Thread by @jennthetutor

Y’all want to know a secret:

Those stories about kids getting a million in scholarships or a ton of scholarships are actually an indication of inequity

A small % of students get all the big scholarships and others will get little to nothing

I see it all the time. One student getting SIGNIFICANTLY MORE than what they need- I’ve had students get $$$,$$$ or $$,$$$ in excess because we apply for anything and everything

Other students, im talking over 4.0 gpa, getting nothing. Like $0 or low amounts

Scholarships tend to pick the same bright star over and over

And no shade to the bright star but it’s frustrating because when that student decides on a school and foregoes the scholarships we rarely see redistribution of the scholarship

With the exception of some local- I’ve never had a kid be told later “hey the original beneficiary turned this down and you were our next choice”

The money usually just sits undistributed…

It’s not the student who gets all the scholarships fault

But you have to be a really bright star to get scholarships and my students who were working or taking care of their siblings tend not to have the resume scholarships committees like

Even when we add that context in- they get the short end

Students with time freedom to do big extracurricular and service projects and good grades and good scores tend to be selected repeatedly to win big

Which is why for me it comes down to the list. You have to find schools great at packaging students and whose commitment is not just to the brightest star but to leveling the playing field for all students

Colleges breaking down barriers

For me it’s colleges that say “laundry is free” and when I say “what about computer fees and printing” they say “also free”

When you talk to their students they have to think about what the college doesn’t cover

Because like @taraMaustin says winning a scholarship is like winning a carnival game. Some people win it… but not many you know

Unless you have auto-distribution if you hit a certain gpa and/or test score- you don’t tend to win those

And 100% need met is a false promise in most places

I have multiple students who were told their family income qualified for 100% cost covered who are not only paying tuition but also paying for printing and laundry and other unexpected cost at colleges with BILLIONS endowed

And they sometimes take jobs as tour guides because they have to work and are encouraged to say 100% need met and no loans when they know it’s not true… being used by the colleges to trick the next round of students

Debt traps are nearly inescapable

It comes down to the list… period.

If you don’t have equitable colleges on your list then you will end up in college debt

It’s just a reality