Word: meritable
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With all the talk this past year about colleges offering more "competitive" financial aid packages to attract more meritorious and promising applicants, the problem of colleges maintaining need-blind admissions policies and the University of Pennsylvania's recent decision to offer merit-based financial aid, the premise behind financial aid systems is being seriously threatened...
Financial aid has and should continue to have nothing whatsoever to do with merit. After all, what exactly is "merit"? Being a national winner in some science, essay or music contest? Being intelligent? Having a 4.68 GPA? Scoring a perfect 1600 on the SAT? Well, I guess that's pretty meritorious, I have to admit it. But, no, wait a minute. What is "merit" really? Could "merit" possibly be one of those terms your TF would applaud you for labeling--yikes, I shudder and clench my teeth to use the faddish descriptor--"socially-constructed...
...bingo! Eureka! You've got it! For what, indeed, determines merit? All those science camps mom and dad sent you to when you were little? That inspiring high-school English teacher, Mr. Perry, who always knew you were a poet inside? Or maybe it was all those grueling afternoons spent practicing the viola when you would have preferred being outside, playing with the kids on your block. Merit is enabled by all of the above and more. Merit is a promise, an investment in human capital. And this investment necessitates time, encouragement and, of course, money...
That is not to say that people haven't necessarily "earned" their merit; no doubt hard work, determination and perseverance play some role in its development...
...other hand, however, maybe most people have the ability to "earn" what we call a position of "merit," but simply lack the tools to do so. Perhaps they are not so fortunate as the average Harvard student--or the average American college student. Perhaps they did not have a mom or dad who would cheer them on at basketball games. Perhaps they did not have the money to pay for an SAT preparation course. Perhaps they did not think it was even necessary to prepare...