The process of admission to college is already a scam

On Tuesday, dozens of parents were among the 50 people accused of participating in a huge college admission scam. The parents – who included famous actors, financial leaders and other successful businessmen – allegedly participated in a scheme in which sports coaches and exam supervisors were subsidized to obtain an illegal boost for their children. even after the children had obtained the benefits of a privileged education.

According to federal prosecutors, these parents broke the law.

But the wealthiest families in the United States can rely on many legal means to buy their kids in college, even though universities continue to sell as meritocracies – a selling point that has long been a critical part of the perpetuation of the American dream.

There is a way to give a ton of money to a classy university just like Jared KushnerThe father did for him by promising $ 2.5 million at Harvard University. Or, the craft industry of student shop services – additional tutors, writing coaches and interview preparation professionals – designed to help elites bring their children to Ivy League schools and other colleges. prestigious.

"People believe that meritocracy is real and want to participate," said Tressie McMillan Cottom, who has studied and conducted research on access to higher education. But compared to high society enjoyed by upper classes, low-income and working class families are not even on the verge of equal competition, she said.

A New York-based academic consulting firm, Ivy Coach, charges up to $ 1.5 million for its most advanced package, according to Brian Taylor, the company's general manager. Marketed as a concierge service that helps students enroll in up to 20 schools, "The ultimate level of personal attention continues to every detail, According to the website of the company.

Taylor said that he recognized that the process of admission to the university was definitely a game. Parents have charged in the indictment of Tuesday allegedly made the mistake of acting outside the legally acceptable rules.

Instead of paying for test preparation, they are charged with paying a supervisor to correct the incorrect answers given by their children to the entrance exams. Instead of paying to take their child from one extracurricular activity to another, they are accused of paying university coaches to create a false place in a team for a sport that their children have not even practiced. .

In the process, these so-called stratagems reveal greater truths about horse racing college admissions.

"It's a totally unfair system and we help students fight an unfair system during an unfair game," Taylor said. "We do it ethically, though."

The machinations that empower influential individuals to access exclusive colleges usually occur outside of the public spotlight. Tuesday's indictment opens up the false promise of equal access to higher education. Cottom, assistant professor of sociology at Virginia Commonwealth University.

Internet has only further stratified the system. It was supposed to democratize access to information on elite institutions. But these schools do not accept more students because more students are applying. In turn, people who have money take bigger steps to gain a huge advantage.

"Those with the means to do so will pay for specialized knowledge that is not available democratically," said Cottom, author of "Lower Ed: The Rising Rise of For-Profit Colleges in the New Economy."

Although the lawsuits threaten to nullify affirmative action – one of the systems helping low-income students gain access to distinguished colleges – nothing suggests that colleges will end the processes that help privileged people, like the benefits of inheritance.

And even with positive action, black and Hispanic students are more underrepresented in Ivy League schools than many decades ago. New York Times.

Bari Norman, co-founder and president of Expert Admissions, a college admissions advisory agency, said he hoped Tuesday's charges would serve as an alarm bell to colleges, indicating that the current system was Out of order. She told HuffPost that she suspects the admissions officers now having difficult conversations about the type of environment that promotes the suspicion of cheating – and about the type of system that has created such seemingly hopeless parents.

But she remains pessimistic about the outcome of big changes.

Her company helps students choose courses and extracurricular activities in high school to position themselves for the admission process. The company usually starts working with students in their second or third year of high school, although in some cases even before.

Norman would not say how much her company charges for her services, and she notes that they sometimes work voluntarily.

But at Ivy Coach, they are frank about their exorbitant prices.

It's a tax that society makesno excuses for,"According to his website.

Taylor said the admissions sector operated in a market economy. The fees of his business give rise to expert advice that help students maximize their chances of being admitted to a top-notch school.

"We do not oppose any company that charges high fees. We are totally opposed to companies that corrupt college coaches or college admissions officers, "he wrote in an e-mail, adding," Do not cheat on SAT or ACT. Hire an exceptional tutor – which can be very expensive – to help your child improve his score enormously. "