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<p>The Reginaldo Howard Memorial Scholarship is listed under Duke’s category of ‘merit’ scholarships. So maybe you should take it up with Duke by telling them that that scholarship, by definition, is not really a ‘merit’ scholarship. Somehow I don’t think they are going to make any changes. </p>
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<p>But then how would you really know that those scholarships are using those factors or not? Many merit scholarships won’t tell you exactly what factors were used to determine the winners. Maybe somebody won truly through pure academic merit. Or maybe somebody won through affirmative action. Who knows? Nobody really knows. </p>
<p>Besides, I actually think there may be some justification for affirmative action, despite the myriad problems in its application. After all, not every student is raised in an environment conducive to academic success. Not every student has responsible parents that value education, live in neighborhoods that are safe from gangsters and drugs, or attend vibrant schools that foster a love of learning. A student who perseveres through those drawbacks may actually demonstrate more merit than somebody else who enjoyed every advantage in the world - i.e. who had parents who instilled a love of education from early childhood, who lived in the wealthiest neighborhoods, who went to the best prep schools, who had access to the best tutors. Put him in the same place as the other kid, and he might have ended up not caring about school and drifting into a life of crime. </p>
<p>It all gets down to what we really mean by ‘merit’. Does merit truly mean to succeed because you have enjoyed every advantage in the world, or does it mean to succeed in spite of numerous disadvantages? More importantly, from a company’s standpoint, who would you rather hire? I might argue that the company might hire the latter student, as, if nothing else, that student has clearly demonstrated resilience in the face of despair. We don’t really know what the privileged student will do when faced with setbacks. </p>
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<p>Then that may mean discounting awards like the Rhodes Scholarship. After all, they are apportioned by geography. For example, Canada is allotted 11 Rhodes Scholarship slots and the US is allotted 32 despite the fact that the population of the US is about 10x that of Canada. Those slots are also allotted on the basis of citizenship to educational residence. Hence, a Canadian who goes to Harvard is eligible for a Canadian Rhodes Scholarship. </p>
<p>The 32 US Rhodes Scholarships are themselves apportioned by subregional geographies, and, let’s face it, certain regions are less academically competitive than others. I believe Bill Clinton himself admitted that it was easier for him to win the Rhodes Scholarship because his Arkansas residency meant that he was competing in Region 11 that includes Arkansas, Missouri, Mississippi, and Kansas - states that, honestly, aren’t exactly academic hotbeds. The toughest region is probably #16, which is the entire state of California.</p>