4 ms·

The problem with scholarships is that the criteria is not clear and selection is (at least seen as being) at a whim of whoever is in charge at the moment. Meri

by ptero 2y ago

The problem with scholarships is that the criteria is not clear and selection is (at least seen as being) at a whim of whoever is in charge at the moment. Merit slots, given via clear exams, give everyone a good idea of whether they are likely to get in or not, for example by doing practice tests and looking at passing scores from previous years.

giantg2 2y ago
If those merit slots are limited (just due to the facility and staff limits they would need to be), then you will run into the same scenario. It will become competitive without a strict standard required. We see this with the specialty public schools at the primary and secondary levels already.
- ptero 2y ago
  > [merit slots] will become competitive without a strict standard required Yes, and I see this as a good thing. If someone wants free tuition at a top university, they have to be very good, way above average. Free tuition at a good, but not top school would be a lot less competitive, but still require ability and work. And we should also get away from the current state where everyone feels compelled to spend 4-5 years on higher education after school. That's a fad of the last 30 years and it is not a healthy one for the society. My 2c.
  - giantg2 2y ago
    "Yes, and I see this as a good thing. If someone wants free tuition at a top university, they have to be very good, way above average. Free tuition at a good, but not top school would be a lot less competitive, but still require ability and work." This is basically how scholarships work.
    - ptero 2y ago
      In what country? For example in the US today, scholarships are competitive (as any free money is), but the selection criteria has little to do with merit. Even top universities (MIT, Stanford, Harvard) specifically do not provide merit-based financial aid. There are some exceptions with private scholarships, but those are few. The majority of scholarships and grants are federal or federal+school, where the state puts a lot of specific requirements on the students, mostly based on need with some social mobility mixed in. The result is that students go through a rigmarole that has very little to do with proving merit for the chosen field to the grant-givers who are themselves far removed from teaching or research in that field. What I am talking about is a clear set of entrance exams given (or agreed to) by the university itself. No intermediaries, pure merit. This is very far from how the scholarships work in the US today.
      - giantg2 2y ago
        There are merit based scholarships, but they are a smaller percent.

by ptero 2y ago

giantg2 2y ago

If those merit slots are limited (just due to the facility and staff limits they would need to be), then you will run into the same scenario. It will become competitive without a strict standard required. We see this with the specialty public schools at the primary and secondary levels already.

ptero 2y ago
> [merit slots] will become competitive without a strict standard required Yes, and I see this as a good thing. If someone wants free tuition at a top university, they have to be very good, way above average. Free tuition at a good, but not top school would be a lot less competitive, but still require ability and work. And we should also get away from the current state where everyone feels compelled to spend 4-5 years on higher education after school. That's a fad of the last 30 years and it is not a healthy one for the society. My 2c.
- giantg2 2y ago
  "Yes, and I see this as a good thing. If someone wants free tuition at a top university, they have to be very good, way above average. Free tuition at a good, but not top school would be a lot less competitive, but still require ability and work." This is basically how scholarships work.
  - ptero 2y ago
    In what country? For example in the US today, scholarships are competitive (as any free money is), but the selection criteria has little to do with merit. Even top universities (MIT, Stanford, Harvard) specifically do not provide merit-based financial aid. There are some exceptions with private scholarships, but those are few. The majority of scholarships and grants are federal or federal+school, where the state puts a lot of specific requirements on the students, mostly based on need with some social mobility mixed in. The result is that students go through a rigmarole that has very little to do with proving merit for the chosen field to the grant-givers who are themselves far removed from teaching or research in that field. What I am talking about is a clear set of entrance exams given (or agreed to) by the university itself. No intermediaries, pure merit. This is very far from how the scholarships work in the US today.
    - giantg2 2y ago
      There are merit based scholarships, but they are a smaller percent.