, right there. And she got the scholarship. And they published her essay, and it was good, but not stellar. And when my friend asked why he didn’t get the scholarship, they said he didn’t demonstrate enough need. Now, I’m not saying that the girl didn’t deserve the scholarship, but it just seems, in this instance at least, that her minority status counted for more than achievement.
But she still had to go to community college for a year because she knew she couldn’t handle a full university yet.
That people take advantage of the system like this is what makes people like the whiny girl in the post whine a little louder. But I feel I need to conclude this story.
Because my friend couldn’t get enough money to pay for tuition at universities, he went to community college for the last two years. Now, because of his outstanding achievement and continued involvement in extra-curriculars at his community college, he has a full ride scholarship to his top school.
Basically, don’t complain because you have it rough getting scholarships. The best students have it just as rough, as do (most) minorities. Life isn’t fair (as exhibited by my story)– but at least it’s unfair to all of us equally (if not in one way, than in another).
She took advantage of the system by working hard. How dare she?
I do think that there are too many minority scholarships. That is not good at all for the billions of people who were born in this country and cannot even afford to further their education. Maybe our country is giving away enough money for them living over here, why take our educational funds away from us too? And they wonder why our debt as a nation is climbing by millions every day…
FYI minorities are American too.
Name: Ivory ********
Ethnicity: Latina
GPA: 4.0
SAT: 1760
Community Service: 300+
Extra curriculars: Sports: Soccer, Tennis, Volleyball; Robotics, 4 years
College Status: sophomore, rising Junior
Degree: Mechanical engineer
Hardships? Single parent home. Take care of baby twin sisters every afternoon. Had no computer, so had to go to the library to use a computer, sometimes I couldn’t get one because the drunkards would come in to watch porn… and yes, lived in the ghetto where my brother smoked weed everyday with his friends.
Accomplishments: Made it to one of the top 50 high schools in the nation. (public school, race and need where not factors, only academic achievement). Won several essay competitions (they didn’t ask for my race or social economic status for any of them). Helped win a $10,000 grant from MIT to invent something of our choice, and now I have a patent. Held an internship at NASA, MERIT based. Earned a MERIT based scholarship to one of the most expensive schools in the world.
My family DID NOT want me to go to college. And sadly, a lot of the parents of minorities don’t see the value of an education, only working, helping raise the kids, and paying the bills. I have family members who still ask me after my second year of college, when I’m going to give up this “silly dream” of becoming a Mechanical Engineer.
As far as college goes? From first hand experience? I go to a mostly white people school. I don’t have many friends because I’m always doing work to earn my grades, while they can go out and drink everyday because they have been TRAINED to go to college. It is an expectation among whites to go to college, at least, a whole lot more than in the minority populations. Where I’m from, we have a 48.8% graduation rate. The textbooks are out dated, a lot of our teachers simply don’t care, and the school’s are literally falling apart.
Who knows. Maybe I did get a free-bee scholarship because I’m a “stupid” female minority.
Sorry you’re a white average American. But like many have said before me, get to work sister, and my word of advice, still apply to scholarships. Especially the ones that seem “worthless”. Sometimes, people don’t apply to the smaller scholarships, and even if they say “minorities only” still apply. I’ve seen cases where the scholarships where not given to the appropriate targeted group because of the lack of applicants. This probably won’t happen with the bigger scholarships. Good luck.
If you don’t fit the criteria for women’s scholarships, what makes you think that you’ll do any better for other minority scholarships? Most of them require some sort of activism. Do you imagine that every person of every minority wants to be an activist? They most definitely do not. So the average people who just want to live their lives and not bother don’t get the scholarship money. They might work hard and be smart, but they won’t give back to the community what the people giving the scholarship money want. It has nothing to do with smarts or intelligence.
Also, you looked at women’s scholarships. Does it look like ‘any old idiot’ can get one of those? Probably not. Don’t say that any person, no matter how dumb, can get a scholarship if they are in a certain minority. People have to work really hard to get that stuff.
In addition, I lack sympathy for you. If you have a decent relationship with your parents and your parents aren’t impoverished, then even if you can’t go to school, you have a shot at a good life. There are plenty of people, like myself and many of my friends, whose parents refuse to help them even if they are able. Disenfranchised students under the age of 25 can’t get any financial assistance because their parents won’t sign the necessary paperwork, and there is no legal proof that they have been estranged. Also, in my case, if I fail at getting a degree and making something of myself, I have no one to fall back on. I get to live in the street then.
You are whining because you want to go out of state rather than in state? These people you are deriding as taking all possible scholarships are lucky to even get to go to school at all, whether or not they are smart. So just count yourself blessed and stop complaining.
I’ve all but given up on scholarships altogether. I spent hours upon hours sorting and applying for what few I qualified for, to no avail. At that time, I was a 35-year-old single female making only about $200.00 per week with an $800.00 mortgage, and a 4.2 GPA at a Community College (heading to State College) and still got nothing. I too suspect that being white had something to do with that, since the list of people who did earn the scholarships I applied for were predominantly names that were not white. It’s probably to my disadvantage that I chose to have dogs instead of 5 kids.
The time involved in applying for them cuts into study time and having to work and tend to dogs and a house makes it even less worthwhile. It’s a real bummer because now that I’m a Junior in a State College, the classes are tougher, the stress is higher and time is even scarcer. I could really use a scholarship now more than ever, but I suppose the general thinking is that I could take out a second (or third…) mortgage to pay back in addition to the thousands upon thousands of student loan dollars. If I do that, I’ll spend the rest of my entire life so deep in debt that I’ll never be any better off financially than I am without college. Besides that, I don’t qualify for a second mortgage because of my debt to income ratio and the fact that my house has seriously depreciated over the past few years.
I was told by the Financial Aid office at the time that I didn’t “gropple” or sound “desperate enough” on my applications. I may be desperately poor, but I’m not surrendering my dignity over and over! The reality of it is darned depressing.
“I too suspect that being white had something to do with that, since the list of people who did earn the scholarships I applied for were predominantly names that were not white. It’s probably to my disadvantage that I chose to have dogs instead of 5 kids.”
Pathetic.
Now Anonymous, reverse your story and back date it about 60 years or so (hypothetically speaking). There was a white boy and a black girl that lived in nearby neighborhoods and went to the same school. The boy made slightly lower grades and the girl was a straight A student. They both applied to the same college. The boy got in because even though the girl demonstrated her intelligence far better than the boy, the college didn’t acknowledge it because she was black. This isn’t too far from reality….this is something your grandparents could attest to. Open your mind.
This is probably the most self-indulgent post I’ve seen in a long time. Let’s throw a pity party for the average white girl prospective art student – NOT!
Boo – fricken – hoo!
All students, regardless of background and circumstances must compete for scholarships. You have self-disclosed as “average.” I sat on a scholarship judging committee and I can tell you, I read essays submitted from average as well as exceptional students. A well-written essay which proves beyond a shadow of a doubt as to why the recipient deserves the scholarship has a much better shot than an “average” student who excells at nothing.
Scholarship searches require an inordinate amount of time, energy and sometimes expense (understanding copies of official transcripts don’t come cheap). Quit whining and do the work! There is a tome in the public library aptly named “The Scholarship Book.” I suggest you make this book your best friend for the next several months and cease living on Twitter, Facebook and other social networking sites. Any self-respecting scholarship recipient doesn’t have money fall into their laps*. They undoubtedly receive many more rejection letters than acceptance letters. Yet they persevere on, undistracted from their goal of winning scholarships.
*However, the notable exception are those who obtain sports scholarships, which is a completely different argument.
Obviously I’m a middle class white male student. Which, according to this letter, I don’t get anything. This is false. I do get scholarships and grants, but it’s well deserved. The only people I know of who are given scholarships without looking for them and applying for them are D-I athletes and super geniuses. However, I understand the frustration from being a middle class white person and seeing all the minority scholarships and none for white people. It gets disheartening to think scholarships are out there and a requirement is not being white; have you ever looked at the requirements beyond color? High GPA, SAT, and a load of extracurricular activities. The part that gets to me is equality. If liberal America is consistently trying to bring our country to racial equilibrium, then conservative America needs to have their needs met as well. Equality is not giving scholarships for not being white. Equality is not affirmative action. What equality really means is an equal opportunity for everyone. This is why I do not agree with putting the “mark your race” boxes on forms. The job or scholarship should go to whoever best deserves it despite race. If a black man has the best to offer, then he DESERVES it. If a white woman has the best to offer, then she DESERVES it. Handing jobs and scholarships to someone based on color is something called reverse discrimination (keeping whites out because they’re white). I don’t have a problem with black people or asians or hispanics. Some of my best friends are black, asian, and hispanic. My problem is this country trying to base itself on “Equality” when what they are pushing is not “Equality”.
The average income to white families is $54,920 compared to $35,000 for Hispanic families and $33,916 for African Americans. The “average white kid” requires less financial assistance than the average minority family. I can’t testify to Valari’s personal finances, but the “average white kid”‘s family has up to an extra $21,004(far more than in state tuition) per year they could choose to invest in his future. I know it stifles the nest egg a bit but the average white family is going to have to realize they need to make sacrifices for their “average white kid” and as stated above, they can afford to do so.
Wow!! As a young black or should i say “minority” student in college this statement does not surprise me. This was just one mind outspoken about how she felt when it comes to scholarship money for minority students. I could go on forever about what this young lady has written inside of this letter, but there are a few things I would like her and others to see, and unlike this young lady I will not let my emotions get involved with what I know is fact. First off, the article for the letter is titled “Minority Scholarships: Why are there so many of them?” Now as the judge was writing back he stated many times “I wish i knew what you were talking about.” I dont know what you are talking about.”After reading his comments I then I read in the article, “But I am still trying to figure out how a $10,000 scholarship can be awarded to the dumbest person you will ever meet just because they have a difficult home life (e.g. their parents are divorced, they live in a trailer park – not someone from a third world country status, mind you). ” Immediately when I read this I assumed from the article’s title that she meant each minority race of African American, Hispanic, Native American and Latinos. There are more intellectual students then there are smart. How someone takes there life and changes it to help them utilize their intellectual ability may be the factor of how their “smartness” will ever take place. When someone is used to the same lifestyle their entire lives then that is what they will do, unless they are exposed to something diffrent. When a child is raised around ignorance, thats how they will assume life is suppose to be. When a child is raised around ignorance, but exposed to something beyond ignorance they will have decisions to make on what outcome they want for their life. Most of the time minority studens or any race does not have this ability. We live in a world where technology is fast paced and the opportunities are rising as they may, but the only thing that is keeping one from achieving them is fear. These scholarships offered to students give them a chance to be free from what economic or should i say the life of a “trailer park home” tells them they cannot be. The next thing I would like to point out that was written is “How can people be so ridiculous as to think that ALL black or Latino people come from no money and that all white people grew up on a fancy golf course?” Well, of course no one thinks that all Latinos, or Blacks come from no money and that all white people are rich. There she is leaning into the stereotypical life of minorities again. I know plenty of my friends parents who have a comfortable lifestyle where there are no worries in finances. Many of these friends are of many diffrent races. Can anyone say “HARDWORK!!!!” That is what it took for their parents to get where they are, and a part of that was looking for scholarships, maybe taking out a loan here or there, and applying themselves in what they believed in..their future. And that is exactly what they expect my friends to do.Which leads me to my next point. She wrote,”I have applied for soooo many scholarships and I have received nothing. My parents cannot afford to pay for college and I have given up on any dreams of attending an art school out of state simply because it’s a million dollars cheaper to stay in state.” Well babygirl maybe needs to kick it into high gear. There are over 9,000 scholarships displayed daily!!! There is no way one can go through all of them, just by going on their personal email and looking at the ones that were given to them that day. And if you see one for minority students then you shouldnt get discouraged because there are plenty of more for an “average student” you just have to keep on trucking!! I do not get discouraged each time I see a scholarship for High School students. I just keep in mind that I need to keep looking, but encourage those High School students there is no reason why they say there is no way for them to go to College. If your education is so important to you, you will start little and do what you have to do for yourself. Even if that includes you going to a two year college first. Life will always be there, so as long you are in school please believe you are not missing out on anything but being a grown up. And it seems as though this young lady has a lot of growing up to do. As a foster child, i know that life is not a bunch of beautiful roses. Before one gets those roses they have to make a seed of them, fertilize them, watch them grow, cut off thorns, make them pretty and then help someone else through the same process. In life we should help one another, even if it includes giving scholarships, encouraging others through rigorous times and learning to take be ready when life take us through a hassle. If she has stoppped looking for scholarships she has only sold herself out, because through hardwork in the end is always a fresh breather.
I can empathize with her. They tell you all this money in scholarships goes unclaimed every year, but just try to get some of it. If you are not basically on welfare (or living on the street) you can kiss a PELL Grant goodbye right away. And, since many of the other grants/scholarships depend on your eligibility for a PELL Grant, you are screwed. I have been playing this game for three years now. I see people that will not even come class or only do the minimum it takes to pass (their words, not mine) get their tuition paid almost entirely, and here I am working my butt off with a 4.0 average in college and I cannot get squat. I did get an academic scholarship from the university, but it only covers 1/3 of the tuition.
The system really needs to be changed. If they give these people a “free ride” on taxpayer money, and they do not keep at least a 3.0, or do not go to class, then they should have to pay ALL the money back, PLUS interest. Honestly, I think they should have to pay at least 50% of it back anyway. Around here, many of the women on welfare are going to nursing school on taxpayer money. I understand the need to get people off public assistance, but that should not let them off the hook of paying at least part of that tuition money back when they come out of nursing school and go into a job paying $40,000 and up. I must pay back my student loans, government assistance should be no different.
Scott
I don’t understand how you all are jealous. Sure we get more money from the government but there’s more to that. Being a minority means going into a place where you do’t fit at all and you are an outlier. Being an outlier, you have a low gross income and can only afford so much. As a teenager, you go to school and come home to your ghetto apartment and everyday you are judged by people around you. Whether it be people in cars or even school staff, you are given a certain expectation as a minority to do certain things. For whites, you have none of that. Sure teachers expect you to do well, but you aren’t looked at as a nuisance by the whites but are rather accepted by them. Then with everything you try really hard and you find that you can go to college and while you may think it’s the best thing that can happen to you, some white teenager who lives ain a home and has endured nothing of the sort of “real” life expects just the same. It’s funny because the minority want to be like the whites but when it comes to getting scholarships, the whites want to be like the minorities.
Thank you I agree!!!
I’m so glad the majority of the comments agree with my thoughts: this person is being whiny, immature, ignorant, and racist. In a white supremacist society, minority groups certainly struggle financially because we force them to. Knowing the impossibility of paying for school would keep someone who wants to go from going. The biggest difference between you and this person is that YOU have been socialized to know that whatever happens, things will work out. Try and learn a little bit about what it means to be a minority, the violent nature of colonization, and the effects of political, economical, and social systems of the society you live in.
First of all, one has to ask him/herself wether there are statistics for how often minority scholarships are won by minority students. Are there overwhelming facts that suggest that the minorities are getting the edge over average students. In reality, most students, regardless of what nationality they are, are turned down for scholarships time and time again. The average student is probably just frustrated because of how many times he or she has been turned down for scholarships. There are plenty of opportunities out there for each of us to win. We just have to search high and low and not give up on it. Society as a whole expects too much out of something and when they don’t get enough, they react negatively to it. That’s on the one hand. On the other hand, committees or governmental bodies (if the financial aid is state-based) tend to favor those with lower incomes because they are thought to be worse off than average students. That may or may not always be true. I hold the opinion that everyone deserves assistance no matter what background they come from. On the one hand, there are a lot of minority scholarships given out because minorities typically make less than average students. On the other hand, many students have yet to become exceptional writers or persuaders of why they exactly need the scholarships–me included. I see it two-fold.
This girl is just frustrated, plain and simple. There are THOUSANDS of students applying for scholarships and I guarantee you almost everyone of us on here who are replying to the post applied to many of the same scholarships. Fact of the matter is, someone, a lot of them, will be throughly disappointed when they’re not awarded them. Sure there are a lot of scholarships for minorities. However, I know a lot of white kids who get just as many scholarships. I noticed in a lot of scholarships, you have to have a lot of community service. Everyone has a great GPA, some sob story and needs money to graduate. I think what a lot of judge panels want is to see some contribution to the community on top of the great grades, and over coming hardships. Sadly, we’ve come to a time when money is tight for everyone and that included scholarship committees and as I said before, that means someone will be disappointed. Instead of blaming it on the minorities or judges maybe she needs to invest in some more time in the community or in her field of study.
Personally, now that I do countless volunteer hours a lot of opportunities have opened up for me. Even though I am a black, former foster kid from a bad background I have been turned down for money just as many times as the rest.
All in all times are tough and complaining about it will not accomplish anything. Minorities need scholarships as much as the average white kid but there isn’t enough money to go around. Times like these should teach us to go over and above what is typically expected. But even when we have our best foot forward, sometimes disappointment and rejection is inevitable. Life isn’t fair sometimes. We give our all, do what we have to do and someone walks off with the prize, but there’s loans, and as much as we hate them its a last resort. There are always loop holes somewhere and being book smart is not the key to a successful life. Maybe those smarts should be geared towards finding a job, internship or other opportunities to have some of college paid for. While I have all of college paid for, it’s rare and I had to bust my a** off in high school to make it happen, and now I’m fighting to keep it because of California’s budget crisis.
My white upper middle class buddy, is only paying 8% of his $300,000 college tuition. I’m sure he had a good GPA, he’s very smart.
As for me, I’m just gonna grit my teeth and pay it all in full, is it such a bad thing to have to pay for loans? People don’t need 20 full time jobs, concentrate in school, do your homework, and pay it when you get the time to.
By, the way. I am a white person.
I am so sick and tired of white people complaining about racism against white people. Are you kidding me? Would you rather have a harder time earning scholarships or be given poorer service, have difficulty finding housing, be judged on outward appearances, receive a statistically lower income, be subject to stereotypes, and I could go on and on and on. The problem is that white people have privilege ingrained in them so fully, they don’t even notice it. White people have no idea what real racism against them would feel like.
“Hating on judges” Hmmmm… in which English class did you learn that phrase?
Based on well-known grammatical rules, you should be ashamed of yourself for even posting.
And you wonder why you haven’t won any scholarships. Perhaps you should consider a wise investment first: Strunk and White’s The Elements of Style book.
Average need not apply…
I gotta tell you, kid, “average” doesn’t cut it anymore. I carried a 3.97 GPA as an undergrad and a 3.95 as a grad student, and I have never won a scholarship I applied for online. None of them. I have followed all the guidelines, memorized all the tips, read and digested the “what we’re looking for” stuff (including reading the winning essays). Nothing. Zero. Is it my major? My hobbies? My personal/religious/ethnic/whatever background? Who knows? And no, they don’t really go for sob stories, or my background as a two-time cancer survivor (something that I cite on apps as a major character-building experience, but only when asked) would have actually gotten me scholarships. Sorry, but no.
You said you’re “average,” well, average isn’t going to do it. There’s only so much cash to go around, so you have a few choices: 1) cheaper state school (for something like art, they’ll do); 2) find other, more creative ways to fund your education (job, loans, military service, apply for even more scholarships, see if your job will help cover some costs); 3) get a LOT more applications for scholarships out there, all the way through your academic career; and/or 4) get involved in some community organizations, which serves the dual purpose of another set of activities to recommend you on apps AND getting you access to organizations inclined to give scholarships to hardworking student members.
(Boiled down? It’s tough all over, and you’re going to have to toughen up, deal with it, and find another way through.)
The one point I do agree with her on, though: scholarships for women in fields where they’ve traditionally been minorities (math, sciences, computer science, engineering)–the eligible fields are always sciences. Those aren’t, however, the only male-dominated fields out there. I’m going into religious studies–not theology–and it’s been a man’s field since, oh, the dawn of religion itself, maybe? How about some scholarships to help us get a little further in the field? I’m not saying instead of scholarships for sciences, I’m saying add scholarships for women going into other male-dominated fields into the mix alongside sciences.
Ok, so what about the middle class white guys who are not average? The ones with a 3.9 gpa, a 32 on their act, are model citizens with hours of community service, are two sport varsity athletes and national honor society members, and applied for over fifty scholarships and got NONE?
A white kid can get a minority schoarlship too, they just have to belong to a minority group that is labeled by someone somehwere as disadvantaged. Yes it can happen: Disability, low income, ethnicity, parental associations, parents affectd by disorders (from alcoholism to parkinsons)…there are many organizations that attempt to make up for the deficits caused by a difficult situation, and they aren’t specific to part of the public but a siutation.
IIt’s an easy argument to negate and you should pick a different issue. The inner city schools dont deliver the same education as the ones in the nice suburbs and there is an extended need to address a deficit for someone who really tried but didnt get the same resources. Without the aid, college becomes impossible for someone whose public education doesn’t prepare for college. Their remedial courses consume the federal allowances and the 150% rule or 180 credit limit in the 73 Education act cuts anyone off who needs more than two additional years in the program.
This is a bunch of bull crap, I just graduated and all the scholarships went to middle class students and upper class students I’m not talking about little $500 ones Im talking about $30,000 per year until they graduate. There parents have the funds to pay for special education and private tutoring so hat they can maintain there GPA. The minority (including whites and hispanic) they have to struggle to keep their GPA
to at least a 3.0 so thatthey can even qualify. There are very few scholarships for students under GPA of 3.0. I am single older women and there is only maybe 2 for me to apply for and the GPA have to be 3.0 and I don’t even fit into that catagory. Anyway I feel that there are so many minorites in all races that its just luck that you get a scholorship so must of us end up taking loans that we can’t afford and end up in debt for the rest of our lives just to get educated. Or work and go to school because the grants is not enough. So get over it if you are middle class try living in a minority world and educating youself to try to get were you are now or to have a better life. try being homeless and wanting to go to school and the funds run out and you still can’t get a scholorship. Stop being selffish because you don’t qualify because there are plenty of scholarships for you too. I think its just luck who get them.
I have known of a few white students who have to more or less semi fake a special status in order to receive funding. The real world is all grey, it’s about fudging the numbers and giving institutions “proper truths”. The fact of the matter is soft lies gets you ahead in life, soft lies have protected people in the past, real civilization is built upon a play of truths. What white students who do not fall into particular categories need to do is find their relative truth that these “educational” (ie:corporate) institutions can understand and admit you into the corporate educational structure. Or better yet, forget school work a lot and start your own business. The internet is a far better teaching tool than what some bored & overpaid teacher ever will be.
There are scholarship for the “white” population. It is not necessary define “white” as an ethnicity, but the term “white” refers to skin color.
I remember while I was in high school, I checked out Minority Scholarships and Scholarships for colored students. One book begins with scholarship for Scottish-Irsh. Irish-Jews or Jewish-Irsh, French, and so on, then it gets to other racial groups like African-Americans, Asian, Asian-Americans Canadians and so on.
Therefore, if you were look for scholarships funding for “white students,” you be able to think your ethnic group. NOT the colors of crayon box.
I’m rather disgusted with both the email and some of the replies.
To assume that all recipients of minority scholarships are less worthy than their majority counterparts is false and arrogant. This has basically been covered in the other posts, so I’ll not repeat it here.
On the other hand, to truly award scholarships to kids from bad family/financial/socio-economic situations, scholarships should be created for … kids from bad family/financial/socio-economic situations. Not minorities: kids from bad family/financial/socio-economic situations. A few other replies have made this point as well: If the motivations behind the minority scholarships were as anti-racist as they claim to be, none of them would discriminate based on race, and therefore none of them would be minority scholarships. Every single race-based scholarship is a form of discrimination in favor of a certain race and against all other races–including, in the vast majority of cases, whites–thus, every single race-based scholarship is a form of racism. (I will neglect to mention my race here because you all are so anti-racist it won’t matter to you).
To those who think whites are discriminated against and to those who think non-whites are discriminated against: both views are 100% correct. Please drop the insults and attacks and open your eyes to the possibility that you are not the only group discriminated against.
PS Did I read a post mentioning the 78 cents per dollar, women vs. men argument? Let’s think for a moment here. If you owned a business in America (where most people agree that men and women have equal abilities), why would you pay one well-qualified worker $1 when you could get away with paying an equally-qualified worker 78 cents? Same argument goes for blacks and Latinos: there would be no whites or males in the workforce if these ridiculous claims had an ounce of truth in them.
Those are called grants, work-study, and loans sweetheart.
Does it really matter if a person is a minority or not longest they get the scholarship to finish school…
My,my, my!!!! Actually I was quite disturbed at this blog because of all the negativity. As Josh said. There are Minority scholarships because the minorities are under represented in many areas of society. And if you are a female, regardless if you are white or not, you are a minority! Second scholarships and grants are about giving people a little help, and assistance. If anyone get a “free-ride” it’s because they have worked hard, and no they are being rewarded. I hvae two children in college RIGHT NOW. One is in state, and the other is out of state. My husband and I have good jobs, but we could always use a little help. What all the “haters” dont realize is that some kids WANT to get scholarships and grants because maybe they dont want to be a burden to their parents, or they dont want to have all these astronomical student loans when they DO graduate from college! Stop hating and apply to everything you want! If the money is out there everyone can reap the benefits!
My,my, my!!!! Actually I was quite disturbed at this blog because of all the negativity. As Josh said,there are Minority scholarships because the minorities are under represented in many areas of society. And if you are a female, regardless if you are white or not, you are a minority! Second, scholarships and grants are about giving people a little help, and assistance. If anyone get a “free-ride” it’s because they have worked hard, and now they are being rewarded for their efforts. I have two children in college RIGHT NOW. One is in state, and the other is out of state. My husband and I have good jobs, but we could always use a little help- who can’t? What all the “haters” dont realize is that some kids WANT to get scholarships and grants because maybe they dont want to be a burden to their parents, or they dont want to have all these astronomical student loans when they DO graduate from college! Stop hating and apply to everything you want! If the money is out there everyone can reap the benefits!
I graduated from high school with a 3.92 GPA and had many extracurricular activities, and I am having a difficult time finding scholarships.I have filled out a lot, but have gotten nothing. I am paying my schooling with student loans. I have two different friends who are able to have all of their schooling paid for (one because his parents abandoned him and the other for disability), yet one of them is procrastinating on going to school and the other admitted that they are too lazyl. I have been looking forward to college all my life, work hard in school, but I haven’t receive anything, even though I have tried and am still trying.
This is a complicated subject. However, let me just say that instead of coming from a place of frustration, be the best student and person you can be. Stop looking at what you don’t have and search for possibilities. Think positive. There are so many scholarships available. And once you get to university you can land a job such as being a Resident Assistant which waives your room and board fees, often you get a free meal plan and a stipend. Stop the blame game. Until you walk in someone else’s shoes you can’t judge. Focus on what you can achieve. You can’t change your race or gender so work with what you got.
While I understand frustration, I dont understand having such a lack of emotional control that you vent it in this way to someone who could offer you help. It’s shameful that the auto response is to speak poorly and inaccurately of those who are receiving scholarships while referring to yourself as average. If you can conceive that you are average (and I am sure you are much more) then you can also conceive the areas where you could improve (or at least accept the idea that improvement is a possibility). From there, step your game up and see success follow you. I would also suggest that the next time you “feel” other people are getting more than you, that you seek your own route and solutions rather than tearing those people down. If you are a serious artist, I know you can create something new and worthy of support.
You know I would not agree with you. There are not enough scholarships for minorities out there. I have gone through many websites seeking a scholarship that would help me defray the expenses of attending Graduate School at OU and I was not able to find any. So I end up leaving from there with an enormous bill. If you do have knowledge of some scholarship who can assist let me know. I’ve tried private loans, NDSL loans, grad student loans and I was not successful. So, let me know. I do want to finish my masters program. Thank you.
Perhaps when institutionalized racism is eradicated in American society, the individuals who’ve benefited from it, will have an inkling of what it’s like compete on an even playing field and stop making gross comments.
While disagreeing with the email, I do agree with her frustration. I don’t think that all minority students are automatically given a free ride or a $10,000 scholarship, but I do think that scholarships given to a minority student are more easily found.
Reading these posts, a lot of people are commenting on the fact that there are scholarships for Polish-American, Italian-American, etc. I’ve seen them. Unfortunately for me, though, I don’t qualify for any of them. From the ones I’ve seen, you’re grandparents have to be from Poland, Italy, etc. and mine aren’t. My family has been here for generations, and I no longer qualify for those scholarships.
I think that scholarships should be based primarily on merit, not on race. As one person said, a scholarship is an investment. Doesn’t it make sense that a person who did well in high school would be more likely to do well in college, while a person who didn’t do well in high school would be less likely to do well?
Regardless, I’m going to continue my scholarship search. I’m hoping that my grades and volunteer work will enable me to get money for college, which, I think, is entirely likely.
Hey, Nick the NHS member: Look at your attitude. I think that may have something to do with it.
I completely agree with Jenn. I think a scholarship should be based on #1. Merit and then school involvement and/or devotion to a hobby, community service or an activity or sport, you especially have a winner if the student, is involved in multiple areas of campus life & activities/sports. What makes a scholarship committee think that just because a student (any race-you pick it), is going to all of a sudden wake up and say “hey, I’m in college now, I think, I’ll apply myself”. No, it is the same kids that apply themselves in High School that will continue to apply themselves in College and go on and accomplish something with their lives. I know many older students from my high school that got scholarships and completely wasted the money because they failed out, dropped out or continued to change majors because scholarship money is free to them. Personally, I think that many scholarship committees are in the business to ?waste? money because it sounds ?PC? to give it to a certain select group. Why not award the scholarship and help ease the burden of the cost of college to an eager college student who would put the money to good use.
Ok, let?s see. For one, my older sister was tested in the third grade to see if she was gifted she missed it by two points as a white child. The proctor that gave her the test told my parents that she was brilliant and if she was BLACK then she would have made it into the gifted program. If you want to sit in your seat and say that the Blacks have it harder than the whites then why are they different qualifications that Blacks have to make that are lower than white qualifications? My sister made it through high school and was ranked as number 5 out of 400 students; she was working and graduated at 18 years old. She also blew the SAT and the ACT out of the water. She applied for about 200 scholarships and didn’t receive anything. Also when she wasn’t working she did volunteer work she graduated with 300 hours of community service. Now to myself, I am number three out of 370 students and I have kept a 4.3 GPA all of high school and I have over 600 hours of community service and I as well have receive no help. I am also a student athlete and a member of the National Honor Society and many other clubs/organizations. I have been curious and applied for minority scholarships just to see what would happen, well I have gotten emails that have said they pulled my transcript and since I was not BLACK (imagine that) I did not qualify. It pisses me off because I met all the qualifications for the scholarship and the reason that I did not receive the aid is because of the color of my skin! My guidance counselor told me personally (and she is black) that because I am not Black, since my parents are still married and that I am not POOR I will receive absolutely NOTHING. So it is not only the WHITE people that see this it is also the Blacks that know that if you are of their skin you can basically go anywhere on a free ride.
I think that it is completely stupid for the schools and the government to sit and give a full ride to an average or below average student because if they are average in high school there is no way that they are going to succeed in college or a university. So many of the Blacks that got a full-ride especially to a historically Black college or university makes me sick because I don?t see how a school like that is going to succeed! I felt accomplished last year, one of the students that received a full ride to a Black University decided to take my paper and cheat after I had turned mine in really Pissed me off and I found out and I just so happened to snitch on him. Well he got an F on the test which was a significant part of our grade and he failed the class and lost his scholarship. How do you think so many Blacks get through college there is no better explanation other than they cheat! There aren?t enough words to tell you how incredible I felt!
I know this white girl who applied for a minority scholarship and got it. She talked about how she helped the black community with a carnival for the neighborhood children. I thought that was pretty clever.
1. There are plenty of scholarships based on merit, almost all of them! I should know, I’ve survived college this far because of them.
2. People from disadvantaged backgrounds find it harder to get a good primary school education. You should see how Detroit public schools are falling apart.
3. Anyone can come up with a scholarship–if a donor has the money, the decision to set certain criteria is theirs.
4. People who can’t find scholarships are probably not being smart in their search. There are so many local scholarships in my neighborhood, it’s crazy.
Angel, you went off on a tangent with your comment, and all it did was show your- book smarts aside- ignorance. You did not get the scholarship for no other reason- I don’t care what your counselor said- than that YOU ARE NOT a minority, that is why it is categorized under “minority.” If you do not belong to what constitutes as the majority in the States, than that means you are a minority. What you said about your sister is not right, but that doesn’t mean you it’s just fine and dandy for you to go make aimless accusations about those you know nothing about. What’s more, you’re smart, okay, so is everyone else competing for scholarships, you committed yourself to performing community service hours, okay, so did a lot of the other applicants, you’re an athlete, okay, so are a lot of the others as well. Times change, the same criteria that use to cut it five years ago, doesn’t apply anymore. Everyone is trying to beat out the competition, and just to let you know, I attended an honors high school, and we had to maintain our GPA to even stay in the school (every student in my school at graduation was entered into The National Honor Society), besides taking honors, AP courses, and college courses, along with the minimum of 300 community services hours in order to graduate. Plus, I was a member of countless clubs, danced and did drill, all while attending, and did not receive a scholarship either; and was asked if I wanted to be placed in the “gifted” program as well, but declined, because at that time I was eleven and didn’t think it would make much of a difference, which it didn’t, considering I ended up attending the same high school which some of the students in the “gifted” program did.
I know of no instances where an average student has received a full-ride to any college, university, or institute. Your irate rant makes it seem as though you need to be evaluated for neurosis more than anything; your preoccupation over what Blacks and minorities are doing, walks the fine line of obsession. Needles to say, I have plenty of Black friends, as well as Latino, Asian and Pacific Islanders, whom were accepted to the schools of their choice and some received scholarships, not because they were minorities, but because they were the cr
How can we find out about local scholarships? We have a few from the high school, but they are from companies mostly and have lots of applicants.
All minority scholarships do is promote racism. There should be no scholarships based on race, ANY RACE. They should be based on financial need,academics,etc. The bottom line: everyone is getting the short end of the stick.
This girl, is clearly out of touch with the real world. She is spoiled and entitled, nothing like a college education and especially scholarships comes easy to anyone. If she knew anything about today’s society, she’d know, that despite the whole “equal opportunity” doctrine for everyone, there still remains a huge gulf between the ability of minorities and white students to attend college. ANYONE, white or minority, must be an EXTRAORDINARY student to get a scholarship, just because I’m African, doesn’t mean I get more leeway in college admissions or scholarship applications. I cannot believe she even has the nerve to imply that minorities are less deserving of scholarships and have not proved their worth. If anything, minorities with the drive to go to college exceed her accomplishments, has she never heard that adversity breeds talent? It really disappoints me to see a people like her, a college bound student, who are still narrow minded and self interested. Instead of complaining about this, she should really, really, be working to improve her scholarship applications and to looking for more.
Scholarships just for blacks or just for Hispanics are inherently racist. No one would tolerate scholarships just for white people. There is no justification for this kind of school-sanctioned racial discrimination.
I don’t believe minority scholarships are inherently racist. As it was pointed out earlier, many are set in place due to a historical under-representation of minorities in colleges and universities. Let me also add that I am a minority and can guarantee there are no huge flows of cash beating down my door because of it. Its actually quite frustrating because my parents make just enough to disqualify me, do you really have it worse off? I compete in the same brackets as whites and any other race and I honestly don’t think that these minority scholarships are the bulk of available money. I know its frustrating but keep looking.
I fully agree with the posts of Christina and Ferrish Thefish.
I am both hispanic and white, and do not agree with the idea that scholarships should be awarded based on race for numerous reasons I won’t bother to list here. Ironically, though, I have been offered thousands of dollars of scholarships–quite a few of which were full-tuition–from various schools, simply because I earned the National Hispanic Scholar honor. I was ranked 5th in my class (was passed up just before graduation and ended up in 6th), but I was offered much more than any of my higher-ranking classmates, including the valedictorian (who, incidentally, is white). Now, I’m not complaining about all my earnings, but I think that’s pretty strange!
All of us–majority or minority–need to stop pointing fingers and playing the “blame game,” as BetheLight puts it. Whites can always complain about inequality in favor of minorities, and minorities can always curse whites for the actions of their ancestors, but what good will any of that do? Don’t let the frustration of scholarship-searching cloud your view of the world. I don’t appreciate some of the stereotypical comments that have been made against both whites and minorities on this post. We all are, have been, or will be at some sort of disadvantage–we should just accept this and push through our difficulties, rather than whining and blaming others for them.
I strongly reccomend educating yourself on the social and economic set back that different cultures have incurred due to the way the American government has singled out select cultures in ways other than grant money or scholarships. We owe many of these cultures A LOT more than they recieve in petty financial aid. Slavery wasnt that long ago and there are statistics out there suggesting that the time for peoples impacted by this to gain equal social and economic footing will be decades from now. In the 1940 many Japanese- Californians were stripped of everything thing they owned and put in internment camps. Their property, heirlooms, and wealth was never fully restored. 1940 wasn’t that long ago. The Hmong teamed up with America to fight the vietnam war and lost not only lives, as we did, but their entire country. They particiapted under the premise that America would give them their own land, so we brought the ones that passed our physicals which were extensive and invasive, stripped them of their culture put them on welfare for a few years and then let them fend for them selves. Christopher Columbus was one of the first historical figures to sucessfully complete genocide agianst the Haitians through tactile rape and murder. The California’s economy depends on illegeal mexican workers whom without the biggest agriculture producing state wouldn’t feed us anymore… and then we treat them with unkindness and a plain lack of gratitude. Afganistans fought the cold war for us agianst the russians, and now what?
We “white people” are blinded by our inept school systems and inherent privelage. They dont educate us on how terrible our country has treated these people. I say WAHOOOO!!!!! for giving these minorities a better chance at assimilating into american culture. I think “stupid” people need to go to college the most!
I’m sorry, but I don’t see a lot of scholarships for Japanese and Hmong students either. Nor Afghan students, or “Afganistans.”
It sure would be nice to at least find a scholarship for the “Straight, White, Middle-Class, Non-Radical, Christian Male” I’ve yet to find one scholarship like this.
I am African-American and very proud of it. When we could not attend colleges that were built specifically for Whites, we built our own. This country has no doubt been reserved for the ones called the “majority” of this country. It is unfair to characterize a race as “superior” to others due to advancement at the expenes of other cultures and races because they are different. You would think we would be doing better as a society. These things are done purposely to keep us apart and angry with one another when everyone’s accomplishments and differences should be acknowledged and celebrated. I just want a scholarship. I work very hard because of my ethnicity. I must be the best I can be. I already have a degree and working on my second one. I have been submitting scholaships and I use Sallie Mae for my loans and will do whatever I can to get my education. Thank you.
I would like to add…Why does everyone think that because my parents are “white upper middle class” they are helping me through college. I find it extremely difficult to go to school (and do so working 50+ hours a week) because FASFA needs parent’s tax info and loans need parent’s signature. I know I was not the only child kicked out on the streets the day after high school graduation (and I wasnt even 18 yet). Why do I not get a chance to succeed, yet scholarships fall on their knees to minorities?
While I’m all for helping people who just need a little encouragement to make changes in their life, I would really like to see more scholarships based on merit. Every school teaches students basics like 2+2=4 and libraries offer computer services for free to those who know how to behave themselves (I’m thinking of a specific white male in my community who REALLY doesn’t) so an education is available to anyone of any race, any gender who is willing to read the books and do the homework. The effort should be rewarded with scholarships available to they who demonstrate it.
First of all, I would like to say that absolutely NO ONE receives any scholarship without having demonstrated in their studies and grades a high degree of intelligence and drive. However, as a caucasian female from a lower middle class family, I will note that it is extremely difficult to find scholarships that I am eligable for. I just finished my freshman year of college during which I excelled in my Biology major and made all A’s in challenging courses to finish my freshman year with a 4.0, was actively involved on campus, served as the Hall Council President of not one but three residence halls, was inducted into two honor societies, and was on my University’s Homecoming court. If that is not involved and studious then I don’t know what is. Now, as the academic year drew to a close in april, I applied for every single one of my Universitie’s scholarships that I was eligable for. I did not receive any of them. What I have a problem with is that despite my 4.0 GPA and on campus involvement, I was only eligable for 2 scholarships from my University. I applied for the General Student Scholarship and the University Bookstore Scholarship, both of which were for low dollar amounts and neither of which I received. All of the other scholarships that my University offered were for minorities, students whose parents attended the same University, and students with various handicaps. Out of a total of 15 scholarships, I could only apply for 2. I am paying for school by myself and I am becoming very discouraged with what seems like a down hill battle. I just keep getting this feeling that scholarship committees look at an application like mine and see a lower middle class caucasian female with a 4.0 and numerous achievements and volunteer hours and think, “This is someone who is driven. She will find a way to finish college whether we give her a scholarship or not.” I would just like to state that everyone who is trying to attend college in this economy is struggling. To my fellow caucasians out there, I would like to encourage you to not place the blame of your financial struggles on the minorities. It is not their fault that there are more scholarships available to them. Many of the minorities that receive their scholarships are more than deserving and we must keep this in mind. To the minorities out there, I would like to strongly encourage you to consider my frustration and my situation before you assume that scholarship recipients are all equally based upon their resume and merit. You often do have more opportunites when it comes to scholarships than I do.
I feel the same way. I’m lower middle class and cannot afford college. I’m applying for as many scholarships as I can, but I feel that the stakes are very unfair. I’ve wished many times I was a minority throughout this process because there are many more options out there for them it seems.
Scholarships for minorities are not racist. As mentioned above many of these scholarships are private, therefore they make the rules about who can get the money. Also the others that are not private are usually trying to rectify some disparity. Blacks are 14% of the population and Latinos are about 15%, if we are all getting money thrown at us then we should all be in college, that still leaves a whole lot of money for the White students. There are scholarships for White students, it may not explicitly state that in the requirements but how many Black people are memnbers of the Daughters of the American Revolution? or from certain communities? Stop whining keep applying and when you dont get it move on and try again. When I dont get a scholarship I say ” Someone must have had a better application than I did” not “Oh no I bet that went to a White person”. Get a grip this is America and there is so much wrong with how people point fingers and blame its pathetic.
This is ridiculous. I am a minority and “regular students” are often given scholarships more quickly than we are. These scholarships are often given to encourage monorities to continue with their education because we often get discouraged about going forward with that because of our home situations. And I did not appreciate the part about “the dumbest person in the world” because it sounds like you’re saying all minorities or people that need these scholarships are dumb. We may have excelled greatly in high school but simply cannot afford to go to a university. There are scholarships for “regular people” (which I guess is saying that minorities are not regular) they just are not labeled FOR REGULAR PEOPLE!
I understand how it feels to not receive scholarships. I graduated with a 3.9 G.P.A, placing me in the top 10 percent of my class, and a 30 on the ACT. I am registered on 5 different scholarship websites and have applied for over 100 scholarships, and I have not gotten any. My parents make enough to pay for my college, but they want me and my sister to learn how to manage our money, so they are making us pay for our own college while also paying for my car insurance, gas, and anything else that I want. I have gotten frustrated knowing that I do not have the ability to go to an organization that was set up for acts that happened years ago. The biggest reason there is still racism is because many of those that are in the minority groups insist on everyone knowing that their ancestors were treated poorly. I realize not all minorities are this way, but enough are. Scholarships are hard to come by, but it helps when there are ones for minorities.
I can understand how hard it is when you can’t get scholarship money. I am a 20 year old, average white female starting her Junior year at a state school. My parents make a decent income on paper, but in reality we struggle paycheck to paycheck, followed by thousands of dollars in debt and a poor credit score. My parents couldn’t afford to put me through college, no matter how badly they wanted to. I did well enough in high school to earn a full-ride scholarship to community college for two years, which was a godsend to me, no matter how bad my classmates made me feel about it as they headed off to their fancy, private, four year schools. It meant I could have a college education, the first in my family to have one, and I couldn’t have been happier. I pulled a 4.0 for the first two semesters, and graduated this past May with a 3.75. But now I’m transferring to a four year school, and even in-state tuition requires me to take out tons of loans. It took my father being laid off from his job to finally have an EFC low enough to qualify for a PELL grant, and I wish the FAFSA had a way to factor in debt when calculating that number, but thats a comment for another post.
It’s not a question of “minority scholarships.” I have a problem with the fact that I never can qualify for any scholarship I look at. Sometimes it is because I’m white, but sometimes its because I’m not studying math, or science, or engineering. It’s because I don’t play sports, or because a 3.75 just isn’t QUITE high enough. Just because I’d rather study psychology and music than calculus and biology? Because I don’t have the coordination to swing and hit a softball? I do feel the stress of there not being enough scholarships out there for people like me. I work hard, I try my hardest, and I want to make something of my life. Why can’t that be enough? Just because I don’t fit into all those different catergories, whether it be race, or area of study, or extra curricular activities doesn’t mean I don’t need money to help me through college just as much as the kids that do.
I can see both sides of this argument, and I do think that the author of this email was a little out of line in the way she argued her point. But on the same token, I can identify with her problem and I too wonder when I will find more scholarships out there that specifically target ME and MY needs too.
As a black student could you please tell where all of these scholarships are? I’ve been searching for awhile and a majority of these scholarships are for students who either attend a historically black college or are need based. Unfortunately I am not “need” based according to fasfa even though I can barely afford school. I also think that most of the individuals who are awarded these scholarships minority scholarships do deserve them. I’m sure in order to be awarded them they have some academic merit regardless of their race or social standing. In a perfect world scholarships awarded on race and social standing would be unjust, however in reality we don’t live in a perfect world. Statistically in this country as someone said in a previous comment white citizens are more well to do in this country and are better off economically on average. To level the playing field a bit and increase diversity in schools a little bit more financial aid is awarded to those who are poorer and racially at a disadvantage, although logically speaking it seems unfair. In my case the scholarships that I were awarded were strictly based off academic merit, not a single one had to do with race. It seems like people think a lot of minorities get a free ride to college, which is hardly the case.
The U.S. Census Bureau has projected that by 2012 whites will become the minority in America. I am not sure how that will change the minority scholarship rules, but statistics show that the white race is becoming smaller. I am white, but have a Hispanic last name due to marriage. I get asked all the time when applying for scholarships why I did not check the “Hispanic” box on the application. I tell them that I am white and married to a Hispanic. I can not tell you how many people tell me to check the box. I don’t. I apply for 100-200 scholarships per year and get most of them based on my GPA, field of study,time i commit to community service and the fact I am in the Honors Program. It takes a lot of work applying for scholarships. I spend at least 3-4 hours per week on it year round. I write a lot of essays, which takes more time. Some essays I am able to use repeatedly, but other have to be created as the application comes. If I were the writer of this question, I would spend more time concentrating on applying for more scholarships, applying myself in school to make better grades and giving back to a community I wish to grant me these scholarships.
Don’t blame minorities for your scholarship funding-apparently, you haven’t gotten the SAT scores to GET the scholarships in the first place. Sounds like someone’s looking at the wrong person here.
I’m a double minority (black, female) and haven’t gotten a penny from any scholarship I’ve applied for! Black/Latino kids don’t walk around with millions of dollars raining down JUST because we’re minorities. Those that get the most money are the most competitive students, regardless of color.
I didn’t even recieve grants/scholarships and I had high SAT scores. I’m having to finance my entire education in loans and I can’t even afford it. You point me to the magic pot of Minority Money and I’ll dive in, but until that day I’m without the stuff you accuse the ‘dumb minorities’ of taking from you.
It really sounds like this guy is whining because he didn’t do well enough and is now trying to pin it on everybody else because he doesn’t want to face his own mediocrity. -_-*
I understand her frustrations. I am in a similar situation, little parental financial support, and some government funding, but not enough. I am working 3 jobs this summer to pay off my debts from last year, and now my government funding has decreased this year because of it.
I try hard to get scholarships, but they rarely apply to me. At my school, there are an abundance of females in Womens Studies scholarships, Chemistry, Biology, Maths scholarships and there are enough Native/Indigenous scholarships at my school for each Native person here in Canada to have two apiece. I have read the ENTIRE scholarship list for my school and have applied for many of them, surprise, with no luck. I remember the scroll bar, on the page of scholarships etc was so small you could barely see it. So I did a CTRL + F for ‘forensic’; my program is Forensic Science. There were 2. One was for a graduating student, and the other was for 3rd and 4th years only. None for first years [which I was when I searched] and none for second years, which is what I will be come September.
I also think its absolutely ridiculous that there are scholarships for Natives, blacks, Hispanics, etc but none for whites. If we made scholarships just for white people, we’d be segregating and racist, yet we can make just Native, Hispanic etc scholarships. This is wrong. [On the segregation note, there was something going on in Ontario regarding a BLACKS ONLY HIGH SCHOOL. HELLO?!?!?!?! We got rid of segregation and whatnot YEARS ago for a good reason, and now you’ve VOTED FOR this?~! Unbelieveable]
Cheers to the new school year and best of luck to all.
Why do people always assume the the middle class white students are “whining” when it comes to lack of scholarships.
I busted my butt for good test scores (and got them) and applied for many scholarships. My mom made too much to qualify for grants but was in so much debt that she could barely pay her own bills. Her credit is so bad I can’t get loans. I cannot apply for independent status because I’m under 24/25 whatever the hell it is.
While my latino friend, who blew off school and made terrible grades, got a THIRD of his total tuition paid PLUS other grant and scholarship money.
Now if that is not bull**** and reverse discrimination I don’t know what is.
So I have to be punished and not qualify for aid because my mom made poor money decisions and I’m white, 2 things out of my control? Bah. If that’s whining, some of you are pretty heartless.
reverse discrimination.
ELL OH ELL!
Actually, there are scholarships specific to nationality, Italian american, irish american, german american, russian american (african american, latino american, asian pacific islander these are sub-nationalities) and I cant tell you how many times I’ve seen armenian scholarships. Might want to dig in your roots America is a country full of immigrants, forced immigrants, refugees etc. Find where you fit because “White America” wont cut it.
Im also in the same boat is A right there ^^ and Im not white, go figure.
The girl who sent this in sounds like a whiny, self-entitled brat who doesn’t understand the point of academic scholarships.
However, that being said (not that this applies to her complaints), I do see a problem with the scholarship for minorities situation. I realize that many people of minority groups come from backgrounds that make it almost impossible to go to college without significant sources of help. However, so do many non-minority people. Some posters have said (don’t feel like finding it again sorry) that white people will be at colleges regardless, while scholarships are necessary to get any considerable amount of minorities to come. This is a retarded statement. If i’m a poor, underprivileged white kid who lives next to a drug dealer, has an alcoholic stepfather, in a house that’s falling apart, and whose family income is well below the poverty line, is it supposed to comfort me that some rich kids with my skin color are populating places like harvard? yeah, no. sorry. call me ungrateful. if you want to help smart underpriviledged students, make scholarships for smart underprivileged students rather than saying you have to be really poor and smart AND a minority. Yes, there is a larger percentage of poor minorities than poor white people. However, that means there is a better chance of a minority winning a scholarship for smart people with a hard life. Make the qualifications based on intelligence and lack of resources, rather than intelligence and skin color.
I have been trying to get an overview of the various issues dealing with getting scholarships. I am black. I am old. I have been a single parent. I scrounge for everything I get. I apply for scholarships/bursaries every chance I get. This year, I was offered a scholarship ($5000) and a bursary ($1000) from the community college I will be entering this fall. I missed the application deadline by a week only because I had not understood the differences between schools. They were offered because of the work I had done and the marks I had achieved at the school I was leaving. They have no idea at anything other than my marks as submitted by my transcripts.
I have been studying art for 2 years. I spent my first year applying for almost everything and got only the ones commonly awarded to almost anyone who applied. The rest passed me by. I kept applying and adjusting the information (I learned to read the submissions expectations better). I started getting those where maybe there were only 1 or 2 awarded at a time. That was a sweet moment.
I have accumulated much debt paying for my own education and I apply for whatever funding I can find. If I get approved, I jump for joy. If I get passed by, I still jump for joy. The point is that I am pursuing a choice. My choice of career. I have no one to blame but myself for whatever misfortunes or opportunities come my way. What a concept, huh?
One of the teachers who helps me out with reference letters suggested that it is sometimes more of a contest to see if you got the paperwork correct than anything else. We talk about what she did to pay for her university education. She is white and much younger than me. I consider it practice for applying for grant funding for ongoing proposals to create opportunities where maybe none existed before I asked. She submitted projects for shows and exhibitions at every opportunity to help defray her expenses. No silver spoon in her mouth.
I hope I am making sense here. Nothing ventured. Nothing gained. If they approve me for funding in any capacity, I have learned something about how to seek out funding in other upcoming situations. I also use that information and experience for passing onto my classmates or my children’s classmates. There are some truly amazing people out there who deserve to know how to put forth ideas and to benefit from the fruit of their labours. That works for me as an art student. When I submit those applications, I have no real expectations!! I may hope that I find funding; but it won’t change the fact that I am studying the path of my choosing whether they give me any funding or not. I have no complaints with anyone.
I did find myself taking issue about some of the comments made here, because it seemed that those people were belittling my efforts. I know how often I have gone without food to complete a project and I know how many field trips I missed for lack of adequate funding. I just can’t find it in my heart to bemoan my fate and complain to the world because I am broke. It is a rather scary position to be always trying to anticipate where the next financial crisis will appear on the horizon. And I am too busy worrying about my own situation to notice who else gets funded.
If you think about it, if you feel that you are being short changed, it probably comes through in the applications you submit. I would suspect that a judge who felt you had a CHIP on your shoulders would probably be more inclined to want to run from your application. Maybe, if some of you are not getting awarded any funding success, get someone else to proof-read your submissions. Perhaps you might begin to see things in a light by which the judges want to consider you. I would be inclined to ask just how many times you actually tried… 2 or 3 times vs. 10 or 15? per year?
I really thank Judge Josh and some of the other participants of these discussions for the input (that might help me to afford myself while I study). It is my hope and desire that I will learn how to create and begin to generate income while I study. I attend school more for the proximity of other professionals to “call me on my stuff” and to critique my work while I address my “learning curve”. If there are people out there who throw something my way while I study, then so be it. If no one chose to help me along the way, I am still thankful for the chance to “follow my heart”. After all, we did not consult the people who put together the grants prior to choosing our programs.
It is kind of like remembering those who blazed the way for us in generations gone by… They did not always have someone to hold their hands. Imagine if they had taken time to do some of the whining I have read here today! OMG. They still had to keep going or curl up and die!!
If I sound like I am preaching… Maybe I am(?)
As I re-read some of the comments made by others, I am reminded by a story a woman told me. She has a daughter. The woman has 2 degrees to her name and works while her husband stays home with the children. They would be considered minorities as people of colour and yet, I suspect that she does not see herself or her children as belonging to an “ethnic” group. Some people do not remember to include themselves into the groups of colour category.
She is not an aggressive pushy parent. To further her own studies each year, she studies at least 2 subjects/year and has to apply for funding from some source or another. At present, she actually runs the elearn centre in the local college I am now leaving.
We are very rural. Our preschool, grade school and high school are all on the same block of land, because our community is so small. In the actual town where I live, there was a 3 classroom schoolhouse (kindergarten to grade 6 for 60 children), until a few years ago.
This woman’s daughter saw herself being disadvantaged at the prospect of attending a high school in such a small community. Her mother offered the option to attend the school of her choice, if she could find her own funding and make all of the arrangements. That pre high school child got on the internet and searched out the school of her choice. She ended up attending a Toronto, Ontario $60,000 /year private school (full tuition) for 4 years of high school and will graduate soon. Because of other factors, the girl took issue that she would have to live with her dad and step mom. My friend wrote to the school and asked a question. She explained how her daughter felt and wondered if they could find the additional $$ to cover her residence fees. They did. My friend said that it cost her out of pocket about $6,000/ year for whatever incidentals might come up; but she was impressed at the tenacity of her daughter.
Recently, the daughter began to encourage her younger brother to consider the path she pursued. The boy is not quite the student the girl has been. His marks have been only average and he is inclined to be more passive than his sister. Mother gave him the same suggestion. The first thing to happen was that he brought his marks up because he knew he has been a weak student. He has, I think 2 years to prepare.
My point is that maybe by a change of attitude, we all could learn something here. For those of us who fight for every concession and for those of us who whine for lost opportunities… There is just so much more to life.
That story inspired me. If it inspires any of you reading it, then I wish you well on your journeys.
“As for being white: I don’t think colleges necessarily *weed out* the working/middle class white kids — they don’t try to systematically get rid of them (even if they wanted to, there’s too many of you). But they just don’t care about them very much because they don’t have a specific need for them”
now i have nothing against minorities getting help with school (so long as they earn it just like everyone else) but this statement right up there i take extreme offence to. I do realize how many scholorships there are out there for normal white kids trying to go to school. but guess what white kiddies ( im white too) you actually gotta look for them other then just online. i do however find a lot more openly available options for minorites, and it is mostly due to what was stated in those lines writin by the author himself. Minorites are given these choices because the schools NEED them to fill their quota of different ethnicities, and again as judge josh said himself, white, middle class are punished for the fact that “they don’t have a specific need for them”. not getting a scholorship is one thing, but losing it to someone who is less qualified because of ethnicity is morally wrong.
I seem to be a very flat person who is only marginally eligible for many scholarships. I know somebody who received $30000 for a hispanic native american gene mix, though perfectly capable of excelling academically grades were not the best. I guess I don’t know it from any other perspective, but I personally believe that scholarships should not be based on any factor people are born with. I would prefer that scholarships be based on order received and target academic criteria.
We all have money issues, some worse than others… but I feel like scholarships should be available to EVERYONE. America has become such a “melting pot” of ethnicities it’s hard to tell who exactly is the minority anymore! I don’t care if you’re black, white, hispanic, or asian, if you’re the best competitor, then you deserve the scholarship due to your hard work, not your skin color or ethnic origin.
I understand the girl’s frustration, but I don’t think she understands the whole story either.
I am a white, middle class female with a GPA that, over my years in university, has ranged from 3.9 to 3.4 on a 4pt scale. I think most people would agree that those are some decent to damn good grades. What I have noticed is that there are a tonne of scholarships available in first year – in fact, I got 3 scholarships in my first year, totaling over 3 grand (CAD). Unfortunately, what I learned later on was that once you enter second year your scholarhip oppourtunities diminish substantially. Entrance scholarships seem to make up the lions share that governments and schools give out. Now, in the later years, all that seems to be out there are private scholarships – most of which are specifically targeted. They are targeted at all sorts of different groups – minorities, immigrants, women in traditionally male dominated fields, members of religious groups, community activists and leaders, etc – they are not open to anyone. What I am finding is that there are very few scholarships out there that a white, lower-middle class, 24 year old female majoring in political science at a reputable but average-cost university is eligible for. And it really is a piss off. Especially when, just for curiosity sake, while doing a scholarship search, I check off that I am a visible minority and suddenly the number of scholarships for which I may apply triples! You’re damn right it’s a piss off!!!!
But the point is not that minorities get scholarships that they don’t deserve. That’s not it at all. Every person I know who is a visible minority and who gets scholarships truly do work their ass off and deserve every penny.
The point is that rather than leveling the playing field with targeted scholarships we are leaving people out of the process that truly need the help and truly deserve it. The solution is not to take away scholarship money from minorities, it is to lower the barriers to higher education at the roots. Neither minorities or white people who are working class should have to rely on scholarships in the first place to get to go to college or university. Education is a fundamental pillar of a healthy, vibrant and secure society. Governments need to fund their post secondary institutions adequately so that students who have the abilities can attain an education regardless of their background.
The problem with scholarships is that in order to get them you need to maintain very good grades – something that is damn near impossible to do if you are forced to work part time to get by. So who ends up getting the scholarships? Not the poor kid, minority or not, who worked part time all through high school to help Mom pay the bills – because they didn’t have the time to devote to earning straight A’s. Not the poor kid who got into college or university with the promise of scholarships which they only got in their first year and are not forced to work part time and are thus no longer able to devote as much time to earning the grades they need in order get scholarships the next year. It’s the middle to lower middle class kid whose parents are able to help them out enough that they don’t have to hold down a job and can devote all of their time to their studies.
That’s the problem. It’s not that all the minorities are taking up all the scholarship money – it’s that we shouldn’t need scholarships in the first place!!!!!!!!!
So I wake up and see the title of this in the inbox of my email and i can honestly say i’m offended. When i see the word Minority the first thing that comes to mind is someone with Colored skin. Now I don’t think there is alot of Minority scholarships, there isn’t enough. You have to have way too qaulifications in order to even apply and alot of students don’t meet them. Most of the scholarships for minorities on Outlaw Student doesn’t even apply to Highschool seniors. Now as for Valerie wanting scholarships for the Average White kid, well sweetie you need to look harder because all of these scholarships in the world are made up from a white man, and most of the minority scholarships are given from white people who have some kind of sense of guilt in them, so they think they owe the African American and Latinos money. We are all struggling and i still can’t beleive you even sat up there thought of that, how selfish can you be. You ignorant child.
sooo to the writer of this email and all those kids out there who feel this way….suck it up and be happpy your white…and feel pride in knowing that you got into that special college because they wanted you and not just because they needed another black kid
There are millions of scholarships available to students of all races, religious and ethnic backgrounds and broken homes. There are scholarships just for kids who were adopted or are in foster care– because those kids are much less likely to attempt college because they haven’t been taught how to manage themselves in a permanent, thriving setting. Minorities are additionally less likely to attempt college and so colleges and private groups give them a reason to try. That’s not racism. It’s statistics. And the scholarship givers are simply trying to alter the statistics.
I am white girl from a middle class family. But guess what? Here’s 20 special things about me that made me eligible for scholarships: my Dad was in the military; my Dad fought in Iraq; my grandfather fought in WWII; my other grandfather fought in Korea; I was interested in History (but was NOT a history major); I was able to write short stories and poems (but was not a writing major); I was a community volunteer; I had a gpa higher than 3.0; I had a gpa higher than 2.0; I lived in Utah; I had a savings account (anywhere); I had a savings account at GCU; I had a full time job. All of these made me scholarship WORTHY.
So please…students…stop your whining. Nearly EVERY major organization has PRIVATE scholarships that they will give to you because you eat their pizza or watch their movies or buy their clothes.
And EVERY scholarship REQUIRES you to have a gpa at or above a certain level. Yes, a Hispanic kid who had a crappy life but got straight A’s is going to win a scholarship over a middle class white kid who got B’s and never did anything spectacular but sit around and play Wii.
If you want a scholarship find a reason to DESERVE one. You can’t complain that NAACP is offering a scholarship for black kids at every university in America. They are a PRIVATE organization and have the right to do that. So just go looking for scholarships. Some aren’t even listed on the internet. So stop being LAZY!!! Go out and find the money already.
Okay…I have to comment again. Because I am angry at people who are taking a cop out.
Sara said it is nearly impossible to get good grades when you have to work part time to get by. Excuse me, but I went to a private university, funded by limited scholarships and a boat load of student loans, had an apartment OFF campus because I couldn’t get one ON campus, was on the debate team (which had me gone EVERY weekend), was in a part time UNPAID internship and worked TWO jobs…a full time job and a part time job, but making minimum wage. And I volunteered in the community and played in an orchestra.
And I still worked my butt off in college and graduated the TOP of my class.
Being in college means working HARD for the things that you want.
And because I kept myself well rounded, I was eligible for MANY scholarships all through college. And I am NOT a minority.
I am soooooo tired of people being lazy and then complaining that they can’t get scholarships. Join a club or a sorority or fraternity. And don’t forget…companies usually offer tuition assistance or scholarships for employees.
If you are not eligible for private and targeted scholarships BLAME YOURSELF.
YOU MAKE THE CHOICES YOU MAKE. If you aren’t a community volunteer then you have NO RIGHT to complain that community volunteers have private scholarships available to them.
And why complain about minorities. Again, this is a PRIVATE organization issue. If you don’t like it, then call up a private organization you know and ask why they aren’t offering a scholarship to someone like YOU. But stop being a whiner. Even for 2nd, 3rd and 4th year students there are HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS of scholarships available that a WHITE, MIDDLE CLASS WOMAN in her 2nd year of college is eligible for. UNLESS YOU ARE LAZY!!!!
My college had 17,000 hard working students. 45% of them came from middle class families and they were ALL getting decent grades. What makes you think you’re so much more special than those people????? The judges look for something unique about you. Something that sets you apart from the other candidates.
So get off your lazy butt and make yourself stand out.
With a letter like this there is ONE college I guarantee you’d get into: Glenn Beck’s new online university. Your barely-veiled contempt for non-whites is just what he is looking for.
I found what this girl rather amusing considering that is the view of some people in America still. Sadly, it is almost impossible to change her views regardless of how many stories you tell her. I will simply say this I am a minority from an upper-middle class family, but the scholarships that I applied for were all NATIONAL SCHOLARSHIPS for EVERY RACE. If you win them you get a lot of scholarship money. It is as simple as that. I had the fortune of winning some of them, but only because of HARD WORK. End of the day, this girl needs to understand sacrifice, determination, and hardwork.
I think Judge Josh knows exactly what the speaker in this thread is asking. He just doesn’t want to admit it. What ever happened to saying the truth?
what u mean average students? or do you think the minorities are abnormal or what? there are many scholarships they to look it up! if they are not minority that means they must have money or something what is
Average student grades and scores should earn average scholarships – NOTHING. You should have to excel to get free money.
That said, it’s angering to have scholarships that discriminate. School is about educating yourself, so having academic discrimination to find the most deserving applicants is fine. But discriminating by race and financial status is appalling. Yes, I am a middle class white kid. Yes, I have worked my butt off for my 4.0 and 33. But kids with a 3.0 and 25 are the more eligible for the scholarships – if they’re a minority or don’t make any money. My parents make some. Our expected financial contribution is over 1/3 of my dad’s income. Which is total BS, because my parents can only afford to give me perhaps 25% of what the federal government THINKS they can. It’s quite angering …
PEOPLE This girl is trying to ask why it’s so hard to apply for scholarships. You can read all of the blogs about how to write good essays and what makes you stand out, but so do hundreds of other kids. There are scholarships for being tall, for having red hair, and for having a certain last name. I think this specific letter, is about what happens when you don’t fall in to any of those categories. Even if we aren’t talking about race, there are many kids who don’t fall in to the “red head category”. The real issue is what we are supposed to be doing with a scholarship system such as this one; in which minority groups (not necessarily race) are favored! That is the true question here- it’s a plea for help. What can we do?!
I am a college student, and I am in a similar situation as this girl who wrote the letter. I agree with her on many points, but I also realize that not everyone can be given scholarships. I am one of four children, and two of us are presently in college. Granted neither my brother or I attend state schools, but my parents always told us that we would find a way to pay for the schools that we wanted to attend, but that would mean that we might have to make some sacrifices.
Even though I knew this all along (and my parents made me work for everything that I wanted), I am still frustrated by the fact that just because I am white and in the middle class that I am not able to apply for as many scholarships as those who are minorities or are in a family that does not make as much money as my family does. I guess I just don’t understand why people aren’t willing to invest in those of us who are more likely to end up graduating from college (and I’m not trying to say that none of these students will graduate, I’m just pointing out that statistically these students are less likely to graduate).
I know that I am probably sounding whinny too to some people, but this is something that truly has bothered me, especially since I have friends who are in similar situations that I am in, but their parents are not contributing a dime.
This girl’s assessment of the situation is correct.
1. Why should dozens/hundreds of scholarships be outside of her reach because of her ethnic ancestry? It’s anti-white discrimination essentially, nothing more really.
2. Why is it deemed “good” or desirable to have the college population resemble exactly that of the general population? It’s not ,that’s a purely communistic mentality. It’s ideal to reward merit and achievement, I applaud for example the fact that after UCSD eliminated the euphemistically called “affirmative action” many more capable asian students were accepted and now make up 48% of campus.
3. “diversity” for its own sake doesn’t add anything of value, nobody gains by having disparate competing national/racial groups competing with one another for power, wealth and influence in the same country. Luckily for the world, politicians such as Angela Merkel have seen the unredeemable failure the policies of diversity/multiculturalism are for a country.
I searched for 2 years, applying for every scholarship i found. I come from a well off family I guess, but with a mom that can’t work and a severely disabled brother most of my dad’s income goes to a expensive private school for him. (special needs schools in my city run about 15-25 grand a year) We also have to take care of my cousin that was severely abused and starved by her parents. But the government doesn’t take that into account.
I’m not black hispanic native etc. I’m so white I’m nearly see through.
I got excellent grades, at a difficult school designed for highly gifted children. I taught myself how to read and write in english 2 months before my first round of standerdised testing in grade 3. I scored the top of my region. During high school I clocked more hours volunteering than anyone else. If i had a spare/lunch/after school or before school I was helping out teachers and students and everyone I could. But when it came time for our guidance counsellors to choose who she was sponsoring for 3 scholarships, she picked the 3 brown girls that volunteered once a week. Take note that at my school, being white in the high school was a minority, everyone was brown or asian. They all graduated with 4 or 5 scholarships, yet the 6 white kids who worked their butts off trying to get them and be perfected didn’t get one.
I’m all for minority scholarships or black or hispanic or native only ones, but I have a problem when if it was a white only scholarship it would be racist. Scholarships are possibly the greatest version of reverse racism. Last time I checked white people are quickly becoming a minority based on world populations, but it tends to be white countries that are ‘1st’ world so that somehow changes things.
The only scholarship that I could actually find was from the irish consulate for Irish-canadians. 5000$ if you learn Gaelic. Too bad there is only one school who only accepts 10 students a year.
At this point I don’t even care anymore. To pay for university my dad expatriated so the company would pay for a tiny bit, and between work and leasing the mineral rights on our properties I’ll make it through.
I’m just fed up that because my skin is white, i’m deemed to be less worthy of something that I worked for until my knuckles bled and my brain was mush. The irish/scots were just as badly treated as any coloured skin person, way in the past.
There are scholarships for white people. Some scholarships target certain white ethnicities. This is particularly true for graduate students at UCLA for some of the scholarships/fellowships target Swedes or people with a Swedish background.
Before I begin, I’d like to mention that I am not a racist. I can proudly say that my best friend is African American and I have numerous friends who are all of the minority ethnicities.
I can acknowledge that affirmative action was necessary when it was first created. However, what some people fail to realize is that I did not CHOOSE the color of my skin. I did not PICK to be looked at as a criminal for what my ancestors may have done. I did not BEG to be asked to check a little box that disqualifies me from most scholarships. So…
1. I am Caucasian. Not white. I do not call African Americans “black” or Asians “yellow”. So why do I have to check a box that calls me the color of a crayon? Why am I looked at as so different? Essentially, human beings are all the same – after all, we all belong to one species. We all walk on two legs, can effectively communicate with one another, and when we choose to have children, they turn out human. Hate to burst your bubble, but it’s true. So why are we choosing to boost one race over another?
2. So, now that you know that I’m Caucasian, I’ll elaborate a bit more. I am part of a white, middle class family. Think I have the money to pay my way through college? Not a chance. With three younger siblings all exactly four years apart, there is no way that my parents can afford to help me very much because they have three other to send off to school. As soon as one graduates college, the next starts.
3. I work hard. I’m not trying to sound whiny, but I really do. I am currently second in my class with a 4.87 GPA on a 4.00 scale. I take so many AP classes that I could enter college as a sophomore. I usually work on homework for about seven hours each night. After that, I still have to spend forever and a day searching for scholarships.
4. I’m involved. I am in marching band, the drama program, winter percussion, jazz band, the school’s top concert band, LINK (a freshman orientation program), National Honor Society, and track. I’m an intern at the local zoo and I volunteer about 150 hours a semester. (I reinvented the clock to make enough time for all this.) 🙂
5. I have my own version of a sob story, and while it might not be as “impressive” as some, it still happened. My parents got divorced when I was in first grade. My dad wasn’t the best guy around and got involved in several things that are usually frowned upon. My mom was a single mother for the longest time and juggled a job with raising two kids. My step-dad has been deployed and currently works in a civilian position and also commands a reserve unit. Am I complaining? No. Not in the slightest. But I am simply trying to point out that sob stories don’t get you very far. Sure, I’m not a two time cancer survivor, like someone mentioned before, but the point has been stated nonetheless.
I have applied for more scholarships than I can count, and the ending result? Zip. Zilch. Nothin’.
My point is that I feel like I am getting nowhere. I am not trying to lash out at minorities. I just think the system needs to be fixed. College shouldn’t cost as much as it does right now anyway. But if it has to, then why not make finding scholarships more equal?
As a strong and very involved student, I want to continue my education somewhere where I can get a QUALITY education. Sure, maybe Harvard and Yale are out of the question. But after working so hard, going to a community college isn’t what I had in mind. I want to be in a challenging environment where I can really learn something so I can give back to the community. Why is that so hard to do?
By the way, did I mention that English is my second language?
“I am not a racist. I can proudly say that my best friend is African American and I have numerous friends who are all of the minority ethnicities.”
Stop right there.
Well, here in East Africa its pretty much the same for everyone. Scholarships aint that easy to come by for everyone, well, except for the rich who dont even need them but are lucky enough to get them. Any way i still hope for a day when race won’t be a factor for education or any other thing.
I understand that you are fustrated but i do not feel bad for you. If you need so much money then why dont you go to an instate school. Art is not considered a serious major, so i would consider a new major and maybe you will have better luck. Also, your an average student, of course you can not get any scholarships. Your technically not worth an investment although you may be bright, but there is better. I have not seen any minority scholarships that are easily obtained, so the person awarded this money is quite intelligent themselves. There are plenty of majority scholarships as well, its just not as blunt. If it doesn’t say minority, than its just a nice way of saying majority. So get mad at the minority, this country was created by white men for white men. We have it easier than you think. So work harder and put your self in a more desirable position for scholarships.
I get that she is frustrated at not being able to find scholarships, but there is no need to pin minorities for that. Maybe you should take in to consideration that a young black man from a ‘broken family’ might have bad grades, not because he’s high or dumb but because he spent the night working instead of studying because he needed to help his mother with money so that his family can eat another week or buy clothing from goodwill.
You need to open your eyes. You sound like a white snotty girl who doesn’t see past the brand-name shoes on someone’s feet or what jeans they’re wearing. did you really think you wouldn’t
offend anyone?
I had great grades, a fairly good SAT score, took a year off to travel and receive an education in sustainable living through work exchange. I am a quarter african american, an eighth cherokee, bisexual, and I’m from a ‘broken family’. I can’t find any scholarships either for many reasons. But you know what, I’m sucking that up and doing what I can. I suggest you do the same and back off on the minority questions because most of those people want an education more than you do.
My son is an average (ACT 26) scoring white boy with an average (3.6) GPA and thatnks to his community service, high school extracurriculars, sports and leadership roles taken in ALL, he is an excellent candidate. Have you been doing your due dilligence and exceeeding average to set yourself apart? Even if he recieved no scholarships he is now a better college or employmenet candidate than those who are average.
Good Luck!
Oops, up too late. Lots of spelling errors. You get the point though, right?
Much agreed! Though I am a minority student myself, I was able to maintain above a 3.5 GPA in high school. I even had average test scores, however, through getting involved in my community through various on campus clubs/organizations and even taking on leadership roles in some of those organizations (I was VP for the Student Government Association and National Honor Society my senior year) I was able to set myself on a equal playing field as all my peers. I knew I’d be competing against students nationwide that came from all sorts of backgrounds, so I didn’t rely on the fact that I was minority or came from a less privileged background (because in my naivety I believed colleges would choose students based on their exceptional accomplishments academically as well outside the classroom and not only their race and financial background). So, I worked hard not in the classroom but outside of it and as a result I got into my dream school, got decent aid, and even graduated as Valedictorian from my high school.
Hard work is key. If you are average then that’s fine, but you have to know that won’t be enough. You have to try and set yourself apart whether you do that through extracurricular, your art work, or whatever other outlet colleges will appreciate you more for, then you have to do that! You can’t just be average an expect things will be handed to you. You have to put in a little more effort than that.
The same way there are minority-only scholarships, there are scholarships for only Italians, Irish, etc. If you feel you have to blame minorities for your incompetency of finding a scholarship that you qualify for, you’re just pathetic.
The idea of schools and scholarships being able to be given preference to minorities is ridiculous. Its the same exact thing as segregation during the early 20th century. To complain about being underrepresented and such is crap because we are all people, we all have (or at least should have) an equal shot at life, and the fact of the matter is that the kids being handed out scholarships never lived through the days when discrimination was rampant. And dont give me that crap about how youre discriminated against today still because I have news for you EVERYONE IS DISCRIMINATED AGAINST. So pick yourself up and make things happen in your life. Who gives a CRAP about diversifying a campus. If your hispanic you can be just as smart as somebody whos white. Give the scholarships to people who earn the best grades and the best scores, the mere idea that anything else can be considered is ridiculous. And no, im not soe spoiled rich kid whos had everything given to him, I hold two jobs, get great grades, and I’ve had to work for everything in life and I STILL cant get a scholarship. Why? because I am white.
i totally disagree with everybody saying that giving scholarships to minorities is a bad idea. On a lot of college campuses, the majority of the students are white and middle class. These universities are trying to give kids an experience at college where they meet people from different backgrounds and from different cultures. I don’t see how this is such a bad thing.
This is my personal experience with this issue…
My sister (she is white) got very good grades in high school, had above average test scores, was involved in activities, and our family is not wealthy by any means and yet she did not receive any scholarships from the University that she wanted to go to (she was accepted). Another girl that she knew who was a minority, got bad grades (like a 2.5), had average test scores, and received a full ride scholarship to that same university.
Just based on this I definitely think that the fact that she was a minority was the main reason that she got that scholarship because based on her performance in high school she did not deserve it.
This is one of the most selfish things I have ever heard. As an African American with a 4.0 GPA and a decent ACT score I have found it nearly impossible to find scholarship. A large majority of the scholarships for ethnicities are for low income families and my family doesn’t quality. I am not sure where you get your information from but don’t waste the rest of our time with your foolish, biased, and racist complaints.
I’ve been actively looking at scholarships for the last year and I have to say, there are too many scholarships devoted to minorities…period. The average white kid has so few options and there are so many applying. I don’t want to get into particulars because it will either sound like I’m a racist or bigoted but please, give me a break! The fact is, minorities are no longer the minority in the workplace. And in many cases, in colleges as well. In September 2010, the undergraduate enrollment at UCLA was 16,646 minority student population compared to 8,467 white student population. What’s wrong with this picture? It’s appalling! Statistics still show white students are awarded more scholarships then minority students, but I’d like to know where those scholarships are b/c I can’t find them.
First of all, I’d like to say I’m white and male. Arguably the most historically privileged class the world has ever seen. I wouldn’t say I think it’s right, but that’s the way it is. White males have always had all the options available to them while females or blacks or latinos or what-have-you have all been (or are) oppressed in their rights at some time or another.
This is so common and accepted in our society that white folks never really notice – until they are not eligible for something. Then the entitlement kicks in and they get upset.
With all the other unspoken advantages that comes with being white in America, I think you can deal with a little struggle.
I mean after all, this is not some little backwater country, and it’s not like most of us really know what hard work and strife are.
We are on the top of the socioeconomic pyramid. Suck it up.
It does stink. I actually do come from a broken home (my father committed suicide a few years ago) and I haven’t received aid. I’m top of my class, editor of the school paper, a club president, a vice president of about 4 clubs, do community service each week for the last 5 years, am a state vice president of a journalism organization, taken about 8 APs, scored 2000 on the SAT and have become an advocate for suicide victims. But that’s not good enough. Despite the fact that I usually get less than 4 hours of sleep on school nights, colleges don’t see me as student they would consider scholarship worthy. Actually I’ve been a scholarship for two full ride scholarships and it’s been disheartening to see that the large majority of people who received them had a different ethnicity than white. Several of them received multiple scholarships. I haven’t received one. I really wished “merit” scholarships were based solely on merit.
I am a minority of mixed ethnicity with a high GPA and two jobs and I have received no funds based on my ethnicity.
I went to community college for my GE and most of my major requirements, then transferred to my university. I go to a state university and the tuition is so low that my Pell grant and a State University Grant (available to any student with financial need and a qualifying GPA) cover my tuition AND rent. Now that I’ve been here a year I am eligible for merit and need-based scholarships, but honestly I think I’ll be okay if I don’t receive any. I just want an impressive transcript and recommendations for graduate school…you know, assistanceships come with free tuition 😉
Go to an inexpensive school, get good grades, and live frugally. That might mean renting a room in a house on the “ghetto” side of campus, but hey, it’s all a part of growing up!
I am an African American middle class woman working two jobs raising four children. I am back in school earning my doctorate degree and there are no scholarships for me. There are plenty if I was at the associates or bachelor’s degree level but none at the doctoral level. This has forced me to get loans which are running out. I graduated Magna Cum Laude in my master’s program and currently I have a 4.0 in my doctoral program. But my G.P.A., working 2 jobs, raising 4 great kids, and being involved in the community do not seem to mean anything to scholarship judges when I apply. So, you are not alone.
Dear minorities,
Stop feeling bad for yourselves.
When I finish college and make lot’s of money I will make a scholarship just for white people. It will be called “Whites Only.” It will be like other scholarship where you have to submit your test scores and write an essay and stuff, just like normal scholarships… but you have to be white. White people are also a minority now too, you know.
Personally, I found the comments on this topic very offensive. There are many students, minorities who do not receive scholarships because they are not considered eligible because of financial and many other reasons. As a minority, that does not guarantee that I will receive scholarships, I must apply just like everyone else does.