College Money

It has always been true that people with money, especially "old" money had little trouble getting their children into elite colleges.  Of course it starts fairly early with elite private schools that make sure their grades and activities qualify them for admittance.  Private tutors and prep courses help with the standardized tests and finally the right donation eases the final acceptance.

This is the legal if somewhat unfair way that money talks.

People who didn't start out wealthy and are faced with the issue of getting a semi-qualified child into an elite school had to find shadier, even illegal ways.  Of course the legality of the system wasn't probably something they considered much, it was a fairly straightforward transaction, pay the price and get you children entrance into the world of elite colleges and the ability to hob nob with those aforementioned "old" money people.

I can't honestly speak as to whether these elite schools offer better education than say a state school.  They might, they can certainly afford the best professors and equipment.  Still the system they operate in gets them the students who have wealthy parents primarily, which is what makes them desirable.  Getting into an elite school gives you membership into a fairly exclusive club.  Whether you can calculate a profit loss ratio better than a graduate of a State School is fairly irrelevant.  You will get in the door at prestigious firms, possible ones owned by your parents.

They also do of course get the best of the rest, meaning in a highly competitive competition the get to pick the students from less wealthy families who actually excel.  Of course the ones that just miss getting accepted are in fact the victims of a system that accepts privileged students first.

The people caught up in the college admissions scandal wanted the best for their children who already lived a life of privilege and wealth.  They are now likely to have this scandal attached to them instead of an elite degree.  They aren't totally innocent unless they are in fact totally ignorant.  After all, getting a scholarship for crew when you never participated in that sport, should have been a clue.