Thread: Do you think a scholarship is a good idea?

Posting on private teacher forum...

So I know that you put this on the teachers forum but as a student, I say okay. Make them earn it, perhaps with helping out with props, studio stuff maybe. Heck, work it like a real scholarship and have them write you an essay! I am not saying do it for everyone who claims to be broke (or you will be) but sometimes there is that special student who really is worth the risk.

Unlike academic scholarships that may be decided by a committee of judges or based on financial need, I don't see how a scholarship for small-studio dance classes would work in a way that didn't leave someone with hard feelings. If you have multiple students competing for need-based assistance, how do you decide who gets the money? If you personally choose, then you will surely have complaints about favoritism, and even if you don't hear the grumblings, that doesn't mean they are not there. Many times people are struggling with financial problems, but do not want to make it public knowledge, and it would be quite galling to see one of your classmates getting free class time because she complained her budget was a little tight, while you were quietly out of a job and in much more dire financial circumstances--and still paying full price for class. I can't imagine you would want to ask people to give you the same kind of financial disclosure that you would have to present when applying for aid to pay for college.

If you want to give a scholarship that is not need based, I'm afraid you will have the same problems of selecting someone fairly. "Deserving" is subjective. Even if you had a competition with a panel of judges, where everyone was given access to the same information that went into deciding who won, there's no guarantee of a consensus on who should receive the prize money.

I think one way you could give tuition assistance would be to let that person work for you as a student teacher or prop assistant or stage manager for a show, or something where there is a concrete exchange of labor for classes. (Of course, you might still have complaints of favoritism regarding how that student got the job, especially if that job had been a volunteer position in the past.) Otherwise, you could say that everybody will be getting $10 off their registered classes for the month of July as a reward for being regulars, or you could have a lottery where everybody gets a chance at winning free classes. Neither of those options involve your subjective choice of a recipient.

I haven't been the to the teacher's group to see specifics, but I agree that work-study is a good arrangement. No one really wants charity, and it's more fair to the others.

Chiming in also with barter. I know my teacher used to do it for goods and services like cleaning, beauty treatments, sewing work etc from students who had the appropriate skills.

Ok, I guess I should respond. We decided not to do barter because this scholarship is for the whole metro area. Not just one school or one teacher. We want all people to have access to it...I like work-study and the studio I work at does offer that. However this is an independent program.

I think it's a good idea, as long as you're clear about the rules and do everything humanly possible to make sure that there is no bias...

Some things to think about:

-Is it merit or need based? How will you be able to ensure that the need is really there?
-What kind of material do they have to submit (essay, audition)?
-Is there a requirement of study (will they have to have studied for x-years to qualify)?
-Who's judging? How can you ensure they won't be biased in favor of their students?