When news first broke out about “Operation Varsity Blues,” many students were furious to learn that wealthy families were bribing their child’s way into elite universities.  This college admissions scandal is unfair to those students who spent years studying to get the grades to get into these prestigious colleges.

About 50 people are accused of bribery, including well-known actresses Lori Loughlin and Felicity Huffman. Loughlin is suspected of paying up to $500,000 for her two daughters to attend the University of Southern California. Other parents are accused of paying others to take college-acceptance tests for their children to achieve top scores. Some of the prestigious campuses included in the scandal are Yale University, UCLA and Stanford University.

Huffman and 32 other parents have been charged in the college admissions scandal. Huffman has agreed to plead guilty.

“I am in full acceptance of my guilt and with deep regret and shame over what I have done,” Huffman said. “I accept full responsibility for my actions and will accept the consequences that stem from those actions.

Loughlin, on the other hand, pleaded not guilty to money laundering and fraud conspiracy along with 15 other parents.

This whole college admissions scandal that was announced on March 12 when parents were arrested is angering as colleges are prioritizing students who come from wealth rather than those who don’t. These universities also tend to do the bare minimum when it comes to their admission in the first place as they seemingly follow a quota system, despite praising a fair admission process.

This is shown with USC as the campus claims to only accept students on merit rather than status. Obviously, their admission team doesn’t follow the school’s mission statement as Loughlin’s daughters were accepted for their athletics, which were falsified.

Parents involved in the college admissions scandal should face serious consequences for their actions such as jail time or lend a helping hand to applicants who were replaced by their families’ children. Unfortunately, as the parents come from wealth, it is expected that none of them will face repercussions. For example, Huffman is anticipated to only face community service despite pleading guilty to the charges.

Parents indicted in the scandal used their privilege to pay their child’s way into Ivy League schools. This is wrong as students who aren’t wealthy constantly work hard to earn spots at these top colleges but are cast aside by schools due to their income. Colleges seem to rather accept students who come from upper-class families with a low GPA than a student who comes from a low-income family with a higher GPA.

Nonetheless, the entire scandal could have been prevented if universities and private schools would rely on student’s verified merits and accept through a need-blind application.

There should be serious consequences for these actions. Privileged kids and even adults often times get away with their wrongdoings because they have money to talk for them. If something isn’t done about this, it will only progress.