Another One Bites the Dust

Officially, the Varsity Blues scandal involving college admissions came to an end on Friday, April 8. A jury found Mark Riddell, a professional test-taker, guilty and sentenced him to a 4-month term in federal prison. Riddell was ordered to forfeit $240,000 from his illegal gains. In the meantime, an unnamed USC coach was found guilty of three counts each fraud and bribery.

In 2019, the scandal broke when it became clear that wealthy entitled parents had been buying admissions results through fraud and bribery. Rachael Rolleins, US Attorney for Massachusetts summarized the scandal thusly

“To say the conduct in this case was reprehensible is an understatement,” Rollins said afterward, acknowledging the sprawling investigation preceded her taking office earlier this year. “The rich, powerful and famous — dripping with privilege and entitlement — used their money and clout to steal college admissions spots from more qualified and deserving students.

What shocked myself and many others about this scandal was not that the rich and powerful were using their elite status to gain an advantage in the admissions process — it was the brazennessThey are manipulators. We all instinctively know that the elite have an advantage when trying to gain admission into college — in fact, there’s even a name for it: “legacy.” Legacy admission is when you are given preferential status because you’re the offspring of someone who has previously attended the college. Think it doesn’t matter? Harvard admissions are 6x more likely if you apply as a Legacy applicant, according to The Boston Globe.

Is that a legacy? Just get mom or dad to pony up to fund a new building or endowment, and you’re probably good to go.

An admissions officer was present at the party I attended once. Full disclosure: Some of those involved were my friends. He said that bidding begins at $500,000. That’s not enough to get you in, but you will be considered more favorably. You have a better chance of being accepted if you make ten million. You can pack your bag for orientation if you have ten million.

Universities are backing away from these policies because it’s not a good look in the Age of Equity. A bill was even introduced by Democratic members of Congress to completely ban legacy admissions.

This episode also revealed another dirty secret: NCAA III Division athletics. The speaker at college admissions presented an extensive presentation that covered all extra-curricular activities and achievements you need in order to be considered for admission to a top college. She finished by saying, “By the way, if you’re a recruited athlete, ignore everything I just said.”  Want to get into Harvard or Stanford? Learn to sail or ride a horse, and you could be able to get into the equestrian program. You won’t get a scholarship like you would if you were a top-ranked Division I football player, but you will definitely have a better chance of getting in.

To circle back like Jen Psaki, it’s the audacity of the Varsity Blues participants that is so shocking. Lori Laughlin (actress) and Mossimo Giannulli (designer husband), could have given $500,000 to USC. Instead, the couple dressed up their daughters with crew attires and claimed they were world-class rowers. They even had comical photos taken at a rowing station. Both daughters were admitted. Also making Hollywood look good was actress Felicity Huffman, who secretly had someone else take her daughter’s standardized test — without telling said daughter.

Loughlin, Huffman, and many other people resort to cheating even though they could still afford the good old-fashioned donation route or, God forbid!, working their way up. It’s because they think of themselves as even more elite than the regular elite — a sort of Super-Elite class if you will. They didn’t realize they could be caught or suffer consequences.

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