The internet is all a buzz with the latest college scandal: celebrities and rich people bribing their way into elite schools such as Stanford, University of Southern California and Yale. In the latest turn, two Stanford University students are suing the universities named in the scandal citing "fraud." The fact that system is rigged isn't really new. The system is rigged from the start. We know that only some students get extra tutoring to prepare for test prep, only some students have access to elite classes and schools, and if we start even further back, we know that students do not enter kindergarten on equal footing.
But putting all of that sad, I was particularly disgusted to receive a letter regarding the scandal from the head mistress of the all girls prep school I attended (yes, I am one of those kids who started with a leg up). In it she made a plea to remind students that they are not the college they attend. I agree. Would this were true? Yet, this is the school that highlights from the first application through to the end the elite schools that their students attend after graduation. The hypocrisy is epic.
The college scandal is a direct result of the system that we as a society have set up. If you go to the "right" school - you are connected to the right people. To get to the right school, you have to be the perfect student who also volunteers and is a top performer in 1 to 6 activities. Additionally, you must have the top scores. To get the best scores you can pay a tutoring company to teach you how to game the test. So if we want to change the system, the colleges have to reform the admissions system. It is on them to level the playing field. Until then, the latest college scandal is just that, the latest of many more to come.
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