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I think your analysis is mostly correct, but it leaves out the option of really hustling for scholarship money. My good friend from high school was in a positi

I think your analysis is mostly correct, but it leaves out the option of really hustling for scholarship money. My good friend from high school was in a position of not being able to afford our flagship state school, even though he got accepted. He basically made it his full time job to scour all of the scholarship websites and apply to everything he was even minimally eligible for. He was constantly writing, or altering essays to fit a particular scholarship prompt. All in all, he was able to afford school and has since graduated and become a pharmacist. Like in a lot of things, hard work and hustle pays off.

superuser2 13y ago
The problem is most scholarship programs with significant awards have a single-digit number of winners. This strategy works for a few of the most shining individuals in the country in any given year who dedicate the time required and get extremely lucky. I tip my hat to your friend, but the nature of scholarship programs is that for every kid like your brother, hundreds more worked just as hard, had just as much hustle, and got nothing (or a little, but not enough to make college affordable). Paying for school on outside scholarships is an impressive accomplishment, but not something we can reasonably expect kids in general to pull off.
- gaadd33 13y ago
  I think he means his friend hustled for the ones that on their own were not significant. Like I think my credit union gives out 5 $500 scholarships a semester. It wouldn't surprise me if the only people who apply are those who's parents work there. If you found a ton of programs like that it can make a pretty sizable dent.
  - superuser2 13y ago
    Still, the availability of scholarship money doesn't scale up with the demand for it. They're designed to reward the extraordinarily gifted (or whatever minority status their endowment specifies), not fund education in general.

superuser2 13y ago

The problem is most scholarship programs with significant awards have a single-digit number of winners. This strategy works for a few of the most shining individuals in the country in any given year who dedicate the time required and get extremely lucky. I tip my hat to your friend, but the nature of scholarship programs is that for every kid like your brother, hundreds more worked just as hard, had just as much hustle, and got nothing (or a little, but not enough to make college affordable). Paying for school on outside scholarships is an impressive accomplishment, but not something we can reasonably expect kids in general to pull off.

gaadd33 13y ago
I think he means his friend hustled for the ones that on their own were not significant. Like I think my credit union gives out 5 $500 scholarships a semester. It wouldn't surprise me if the only people who apply are those who's parents work there. If you found a ton of programs like that it can make a pretty sizable dent.
- superuser2 13y ago
  Still, the availability of scholarship money doesn't scale up with the demand for it. They're designed to reward the extraordinarily gifted (or whatever minority status their endowment specifies), not fund education in general.