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I agree. Some scholarships require very high grades, some don't. I've found that the majority of these people who talk about how they "worked their way through college" really got a lot of these deals.
I also have a problem with someone tooting their own horn like that.
It's usually those types who end up learning life lessons the hard way. The ones who think they've got the world by the arse and have it all figured out by the ripe old age of 22. LOL SMH
I agree. Some scholarships require very high grades, some don't. I've found that the majority of these people who talk about how they "worked their way through college" really got a lot of these deals.
I also have a problem with someone tooting their own horn like that.
I agree, a lot of scholarships go to people because they are good at gaming the SATs, which is as much tied to natural intelligence and innate test taking skills as it is to hard work.
I started in a poor public school and worked my way up via scholarship to an Ivy League institution through my own hard work, the support of my parents, the help of a few teachers who took an interest in me, and yes, society at large.
My own success doesn't blind me to my privilege and it doesn't distract me from the fact that our system is fundamentally broken when it comes to creating real opportunity for the general population.
There are lots of people who work hard, play by the rules, and still get screwed over because the people who control our nation are the folks who will do whatever it takes to maximize their profits.
Let's take just a single issue.
College tuition is exorbitantly high. If I had not gotten a scholarship I could never in a million years been able to attend university, why has the cost risen so much in the past 20 years when a degree is more necessary than ever for success?
Why are for-profit Universities with low graduation rates and exorbitant tuition rates suddenly popping up everywhere and shoveling money into the pockets of our politicians? Because the corporate mentality has overtaken our universities and private business is turning the education sector into another fiefdom of the almighty dollar. Look at what happened when Obama tried to regulate for-profit education and the lobbyists flexed their muscle. Having worked for non-profit education programs, I see the impact of this transformation on a day-to-day basis, and yet most people are unwilling to acknowledge it.
We strip away public education, turn our youth over to profit-making institutions, and then when they are crushed by debt we tell them to stop whining. We haven't really had a serious conversation about standardized testing and the role of money in the perpetuation of our obsession with tests. We haven't even mentioned the state of our public education system prior to college, which is worthy of a thread of its own and is completely depressing.
This kind of exploitation is happening in our government, in our financial sector, and in every other segment of our society where there is money to be made. This kid is all about patting himself on the back for his achievements, but he is unwilling to consider the structure at large and the possibility that our system has been fundamentally corrupted.
I have written this once before but I think it bears repeating. As someone who got scholarships and worked in college. I have no respect for that person. They represent the worst of the entitlement mentality...e.g. a person getting all sorts of benefits while claiming they pulled themselves up by their bootstraps. I do not know what fantasy land this person lives in, but that message is hypocrisy at its finest. The person says that she received 2 scholarships and went to a public university, yet s/he "Expects nothing to be handed to me."
No matter how you slice it scholarships are something being handed to you. Sure you have to meet conditions, but the fact is scholarships are based purely on the magnanimity of a donor. In essence they are someone handing you something without direct benefit to themselves. To take a scholarship and then rather then being grateful say "I expect nothing to be handed to me" frosts my pumpkin. It shows not only an inflated sense of self worth, but also a distain for the people who set up that generous gift, and yes a scholarship is a gift, perhaps with stings attached, but a gift none the less.
This is also absurd in that in light of the fact that s/he says she expects nothing to be handed to her, and then talks about saving tuition at a Public University. Public Universities are more affordable because they receive tax dollars and while I think they are wonderful you shouldn't be saying "I don't expect anything to be handed to me" while receiving a tax subsidized education.
My hope is that people my age and younger do not listen to this person. Some already claim my generation has an entitlement mentality. This is just a glaring example of not only an entitlement mentality, but a complete and utter lack of realization on the part of a person who has received numerous benefits funded by others in advancing their education.
That has to be one of the funniest rants I have ever seen on these boards, thanks!
I started in a poor public school and worked my way up via scholarship to an Ivy League institution through my own hard work, the support of my parents, the help of a few teachers who took an interest in me, and yes, society at large.
My own success doesn't blind me to my privilege and it doesn't distract me from the fact that our system is fundamentally broken when it comes to creating real opportunity for the general population.
There are lots of people who work hard, play by the rules, and still get screwed over because the people who control our nation are the folks who will do whatever it takes to maximize their profits.
Let's take just a single issue.
College tuition is exorbitantly high. If I had not gotten a scholarship I could never in a million years been able to attend university, why has the cost risen so much in the past 20 years when a degree is more necessary than ever for success?
Why are for-profit Universities with low graduation rates and exorbitant tuition rates suddenly popping up everywhere and shoveling money into the pockets of our politicians? Because the corporate mentality has overtaken our universities and private business is turning the education sector into another fiefdom of the almighty dollar. Look at what happened when Obama tried to regulate for-profit education and the lobbyists flexed their muscle. Having worked for non-profit education programs, I see the impact of this transformation on a day-to-day basis, and yet most people are unwilling to acknowledge it.
We strip away public education, turn our youth over to profit-making institutions, and then when they are crushed by debt we tell them to stop whining. We haven't really had a serious conversation about standardized testing and the role of money in the perpetuation of our obsession with tests. We haven't even mentioned the state of our public education system prior to college, which is worthy of a thread of its own and is completely depressing.
This kind of exploitation is happening in our government, in our financial sector, and in every other segment of our society where there is money to be made. This kid is all about patting himself on the back for his achievements, but he is unwilling to consider the structure at large and the possibility that our system has been fundamentally corrupted.
So you mean when government started making college "easy" to get to with "free" grants and loans the supply went down, demand went up and cost increased?
Sounds like something I heard that happen a long long time ago with the housing market...
In all fairness, because the government started guaranteeing student loans to the unqualified and poor credit risks, the available money fueled a tremendous spike in the cost of education. I feel that most kids in this predicament obviously suffered from poor math skills and even worse decision making skills but even Ivy league schools didn't cost as much 30 years ago as many run-of-the-mill schools today even adjusted for inflation.
I'd like to know how you separated those. The point of government intervention was to make loans easier to get just like with Freddie and Fannie.
Freddie and Fannie though became abominations that were competing with each other to make loans "easier" to get.
So you mean when government started making college "easy" to get to with "free" grants and loans the supply went down, demand went up and cost increased?
Sounds like something I heard that happen a long long time ago with the housing market...
Nope, that's not what I mean at all, cost increased largely because of a lack of government funding, not due to too much of it.
Additionally, instead of funding community colleges and public universities, we turn to for-profit universities which are incredibly inefficient at producing competent, employable individuals, and are often downright predatory.
Great job in trying to simplify and distort the issue to fit the narrative you want, but it's not going to work.
If that person ever gets a medical issue, they'll be singing another tune. I started working at age 13 and had thousands of dollars saved up when I went blind and then deaf and had severe chronic pain from arthritis and fibromyalgia, rendering me unable to work. I blew through my savings with medical bills and having to eat and sleep. Next thing I knew I had no choice but to apply for SSI. Life throws curveballs at you. Saving isn't everything. It certainly helps but life can catch even the most prepared people off-guard. Really, though, it's kind of cute people think they have total control over their life. I hope most people can get through life truly believing that because it's a whole lot more comforting.
Nope, that's not what I mean at all, cost increased largely because of a lack of government funding, not due to too much of it.
Additionally, instead of funding community colleges and public universities, we turn to for-profit universities which are incredibly inefficient at producing competent, employable individuals, and are often downright predatory.
Great job in trying to simplify and distort the issue to fit the narrative you want, but it's not going to work.
Quote:
Student Lending Market
Students and their families use multiple sources of funding to pay for their college education, including savings, current income, grants, scholarships, and federally guaranteed and private education loans. Due to an increase in federal loan limits that took effect in 2007 and 2008, we have seen a substantial increase in borrowing from federal loan programs in recent years. In the Academic Year (“AY”) that ended on June 30, 2010, according to the College Board, borrowing from federal loan programs increased 14 percent from the prior year to $96.8 billion and has a five-year compound annual growth rate of 9.9 percent. Borrowing from
Private Education Loan programs decreased 24 percent to $7.7 billion and is down significantly from the peak of $21.8 billion in the AY 2007-2008. The College Board also reported that federal grants increased 64 percent
to $41.2 billion from $25.2 billion in the most recent year. We believe the drop in borrowing from private loan programs was caused by an increase in federal loans and consumer deleveraging.
Growth in the Student Loan Industry
According to the College Board, tuition and fees at four-year public institutions and four-year private institutions have increased at a compound annual growth rate of 11.4 percent and 7.1 percent, respectively, since AY 2000-2001, well in excess of the 2.3 percent compound annual growth rate of the consumer price index. The first federal loan limit increases since 1992 were implemented July 1, 2007. In response to the credit crisis, Congress significantly increased loan limits again on July 1, 2008. Borrowers using DSLP are expected to increase 4 percent per year over the next three years. If the cost of education continues to increase at a pace that exceeds income and savings growth, we expect more students to borrow from private loan programs. The National Center for Education Statistics predicts that college-enrollment will increase 14 percent from 2010 to 2019. Demand for education credit is expected to increase with enrollment over the next decade.
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