By Boris Pavlov, Year 11
Most of us have probably heard of the college admissions scandal that has recently been brought up in the United States. However, as guidance meetings begin to discuss the topic of applying, the issue seems all the more prevalent.
For those who do not know what it is, prosecutors in the US charged 50 people for falsifying admissions, test-results and other admission criteria to help admit students in exchange for exorbitant sums of money. Most of the people accused were wealthy parents, having paid sums of more than $500,000 to ‘consultants’ to ensure their child’s placement in elite universities. These consultants would falsify photos and bribe coaches to make it seem as if these teenagers were student athletes, along with providing fake SAT scores and paying money to admission officers.
Eight elite universities including Harvard, Stanford and Yale have been involved. However, the University of Southern California has been at the centre of the scandal. It has raised justified concerns about the polarized system of tertiary education in the United States. Many people have called out the unfairness of the way privileged students can afford to prepare for the rigorous and highly competitive system of application.
It seems disgusting that with all the best opportunities, tutors for SATs and connections, kids of wealthy and famous parents still got in based on illegal means rather than their own merits. However, universities have begun to respond.
Many have fired coaches accused of accepting bribes. All of the affected ones have begun conducting internal and external investigations to determine which students may be affected. Although they have not revealed the names of the students they have so far identified, due to the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act, they have begun to consider expulsion or rescinding their applications.
USC has explained that the money they have uncovered will be redirected to funds for scholarships for underprivileged students, in an attempt to correct the horrific realisations. However, none of this will correct the fact that many students who would have normally qualified have been replaced by the children of celebrities and wealthy families.
This more than anything is the true problem the scandal has raised. The fact that being privileged, ultimately, almost completely determines your chances of being accepted into an elite university. In a country where this is so highly prized, more so than in places like Canada according to professors, this is simply unacceptable, and there must be action to correct these misconductions.
