The Excelsior Scholarship Analysis

In Higher Education there are various issues that have yet to be addressed, including: the policies of admission, graduation rate, financial cost of institutions, violence, and several other policies that have questioned individual’s pursuance towards achieving a higher education. In Higher Education there is a consistence of students’ dropping-out from a two year associate program to a four year bachelor program. Students are no longer graduating at their expected rate of time instead students’ are either completely dropping out or requiring additional years to complete their degree. This includes in part students transferring from different universities as well as part-times student. One primordial factor for the decrease on graduation rate would be the financial cost of higher institution. Thus, if

institutions increase their financial cost then current students as well as perspective students must look upon their personal income and see if they are able to to afford paying for college, dropping out completely, or placing their education on hold even for several years. One attempt that was made to address the financial issues was the Excelsior Scholarship which is a combination of financial aid program that allows students to attend college tuition- free in a SUNY or CUNY institution. The Excelsior Scholarship is limited to a selected few including individual’s that have recently graduated as well as students that have less than 30 college credit.

Therefore, individuals that are pursuing a second bachelor degree and individuals currently enrolled or re-enrolling in a university do not qualify for the scholarship. Furthermore, the implementation of the scholarship stipulate for a certain amount of time and money. Thus, perspective students are required to have a major in mind when attending a university but in most cases individuals are still searching their identity and continuously switch majors as well as transfer to different schools which accumulates additional time in universities. Therefore, the proposition that might address for individuals not caped under the Excelsior Scholarship would be the expansion of the Federal work-study program because it is a hands on experience that allows individuals to pay for their institution. Furthermore, this gives an opportunity for students to increase their personal income and afford the tuition cost of the university as well as decrease the necessities of acquiring additional loans for

college.
I acknowledge, that my academic record during the time period of 2008 to 2011/2012 were below medicore which, lead me to to take a break for over a year and travel. Through, my traveling experience I was able to focus on others and aid high school students with their academic papers’ which lead me to realize that I would tremendously enjoy an educational career. Thus, when I returned to New York I enrolled in LaGuardia Community College because the college has a secondary educational program and I was able to graduate in a year with a 3.4 GPA. I was never aware that higher education was a career choice instead I discovered higher education administration as an optional degree when I transferred to Queens College. In Queens College, I continue majoring in secondary education but through my federal work study program in the English Department I discovered the option of majoring in Higher Education Adminstration. It was a fulifilling experience of the constant interaction with students, faculty, and staff. Therefore, I continued pursuing work in a higher educational field and I am currently working at Baruch College in the Newman Library Circulation. I want to pursue Higher Education Admistration because I want to work with students that are sometimes overlooked by the system and I know that education is a key factor that would allow these students to achieve their goals. Furthermore, I want to inspire students to continue their education even if they had taken a break it is never to late to go back to school and pursue a career path. My career path is to work as an academic advisor which would allow me the consistence of working one on one with student but also aid them with their academic goals as well as their career choices.