Scholarships are available to students who enroll in many undergraduate and graduate school programs. Indeed, college students who participate in athletics, have high test scores, and others who meet different requirements can earn merit aid to attend school. Furthermore, law schools commonly award scholarships to applicants who have impressive records that can boost a law school’s admissions data. However, applicants to various educational programs should try to avoid scholarships with conditions in a variety of circumstances.
It is most important to avoid scholarships with conditions if the merit aid can be revoked if an applicant does not satisfy certain ongoing academic requirements. In law school, it is very common to be awarded scholarships that can be revoked if a student does not maintain a certain GPA at school. It is unclear how a school can justify revoking a scholarship based on academic performance, since a scholarship recipient typically brings value to a school by virtue of their admissions statistics and not anything they do in school.
More likely, academic requirements are just a way for schools to revoke aid to students, and this is why you should avoid scholarships with conditions. It can be an extremely effective “bait and switch” for schools to offer aid to students and then take this away after a student matriculates at a school. Once a student is already enrolled in a program, it is difficult for them to transfer schools or take action to lower their educational costs.
Furthermore, it can be harder than you think to maintain the academic credentials needed to keep a scholarship. Law school is especially tough, since courses are graded on a curve and all students are essentially competing against each other for the highest marks in a class. I have even anecdotally heard of some law schools placing all scholarship recipients in the same section, essentially ensuring that some of them will be guaranteed to lose their scholarships, since some students will be at the bottom of the pack. Such a strategy is also harmful to students because scholarship recipients may be competing against more high-performing students than if they were in sections that were not loaded with other scholarship recipients. The best way to minimize the academic stress of law school is to avoid scholarships with conditions.
Another common scholarship that comes with conditions is merit aid because you belong to a specific race or ethnic group. Some colleges have scholarships set aside for students who belong to a certain minority group, and some aid hopes to incentivize students to come to a school and participate in activities related to that community once on campus. Indeed, when I was searching for colleges, I applied for a scholarship that was meant for Jewish applicants to a certain college who hoped to participate in Jewish activities when they arrived on campus. The college did not have too many Jewish students, and they wanted to help build up a vibrant Jewish community by attracting Jewish students through scholarships.
However, you should avoid scholarships with conditions, even if they are implied conditions like with scholarships based on your racial or ethnic background. I have never heard of such a scholarship being revoked because a student did not actually participate in cultural activities once they arrived on campus. However, receiving such a scholarship can affect your identity once you arrive on campus. As a college student, your personal identity will likely be much different than the identity you had in high school or at any other time in your life. As a result, applicants should be wary of scholarships that might place them in a box and pressure them to participate in activities once they arrive on campus. Of course, students should usually accept financial aid from any source, but if choosing between different options, it might make sense to avoid scholarships with conditions (even implicit ones) based on participating in cultural clubs on campus.
Another circumstance when you should avoid scholarships with conditions is if the educational assistance requires you to pursue a specific major or course of study. Students often change their academic interests throughout college, as individuals take classes on different subjects and begin to evaluate what their long-term interests are. It is important to have flexibility as a college student so that you can take classes that will best prepare you for your future.
As mentioned in a previous article, I was awarded a scholarship during college that required me to take classes in American history. However, I knew that I wanted to major in history, and it was easy for me to demonstrate that I was taking American history classes each year I attended school. Furthermore, I was able to convince the foundation awarding me financial assistance that some of my classes in American studies and related fields satisfied the requirements for this scholarship. Nevertheless, some academic majors may be more difficult to pursue, and for this reason, you should try to avoid scholarships with conditions on what you study as a student.
In the end, it is usually best to accept educational assistance, even if there are some conditions placed on your receipt of scholarships or other financial aid. However, students should avoid scholarships with conditions in some situations. It can oftentimes be difficult to maintain academic standards, and students should try not to limit their studies or activities once they arrive on campus.