No Hope For Education?

By Sarah R. Bailey



If you are currently in college, or have recently graduated then chances are you have heard all the ruckus about the Hope scholarship. Well, consider yourself lucky if you got a free ride all four years, because policy-makers in Georgia want to rid the state (and its students) of the Hope scholarship.



With the election of Nathan Deal as the new governor of Georgia, one of the top things to cut in his budget is the Hope program, according to an article in the New York Times. When the Hope scholarship was started in 1993, it was covered fully by the Georgia lottery, but since the recession the lottery isn’t quite enough to cover all the expenses. All the praises of the scholarship have faded, and its popularity has caused more and more students to want to go to school. However, once students are enrolled in school, often their grades slip and they lose Hope due to grades not meeting the 3.0 G.P.A requirement.



So who is to blame, the politicians who want to cut the program, or the Hope program itself? Politicians combat locals who say that they can’t go to school without Hope by stating that its over exploited funds have drained the system for providing Hope to the next generation. However, it was the politicians who highly promoted Hope, and made it into what it is today. The solution is not to cut Hope, but to figure out a better way to pay for extraordinary students college tuition in another way. Maybe through volunteer work, or maybe adjusting the requirements for Hope. A higher G.P.A?



You may find yourself in this same predicament wondering what will happen to you and your hopes of that B.A. in Finance if you lose Hope. There are other programs out there that can help you if the government does do away with Hope. Here is a link to help your with your financial aid.



Don’t forget to keep the hope. No pun intended.



Sarah R. Bailey is a graduate of Georgia State University where she earned a B.A. in Journalism, and minor in Political Science. She is an editorial assistant for skirt.com, a leading women’s publication that promotes women and what they do.