Yeah, we're totally getting off-topic. This'll be my last on this particular issue...
wingad said:
These are loans, money you have to pay back, so I am more concerned about paying my school bills with this money than accruing other expenses. And you are correct, this is government funds where I was speaking of scholarships.
Whoa--I'm not talking about loans, I'm talking about grants. I think you're talking about merit-aid scholarships as opposed to need-based ones. If that's the case, then sure, those are up to whoever sets them up; I'm saying, though, that federal aid is income-dependent, and not ethnicity-dependent.
I can prove it. I work for the mathematics department and am in charge of receiving scholarship application. I have seen our criteria for being awarded the scholarships. Also try registering for any of the online scholarship search engines. They will probe you for any hint of minority status, from race to sex to sexual orientation, because that is where the available funds are at. Further, I have yet to see you offer any proof of your claims that my statements are false. Just because you are the first to play the "that is false" card does not make you correct.
Yes--for merit scholarships, though (see above). When it's given by non-governmental sources, the people who give out the money can dole it out for whatever reason they choose. I don't think what you're saying is false if you're talking about merit (and not federal)-based financial aid.
Not the primary source of income for the majority? I will agree. In fact I have never disagreed nor stated anything to the opposition. That is why I don't understand why you prefaced that statement with 'however' as if to draw a contradiction to something that I said, but in actuality did not say. My point was, however, that those scholarships could supplement the purchase of a new computer.
Your statement above...
Financial assistance in the form of scholarships almost always has some stipulation about preference going to minority students with some being exclusive. Not every minority gets financial assistance, but a large portion of financial assistance does go to minorities, however.
...suggested as much to me. If you meant merit-based scholarships and not need-based scholarships, why didn't you say so instead of implying the majority of all financial assistance was geared toward minority students?
Again, I wasn't talking about federal assistance. I never once brought it up. It is a red herring that you brought up to make points on an issue I was never commenting on.
If you're going to make big statements about the amount of financial assistance given to minority students, you've got to take the time to distinguish between merit-based scholarships and federal need-based scholarships. That way you don't have to clarify what you were speaking about afterwards. As your comments stood, they strongly implied your non-minority status prevented you from receiving money for school. Multiple people took it that way, so it wasn't exactly an ambiguous statement.
As you did state, the private scholarships that I was talking about can be for anything, many addressing a minority status being favored. I further never said this was a negative. All I was saying by what was a one line comment is that I cannot expect to have very much disposable income that may be the result of being the beneficiary of some scholarship.
I don't see why you're looking at this as if being a minority is the only way to receive private scholarships, though. Even the majority of minority students don't receive minority-focused scholarships; they're typically given to a tiny fraction of eligible applicants. Besides that, there are literally thousands of types of merit-based scholarships that have nothing to do with race, but with states of residence, academic achievement, club memberships, majors, parental occupations, athletic abilities, etc. Beyond those, there's good old government-based aid, which is the only source of aid most students ever receive. Your post implies you're somehow missing out on a big stash of money because you weren't born (insert ethnicity). That's where this is all coming from, bro.
One final comment on all of this: This entire discussion is almost entirely irrelevant to the purpose of this thread. I am disappointed that it has been made such a big deal. All I wanted was to demonstrate that I will not suddenly have any extra money that could be used to better finance an expensive purchase. I do have enough money to buy a MBP, but in doing so I will significantly decrease my savings account, so I want to make it the right decision if I do.
Yeah, this blew up in a hurry, but you might note it resulted from that singular line you included in your post, which triggered this discussion. In general, it's best not to imply other people are getting things handed to them while you're stuck in the ditches working. Believe me, I know you didn't mean it that way, but that's really the way it could come off, and it kind of feeds into a lot of stereotypes people carry around on campus. See below:
switcher3365 said:
I am black, and I finished my undergrad almost two years ago from an in-state university with $23,000 in student loans and only got $500 for being black, so we're not all floating around campuses for free. (A few people would say things like that when I was in school).
For minority students, the majority of whom won't receive a dime more than you will--ever--in minority-based scholarships, it just makes things tougher to have people walking around implying they're getting free money simply because of the colors of their skin, and that things are a little easier for them when it comes to money because they got in on supersecret scholarships no one else had access to. That's the kind of stuff that phrasing feeds into, which particularly sucks since it isn't true. Okay, enough of this from me.
Thank you. This is the kind of perspective that I was looking for. As I stated in my initial concerns, I had originally taken for granted that I would be getting a MBP, but I have come to question that because a desktop may be better suited. I will still be a student and space and portability are both still commodities, thus I am seeking some guidance on what the best solution is for a compromise between price, functionality, and usability.
As someone above me said, it sounds like you really want a Mac (and a laptop at that), even though most folks are saying go with a Thinkpad (or a desktop). It really depends on whether you're willing to pay more for the privilege of using OS X. If so, get an MB/P. If not, save the cash and get a Thinkpad. My two cents!
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