by Lillian Khemmanyvong
As a student who is about to start her/his years in college, the reports about TOPS is definitely one that puts pressure on students about how they are going to pay for school. Due to budget cuts, Louisiana has decided to modify the requirements and the eligibility for the TOPS scholarship program. The previous requirements for the standard scholarship included a 2.5 GPA, 20 on the ACT, and 19.0 core units. So far, possible changes that may occur includes raising the minimum ACT score to a 28. For many people the TOPS program was a student’s ticket to college. This brings us to an even bigger conflict: what happens now? For students who cannot pay for college or are having a hard time getting to college, the TOPS program was a way to help get students out of their struggle and into school.
Although TOPS was one of Louisiana’s major scholarship programs, there are other scholarships that students may apply for. For example, there are scholarships for people who are left handed, have green eyes, or who may be shorter than everyone else or taller. Students who plan to attend a primarily Caucasian college, and they are of another race or ethnicity, may apply for a minority scholarship. Even though TOPS was many student’s first choice to get into college, there are many other options they can turn to for help paying for their tuition and classes.
