help me award some scholarships!

[marialuisa]

I've been handed responsibility for dishing out various university scholarships, some have conditions attached which makes it easier to narrow down applications but the "big ones" are purely for academic excellence. What constitutes "academic excellence" is entirely up to me....

So, I've had a good look through the pile and have noticed that most applicants tend to be local. I know enough about local schools to know which are really good/selective(i.e. you'd have to be very stupid/lazy to leave without a good few As at GCSE) and which are weak. Oddly enough there is also an application from a student who went to a school I know well (did research work there in a previous life); the school is scary, been on special measures etc but this girl has managed to get all the A and even did more GCSEs in her own time as school didn't/wouldn't allow more than 6 GCSEs to be sat.

Am I being unfair if I prioritise her application over those of students from "high-flying" schools? I can't help but think that someone achieving in such a dire environment is more likely to do well at Uni. II'm happy to look up ofsted/league tables for all applicants to make it fair.

Realise this is an odd post but when I raised this with a few colleagues they were astounded that I wanted to make work for myself. all opinions gratefully received.

I would be very much in favour of giving her the scholarship, personally. Not because I considered other students more lazy or spoonfed than her, but because she does seem to have achieved a lot in less than encouraging circumstances.
I agree with your hunch that you need to have evidence of objectivity in your selection, though - especially if you are being given sole responsibility for selecting the successful candidate. I am guessing that the "value-added" league table scores could be used effectively in this way, although it sounds as though this particular student did most of the legwork herself.
Don't take this the wrong way, Marialuisa, I'm sure you will do a great job...but is your back covered further up the management tree if unsuccessful candidates complain or appeal? It just seems quite a heavy burden for one individual.

I would give it to the kids who have 'gone the extra mile', be that doing well from a crappy school, or exceeding realistic expectations for them in a good school. I have a mate who went to Eton and he was truly brilliant.....I'd hate to think that he wouldn't get the recognition that he deserved for his maturity and hard work just because he went to the 'wrong' school. Give it to the kids who have done their best, regardless of the school.

And by best I don't meen best results iyswim

I'd agree with hmb. imho those who have gone beyond the limits of what they have been simply taught to get good grades and have added to their knowledge and opinions through their own initiative are most deserving. It might be harder for you to judge in circumstances where you don't have such insight into their schooling though.

Issymum, awareness of that research is partly what led me to ponder this.

Thanks for the concern marina. I should explain that I am reducing the 200 or so candidates down to 15. A committee (of which I'm a member) will then rank those 15 and give the top 10 scholarships. These are then approved by V-C (i.e. rubber-stamped). There are inevitably complaints as we are dealing with people who have always had straight As, form prizes etc. I wouldn't be given approval to contcat the "comparable institutions" on this one as everyone tends to be a bit secretive (so nobody knows just what a lottery the process is).

Bluntly I'm struggling to find things to differentiate between candidates on, the "serious" candidiates all have a* at GCSE, As at AS, been prefects, been in the drama society etc. Add in the fact that most applicants are going to be doing medicine/dentistry/vet sci (need straight As to get on those courses here) and you see the hitch. I have their personal statements, grades and referees letters to base my decisions on, nothing else. In some years applicants have been rejected because of typos.

Anyway, all good fun!

message withdrawn

I agree with hmb, that you have to be careful not to discriminate against any student just because of school.

However the student you are speaking off seems to merit a scholarship as she has gone beyond what is normally expected of a school pupil. She has studied for qualifications entirely in her own time, and got good grades in the, This is not what the 'normal' pupil will do. On that front I think she merits the scholarship.

This kind of dilemma is one that academics selecting students for Oxbridge often face. I do not teach at Oxbridge myself, but I know that it is common practice for tutors there to look carefully at the schools from which prospective students apply, looking at average GCSE scores, percentage receiving free school meals and so on. Where there are two candidates of equal merit in terms of exam scores and performance in tests and interviews, I understand that it is common for the application from the student from an obviously disadvantaged school to be treated with particular seriousness.