Can a white student get a minority scholarship?

apnea · Aug 2, 2007

Sounds like it can't hurt to apply...i hate to sound racist but in my hospital i'm the ONLY white volunteer, everyone else is from Mexico. Apparently we pasty white chicks are the new URM.

apnea · Aug 2, 2007

ALSO! Congrats on your acceptance, you obviously worked your ace off to get in and you deserve it.

HogNurse · Aug 2, 2007

Sounds like it can't hurt to apply...i hate to sound racist but in my hospital i'm the ONLY white volunteer, everyone else is from Mexico. Apparently we pasty white chicks are the new URM.

Yea, but I don't know how to go about it, because I feel awkward going up to the Financial Aid office counselors who are predominantly black and asking them if I could get a minority scholarship?!?! I am not racist by any means, obviously I am going to a school where I am the minority, but if I can get some financial help payin' for grad school then u can bet I'll take it! Are you in a MSN program? Where r u from?

apnea · Aug 3, 2007

Actually...i'm originally from Arkansas i lived in Eureka Springs until i was 18, then i moved to Toronto for 5 years, now my daughter and i live on the Wyo/Colorado border. i'm in an ADN programme right now, but after i finish this i'm going to get my masters in molecular bio and hopefully go to medical school. Cheyenne tuition is CRAZY cheap, i'm happy here :)

i want to be a nurse first so that i don't become one of "those doctors" that make everyone hate nursing. i really

really

hate those.

Honestly, i'd feel like i was being pretty condescending walking up there too. Maybe you could just call them? That way if they want to laugh in your face, they'll have to take the phone away from their ear first. Also, you won't be subjected to any "withering stares" should they decide you don't qualify, and it's much harder to throw a shoe at someone if they're just on the phone with you.

Long Term Care Columnist / Guide · Aug 3, 2007

This falls under what I call the "just-because-it-can-be-done-doesn't-mean-it-SHOULD-be-done" category.

Personally, I can't even imagine asking for a minority scholarship under these circumstances. It seems kind of like going to a food bank and taking home a box of groceries when you've still got a week's worth of food at home and payday is just around the corner: you could certainly use it, and indeed may even be eligible for it, but how can you feel right about accepting it when you know deep down there are others who need it more?

JMHO.

HogNurse · Aug 3, 2007

I agree with part of what you are saying, but by the slim chance that I did get a minority scholarship especially at an all-black university, I know that there wouldn't be the chance that some under-priviledged student went without because they helped me out so in a sense I disagree. I'm not gonna explore this opportunity very deeply because I have too much pride, but I'm not exactly sittin here with a silver spoon in my mouth. I just graduated with a BSN in May, got married in June and moved away from home and am working on gettin' a part-time job since I'm gonna be a full-time MSN student so I would love a little help to take the edge off of the humongous student loans that I'm gonna be looking at whenever I graduate!

apnea · Aug 3, 2007

This falls under what I call the "just-because-it-can-be-done-doesn't-mean-it-SHOULD-be-done" category.
Personally, I can't even imagine asking for a minority scholarship under these circumstances. It seems kind of like going to a food bank and taking home a box of groceries when you've still got a week's worth of food at home and payday is just around the corner: you could certainly use it, and indeed may even be eligible for it, but how can you feel right about accepting it when you know deep down there are others who need it more?
JMHO.

i'm sorry...but schools have pretty strict policies regarding who is elegible for their scholarships. They're there for minority students, so if they deem her a minority, she deserves it just as much as anyone else.

Long Term Care Columnist / Guide · Aug 3, 2007

I was a welfare mom myself, so I had to do nursing school the hard way too.........worked part-time and took out lots of loans, which I'm STILL paying to this very day. It was worth it, though. Hang in there, there are plenty of scholarships and loans available to you!

HogNurse · Aug 3, 2007

Thanks, I'm not lookin' for a hand-out nor did I expect any minority scholarship that I might miraculously happen onto (since whites typically don't get those) to pay for anywhere close to 100% of my tuition/fees, but it would sure help

MikeyJ, RN · Aug 14, 2007

It doesn't hurt to ask -- however, minority scholarships don't typically apply to whether you are a "minority" at that institution, but rather a minority nationally. Furthermore, the technical aspects of a "minority" refers to an ethnic, religious, racial, etc. group that has less representation relative to other groups in society. Given that, caucasian's are not minority's because of the relative amount of representation (by that term, I mean number of voters as well as those in the legislative, executive, and judicial branches of government).

I had an awesome political science teacher my first year in college that went into heavy detail about minority's and how they are defined in the U.S. and she even talked about minority scholarships and who is typically eligible for such scholarships.

Selke · Aug 14, 2007

I was a welfare mom myself, so I had to do nursing school the hard way too.........worked part-time and took out lots of loans, which I'm STILL paying to this very day. It was worth it, though. Hang in there, there are plenty of scholarships and loans available to you!

Glad I wasn't the only one who got through nursing school this way!