The College Admissions Scandal

The Allegations. In an FBI investigation named "Operation Varsity Blues," a number of wealthy people - including a couple of Hollywood stars - are accused of using illegal means to get their children into elite colleges and universities. These parents are accused of paying money to an "admissions assistance counselor," who would then help parents get extra time for their kids to take the college entrance exams (SAT and ACT) by faking a disability. The "counselor" would also bribe test monitors to alter test scores; and at times use a "ringer" to sit in and take the test for some students. Other students were provided with phony athletic histories, allowing them to be admitted - through bribery of certain coaches - as student athletes, even though they were not athletes and did not play any sport once admitted to the college.

In a 3/14/19 editorial, the Wall Street Journal opined: "The days when college admissions was largely a merit-based system disappeared long ago. Now merit merely gets your foot inside an admissions labyrinth with passages marked race, gender, geography, legacy, athletics, sexual identity, trustee relationships, social-justice work and so forth." I recall well my kids having to write essays that would help differentiate themselves from the other high G.P.A. and high SAT score applicants. Often, it was clear that the admissions offices were looking for a disability, or having overcome some other diversity in life, or demonstrating one's social-justice activism.

I also recall well having numerous discussions with other parents whose children were applying to college at the same times as our children. The stress that these parents were feeling about their kids getting into a top university was palpable, and without a doubt that stress was imparted to their children. I was disturbed by the idea that admission to a top school was somehow essential to one's future well-being. In speaking with other parents, I would concede that a diploma from one of the top ten (or twenty) schools would open certain doors after graduation. But then I would ask: "But what about the other 99.5% of students who do not get into an elite college. Do you really believe that all those students will lead miserable lives? Will they not go on to have families of their own, financial success or happiness?" I found the emphasis on "elite schools" to reflect a misplaced value.

One letter writer to the New York Times, describing herself as a high school senior, wrote: "...I've witnessed and experienced how stress surrounding grades, standardized test scores and extracurriculars consumes high school students. The pressure to be admitted to a "good" college is almost inescapable...Parents and adults need to tell high school students that attending an elite college doesn't matter - and mean it." Exactly. Added another letter writer: "Five years after you graduate, nobody much cares where you went anyway. The world is grading you on other qualities." Agree again.

The punishment. I have not joined many others in criticizing or mocking the Hollywood parents for their supposed hypocrisy and gaming of the system. In fact, I questioned the very high bond being given to at least a couple of the parents involved - one million dollars. We are not talking about international arms dealers or drug smugglers or human traffickers. And while mail fraud charges can result in a sentence of up to 20 years in federal prison, I do not believe the charges against these parents, if convicted, warrant anywhere near that. (It is unknown if some parents will also be charged with tax evasion for deducting the amount of bribes they paid as a "charitable donation.") I also strongly disagree with the 3/13/19 Los Angeles Times editorial expressing this opinion: "Any students currently in college as a result of outright bribery should have their admission revoked. Whether or not they consciously participated, their presence at college is based on fraud - and the seats they're filling could be taken by other students with legitimate credentials." If the students knowingly participated in the fraud I agree. But if some students had no idea what their parents were doing, then I would not disrupt the lives of those students. Pull them out of college, perhaps in their junior or senior year? I have never been a fan of punishing the innocent.

The lawsuits. I guess it was inevitable. Two Stanford University students have filed a class action lawsuit, claiming they would have applied to Yale or USC if they had knowledge of the system being manipulated, and also claiming that the value of their degree from Stanford has been cheapened as a result of the scandal. If you got into Stanford - stop whining. Who believes prospective employers are no longer going to hire graduates from Stanford, Yale, Georgetown, USC, UCLA, Wake Forest, the University of San Diego or the University of Texas at Austin because of the scandal? Then we have the woman who filed a $500 billion (yes, half a trillion dollars) class action lawsuit because her child did not get accepted by certain colleges with a 4.2 G.P.A. What is the goal? You want to make your child feel bad about the school that they did attend?

I am not excusing cheating and bribery. And, ultimately, it looks like the number of people charged could be in the hundreds. But with so many opportunities to attend so many colleges and universities (estimated at 5,300 in the USA) I think a little perspective on this would be in order. I would also like to see the values placed where they should be - raising young people to be good adults, and good citizens, and with the knowledge and belief that a fulfilling life does not depend on having a degree from Harvard, Yale, Princeton, Stanford or the like.