Structural Inequality In Operation Varsity Blues

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With acceptance rates at all-time lows, elite colleges are becoming more and more challenging for students to earn a position within. Good grades and extracurriculars are no longer enough; students need to have national or unique recognitions to be considered for acceptance into colleges such as Harvard, Princeton, and Massachusetts Institute of Technology. That is, of course, unless your parents can play a role. The 2019 college admissions scandal known as ‘Operation Varsity Blues’ is one striking example of this loophole in college admissions. More than 30 rich, celebrity parents bribed college officials or made fraudulent claims about their child’s athletic ability to pay their child’s way into colleges such as Georgetown, Stanford, Wake Forest …show more content…
Elite universities have historically favored applicants from affluent backgrounds, perpetuating a cycle of privilege and exclusion. The scandal highlighted how institutional norms and practices can perpetuate inequality by prioritizing wealthy applicants and overlooking the qualifications of deserving students from underprivileged backgrounds. By examining this scandal through the lens of the fundamental cause theory, a deeper understanding of the systemic factors that perpetuate educational disparities and the need for structural reforms to promote equity and fairness in higher education is achieved. Analyzing the 2019 college admission scandal through the lens of class struggle highlights the conflict between different social classes over access to educational opportunities and resources. First, the scandal revealed how affluent families used their wealth and privilege to gain unfair advantages in the college admissions process. Through bribery, cheating, and other unethical practices, these families sought to secure admission for their children to elite

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