Posted on 03/21/2015 10:54:21 AM PDT by SeekAndFind
The headline on this op-ed piece in the Washington Post says it all:
College applicant: I got in! But I can’t afford it. Was all my hard work for nothing?
The author of the piece is a high-school senior in Lousiana who just got admitted to Tulane, so let’s cut her some slack here. But what does it say about the success of President Obama’s constant yammering about how college should be “free” (incrementally, of course, beginning with community college, but we’ve all seen this leftist movie before and know where it’s going)? A lot, is what:
I am one of the top two prospects for valedictorian at Riverside, the opposing student is an African-American female and scholarship student as well. With silent fervor and diligence, together we worked to rise to become the top senior ranks. History will be made graduation day; our high school has yet to rear an African-American valedictorian or salutatorian since its opening in 1970. I believe this to be an extraordinary achievement, considering the politics of our community, the region we live in, the current year, and the odds stacked against us…
To my dismay, I was denied the full scholarship to Tulane. Although being accepted is a pretty astounding achievement, somehow I feel the point I’m desperately trying to prove disintegrated completely. Yes, the middle and lower classes have a place at universities such as this, but when it comes to funding we are on our own. It’s almost as if being let in the door to take a brief look around, but shooed off outright.
One might suggest to Ms. Svrluga that millions of students have faced similar circumstances over the years, and many have found a way around or through them: loans, part-time jobs, scholarships (both from the school and elsewhere). Government need not be the first and last resort. Here comes the kicker, though, and it’s unutterably sad:
I want a voice. I want to prove that I am not a product of my hometown’s low expectations.
I want the college education that I worked so hard for yet cannot afford.
I want the rest of the students within my community to leave, to branch out, and to thrive.
I want the destructive system crippling my community to fall.
I want equality of outcome.
And there you have it.
Undoubtedly, this young man will major in viticulture. He’s already an expert at whine.
Ooops...young woman.
They were successful in getting somebody else to pay their doctor bills so I guess they figure, “What the heck?! Why not my college tuition too? Might as well give it a try.”
FINANCIAL AID
Tulane offers both merit- and need-based aid programs. All admitted students are considered for merit-based scholarships, and the review process is need-blind. Several need-based aid awards and programs are also available through our Office of Financial Aid.
Merit-Based Scholarships
All freshmen applicants are considered for partial merit scholarships ranging from $10,000 to $32,000 per year. Additionally, there are four merit scholarships that require supplemental materials and have special application procedures: the Deans’ Honor Scholarship, the Paul Tulane Award, the Stamps Leadership Award, and the Community Service Scholarship.
Need-Based Financial Aid
Numerous need-based awards, including a no-loan program for middle income families, are available through our Office of Financial Aid. Financial Aid, together with the Federal Government, determines an applicant’s financial need and awards aid to meet that need. Tulane requires that both the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) and the CSS Profile are submitted for students seeking need-based aid institutional aid from Tulane.
http://admission.tulane.edu/aid/
“I want the rest of the students within my community to leave, to branch out, and to thrive.”
I want to ruin every University in America.
“One might suggest to Ms. Svrluga that millions of students have faced similar circumstances over the years, and many have found a way around or through them: loans, part-time jobs, scholarships (both from the school and elsewhere). Government need not be the first and last resort. Here comes the kicker, though, and it’s unutterably sad:”
I doubt there are many part-time jobs that will cover the $60k in tuition.
Then either she did something really dumb ... or she doesn't know what "withheld" means.
“To my dismay, I was denied the full scholarship to Tulane.”
That means they offered he a $30,000 scholarship.
It’s a good start, but should aim for other sources or loans.
Hey there frogs. Water starting to feel a little warm yet?
If you make jr college free. A jr college diploma will become as worthless as a high school one.
If you make 4 year college free. A bachelors diploma will become as worthless as a high school one.
ect ect.
The rich and truly smart will ALWAYS seek to separate themselves from the rest by attaining a higher level of achievement than the rest.
It would be like the government handing out free designer handbags to the poor. The rich simply wouldn't regard THOSE bags as prestigious anymore and would simply switch to a different non-free bag to show off their superior wealth.
Also the military and trade schools.
Life is full of dissapointnents and choices.
It’s not my responsibility to pay for either for someone else.
Both my wife and I worked multiple jobs and took out loans to pay ours
It seems while this little special thing did well in school both he and his parents failed miserably at teaching some personal responsibility and intestinal fortitude.
Sniveling little brat deserves nothing more than an opportunity which he got. The rest is up to him.
I doubt there are many part-time jobs that will cover the $60k in tuition.
We also should discuss why so many feel entitled to attend an expensive private university such as Tulane.
People should really have realistic expectations. Perhaps attending LSU, as an in-state student, would have been within the means of this student and family.
Perhaps students could consider working for a year or two, save their money, then go to college at that point.
Why do we assume that young people have to go to college right out of high school?
Why do we assume that everyone is entitled to attend any college regardless of cost?
Why do we assume that either scholarships or loans need to cover the entire cost?
I live three blocks from the Tulane campus and know many professors and students.
Tulane is an expensive school and it has a good reputation, but it it not a great school.
The majority of students are for the Midwest or Northeast win could not get into a top tier school in their region.
And Tulane has a great financial aid program. Most kids. If not all the kids get a 30k scholarship per year.
The facts are community colleges offering technical training in a variety of subjects at a fraction of the cost of liberal arts colleges. Technical colleges offer many of these young people a far better chance to get ahead than a four year lib arts college with a useless liberal arts degree at the end.
The son of a close friend of mine graduated from hs some years ago and decided to live hand to mouth for some years. He was literally living in a tent for a period of time. Then in his mid-twenties he decided to go to tech school to get trained as a technician in hospital operating rooms.
Upon getting his two year degree, he received a number of offers from hospitals in a several hundred mile radius. He chose one and is now living the good life with a high paying job and no more nights in a sleeping bag.
Yup.
Maybe aiming at something more reasonable and achievable would be smarter.
My daughter teaches part time in a (predominately) black “Governor’s” school in VA where the hand picked students are admitted on merit and by audition. Many of her students have miserable work ethics, cannot stay in class, wander the halls aimlessly and hang out in the bathrooms all day, and expect somebody else to do all their work.
This school was established for performing arts and computer science. There are competitions, for which the students refuse to prepare. Their parents are not much help either because they expect their kids to be given good grades without any actual work. When they need to pay a fee for an extracurricular activity, or buy a uniform, they want somebody else to create a “fundraiser” for them so they don’t have to pay. It’s pretty disgusting.
They were at a competition reciently in another county when one of the students handed my daughter $6 and told her to “go buy me a camisole”. My daughter asked her why she needed a camisole when her group was up for judging witin the hour and she looked just fine. The girl replied “I’d just feel better.”
So, my daughter left the competiton and found a WalMart in a strange neighborhood and raced back with a $5.99 camisole. My daughter asked herself WHY am I shopping for underwear for a senior in high school when I am a part time teacher?
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