A final problem facing US colleges for this blog, but most certainly not the final issue facing the system. And yet, we soldier on into this final blog post.

Yes, you guessed it. The college admissions scandal. This made national news for weeks because of how far and wide the scandal spread. But this wasn’t just an issue when these celebrities’ children were caught. Bending admissions rules for children from wealthy families or school districts has always been a pattern.

Wealthy families with connections to admissions departments or the ability to make large donations have always had an easier time getting their children into college. That is just a fact.

However, it’s not only familial connections or wealth to spare. It’s background. It’s been proven that students from less than ideal backgrounds and poverty stricken neighborhoods have a harder time getting admitted to certain universities. I can speak from experience, considering no more than, and rarely even, 5 kids each year get accepted to Penn State main campus, a prestigious acceptance where I’m from, even with stellar grades, each year. However, many of my friends from wealthier areas and parts of the country view Penn State, the main campus, as a safety net; a backup school. If Penn State was considered my back up school, senior year would’ve been a lot less nerve wracking.

What I’m saying is that the news of the college admissions scandal rocked the nation and had everyone wondering how many more celebrities had done this that we weren’t aware of. They failed to recognize that this happens inadvertently EVERY SINGLE YEAR.

Kids are judged by background, or by the APs they didn’t take (because none were offered), or by their peers’ applications. But not by their own merits. Why is that?

Others have no problem or concern about getting into a prestigious school like Penn State’s main campus. They don’t realize that Penn State had 90,000 first year applicants for the class of 2023 and accepted 7,500 of those to main campus.

It’s a blessing that they have those opportunities, and it’s only right. But we need to make sure the opportunities are equal and fair for everyone. We need to make sure that they aren’t judged by wealth or district.

It’s simply not right. And we need a change in the wake of the admissions scandal. But not just for celebrities. For everyone.