There are various ways of obtaining a scholarship to attend American universities and colleges, some of them based on merit:
Merit-based: These awards are based on a student's academic, artistic, athletic or other abilities, and often factor in an applicant's extracurricular activities and community service record. The most common merit-based scholarships, awarded by either private organizations or directly by a student's intended college, recognize academic achievement or high scores on standardized tests.
Sarah Palin found a neat solution:
Sarah Palin was not terribly accomplished, so she showed the world another talent: Class!
She has shown more of her class (and other assets) recently:
The way to the White House doesn't feature beauty pageants and with her natural assets declining while her lack of class becomes even more apparent, Sarah Palin appears to have missed too many opportunities to make herself into a rounded person and an attractive candidate.
Judge Judy said it well:
"Beauty Fades, Dumb Is Forever"