‘Outrage’ is the word that came to mind accusations of movie-star parents of paying off middlemen to ensure their kids’ admissions to colleges broke this past March. Cheating on standardized tests and bribing D1 sports coaches are obviously and innately wrong and unfair. Yet, even for the average student, no one can pretend that the college admissions process plays out on a level field. 

In a private school, the unfairness of the college admissions process is especially obvious when more than half of seniors had the advantage of paid SAT or ACT tutoring, and many families can claim legacy or donor status at big-name schools. 

While students should not feel guilty for assets they may have, a lack of acknowledgment of the inequities in the process is an issue.

Instead, we must understand that comparing test scores, if one person had hours of tutoring that the other could not afford, is not an accurate representation of intelligence. We must learn to see a friend’s legacy edge in context. Or perhaps we can refrain from comparing in the first place. 

This isn’t to say that tutoring, donations or legacies are the single deciding factor in college admittances. In fact, all seniors have worked hard to earn spots in their respective colleges and spent hours on essays and supplements. 

While students alone may not be able to sway admissions policies away from big checks and legacy preference, we can work to create a supportive environment at UPrep for all applicants. The more we can collectively focus on the ‘best fit’ college for each person instead of becoming fixated on comparisons, the less resentful we will be. The more we understand the many different ingredients that go into acceptances, the easier it will be  to put aside feelings of inadequacy and jealousy in order to celebrate the current graduating class and their futures.