COLLEGE ACADEMIC SCHOLARSHIPS

At some point those in charge of academic scholarships took a wrong turn and made academic scholarships about just about anything but academics. This is shameful and should be changed.

Martin Luther King, Jr. believed that we should all be judged by the content of our character not by the color of our skin. Then why do we give academic scholarships based on the color of someone’s skin?

King was right of course. What he wanted was a colorblind society not one where special favors are granted to those groups considered underrepresented in a particular segment of society.

The best way to bring minority performance up is to make everyone play by the same rules. Whoever has the best qualifications should get the job and win the academic scholarships.

Do we see the mostly black players in the NBA bringing out a step ladder for the few white players so they can dunk? Of course not. And they shouldn’t. If you can dunk it is because you have some natural physical gifts and you have worked at it. It is the same in the realm of academic scholarships.

If we let people play in the NBA based on racial quotas we would have inferior basketball that would be less interesting. We would know too.

And it is the same in the realm of academic scholarships. Did you know that white middle class women receive more scholarship money than anybody else? Why do you think that is? It’s because we are still operating under the assumption that women are underrepresented on college campuses even though they are a full fifty eight percent of the student body. It’s even higher on some campuses.

Did you know that if your mother crosses the border from Mexico while she is pregnant and gives birth in America that child has a better shot at getting academic scholarships than a brilliant white kid whose family has paid taxes in America for generations? It’s true. Being poor or a person of color or a woman is the most important consideration in getting academic scholarships.

We can go back to the case of young white women for a prime example of how the system needs to be changed. Decades ago women were not achieving or attending college at as high a rate as men. Special preferences and academic scholarships were created for them. Fair enough.

But now, as they graduate at a higher rate and receive better grades than their male counterparts on college campuses all over America, is it not time to look and see who really needs a step up or at least a level playing field? We believe it is the right time. Heck, maybe if you cut out preferential treatment for certain groups you could lower tuition costs for everybody. What a concept.

Did you know that if your mother crosses the border from Mexico while she is pregnant and gives birth in America that child has a better shot at getting academic scholarships than a brilliant white kid whose family has paid taxes in America for generations? It’s true. Being poor or a person of color or a woman is the most important consideration in getting academic scholarships.

We can go back to the case of young white women for a prime example of how the system needs to be changed. Decades ago women were not achieving or attending college at as high a rate as men. Special preferences and academic scholarships were created for them. Fair enough.

But now, as they graduate at a higher rate and receive better grades than their male counterparts on college campuses all over America, is it not time to look and see who really needs a step up or at least a level playing field? We believe it is the right time. Heck, maybe if you cut out preferential treatment for certain groups you could lower tuition costs for everybody. What a concept.

Academic scholarships have helped women and minority groups tremendously. They have also made college tuition costs skyrocket. How about making all scholarships strictly based on academic performance, which would lower costs and make education more accessible to everyone?

Academic Scholarships. University of South Carolina.

Many private scholarships mean more because they are merit-based.

There really is a need for scholarships for women over 40. And not always for the reasons you’d think.