Dark times for Bright Futures
TJ Fisher
Issue date: 11/20/09 Section: Opinions
Roughly 50 percent of the student body at Rollins College is from the state of Florida, and know about the state-funded scholarship program Bright Futures.
As a resident of the state of Florida, all throughout high school I heard about the requirements for Bright Futures and what I had to do in order to get a 100 percent Bright Futures scholarship, which meant I could go to any state school in Florida for free.
New legislation was passed at the beginning of this year that changed both the amount per semester hour that the scholarship program pays for and the rules regarding the policy on dropping classes.
Essentially, the program no longer covers 100 percent of one's tuition at a state institution, a problem for many college-bound kids today.
Personally, I think docking the money Bright Futures can give to any student is ridiculous.
As the cost of college tuition rises, the more the amount this state funded scholarship system gives its recipients fails to cover the rising costs.
What used to assist high school students without the proper resources now doesn't provide the aid it once promised.
Now, instead of Bright Futures being enough to pay for an education at the University of Florida or other colleges across the state, students must find other scholarships to pay for their education.
With an influx of people vying for a finite number of scholarships, the competition will get even fiercer, making getting the money to pay for college harder and harder.
Another issue is the increased difficulty of getting government aid from FAFSA.
A family may look comfortably well off on paper, but in reality, for children of that family to go to college, they need financial aid.
It is becoming more and more expensive to live comfortably in America, but the requirements for government aid have not changed to accommodate these new conditions in society.
For instance, more and more students are living at home and commuting to the nearest state school because living on campus and near the university is too expensive.
Even with this cost-cutting move, the high price of gas forces them to still spend a substantial amount of money.
Thus, even the student who commutes is in an impossibly hard place.
On top of all of this hardship, there is homework and studying.
It seems that as time goes by, the necessity of obtaining a college degree grows higher, while it is becoming harder and harder to attend college.
As a resident of the state of Florida, all throughout high school I heard about the requirements for Bright Futures and what I had to do in order to get a 100 percent Bright Futures scholarship, which meant I could go to any state school in Florida for free.
New legislation was passed at the beginning of this year that changed both the amount per semester hour that the scholarship program pays for and the rules regarding the policy on dropping classes.
Essentially, the program no longer covers 100 percent of one's tuition at a state institution, a problem for many college-bound kids today.
Personally, I think docking the money Bright Futures can give to any student is ridiculous.
As the cost of college tuition rises, the more the amount this state funded scholarship system gives its recipients fails to cover the rising costs.
What used to assist high school students without the proper resources now doesn't provide the aid it once promised.
Now, instead of Bright Futures being enough to pay for an education at the University of Florida or other colleges across the state, students must find other scholarships to pay for their education.
With an influx of people vying for a finite number of scholarships, the competition will get even fiercer, making getting the money to pay for college harder and harder.
Another issue is the increased difficulty of getting government aid from FAFSA.
A family may look comfortably well off on paper, but in reality, for children of that family to go to college, they need financial aid.
It is becoming more and more expensive to live comfortably in America, but the requirements for government aid have not changed to accommodate these new conditions in society.
For instance, more and more students are living at home and commuting to the nearest state school because living on campus and near the university is too expensive.
Even with this cost-cutting move, the high price of gas forces them to still spend a substantial amount of money.
Thus, even the student who commutes is in an impossibly hard place.
On top of all of this hardship, there is homework and studying.
It seems that as time goes by, the necessity of obtaining a college degree grows higher, while it is becoming harder and harder to attend college.
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