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This week, there have been dozens of reports on the insane college admissions scandals released on the internet, where almost 50 individuals spent millions of dollars in a bribe scheme to get into elite universities. Among these mostly high-profile individuals, including 33 parents, actresses Lori Loughlin and Felicity Huffman allegedly bribed Ivy League universities in order to send their daughters to those colleges, despite their children’s mediocre academics and SAT scores. The scandal has created controversial debates that question whether or not money can get students into college.
Federal prosecutors have already begun issuing charges, but amongst the others involved and charged with this scandal are “nine coaches at elite schools; two SAT/ACT administrators; an exam proctor; a college administrator; and a CEO who admitted he wanted to help the wealthiest families get their kids into elite colleges.” The scandals were led by William Rick Singer, CEO of college admissions prep company The Key, who helped these parents’ kids cheat on the SATs or ACTs, or bribed coaches/leaders/administrators within elite schools. For example, Full House actress Lori Loughlin and fashion designer Mossimo Giannulli (who were arrested recently) paid bribes of around $500,000 to send their two daughters to USC, disguised as part of the crew team (fake athletic credentials) when neither competed. Another case with Dr. Dre, famous rap mogul and co-founder of Beats Electronics, intentionally bragged about his daughter Truly Young’s acceptance into USC amid college scandals. Considering that there were no fraud or bribery involved in Truly’s college acceptance, Dr. Dre had contributed a $70 million donation to USC in 2013. In result to this college scandal report, parents around the world have accused elite colleges of being unfair to less-privileged yet harder working students. In response to USC’s multiple allegations, UCLA and UC Berkeley—amongst many other universities—have also began digging into suspicious cases in their own schools. (edition.cnn.com)
When parents donate monthly or annually to a school, it usually increases the chances of acceptance (into the school parents are donating money to) for their child. Following the admissions scandal, parents are worried that their kids might not be accepted because of external factors that exclude scores and applications, including family background, family wealth, race, and other elements.
Since the college admission scandal, parents that have spent millions of dollars to scam their way into Ivy League have wasted their money nonetheless. After the scandal news broke, Yale rescinded an admission of a student whose parents allegedly spent $1.2 million in order to get their child into that university.
Emily A., a sophomore at AISG, commented on this recent issue: “I think that the whole thing was really wrong because the entire point of college admissions is that every person, no matter their background or social status, gets an equal chance at an educational future. People flaunting their money and using it as a tool to ensure that their children get in, [thus] taking the place of someone who actually worked to get into the school, are horrible and deserve the criminal sentence they get.”
On the bright side, colleges are becoming more aware of any fraudulent activity in their admissions system, and are continuing to investigate any loopholes. According to a Stanford admissions consultant and alumna, this scandal has pushed colleges to be more discreet. On the other hand, instead of trusting the “fair” admissions system, many families and young adults have decided to consider other opportunities instead of college. Additionally, even if young adults don’t attend college, it doesn’t guarantee that the person will have a bad future or career. College is a stepping stone towards adulthood where individuals are able to learn more and start living independently, and the amount of money that parents have to support their child doesn’t guarantee a better future for the individual.
For more information:
edition.cnn.com, etonline.com, buzzfeed.news, elephantjournal.com
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