Scholarship night rant!

[gizmo1979]

My daughter just had the function at school where they hand out all the local scholarships.My daughter is in the top 15% of her class earned the highest awards in 4-h a black belt in karate.etc.So she's a well rounded person.Then why did like 15 people end up with 90% of the scholarships.The preppies and the jocks took almost all of the awards.With the majority of the other 120 kids getting 1.This was bad enough but we had to sit on wooden chairs for 3 and a half hours.Man I was so pissed by the end of the night I was ready to boo and hiss.I'd like to know if this is a nationwide thing or is it just our shitty little school district.My daughters major is premed.

[OldLeftieLawyer]

1. In the hundred years since I graduated from high school,

nothing has changed, I see.

Those chairs, by the way, are part of the parenting deal. Every school has them, and I swear, they pass them around.

[medeak]

2. it's political

both my sons were top 5 academically in class.. (actually oldest was #2) and did not receive scholarships as not "needy" even tho scholarships were not need based.

You raised a wonderful accomplished daughter..congratulations

I think it's much much worse in small towns.

[ewagner]

4. I agree in one sense

Local scholarships and athletic scholarships are highly, highly political, but other scholarships...like those directly from Universities are competitive and are there for people who make the effort to go out after them....

Scholarship nights are a pain...and it is interesting to see the SAME students called to the stage time-after-time.....

[gizmo1979]

6. Thankyou

that means alot to me,and I'll pass it along to my daughter.She was crushed,not so much the money as the recognition.

[GalleryGod]

3. S.O.S. in Jersey, Maryland and Miami

that's all I have first hand knowledge of.
:sarcasm:

[Maddy McCall]

5. It's a shitty little school thing.

It's the same way in my school district. The favorites are chosen early on (usually relatives of the teachers, staff, admin) and are placed in gifted, while the truly gifted children go through school as second-class students, only to find the final shun being what you described in your post.

It sucks, doesn't it? :hug:

[gizmo1979]

9. Yes it truly does suck!

However comments from nice well grounded people like yourself really do help take the edge off!Thankyou!

[Maddy McCall]

7. Let me add one more thought.

High school accomplishments don't mean crap to college professors. Well-rounded students like your daughter are the ones I always have enjoyed teaching.

I remember one of the preppy-cheerleader-type students in a class I taught. She had floated through high school because of her good looks. My class required true academic work. I didn't care a whit who your mama was, or whether or not you were the quarterback. You did the work, and the better you did it, the better your grade was.

Anyway, so little Barbie cheerleader came to me to complain that she deserved better than a D in my class, because she had made straight As through highschool. I told her, "Too bad, soooo sad. You aren't in high school anymore."

My favorite students are always ones like your daughter. Trust me. She will do fine in college, and she will pick up scholarships along the way.

:hug:

[leftofthedial]

8. preppies and jocks own the world

this country has a cheerleader for President.

[WindRavenX]

10. yup, been there

:hug:
It sucks. I'm sorry =(

[medeak]

11. you're not going to believe this

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=104&topic_id=3697256&mesg_id=3697256

sometimes it's better not to get a scholarship?

[gizmo1979]

16. That's really weird!

I wouldn't touch that one with a ten foot pole!

[barb162]

12. I would love to question the teachers and administrators who

make these decisions.I am totally convinced they are not looking at highest grades, but rather the teacher pets.

[gizmo1979]

14. It's gotta be something

but it's gone on forever.I guess you have to be a suckup jock or model.

[AmyDeLune]

13. I supposedly received a Presidential Academic Fitness Award

in my senior year of high school. A friend (who also supposedly was awarded one) spotted my name as a recipient in the paper and called to ask if I had gotten mine because the newspaper listing was the first he had heard of it. Not only had I not heard of it, I never got the award certificate. My high school was mystified at the mention of the award (they kept trying to send me to the athletics department, hello! academic fitness!).

I never did get my little award with Ronnie Raygun's official rubber stamped signature on it. :(

However, none of the meaningless awards, attendence records, etc. mattered diddly squat to my college instructors anyway. :)

[gizmo1979]

15. I'd still be looking for my dam money.

I'm glad it turned out ok.