<p>merit scholarships aside, do you agree that many of the scholarships, although they many not say, are "hardship" based? Yes, someone can have great academic talent, community service, etc..., but the person who has had a parent/sibling die or some other challenge usually gets the scholarship.</p>
<p>I'm not just talking about myself, but I know a couple of other people that were chosen over people with a lower gpa, less community service, and isn't as well rounded, yet they get the full ride because their parent has died, forcing them to have to take care of their siblings themselves. </p>
<p>I remember this one particular question in a scholarship interview asked me how hard my life has been, and being honest, I said 4 (1 being the least, 10 being the most). They seemed to disapprove of my answer. </p>
<p>Has this happened to anyone else?</p>
<p>most of the scholarships make their own rules, and choose their own recipients. Most of the scholarships are financially based, and yes, often have a spin for kids that have had hardships in their lives.</p>
<p>I think that the “overcoming adversity” issue does play a role in giving a scholarship. When given by smaller organizations, community ones, for example, adversity does, without a doubt, play a role. </p>
<p>But for the larger awards, I have to say, that it is the best students who get them. For colleges, it’s the students the colleges most want. I know of a number of cases where students had great tragedies, and it did not make a whit of difference and they were candidates that were definitely in the running even without the adverse events in their lives.</p>
<p>Honestly, I have sat on small scholarship committees, and in such cases, loss of a parent or other such adversity would make a difference in the determination. It wouldn’t obliterate the other requirements but it would certainly be something taken into consideration.</p>