How come middle-class Caucasians are locked out of most educational opportunities?

Question

I am a white female sophomore from an average income in high school. I am also the valedictorian of my class. However, grades appear to matter very little. Whenever I attempt to apply for anything to expand my education such as summer programs I find that you must be either a minority or make less then $25,000 for yearly income. I just don't get it. It does not matter how hard I work, it's either become a minority or hand over thousands of dollars to learn something new. Why is it that now it is the color of your skin which determines how much you deserve something and no longer the effort you yourself put in? What happens to the people that don't fall into the categories of rich, poor, or minority. What happens to those who are stuck in the middle? Are they overlooked? Are they forgotten? I am not racist at all. Many of my friends are, in fact of various ethnicities. I'm merely a child trying to figure out how I get a chance, because I surely haven't found it yet.

Answer 1

thats SO NOT TRUE....

try to aim for grants/scholarships more... they are not to be paid back. its confusing sometimes, but just keep applying.

every big (and small) company you see (manufacturer, orgs, corps and groups also) all have grants and scholarships they hand out like candy. Walmart, Kmart, Target, Coke, computer companies etc etc etc

heres a link with a HUGE amount of some available. some you will need to copy and paste into a new window. also, fastweb (take the time to fill it in) will search databases and get back to you with a list of scholarships you qualify for.

Also contact all mens, womens associations in your state, they almost always have grants & scholarships. What ever field you are going into, contact the orgs, associations etc for them; Also check with professional organizations related to your career interests, such as the American Bar Association or the American Medical Association. they also always have scholarships. Research and dig, call then write. Its all worth it.

OVER apply; it doesnt hurt to have too many, and the extra funds can help with housing.

http://www.angelfire.com/nj4/njcomputerchick/school.html

MORE:

http://college-scholarships.com/
http://www.statefarm.com/about/part_spos/grants/grants.asp
http://www.gmsp.org
http://www.gmsp.org/gmsp_web/(nb5ctd55gavpfi55bb3a3j45)/scholarships.aspx
http://www.sfa.ufl.edu:16080/scholarshipcafe/
http://www.fafsaonline.com/
http://www.fafsa.ed.gov/
http://12.46.245.173/cfda/cfda.html
http://www.salliemae.com/
http://www.ed.gov/finaid/landing.jhtml

http://www.studentawards.com/
http://www.collegeanswer.com/index.jsp
http://www.studentscholarshipsearch.com/
http://www.studentscholarshipsearch.com/Detailed/Scholarships/Meta_indexes_and_other_scholarship_directories/Women_s_and_Non-traditional_students_scholarships_meta-directory_126.php
http://www.discovernursing.com/nursing-scholarship-search
http://bhpr.hrsa.gov/DSA/nsl.htm
http://www.nsna.org/foundation/
http://www.4cnas.com
http://www.schoolsoup.com/
http://www.blackexcel.org/link4.htm
http://www.jackierobinson.org/
http://www.siemens-foundation.org/TeacherScholarship/
http://www.childcareservices.org/ps/teach.html
http://www.act.org/goldwater/yybull.html
http://www.uncf.org/
http://www.vfw.org/index.cfm <-do search for ‘scholarships’
http://www.finaid.org/
http://studentaid.ed.gov/PORTALSWebApp/students/english/index.jsp
http://www.actstudent.org/finaid/scholarshipscams.html
http://www.act.org/recognition/clients.html
http://www.act.org/kfcscholars/index.html
http://www.kfcscholars.org/
http://www.rhodesscholar.org/
http://www.collegedata.com/
http://www.fastweb.com/
http://www.getreadyforcollege.org/gPg.cfm?pageID=139
http://www.policylink.org/EDTK/AH101/Financing.html#4
http://www.hud.gov/grants/index.cfm

BECOMING A TEACHER
http://www.aft.org/teachers/jft/becoming.htm
http://www.fseog.com/


DEPENDENCY or NOT
http://www.salliemae.com/get_student_loan/apply_student_loan/understanding/financial_aid/dependency/

LOAN FORGIVENESS (nurses/teachers)
http://www.pheaa.org/loanforgiveness/healthier_futures.shtml
http://www.aft.org/teachers/jft/loanforgiveness.htm
http://studentaid.ed.gov/PORTALSWebApp/students/english/cancelstaff.jsp?tab=repaying


STATUS of your student gov loan or aid:
http://www.nslds.ed.gov/nslds_SA/

if you don’t have a PIN yet (for your loan / aid status) apply for one:
http://www.pin.ed.gov/PINWebApp/pinindex.jsp

ESSAY HELP
http://www.scholarshiphelp.org/
http://www.gradesaver.com/resources/scholarship.html
http://www.collegeadmissionsessays.com/
http://www.nataviguides.com/broke_essay.html
http://www.princetonreview.com/college/apply/articles/process/essayjump.asp
http://www.scholarshipessay.us/
http://www.freschinfo.com/tips-brainstorming.php
http://www.freschinfo.com/tips-topic.php
http://essayedge.com/
http://www.korepetycje.com/Essays_Articles/scholarshipessay.html


GRANT SCHOLARSHIP SCAM LIST
(if you find a scam report it here too)
http://www.ftc.gov/ftc/consumer/media_psas_classads.html

LOANS
http://www.acteducationloans.com/
http://www.finaid.org/loans/educationlenders.phtml
http://www.financialaid.com/plus/index.cfm?id=plusloans
http://www.alternativestudentloan.com/
http://www.parentplusloan.com/
http://www.financialaidpodcast.com/about/
http://www.myspace.com/financialaidpodcast
http://www.FinancialAidPodcast.com

GRAD LOANS
http://www.gradloans.com/graduate-plus-loan/

DEFAULTED STUDENT LOANS
http://www.ed.gov/offices/OSFAP/DCS/index.html

CONSOLIDATE LOANS
http://www.plusloanconsolidator.com/
http://www.salliemae.com/after_graduation/manage_your_loans/consolidate_student_loans/student_loan_consolidation.htm
http://www.salliemae.com/content/privateconsolidation/index.html
http://loanconsolidation.ed.gov/

RATE MY PROFESSORS
http://www.ratemyprofessors.com/index.jsp

INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS
http://www.iefa.org/
http://www.iefa.org/resources/
http://educationusa.state.gov/
http://college-scholarships.com/
http://www.studyabroad.com/forum/financial_aid.html
http://www.internationalstudent.com/
http://www.internationalscholarships.com/
http://www.internationalstudentloan.com/
http://www.globalslc.com/
http://www.edupass.org/finaid/loans.phtml
http://www.abroadplanet.com/student-loans/the-global-student-loan-corporation/
http://www.salliemae.com/international/

A lot of corporations want to be seen as "good neighbors" in the community. And they need a way to attract young workers. So some of them grant scholarships, usually from $1,500 to $10,000.

When visiting the websites of these companies, on the home page look for something like: ABOUT US or CORP INFO. Click on that, and then look for something like: COMMUNITY or COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT.

check out:
1. BestBuy (2 scholarships from each store for $1,500 and they enter you at their headquarters for a $10,000 scholarship).

2. Comcast (your high school principal must recommend you for a $1,000 scholarship. They also have paid internship at a limited number of locations nationwide.)

3. Cracker Barrel (www.cbrlgroup.com) for employees, or their children - $1,000

4. Kohls (each store awards $50 and a certificate; then submits their winners to the region. Regional winners receive $1,000 and are submitted to the corporate headquarters. Corporate level winners get a $5,000 scholarship and a $1,000 donation to their favorite charity.)

5. Wal-Mart (www.walmartfoundation.org) Each store awards $1,000 to 2 students at each school in their area. Or if you have been an employee for 12 months, you qualify to apply for a $2,500 scholarship.

6. McDonalds (as Ronald McDonald House Charities at: www.RMHC.ORG) varies by region of the county. But a typical award is $1,000. May be from the corporation or from an association of stores in your area.

Each of these companies have a simple application (1–2 pages) process

Answer 2

Congratulations. You have just realized that you must work for what you want. That may mean taking out loans which you must pay back. Get over it. People have it a lot harder than you. I understand the allocation of educational funds may not be "equal", but at this time, there is nothing that you can do about it. How about you go to college, become an financial wizard, run for office with one of your platform issues as education funding. That's what it takes. As for the complaining, there are a lot of underprivileged minority kids that still can't get this illustrious funding that you yourself are competing for. And by the way, an education earned at your states college/university program is just as well earned as one at a big name/ivy league school. You want an affordable education? Do 2 years at a local community college and transfer to your state college/university nearest to your home (save $$ and don't live in the dorms). Then when you want to do your grad work, THEN apply to the big name schools. Grad students have better opportunities for fellowships and grants.

Answer 3

that's not true at all. Mostly lower income people of all races might be able to qualify for need based assistance. wealthier families kids on average will qualify for more of the academic scholarships simply because they come from more educated families and went to better schools, thus giving them a leg up already. For the middle class, of any race, it will be a struggle. The country is squeezing out the middle class, as you will see there are tons of people graduating with huge student loan debts with no real chance of paying it back. this is an economic class thing,not a race thing

Answer 4

sweetie your still a sophmore so that doesnt mean you're a valedictorian.

You have to realize, they're are sooo many scholarships based on academic achievement's not just minority statuses. I'm pretty sure you're ticked off, but calm it. you can't control everyone especially telling people where they should give their money too. Yes, its not fair, but life isn't.

Now you can go on scholarship cites like Fastweb and sign up, its free and they update scholarships of all levels. start applying now and get the hang of it. I think you shouldn't curse minorities because they're getting help from others. I know alot of people at my school who dislike hispanics, blacks and asians because they're considered minorites, but they really need to grow up and take advantage of what's given.

Believe me, they're ALOT of scholarships for you, especially if you keep up your grades, take your SAT, ACT and (PSAT now) and if you do well, you'll get meritt scholarships.

Answer 5

Majority of the middle class people, regardless of race aren't eligible for need based financial aid. You can however apply for academic based scholarships.

Answer 6

SO not true.