So, they are more or less just party money for temporary college students.
Party, Sex, and Keep Liberal Teachers Employed......
Not for everyone who got them. As an anecdote, my daughter left home at 16 (I couldn't even find her for a couple of years), earned her own living, finished high school with National Honor Society award, declared herself emancipated, got into a ranked college with an athletic scholarship, Pell grant, and working in food service, took a full course load, and graduated with high marks in computer science. As an emancipated youth she could not accept parental support even if it were available.
After working her way through programming experiences as independent contractor to several companies, she became an acquisitions manager and is now in her fifties a vice president of a large national banking corporation.
I am humbled by my daughter's accomplishments and can only stand in awe and appreciation.
This is the kind of Pell Grant recipient we need to identify and encourage, students who show independence, responsibility, and backbone at an early age, even before considering as an applicant. Such targeted individuals will not be the ones who, though not humorless, are not giving themselves over to profitless immaturity.
On the other hand, without the ability to measure and track a Pell recipient's actual educability, it may be wrongly advancing ungifted (though sincerely hard-working) matriculates, who simply have no hope for employment in intellectually demanding pursuits, that brings criticism after years of unpromising support. Financial support should never undermine the character-building need to strive effectively to keep on obtaining such support as is needed. It should never be enough to let someone coast, rather than take away the strength coming from the challenge to "root, hog, or die."