Okay.... just to put this in perspective....
Don't get me wrong, "buying" admission to college is NOT something I support. And the very obvious way these parents did it is condemnable.
But the press is addressing this as if it's rare and something new. This is VERY common and has been going on probably since the days of Adam and Eve. It's a bit more common at private colleges than at public ones, but common everywhere. Yup. When I was a grad student at the University of California, for a couple of years, I worked at the admissions office.... the school "job" the financial aid office gave me.
Now, you need to appreciate that colleges are business that run on MONEY. And even public colleges REQUIRE a lot - a LOT - of donations and extra income; government funding and tuition together fall FAR short of the money needed. And understand, RARE is the college that cannot fill the seats with qualified students (well, maybe Franklin Pierce College). Admission boards are NOT at all about filling the seats with students that won't flunk out. THAT would be simple and not require an admissions department at all. It's NOT at all about filling seats with students who can graduate. And while diversity and other aspects of contributing to the milieu does play a role (at better schools anyway), it's mostly about meeting the budget, getting the new buildings built, etc. Once upon a time, colleges flat out asked for a financial disclosure, even tax returns.... but they are more subtle now.
Colleges often speak of "legacies" These are children of alums. Applications will at times ask where the parents attended college. Parents of students are MAJOR contributors, especially when their child attends the same school they did. The Admissions office will check to see if the parents are contributors (they know if they are contributing to other colleges, too - schools share this info)..... and know that will go way up if they admit their kid; and even if they are not, they are MUCH more likely to become such if their kid is admitted. Some colleges are very up-front about this, most aren't. Advisors to students trying to get into good schools will tell the student that THE single most important thing to convey (perhaps in the essay) is that their parents are alums and/or are very charitable.
College admission boards check your zip code for average income, college education levels, average house costs. They'll even check the exact address, to see the value of that house. Someone who lives in 90210 and lives in a house worth 10 million is just going to have a huge advantage over someone who lives in an subsidized apartment in south central LA. And the reason is.... well...... how likely is Daddy to contribute to the college? How likely is this applicant to become a major donor? Now, the Admissions office will tell you they are doing this for the OPPOSITE reason, to get low income people, but all you have to do is see who get's admitted. It ain't poor Blacks from Watts....
Colleges also get a lot of money from sports (not JUST football). Junior might be a goldmine. Why does the kid who is a basketball star at his high school get admitted? It ain't because he has what it takes to graduate.... He will MAKE MONEY for the school.
Now, I don't mean to say this is the ONLY factor. A great student who will bring MUCH to the school (other than money) is also desired. But the REALITY is ever present: The school needs MONEY. Lots and lots of money. And the #1 source (MAYBE after the taxpayers) is parents of students (present or past) and alums. And who decides who gets to be a student (and thus eventually an alum)? Yup. The Admissions office.
....just to offer a bit of counterbalance to the discussion....
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