Many high schoolers spend hours studying every night to get into their dream colleges while others just pay their way in. The wealthy are finding loopholes in the college admissions process to get their undeserving children admitted.

At Yale, Stanford, University of Southern California, Georgetown, and other big-name schools over 50 parents were charged for buying their children’s way into the freshman class. Celebrities such as actress Lori Loughlin, Felicity Huffman, and a partner at the private equity firm, William E. McGlashan Jr all “…used their wealth to create a separate and unfair admissions process for their children” (Proulx). These parents went beyond bribing colleges, they completely manipulated the college process by lying about the activities their children participated in and learning disabilities, submitting fake photos, and bribing top college athletic coaches.

People aren’t shocked that this has been going on. Many parents want the best for their kids and support them during the admissions process. Drew R, a student from Hall High School, had stated that “I’m not sure that I would say it’s fair. However, I’m not all that surprised. While many people work hard their entire life, there will always be loopholes that will always be taken advantage of.” Parents will do whatever it takes to make sure their kids get admitted into the college of their dreams.

The college scandal has cost many kids their futures. Olivia Jade, Lori Loughlin’s 19-year-old daughter, has been collateral damage. Jade is a youtube star and has a line of makeup with Sephora. “‘After careful review of recent developments, we have made the decision to end the Sephora Collection partnership with Olivia Jade, effective immediately,’ the company said in a statement to The Times on Thursday” (LATimes). Jade worked hard to become a social media icon, but that’s all over now because of a choice her mother made. Celebrities are also “…cheating other hard-working students out of a chance at a college education” (Proulx). If the kids can’t get into a college on their own, they won’t thrive at that school.

Unfortunately, many parents are paying millions of dollars for their kids to get their kids into college. Will this scam go on or will it stop? Despite the sudden attention on college admission fraud, it is unlikely this issue will complete stop. Huge changes need to be made to prevent more scandals like this. Even if your not a millionaire celebrity, you can still help to make a difference by having integrity. By being honest on your college applications and never cheating on a test, you are doing your part in creating a fair college admissions process for everyone.