<p>Ok, well I am in 9th grade, applying for 10th grade at Lawrenceville and Andover. My family really does not have the money for boarding school, so I started looking into scholarships. I found the Better Chance program, and I feel greatly offenced. It is a scholarship that only "people of color" can apply for. I am a caucasian female, and in the area I have grown up in, no one race is better than another ( my school is about 25% african american). I have friends in Lawrenceville now, who only could pay foir it because of Better chance. There is a good possibility that a kid with lower grades, less activities, and not as much community service will get in instead of me because he is a good athlete and black. I have searched and searched, but there are no scholarships I can find for a white female in the 9th grade. If you know of any scholarships, can you tell me? Thanks!</p>
<p>Andover is a need-blind school. If you make the admission, they will give you full financial aid or whatever you qualify for. You don’t need to look for any scholarships. Lawrenceville is not need-blind, but they have pretty generous financial aid packages. Most of the schools that you are applying to may give you full FA if your family income is 70K or less. So don’t fret about ABC or XYZ and focus on getting into the schools.</p>
<p>Damn those blacks for wanting a leg up after we enslaved them, bought and sold them, made them ride in the back of bus and drink from separate water fountains.</p>
<p>@Parlabane, I understand your point of view, but I’m irish, and my ancestors were taunted hundreds of years ago too, and like I said, there is really no racism in my area. I don’t give a care what color skin you are… I care if you are a jerk or not. I just think it is unfair that they get special advantages when it has been 2 or 3 generations since slavery, and atleast 1 since there was any real ratial hatred present on the East Coast (where I live).</p>
<p>I remember that a few months ago there was some controversy over a scholarship that was only available to caucasian males…even though there’s scholarships for basically every other race…I didn’t think it was that unfair.
But in response to your question, the only other scholarship that I’ve heard of is the Susan d bradley scholar and only 7th graders can apply (I can’t apply either…-__-)</p>
<p>karategirl2005 - For what it’s worth, you’re not alone in perceiving the ABC program as inequitable. It is. There are plenty of dirt poor white kids, both rural and urban, who could use that extra advantage provided by ABC and don’t have it available to them. And maybe the time for a program like ABC has passed . . . or maybe it hasn’t. There are plenty of passionate arguments to be made on both sides. But this forum is not the place for it.</p>
<p>Suffice it to say that it’s more than a little discouraging to find what seems like a great opportunity . . . and then discover it’s not available to you. But, what invent said is true: virtually every school out there (and certainly every school I’ve ever seen mentioned on this forum) offers financial aid . . . even the little tiny schools no one’s ever heard of. </p>
<p>If your problem is more immediate - such as finding the money to travel to a school for a visit - then it’s time to get creative. Go to your local rotary club or lion’s club and see if they’d be willing to help. Go to every business downtown and tell them you need a weekend job, and tell them why. Find a private prep school counselor, and send them a written request . . . say you can’t afford to pay for that person’s services, but you’re wondering if he or she might be willing to give you an hour or two of time to advise you on your school choices.</p>
<p>ABC offers some wonderful services . . . but it’s nothing you can’t arrange for yourself with a bit of energy and creativity.</p>
<p>Thanks for the ideas 
See, I know that I most likely would get financial aid to cover the majority of the costs… but there is atleast a $2,500 technology fee, and probably about $500-$700 in stuff needed for school ( books, clothes, spending money, snacks). That is where my problem is… FA doesnt cover the technology fees i think 
But, like I said, I still find this quite offencive… “sigh”. I understand that many poor african american kids can use it, but I know people who used it and their parents make double what mine make… and they got a full free ride.</p>
<p>Oh god, this is hilariously rich. First complaining about scholarships for students of color on the grounds of racism, and then claiming to understand discrimination because your ancestors were irish? I bet you’re one of those people who doesn’t understand why “black power” is an acceptable phrase but “white power” isn’t.</p>
<p>Sent from my HUAWEI-U9000 using CC App</p>
<p>@Otsuichi , looking back on it, I do believe that the irish part was wrong. But the racism part, I still support. I don’t know where you are from, but in my area, racism has never been a problem. I didn’t even understand racism as a little kid because all the kids of different colored skin had more money than us. I believe in making sure the past does not relapse, but this is the present and in my town ( where many people I know have grown up) has not had segregation since maybe the eighties ( like I said, my town is very mixed race). So don’t tell me I don’t understand descrimination. Everyone is different… and skin color shouldn’t even be a factor of a person… or who can apply for a scholarship.</p>
<p>@karategirl2005Wow. It’s been 2 generations since slavery? Seriously?</p>
<p>I was under the impression that most well regarded middle schools instill in their students, a firm understanding of basic U.S. History principles. You may need to firm up your knowledge of the chronological timeline of events in the U.S. before you enter a History class at Andover. </p>
<p>Scholarships foundations, similar to the one you describe are private entities. They are bound only by the confines of their mission statement (and ok, the I.R.S of course). In the case of ABC, their mission is “to increase substantially the number of well-educated young people of color who are capable of assuming positions of responsibility and leadership in American society.” So like it or not, it is what it is. It is what they do.</p>
<p>I’ve come across some interesting scholarships recently. One grant, the Lee Frances Heller Memorial Award, awards funds to Christian, transgendered students and can be used at any college or University for religious studies. My family is not Christian. To the best of my knowledge, my son is not transgendered. But it does not behoove me to enter into some religiously intolerant, homophobic rant because he doesn’t match the scholarship criteria. They are well within their right to give the money to whomever they please, as is ABC.
Many posts have offered great advice regarding funding that may be available to help you finance your education. Work with your family in exploring these opportunities. Let the ABC issue and the speculation of your neighbors’ finances go.
No offence, haha. Good luck.</p>
<p>Thanks for the opinions! @nylecoj007, I agree with your diversity part very much(That was a great point that I am very happy to see, and I now agree that difference is an important quality in scholarships), but in my area, yes, it has been 2 generations. In the South and maybe even Central area of the country ( and connecticut) there has been racism more recently , but in my area (NJ). There hasn’t been slavery since my friends grandparents were children( or before they were born). Yes there still is descrimination, ratial slurs, and other forms of prejudice, but not just toward a certain race. Also, trust me I know my history on this subject. My classes have many debates on this issues, MANY MANY debates, and I have freinds of ALL races agreeing with me.</p>
<p>karategirl - ABC is not a scholarship service. The primary goal of ABC is to introduce students who have not traditionally had access to Boarding Schools to the rich opportunities afforded by these institutions. ABC does provide its scholars with support services to help them adjust to environments that, in many cases, are different from their home communities…both educationally and socially. It does not, however, offer financial assistance of any kind. An ABC scholar who is eligible for financial aid is awarded by the school directly. These are the same monies that would be available to any FA applicant regardless of his or her race. </p>
<p>Your point about athletic ability as an admissions factor is a dead horse that has been beaten to a pulp on this board. It happens! One’s athletic ability or any other special talents (art, music, etc.) can profoundly impact his or her chances for admissions. Once a kid’s credentials have been blessed they are placed into a pool of “admittable” candidates. That pool of applicants is then cherry-picked to fill in orchestral groups, theater troupes, and yes, sports teams. This latter group is not reserved for African-Americans alone. I know from personal experience that the applications of many white applicants have been boosted by his or her LAX or soccer ability.</p>
<p>To whack the horse yet again, no one really knows what the AO at Lawrenceville saw in your friend that was so appealing. Truth is, the BS admissions process is oftentimes a crap shoot. There could have been any number of subjective qualities that made your friend a good fit for Lawrenceville. We will never know. What we do know is that anyone who has gained admissions to a BS, especially Lawrenceville, has worked very hard at SOMETHING. Let’s not diminish his efforts by casting generalizations and assumptions. </p>
<p>If you are truly interested in applying to BS, don’t be discouraged. Use every opportunity available to you (i.e. essays, interviews), to let YOUR light shine through. Good luck!</p>
<p>KG - it’s really important that you don’t fall into the habit of blaming others for real or perceived hurdles or setbacks. Boarding school admits all kinds of kids: the athletes, the minorities, the scholars, the musicians, the legacies, the poor, the moneyed, the brilliant interviewees, even the occasional dolt etc. Admissions, like life generally, is not always fair and predictable. Figure out your own way forward.</p>
<p>First, the institutional racism in America is still very much alive and well. Just because people say “African-American” instead of less savory things, or because we don’t have slavery anymore or because the KKK’s current incarnation is a joke, that doesn’t mean racism is over. You seem to be equating racism with direct, blatant acts of discrimination, but fail to see that racism can be pervasive even outside of some apartheid-esque setting, and while I believe that you are correct in the implication that people are divided more by class than race, that doesn’t account for the fact that that view is not shared by a number of people.</p>
<p>Of course rascism is still alive today, but that doesn’t mean that there’s any place in society for organisations to offer certain things depending on your race. We should be trying to iradicate rascism, not create new differences between people, and although ABC isn’t trying to do that, it can still be a problem.
Looking at it from a different view, most people, or their families, have experienced some kind of discrimination against them. Maybe it wasn’t race related, maybe it was. Karategirl metioned the hardships Irish people faced from the English, including some of my ancestors, and my family felt this a lot harder, not so long ago. My great-grandparents had to flee their home, family name, and everything they had in Czechoslovakia, to move to the US, after WW11, when communism was taking over eastern europe, and aristocracy like them were being targeted and in some cases executed.
I just think it’s wrong to do things based on people’s families’ pasts, we should be concentrating on the people themselves.</p>
<p>Okay @karategirl and UKgirl23, get a grip and please get yourself educated. First - the organization isn’t racist. A number of us here on the boards are AA and don’t qualify. It is exactly what it says - a chance for underprivileged students that don’t traditionally have options to have exposure. </p>
<p>It seems odd that @karategirl doesn’t want there to be criteria based on race, then immediately adds that she should qualify because she is an Irish immigrant. Or @UK expouses the trials and tribulations of her own ancesters to escape communism. Why not blast another well-known organization for only considering 7th graders? Or students with high GPAs?</p>
<p>Why not say that a synagogue or parish can no longer limit their scholarships to families of that faith? Etc…</p>
<p>These posts really bother me because it shows there are pockets of youth that still don’t get it. So let’s try to do some education - despite my background I still get followed by police officers checking to see if I own my SUV. I get followed in stores when I’m not in business attire because people think I’m there to rob the place. And I get surprised looks from students showing up for their interviews because they were expecting someone white.</p>
<p>It isn’t the world that needs to change - it’s you and your attitude that needs to change. This is more about coveting something someone else has, than a true need on your part.</p>
<p>When you walk into a store no one says "hmmm - Irish.’ or “hmmm - UK.” You don’t have to bear the brunt of your skin color the way the ABC kids do. And when I’m on campus I see the results - those kids have a tendency to cling together because they are often from neighborhoods where this is their first exposure to living with people who don’t look like them – but have formed all types of stereotypes about them. Even my own daughter, whose friends span a rainbow, had to deflect the stereotypes people had because most of her classmates grew up in their own homogeneous neighborhoods.</p>
<p>For the record: ABC doesn’t serve ALL minorities - just a tiny subset needing a leg up. And even those who qualify get put through the ringer and are not guaranteed admission. Most if not all of those kids were unaware BS’s even exist before ABC was introduced to them.</p>
<p>There are many opportunities for students like you to get scholarships and advantages those kids don’t. But few for the students picked by the ABC program.</p>
<p>I remember my former boss, a corporate officer, had the same attitude. We had long discussions about institutionalized racism at the firm. One day he came back from an extended vacation and was told to shave his new beard because it wasn’t considered corporate. They pointed out that the CEO stopped wearing bow-ties because it wasn’t part of the “culture.” He was incensed because a beard didn’t change who he was as a manager. Then the light bulb went off. He chased me down in the hallway and apologized. He said he could take off the beard, but I couldn’t take off my color or gender. That was the beginning of a much closer relationship.</p>
<p>Don’t judge an organization or those students if you haven’t walked in their shoes. The amount of BS space they take up is infinitessimal compared to the total. If you can’t qualify and find funding - it’s not the responsibility of some privately financed agency to do it for you.</p>
<p>But if you do go, and get scholarship assistance – just remember, your tuition is being paid from years of donations by people like me and by many who were originally ABC alum. </p>
<p>I don’t see how you turn out to be disadvantaged given that scenario.</p>
<p>Wow ExieMITAlum! As an AA, I was very offended by the OP, and was trying to come up with an appropriate and informative response. I couldn’t have said it any better than you just did. I thank you for that wonderful reply.</p>
<p>Excellent post ExieMITAlum.</p>
<p>Yes, great post, Exie.</p>
<p>I was very offended by this as a colored kid. Great post ExieMITAlum.</p>