My Thoughts Regarding the College Admissions Scandal and Bad PR

The FBI released a report last week documenting fraudulent college applications to big-name,

elite schools. Even though these applications were knowingly falsified by parents, coaches, and

faculty, admissions offices from top universities around the country such as Stanford, Georgetown,

and Yale still accepted the students.

As a first-year college student who has gone through the admissions process in the past year, this

scandal infuriates me to no end. I meticulously planned my entire high school career to focus on

preparing for college. I took the ACT multiple times, completed as many College Credit Plus courses

as I could, reserved college tours, applied for any scholarships I qualified for, navigated the FAFSA

and the Common App.

Then came the actual college decision process after all my applications were submitted. I was not

picky with sending applications as I applied and was accepted to nearly ten universities in Ohio,

both private and public, small Division III schools and one of the largest universities in the nation.

No matter how the university’s well-renowned faculty or how beautiful the campus was, finances

were going to make a major impact on my final decision. Last winter I waited anxiously for my

financial aid packages to arrive and one by one they trickled in the mail. I will never forget the gut-

wrenching excitement and fear that opening a financial aid letter brought. I will also never forget

feeling an elated shock after reading some letters and a glaring, numbing, reality check after others.

I know that plenty of students are the first ones in their family to navigate the college admissions

process and that many had a harder time than I did. Yes, a lot of students work hard in high school

in the hopes that it will pay off for college. I know I am not the only one. There are so many students

out there who work honestly and rigorously to achieve their goals to reach college. It rubs salt in the

wound that some people, with the right resources and connections, can leapfrog all of what honest

students with integrity have to do to earn their way into college. For every student who had falsified

documents who was accepted, a student with much better credentials and work ethic was denied a

seat. That is disgraceful.

I was taught that if you work hard, it will pay off and good things will come your way. I never applied

to any elite, Ivy League schools, but I know what rejection in the form of a number on a financial aid

package feels like. cannot imagine the emotions rejection would bring if I felt my credentials were

worthy. I have experienced panic, disappointment and what felt like personal rejection from

universities in the form of a number on a financial aid package. At least I was accepted, but I was

hoping to afford my acceptance. I empathize with any students who were cheated of acceptance by

a college’s admissions system.

Bad press such as this scandal is not something that any brand wants circulating through the news.

The universities have lost some of their credibility and trust of the public. The sad fact is, these schools have had their names dragged in the mud before and have dealt with the fallout in the past. If a lesser-known school were to experience such an ordeal, it might not survive the consequences. These elite schools however are so storied, powerful, and prestigious that there will likely not be a lasting impact. The universities may have to pay fines, but the reality of the situation is that these schools have large reserves of money and will probably continue to perpetuate cheating in the admissions office. What can be put in place to stop this cheating from happening again?