For many years now, advocates for giving out scholarships based only on financial need have been pushing to remove special abilities from the criteria to award the money. This proposed system is already in use in the form of financial aid. Scholarships were created to reward individuals who exhibited talent that would benefit the college. Therefore, the basis for giving scholarships should consist equally of scholastic achievement, athletic ability, and need. Scholarships are in place to reward special talents. They should remain separate from financial aid where the only determining factor is need. The issue of scholarship selection criteria is mainly one of morality. It is not fair for students to be judged only the number of dollars in their pockets when applying for scholarships. Students who obtain scholarships receive them because they are special in some way. Special students should be rewarded in the form of a scholarship. Should talents be taken out of the equation, the students may not try as hard to excel at their talents. There is less motivation for students to achieve because they learn that hard work is not rewarded with scholarships. This is a horrible lesson to teach the students of this country. It is immoral and unfair.Scholastic achievement and learning are the main purposes for colleges and universities. Accordingly, students should be rewarded for their superior academic achievement. Take for example two students of the same economic standing. Tim is a straight A student while Josh commonly receives C’s and D’s. If both students were to be admitted into the same college and apply for a scholarship, they would be treated equally under the system in which scholarships are given out on the basis of financial need alone. This is not fair to the student who studied day and night. Tim has proven that he is capable of superior scholastic achievement and learning, which are the main purpose...
