As the season of college applications ensues, college admissions offices receive thousands of applications from hopeful students, hoping that the admissions counselors will give an equal consideration to all applicants. Sadly, this hectic process is unfair to the majority of applicants.
The college admissions process in the United States has never been fair and is arguably more unequal now than it was 50 years ago. It has been a known fact that legacies and wealthy students, especially in regards to Ivy League students, have had a much easier time being admitted to the colleges of their choice. Even worse, many of these well-off students’ academic and extracurricular performances are well below the criteria other students need to achieve for admission.
Just this week, it was found by a state auditor, auditing the University of California colleges, that the prized college system has been drastically increasing the number of out of state students accepted, and who, no surprise, have had low admission standards compared to in-state students. When information is uncovered to support this reality, people are shocked; however, the admissions process has been corrupt for years, especially favoring wealthy young adults.
Colleges are regarded as institutions where students pay to be taught valuable skills. However, colleges are set up as businesses. Colleges charge tuition in order to gain profit from students and to pay staff and professors' salaries. Why is American tuition at least $10,000 in state colleges and over $30,000 for out of state and private schools whereas European colleges are free or have low (a few hundred and beyond per semester) tuition? Capitalism. Parents and their children feed into this capitalism and being a part of a “name brand” by buying their children into being accepted in selective colleges, in hopes that these young adults will have a free pass throughout life.
In addition to limiting opportunities for regular students, rich students’ parents have connections, such as knowing or being friends with the dean of the college or one of the trustees, causing their daughters or sons to have an unfair admissions advantage. According to a New York Times article, it is estimated that seventy-four percent of students at top U.S. colleges come from the richest quartile of households. Capitalism at its finest. Wealthy students utilize their financial records as an advantage of getting accepted into top schools, which is unfair to other students.
The latest University of California admissions scandal is what many colleges are doing but are hiding until it is uncovered. In the 1990s, the University of California colleges accepted approximately five percent of out-of-state students. By 2015, the percentage of the student body that was out-of-state students was 15 percent. While the UC system has argued this was due to the rise of costs and taxes in the state of California, this new report released this month shows otherwise. The findings from the auditor assigned to investigating the University of California system reported that average SAT scores and grades from out-of-state students were lower than in-state students. In addition, from 2005-2015, the University of California branches rejected thousands of in-state students who had the same average as out-of-state students. Out-of-state students at UC colleges pay more than double of what in-state students do. This report suggests that the college wants more money and has shown its willingness to gain more money by drastically increasing the amount of out-of-state students they have accepted. In-state colleges are supposed to be accommodating state students and accept few out-of-state students to promote their state school status. However, the UC college system has turned into having the appearance of a selective public school that forces in-state students to look elsewhere in the state or in the country to attend college.
With the new report released, there is no doubt that the UC representatives will now try to repair their tarnished reputation with a public promise to increase the amount of in-state students admitted and set a limit on the amount of out-of-state students they accept. Whether or not they follow through on this wishful thinking will be seen. The UC system includes just some of the colleges that unfairly admit students based on the amount of money they can contribute, and it’s wrong, but it’s America to a tee. Unless there is a drastic reform of many selective colleges to change their admissions process in the United States, there is no hope for change. American students and parents will just have to find ways to increase their chances of acceptance by complying with the broken system in the future.
