Universities Weblog

(Source: abc.go.com)Congratulations to Melissa, winner of "The Scholar" competition. She'll take her "full-ride" scholarship to Pomona College in California.

I'm not sure the show was a hit for ABC. It certainly didn't generate the buzz of "American Idol" or "Survivor," or even "Dancing with the Stars." We'll see if it returns for another season.

If it does, I hope it clarifies the message about elite colleges and affordability. Simply put, students don't need to win a full-ride scholarship or the lottery to attend an Ivy or another top (read: expensive) school. There's plenty of aid for bright but needy kids.

Consider a recent piece in the Boston Globe. It addresses that very topic. Here's a snippet:

Concerned that low- and moderate-income young people do not even dream of attending the most selective colleges, schools such as Harvard University, Princeton University, and the University of Virginia have begun offering almost-free rides to students from such backgrounds, have published slick brochures, and have run television ads to entice students to apply. [....]

Many low-income families may not have realized in the past that some elite schools only required them to take on a moderate amount of debt—at Harvard, $2,300 for parents earning less than $40,000.

"People just didn't know about" the financial aid available, [Yale President Richard Levin] said. "In low-income areas, in rural areas, in the Midwest and the South, our aid policies simply didn't have enough visibility."That's the message people should hear. But unfortunately, "The Scholar" simply perpetuated the notion that Ivies are bastions for the rich. Too bad.

Instead, how about a reality show that guarantees the winner admission to his or her top choice?

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