Getting into college is naturally tough. There are many factors that could cause you to not get into a school, even something like not having enough extracurricular. It’s not all about grades, people can be recruited for sports, and another important thing for schools is SAT scores. Not all colleges require these scores, but Ivy League schools and schools of high rank do. Some students take this test many times to get a better score. I took the test four or five times, because my top school required them and I am not the strongest test-taker. We spend a lot of time getting prepared for the exam as well. People hire tutors, attend classes, and try to do anything they can to get into their dream school. But, not everyone can afford to get these tutors or classes, and recently, some families, especially of celebrity status, have taken getting into college a little too far, leaving those with huge aspirations of going to these schools, who try as hard as they can to do so, in the dust.
Lori Loughlin is one celebrity mother who bribed her daughter’s way into college admission. Her two daughters, Olivia Jade and Isabella, have been attending the University of Southern California. Olivia Jade has stated on her YouTube channel that she doesn’t even like school, she just wanted the college experience for football games and parties. Lori and her husband paid about $500,000 to have their children admitted.
The girls were recruited for the rowing team, but never rowed before. Lori paid to have their faces photoshopped onto pictures of people rowing and sent them to USC to claim that they did row, and they were recruited. Imagine being a student whose dream was to be part of the USC rowing team. You worked day and night, as much as you could, to ensure you were good enough to get a spot. Your rowing was key for you to be accepted to this school and for you to live out your dream. Imagine the heartbreak you would feel the day you got a letter saying you were not accepted, and your dream was now shattered. Imagine finding out, a year or two later, that these girls were the ones who took your spot. They had no experience, they just had a famous parent who paid and lied for their way into a school. You would feel more than discouraged, you would be heartbroken and outraged. This is how many average college students without millions in their bank accounts are feeling right now.
Lori Loughlin also paid to have someone take the SAT’s in her daughters place. This is extremely unfair to those who work very hard when preparing and taking the SAT’s. For some schools, SAT scores are crucial, and an unfair advantage like this from the start leaves students discouraged. Imagine how many students would not even bother taking these tests and applying to schools if they knew the situation this happened. Many would just give up, because clearly smarts doesn’t matter, just money.
I firmly believe that it is just also the fault of the school. If they were bribed, they clearly knew, and they disappointed thousands of students who would have done anything to have a spot. About 50 celebrity parents have been convicted of this, and they cannot be the only ones. The phrase, “Money makes the world go ‘round,” has never made more sense.
Status is one of the most important and influential things in the world. But, I believe your education should not have anything to do with that. I believe your college education should directly deal with your grades, and your high school career. If you want to get into a top college, you need to work so hard that being denied wouldn’t even be an option. We should be focusing on giving the opportunities to those who want them, who want to learn, and who want to work hard enough to make a difference in their lives. These are the people who are deserving, not the rich kids who can get into a college because their parents spend millions bribing them in, when they don’t even care about school. Let’s take from this scandal that we need to educate those who yearn for it, not those who think they are above it.
To all of those parents involved , and to all of those who have done it but are not convicted yet, a wise word from Uncle Joey…