<p>I believe that there are two very distinct situations here. The first is the philosophical "ideal situation". I am sure that most of us would support this in an ideal world. This situation would allow every student to attend their school of choice, provided they were qualified. Unfortunately this scenario also mandates an unrealistic increase in the funds available for higher education. Even under this scenario, merit comes into play in determining who is or is not qualified for a particular school.</p>
<p>The second is the practical or "realistic situation". This directly effects all parents and students. Simply put - what is it going to cost to attend a given school and how am I going to come up with the funds? This is something that everyone should begin thinking about at the start of high school. There are various alternatives a) be rich (not very realistic for most people); b) be poor (not very pleasant if there is a choice; c) be middle class (realistic, but possibly painful) and then 1) take out loans (not the best option) 2) attend a less expensive school (not always ideal 3) mortgage the parents retirement funds (not something I would care to do 4) set a goal & work 4 years to accomplish it along with applying for every scholarship possible (works for me). I am sure that there are other alternatives, but as a member of the middle class I did not find any others that worked.</p>
<p>As condor previously stated "schools compete for the top students". In our economic system competition drives the engine. Schools realize that attracting top students improves their campus atmosphere and is beneficial to all students. It also builds on itself - the presence of additional top students tends to attract even more top students to apply. I see this as a judicious use of a schools resources which benefits both the school and the students. As I previously stated, merit aid made attendance at top schools realistic for our family. While I agree that an ideal world would be "ideal", I also realize it is not realistic. Given that situation, I would not deprive my kids of something they worked very hard for.</p>