I went to USC during the College Admissions Scandal- This was my Experience

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ntage with SAT tutors and college prep counselors and all the privileges that come with wealth. With the amount of money being used for bribes, those parents could’ve crafted their child into a star applicant- but they didn’t, they opted for a version for it to be as easy as a handout.Furthermore, if you truly just didn’t want your child to have to do any work at all, then use that money to cut USC a large enough check that it’s guaranteed that your kid will get in. There are legal loopholes that at least (kind of) benefit the students at the university that you’re bribing your way into.I remember talking to my parents about it, and joking that they should be worried about getting caught next. At the end of the conversation, I remember my father saying something that I’ll never forget- “I grew up in a refugee camp and my daughter goes to the same college that millionaires are bribing their kids into.” He was completely right.<figure id="4f88"><img src="https://cdn-images-1.readmedium.com/v2/resize:fit:800/0*hUtQV_cF51aMt0Jf"><figcaption>Photo by <a href="https://unsplash.com/@s1winner?utm_source=medium&utm_medium=referral">Viacheslav Bublyk</a> on <a href="https://unsplash.com?utm_source=medium&utm_medium=referral">Unsplash</a></figcaption></figure>I remember that became the sentiment among students on campus who were on fi

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nancial aid, that despite all of the systemic obstacles working against us, we still got here, and we were sitting in the same classes as kids who bribed their way in. Shouldn’t they, then, be the one with Imposter Syndrome, questioning whether they belonged or not? After all, I might question if I got in because I was a woman, a child of immigrants, or as a result of my socioeconomic status just to fill a quota, but they know for sure that they only got in because they cheated.From there, I grew angry. For every student that cheated their way onto this campus, there was one student who deserved it, who didn’t. Who deserved the privilege and pathways that comes with attending a school like USC, but didn’t receive them because someone else felt more entitled to it.Possibly the only silver lining is this: that <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/projects/college-mobility/university-of-southern-california">55% of students who enter USC from a family in the bottom 20% of incomes will go on to move up and make in the top 20% of incomes</a> as an adult. That slowly, but surely, cycles of poverty break, and for every student who rises up, who succeeds despite the fact that others are blatantly cheating, that student gains the power to help the next generation. And those students help the next generation, and so on, and so on.</article></body>

I went to USC during the College Admissions Scandal- This was my Experience

On March 12, 2019, the federal government announced the prosecution of 33 parents who in total paid upwards of $25 million to William Singer to get their children into top universities. Singer did this by bribing college officials or changing exam scores.

My first thought was the pure audacity that it must have taken to use wealth to bribe a child into college. The system is so broken to begin with due to so many students being at an advantage with SAT tutors and college prep counselors and all the privileges that come with wealth. With the amount of money being used for bribes, those parents could’ve crafted their child into a star applicant- but they didn’t, they opted for a version for it to be as easy as a handout.

Furthermore, if you truly just didn’t want your child to have to do any work at all, then use that money to cut USC a large enough check that it’s guaranteed that your kid will get in. There are legal loopholes that at least (kind of) benefit the students at the university that you’re bribing your way into.

I remember talking to my parents about it, and joking that they should be worried about getting caught next. At the end of the conversation, I remember my father saying something that I’ll never forget- “I grew up in a refugee camp and my daughter goes to the same college that millionaires are bribing their kids into.” He was completely right.

I remember that became the sentiment among students on campus who were on financial aid, that despite all of the systemic obstacles working against us, we still got here, and we were sitting in the same classes as kids who bribed their way in. Shouldn’t they, then, be the one with Imposter Syndrome, questioning whether they belonged or not? After all, I might question if I got in because I was a woman, a child of immigrants, or as a result of my socioeconomic status just to fill a quota, but they know for sure that they only got in because they cheated.

From there, I grew angry. For every student that cheated their way onto this campus, there was one student who deserved it, who didn’t. Who deserved the privilege and pathways that comes with attending a school like USC, but didn’t receive them because someone else felt more entitled to it.

Possibly the only silver lining is this: that 55% of students who enter USC from a family in the bottom 20% of incomes will go on to move up and make in the top 20% of incomes as an adult. That slowly, but surely, cycles of poverty break, and for every student who rises up, who succeeds despite the fact that others are blatantly cheating, that student gains the power to help the next generation. And those students help the next generation, and so on, and so on.