IIUC what you say, most of those scholarships and grants are for 'good' students, right? You need some kind of high GPA or over-average SAT results, right ?
Since I don't know much about the US system, I'm ready to believe my view is distorted :-) but then I'm not sure I understand the problem of student-debt ("next bubble to pop", etc.) in the US. I was debt-free at the start of my career thanks to the French taxpayer.
I hope what I brought since to the French society balances that, but I thought it very generous to trust me with a free education, 4000eur/year and a very-low-rent place on my own to try to get an engineering degree, especially as I was still a teenager when I started, and when so many go abroad... There's no downside of failing, I don't have to give the money back. The French taxpayer really wanted me to try and do this, with as little worry as possible about money and finding a night job, and as much focus they could afford for me. My room was clean and livable, common toilet/shower & kitchen were cleaned at least once a week. Internet was free (with huge bandwidth...). I'm sorry but some people found the whole thing shitty and cheap and 'not enough'... This was the last days of a great system.
"Scholarship" is used to mean merit-based kinds of grants essentially, so for good students. Whereas the word "Grant" used generally implies only the need-based versions. It's a bit confusing. There is a national system called "financial aid" where a family applies to the govt with their tax forms and their ability to pay is assessed. Then the govt offers grants and subsidized loans to cover costs. States will also supplement the grants with their own grants, and the school itself does too. Scholarships are just offered directly by the school based on some kind of competitive selection.
IIUC what you say, most of those scholarships and grants are for 'good' students, right? You need some kind of high GPA or over-average SAT results, right ?
Since I don't know much about the US system, I'm ready to believe my view is distorted :-) but then I'm not sure I understand the problem of student-debt ("next bubble to pop", etc.) in the US. I was debt-free at the start of my career thanks to the French taxpayer.
I hope what I brought since to the French society balances that, but I thought it very generous to trust me with a free education, 4000eur/year and a very-low-rent place on my own to try to get an engineering degree, especially as I was still a teenager when I started, and when so many go abroad... There's no downside of failing, I don't have to give the money back. The French taxpayer really wanted me to try and do this, with as little worry as possible about money and finding a night job, and as much focus they could afford for me. My room was clean and livable, common toilet/shower & kitchen were cleaned at least once a week. Internet was free (with huge bandwidth...). I'm sorry but some people found the whole thing shitty and cheap and 'not enough'... This was the last days of a great system.
Sorry for going on a tangent like this.