Getting into a top tier college requires hard work, exceptional grades, and a proven record of academic success – or does it? The college admissions scandal has shown us another side of college admissions.
Getting into a top tier college requires hard work, exceptional grades, and a proven record of academic success. Well, that or connections and a sizeable sum of money, as has recently been highlighted by the college admissions scandal. The scandal has shed light on some of the flaws of college admissions and draws attention to the lengths that parents will go to get their children enrolled in a prestigious university.
Solid grades and a high GPA are no longer enough to get into college. Competition to get into top schools is fierce, as spots are extremely limited. Earning a place in one of these schools requires a lot of work and dedication. Extra-curricular activities are practically required, as is some sort of experience outside of academia such as volunteering. It’s a commitment on both the student and the parents’ behalf, and doesn’t come inexpensively.
Money has always paved the way to open doors, and it always will. But there’s a difference to using that money to enroll children in a top tier private school and getting them access to the best tutors and test preparation programs. That’s using money to enhance their options, not cheat the system. There’s nothing wrong with providing children with every available tool so that they may have the best chances of enrolling in the college of their choice, but nothing should be handed out without merit. The parents involved in the scandal chose to take shortcuts rather than having their children put in the work.
The scandal also speaks to another problem plaguing today’s youth – over-involved parents. Parents are so unwilling to let their children experience failure that they will go to great lengths to prevent it. In the case of the college admissions scandal, it was spending large sums of money to buy their children an advantage. The children were unaware of this, and the parents were so afraid of potential failure that they took preemptive steps to ensure that even the notion of failure wouldn’t cross their children’s paths.
The danger of these practices is that students who put in the work were shut out of places at universities because wealthy parents found a way to game the system. Hard work should always be rewarded above large sums of money, but unfortunately money often speaks loudest. That’s the biggest tragedy in all of this. For some of the celebrities tied up in the scandal, getting their children into good schools was more about appearance than academics. Unfortunately, their actions prevented other students from getting admitted. How many deserving students lost out on the chance to attend a school to a student whose admission was purchased?
Then there’s the biggest issue of all – the sheer cost of college in America.
