The mass assumption seems to be that parental help on creation of a portfolio equates to the parents doing everything for the child. I don�t think anyone contributing to this thread has that in mind.
Those test scores in the portfolio, the hours of volunteerism, the leadership awards, the athletic and musical achievements, etc., the student, not the parents, accomplished those. Did the parents set up opportunities for those things to happen? Likely, did they make sure the student had transportation to such opportunities? Likely, however, the student achieved the accomplishments noted in the portfolio. I don't think parents need to apologize for helping their child to succeed nor should they feel bad that their child reaped the benefits of the combined efforts outlined in the portfolio while others had less opportunity or support. Do I hope all children can have resources and support to help them achieve their potential? Absolutely.
If a student in college isn't capable on their own of living up to expectations, it's going to show pretty quickly. Any merit scholarship I've ever known about have restrictions of a min. GPA, the bigger the scholarship, the higher the expectation.....and at that point they don't care what your background is.
I'm sure we're all aware that the vast majority of college and universities offers needs based scholarships that are unavailable to higher SES families in an attempt to assist in providing greater opportunity to those families in need.
Last edited by Old Dad; 07/30/12 01:50 PM.
