Do Merit-Based Scholarships Make Sense Research Paper

Do Merit-Based Scholarships Make Sense - Research Paper Example This essay discusses why merit-based scholarships do not actually make sense and why they are unfavorable and unfair for financially needy students. Because of their vested interests, university and college managements seek to attract meritorious students through merit-based scholarships to enhance the public image and fame of their institutions. Merit-based scholarships are provided irrespective of the beneficiary’s financial status, often resulting in the provision of scholarships to those who can already afford their education, and may also result in the disproportionate distribution of financial aid at the expense of need-based scholarships. These scholarships are usually based on admission tests that are not designed for this purpose, and therefore, they are unfair and damage the educational system. In fact, it appears that merit-based scholarships are designed to satiate the interests of college managements and often violate the rights of those actually in need of financ ial aid. These scholarships do not really make sense because financial assistance is provided to the student irrespective of whether he/she needs it or not. As will be discussed further on, merit-based scholarships do more harm than good to the education system. ... A look at Lewis & Clark College scholarships shows that meritorious students in fields such as music and forensics, and those with leadership qualities and other such traits are more favored. Peter Schmidt (2007), in his article, â€Å"At the elite colleges - dim white kids†, argues that the admission policies of most colleges are not usually fair and that more preference is often given to whites from affluent families or those with connections. According to him, students with â€Å"connections† or are from wealthy families obtain entry into colleges and universities selectively through recommendations from wealthy alumni and donors who grant endowments to those educational institutions. Schmidt further argues that the endowments received by educational institutions are also disproportionately distributed. According to him, only 40% of the money from financial aid is being distributed to students having financial need. The remaining is being used for merit-based scholar ships to â€Å"potential recruits who can enhance a college's reputation, or appear likely to cover the rest of their tuition tab and to donate down the road†. As Grossman puts it, â€Å"colleges are like any business for whom â€Å"quality† customers enhance the reputation of the product and attract other customers† (1995). Educational institutions must move on from being mere â€Å"businesses† with vested interests to being cradles of quality education with equal educational opportunities for all. It is seen that merit based scholarships are provided irrespective of the beneficiary’s financial status. Even if a student is wealthy enough to afford his fee, he avails merit-based scholarships based on his exceptional achievements. Other needy students who cannot afford their education

What best explains peoples willingness to work hard Essay

What best explains peoples willingness to work hard - Essay Example Motivation is something abstract and the difficulties arise when one tries to explain its meaning and application. A wide variety of assumptions have been made on motivation by observing the resultant behaviour of motivation. Based on these assumptions and research findings, motivation has been defined in a number of ways. Vroom defines motivation as a process, which governs choices made by persons or lower organisms among alternative forms of voluntary activity. (Vroom, 1964 as cited in Putti) Motivations are the act of inducing an individual to follow a desired course of action. The desired course of action may be for the good of the individual or for the one who is inducing the individual towards a desired course of action or both. Zedeck and blood contend that motivation is a predisposition to act in a specific goal-directed way. (Sedeck & Blood, 1974 as cited in Putti) Atchison further defines Motivation as the immediate influence on the direction, vigor, and persistence of beha viour. (Atchison, 1964 as cited in Putti) on the other hand Gellerman defines motivation as steering one’s actions towards certain goals and committing a certain part of one’s energies to reach them. (Gellerman, 1963 as cited in Putti) In the view of Shartle, motivation is â€Å"a reported urge or tension to move in a given direction or to achieve a certain goal. (Shartle, 1956 as cited in Putti) Hence, Motivation can make the employees get all the targets settled by the Organisations. There are several ways by which employees can be motivated the most important is to address the needs of the employees. Just as the definition of basic human needs is a highly complex task, it naturally follows that there are no easy assumptions concerning what employees really want from the organisation. In various surveys, the following are some of the more typically specified wants. The first and the