Every few years a scandal involving cheating around tests and privilege and college admissions comes to light. This time the scandal touches our local area and continues to underscore the insanity around the obsession our society has with name-brand universities.
Even the extraordinarily wealthy and famous believe they can’t legally influence the admissions office, and that’s actually a good thing. There are certain groups of people who receive a small advantage in the admissions process, including children of alumni (legacy admits), athletes and development admits (those who are donating large sums, usually more than $5 million, which go to helping all students). However, the advantage these students receive is smaller than one thinks – for example, even two-thirds of Stanford University legacy applicants are denied.
