As high school seniors, we wrote endless essays in hopes of receiving a scholarship. Now, the process for seniors is as simple as sending a tweet. Last year, Kentucky Fried Chicken started a Twitter contest that made it easier for both sides... no long essay to write or read. By simply submitting a 140-character or less tweet, you can win a scholarship worth thousands of dollars. This year, instead of a simple tweet, KFC is asking students to submit a picture on Twitter showing their committment to education.
This same Twitter idea has been used for various other contests, including one on Scholarships.com. Money prizes begin $1,000. One college actually offered a full scholarship- that's $38,000- for the best tweet. Can you imagine never having to pay back a student loan all because you sent a single tweet?!
Oh how I wish it was this easy when I was a senior! I remember spending hours writing essays, which has now been reduced to basically a sentence. It hardly seems fair, but that's what our society is coming to. Everything, even the "old fashioned" scholarship essays, is being updated and innovated.
What do you guys think? Do you agree or disagree with using Twitter to win a scholarship?
I was hit three times today with a request to go to such and such website, like this and that status, and the user would win a scholarship worth XXX dollars. I am almost jealous I don't have to do that again (almost). I think this is a horrible idea. Students NEED to write. If I can perfect 140 characters, that does not mean I can write worth a damn. Rather, it means that I have a commitment to technology. The scholarship essays are not challenging; they are just what they need to be in order for students to start thinking about their future. Now, a Tweet is the replacement for a successful high school career. Makes me sick!
ReplyDeleteI seriously cannot believe that one can get a scholarship simply because of a tweet. I remember writing many essays in high school to even qualify for one and now all you have to do is tweet. I believe that it is an innovative way for companies to issue dollars for school. They may have switched to tweets because the essays they were receiving weren’t satisfactory. This also allows for many other people to have a chance at the scholarship. A simple tweet can get them the cash!
ReplyDeleteTwitter to win a scholarship. That is flat out stupid. I think it is great that a company is promoting their product and the success of students, but really? 140 words... that's nuts. Whatever happened to scholastic achievement. I know that there are many individuals out there who deserve a scholarship and who have worked very hard throughout high school to earn one.. that's right... earn one. Twitter is nothing more than getting lucky if you win and it is incredibly subjective to the mood of the judges.
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