college is a pure business

kahwawashay1

I feel I will explode and must rant about it somewhere

Tell me how I have an IB diploma with an extra certificate in physics, five 5's on AP exams, a 4.06 hs gpa, a 4.0 college gpa with all honors courses, am involved in science and honors clubs and whatnot and research, and yet got ZERO DOLLARS in academically-based scholarships from University of South Florida and Unvierstiy of Florida. I always wanted to move to Florida, but apparently transfer students get no money whatsoever. What is so bad about transfer students? Freshmen and international transfers seem to get more money than transfers within the country. As a freshman to University of Pennsylvania I got a couple thousand in scholarship, but they offered me the rest as a loan of like 40,000 per year...and then collegedata says that upenn covers students 100% financially...idk how the hell a loan of that sum per year is supposed to count as financial aid?! So I went to a cheaper college that also gave me couple thousand, so the loan I still had to take out was way less. But to both the college I go to now and Upenn I know of ppl getting full scholarships just because they have aunts and uncles and whatnot in admissions, and these ppl have wayyyyyy worse grades than me

The majority of ppl in my classes dont even try, they just aim for average grades, while im aiming for getting the highest scores in the class. Still, these mediocre ppl and ppl that should have failed are getting passed through and are allowed to complete their degrees. They sleep in class, dont attend, text on their phones in class. I feel that they are just buying the degree. It doesnt matter what grades you have, colleges just want money from you, theyll accept you as long as youll pay and then theyll give you your degree so that they wont have bad ratings of ppl not graduating on time and whatnot.

As my hs physics teacher always said, back in Russia long ago, it was really hard to get into college, you had to have really good grades, but once you got in, college was completely free, and they paid for your dorm too and gave you money just for living purposes like clothes/food nd watnot, and the professors were strict and hard like crazy so you couldnt just get through doing mediocre, so there was much more prestige in finishing college. It is no wonder employers today look at experience more than college degrees and why ppl with degrees cant get jobs. Nowadays I wouldnt be surprised if you could get a degree being illiterate, as long as you pay

Angry Citizen

Because no one frickin' owes you anything. Get over yourself. I get five grand a year at a very good school, and I'm a middle school dropout who spent a couple years making good, but not great grades in community college.

Vanadium 50

I want money! Give me money! I DEMAND A GIFT OF MONEY!!!

Office_Shredder

So to confirm, your complaints are that public schools favor in-state students with financial aid, and that private schools aren't paragons of equality willing to shovel cash at you for being as good as everyone else who applied to them (really, it's an Ivy league institution, what did you expect? Most don't give ANY academic financial aid)

It seems that you missed a very specific selection of potential colleges in your analysis. Did you even apply to any public universities in Pennsylvania?

Pengwuino

I'll give you some advice. Life seems to have its ways of balancing things out. I know a ton of people who were mediocre in college, took years to graduate, and ended up working at Starbucks and are back in their parents house.

You sound like you have a good work ethic and are capable of finding a great career


.... until your attitude comes out again in a way that gets you fired or ends you up with a bad/no letter of recommendation. Then you'll be looking at Starbucks for employment as well :) The massive debt load you seem to have taken on sure won't be of much help either. Good luck.

kahwawashay1

Yes in state are definitely favored. Out of state tuition is generally like five times higher and if you're transferring to different state, you wont get scholarship. And yes I currently go to a public institution in PA but I really want to move to Florida. I applied as freshman to Florida and actually got full scholarships and more money than I would know what to do with, I guess because of my IB diploma, (in PA I barely got anything, I guess IB doesnt count here) but I just couldnt move due to family issues..but as transfer with same perfect grades and whatnot, I got absolutely nothing. I guess I just dont understand what is so wrong with transfer students?

haha and yes I did actually believe that Ivy League's actually cover all finances...the Upenn representative that came to our high school to talk said that as long as I get in, they cover everything. I just didn't know that that meant in the form of a 40,000$ loan my parents would have to take out per year. Yet one kid had a 1980 SAT and was bragging how his relative in admissions got him full scholarship

zoobyshoe

I have no idea how it works today. When I went to college financial aid was based purely on need. I needed it all, so I got about a third free, a third as a loan, and a third I had to come up with myself every year with a summer job. A friend I had back then, much smarter than me, was also much better off, and therefore couldn't get financial aid.

deadsupra

Notice the kahwawashay1 didn't say he or she felt required to recieve so much money. It is a rant in comparison to other people who work poorly but have politics in their favors.

On top of that, society makes us believe "if you work hard, you can accomplish anything." Bull. Life is hard. Life does not balance itself out. Don't continue feeding that garbage anymore. And shame on all of you selling that false dream to children.

Society makes everyone think life is like a video game, where everyone starts with 100 dollars and at level 1 with only a hammer. The school rep even said he would be ok. Her interpretation of ok is a 40k loan in this case.

I say screw it. Go to the best school that can offer you the best deal. I hope this rant made you feel some closure. I suggest you put this behind you and continue working towards your goals. Even more: learn from this. Give your children enough to do something but too much to do nothing.

Astronuc

Has one or one's family paid taxes or made investments in Florida? If not, why should one expect the state of Florida, or institutions in Florida, to pay for one's education.
Not with the attitude expressed.