In the Wake of the College Admissions Scandal, It’s Time to Re-Think Higher Education
The issues in admissions across the country’s higher education system existed long before the recent university admissions scandal. For decades, colleges have relied on skewed criteria to determine their top recruits — namely, standardized test scores and grade point average. In just two simple numbers, colleges have been sorting the country’s students and in doing so, determining their future possibilities. At the same time, these universities have been charging their students an ever-increasing tuition that is forcing college graduates into record debt before they even start their careers. And I don’t think anyone was blind to the fact that the more money an applicant — or an applicant’s family — has, the easier it is to receive an acceptance letter.
While it is certainly true that a college degree offers a graduate more future career possibilities and higher potential earnings, I think that as a society Americans are placing far too much value in these institutions and their degrees. So while it’s easy to criticize those involved in the latest scandal, I believe that if we want to alleviate problems of corrupt and unfair admissions practices while also putting a stop to the runaway cost of receiving a degree and the ensuing scandals that come with extra special “donations”, then we must first…
