O.K., I’ve gone back to school to add a nursing degree to my resume. I got a scholarship that is paying tuition for this year, but this year only. I have also been accepted into the WIA (Workforce Investment Act) program which pays for tuition, books, and transportation. The way it is working now is that the WIA pays for everything the scholarship doesn’t.
The WIA could pay for everything for next year, or it could pay for everything minus whatever scholarships I get. I get the same amount of money either way. But where does the money come from? This is my ethical dilema for next year:
Is it better to let the WIA pay for everything, knowing that that is a drawing from a finite pool of money that could go to somebody besides me somewhere in the state, or is it better to take a new local scholarship, knowing that it is also drawing from a finite, but not taxpayer funded, pool of money that could also go to somebody else - but specific to this small town. I get the same amount of money either way.
Are the scholarships something you have to apply for and have a possibility of being rejected? I think the fact that the WIA is funded by taxpayers is inconsequential. If the scholarships are something you are selected for based on stuff like essays and whatnot, I’d go for that just because you can claim to have earned such-and-such scholarship on your resume.
Not really seeing an ethical issue here. There’s nothing unethical about using assistance for which you qualify, whether it be privately funded scholarships or publicly funded programs.
Maybe “ethics” is the wrong word, but I couldn’t think of a word to fit.
That’s a very good point. I was leaning towards just letting the WIA pay for everything, because, well, it takes zero effort at this point (getting accepted in the first place did - but that’s done now). But I could put the scholarships on my resume. Maybe I WILL apply for next year.
Lastly, I meant to put this thing in IMHO, so if it gets moved, that’s where it is.
Make sure you are funded and concentrate on studies, ethics aside. I suggest you qualify for whatever you can qualify for even if it appears to duplicate at first. Programs tend to change and have glitches. You just want the education without the drama. You can do your public service when you are a nurse.
Ethics is completely the wrong word because with both there’s no ethical problems worth considering.
A better question would be this: Looking out for me and my future, which one would be better for me and my own interests?
And the answer to that is the scholarships. Think about how much better it’s going to look on your CV/resume to include all those scholarships you qualified for versus basic financial aid.
I don’t think I worded the question well, so let me restate it:
No matter which way I go, I’m golden. Truly. My resume is golden. But if I go one way, somebody is going to miss out. If I go the other way, a different somebody is going to miss out. That’s really the question, here.
They are both finite funds. So, do I take the scholarship money that could go to a good student, or should I take the government money that could go to somebody who’s broke?
If one is academic and one is need-based then I would take the academic one first. That is a prize for the best and most suitable student(s), someone already decided that is you. The need-based one is, well, based on need. You don’t need it, you got the other scholarship.
But either way I still also don’t think it’s ethics. You could pick either one, they were both offered to you so neither choice is unethical.
Crap. I got distracted. Please read that as the opposite: IE::
It is a zero point game.
If one side wins, the other side loses. I don’t normally like those scenarios, but that’s the question. Roughly two grand American Dollars that I can free up. Which program do I choose?
Simply put: I win either way. But who should lose?
IN general, you take merit based before needs based. But it seems like both of your options are both needs and merit based. You claim having to qualify for WIA, which implies you had to earn it. And, if your small town scholarship is like the ones with which I am familiar, the purpose is also to help someone out that does not have money, but shows promise. I know for sure that, at my local community college, it surely isn’t the best and brightest who get the scholarships.
What you can look at is whether your scenarios are likely. Will WIA accept someone else since they dont’ have to give to you? I doubt it. Will the scholarship people? Possibly. But if they wouldn’t then leaving money for the WIA makes more sense. They may not be able to add someone new this year, but they could have more funding for later. Scholarships on the other hand are usually fixed. The same amount will be offered again next year. So, unless someone would get it this year, I think it’s okay to take.
If both options would actually do as you say, then we’re back where we started. I guess the net benefit is you getting something nice on your resume, and thus you should take the scholarship.
If you apply for the scholarships and are successful, then the money is taken away from someone who might also be deserving academically, but just slightly less so than you. If they are only slightly less deserving than you, could they not find some other way to make up that shortfall from not getting the scholarship?
If you use the financial aid route, then the money is taken away from someone who might be just slightly less financially needy than you. If they miss out, could they find some other way to make up the shortfall?
Personally, I would go the scholarship route, and let the “smart” person find another way to pay for school. They may have a better chance to find an alternate source of aid than the person who is “poor.”
Either way, you are a good person for thinking about how your actions impact the others around you. A little too little of that going around these days I think.
Good luck and congratulations on earning your way through school.