Real Talk: Is College Now Only For The Rich?
Education is the new designer handbag that everyone wants, but only one percent of the population can honestly afford it. Youth from every financial class going to college should be entering a wide-open gate to a cultured and comfortable lifestyle. However, lower-income and middle-class families are having a hard time seeing a compatible financial pathway to afford the luxury of a four year university. The affluent can easily afford the tuition and throw in a library as a donation for good measure. That causes the acceptance to an Ivy League school to be a bit more reasonable for their children; in comparison to those in a lower bracket who don't have an extra library lying around to donate. Quid pro quo in the educational system has been happening for years. Camouflaged as fraternity/sorority alliances, having the connections and the money is the golden ticket that's only handed to those with a silver spoon in their mouth. It’s an overlooked entity that has been feeding the fire creating a bigger divide between the haves and have nots.
This has been unfair to a lot of students, especially those who are keen and eager to learn and build a successful career for themselves. There are a lot of benefits that come with going to a top-tier school, but there are also many benefits to other schools as well. In recent years, schools all over the world have been investing in new curricula, processes, and technology to be able to help students learn. So while many of the top-tier schools will provide unparalleled access to new things, other schools can as well. For example, with the rise in artificial intelligence and technology like 3D printing and scanning. When tools such as 3D scanning are used in the classroom, they can enhance a student's experience such as engineering, science, geometry, and more. These are the kinds of things that you may consider when looking for schools. You may find that schools that aren’t in the Ivy League have a lot to offer.
Harvard being the Hermès bag of schools, there is a level of quality and assurance that is promised that’s not offered at the Forever 21 knock off of education known as community colleges. ( I can say that I went to community college) Due to the reputation of the Ivy League schools, Employers perk up when they see Yale on a resume. The college itself speaks volumes when applying to a highly sought after career. The reason being prestigious schools are known for their rigorous acceptance practices and challenging courses. Be that as it may, for the rich who donate a substantial amount, the acceptance is as easy as swiping a black card. Fast forward to the hiring process where all classes meet, the Havard graduate that was padded with bribery will be chosen over the community college applicant that work their keister off to graduate. This is the normal set up for our society.
Just ask Lori Loughlin from Full House, she found herself facing the big house due to an admission scandal. She and her husband Mossimo Giannulli are under the accusation of paying $500,000 to an admission scheme to guarantee their daughter's spot at USC. This type of deal is not new or unheard of, donations and country club handshakes have been getting rich kids the fast track pass to esteemed institutions since the beginning of collegiate academics. What's unique about this case is that the Loughin daughters were processed as recruited athletes… when they were not authentically scouted for their sports ability to USC. That's menacing to think about when calculating how hard an average student works to be scouted for sports without any padded assistance. Granted, this is being blown up because of who Lori is, but this is the status quo across the nation. Money talks and it happens to speak very boldly in the academic arena. It's a paradoxical truth; college is supposed to level the playing field but money tends to put some ahead of the game.
cover image via Inside Higher Ed
