<p>Robert Reich and Diane Feinstein certaintly have a point when they say that merit aid is immoral - that all aid should be need based first.</p>
<p>Some people feel this way and others feel that all FA should be private without goverment involvement.</p>
<p>This is so insulting. Because of the way in which financial aid is structured, families can have large, expensive homes and substantial 401ks or private pensions which will not figure into aid, whereas a self employed individual may have sunk all available funds into sources which are not "invisible" in the financial aid calculations. In this situation a family with substantial resources can receive aid whereas the selfemployed person gets stiffed. Consider that an individual can have a govt or private pension worth tens of thousands of dollars a year that will not be visible in this calculation at all. An individual who is fending for himself and cannot tie up funds in protected retirement accounts will not only be penalized for this, but will also need to save a substantial sum of money to generate the same as the pension. FAFSA will count every bit of this in the calculation and the result is diminished or no aid. Plus the self employed individual must be saving to generate these funds, while the persons with pensions can be spending their income.</p>
<p>Totally aside from this, how can you possibly believe that a student being rewarded for hard work and sacrifices by receiving merit aid is immoral?</p>
<p>There is a place for both need based aid and merit based.</p>
<p>
Yes, but with a well placed cap or beret it is barely noticeable.;)</p>
<p>A humble note...</p>
<p>Not all kiddos are so intellectually endowed to produce such stellar results even with "hard work and sacrifices", and they get nadda, zip, zilch. I always cringe when very bright students are overly praised for their accomplishments...they should do well...they have what it takes to make learning enjoyable. If it's more enjoyable, it's easier to press one's self to achieve.</p>
<p>I've seen both sides. I know the above to be true from first hand experience.</p>
<p>I don't know, being well endowed seems like it could be quite the burden.</p>
<p>Curmudgeon- Your observation is right to the point.... :-)</p>
<p>I really don't care, as long as I get money. Hell, Harvard has $220,000,000,000. I'm sure that can spare a measly $40 g's.</p>
<p>I think both kinds of aid are appropriate. My sons have each received some of each. I like seeing a wide variety of factors taken into consideration when awarding aid, so there are scholarships available for those in financial need (most important), as well as aid for top students, those who show leadership, those who spend time in community service, those with particular talents such as music or art, etc., etc. I can't see any of those types of aid as "immoral."</p>
<p>Harvard has just a tad less than $220 billion - $22 billion or thereabouts. </p>
<p>If it weren't for merit aid, I probably wouldn't go to college, so you can guess where I stand on this issue.</p>
<p>I don't really understand why people think its "immoral". </p>
<p>My boyfriend pulls the "it just isn't fair one: if you have money to pay for college you don't deserve any merit money." That attitude bugs me. I think need based aid is important, but there should also be aid available that is not based on need as well.</p>
<p>I think there should be need based, and merit aid. I would like to see more merit aid tied to community service, leadership, and not just grades and scores. </p>
<p>There are so many students that have rich parents who refuse to spend any money on their children's college education. Many refuse to complete the fafsa or profile as well. I think merit aid really helps some of these students, if they can qualify.</p>
<p>I also think that some of the "merit aid" may be skewed toward those that also qualify for need based aid.</p>
<p>How is merit aid immoral? It makes no sense</p>
<p>In order for certains school to attract the best students, they have to provide incentives for that student to attend their school. After all, colleges are a business and not all students with a 2300 SAT and 4.0 GPA want to pay off loans to attend an Ivy League School. Merit aid also provides students with something to strive for: a reward for hard work, service, etc. The colleges also use merit scholarships to attract students who will one day be able to send large donations back to the school :)</p>
<p>Many hardcore capitalists find the concept of Need-based aid to be uneccessary. "Those who cannot afford to pave the way should not be given the opportunity". I staunchly disagree, but one must also consider that the FAFSA sticks the parents how saved for college with a bigger bill. Merit scholarships provide a nice compromise because any hard-working student can earn them despite the financial situation of his/her parents.</p>
<p>Nevermind merit aid, I just completed my fafsa and thought I'd have to wait more than one second to find out the EFC! OUCH!</p>
<p>So, speaking of immoral, does anyone know how much a 45 yo MILF of two goes for "on the street" lately? I need some cold hard cash by September. :)</p>
<p>My homage to tsdad,</p>
<p>"Pictures?"</p>
<p>Curmudge: As the immortal (pun intended) Rebecca Rabbit once said,</p>
<p>"I'm not bad, I'm just drawn that way." ;)</p>
<p>It's not clear to me that it's totally moral for a school to require one student to subsidize another student's tuition. Some third scheme may be in order.</p>
<p>Curmidge: this one's for you.</p>
<p>For Sale: One MILF. Nice stems. Low mileage. Will trade for merit aid or BO.</p>
<p>prostitution is the oldest occupation since the inception of man :)</p>