I’m looking at you, University of California system

In my junior year of high school on an early Saturday morning, an Uber picked me up from Harvard-Westlake School where I had just finished taking the ACT for the third time, along with hundreds of fellow high schoolers looking to perfect their scores. I remember the woman who drove me home. She was kind and told me these college tests were a good thing, that they allow me to challenge myself by striving for a better result.

At first, I thought she was right. I remember applying to college being one of the most exciting times of my life. But it was also a time where I compared myself to everyone – to classmates, nationwide percentages and success stories of people I had never met.

Our society puts so much pressure on going to a high-ranking college that it’s impossible for students not to care about it. I tried to lessen these pressures and tell myself it doesn’t define my self-worth and accomplishments, but with every rejection letter I received, I couldn’t help but wonder why I wasn’t good enough. I tried so hard to check all of the boxes. 

The hardest rejection letter to swallow was from the University of California, Los Angeles. I had idealized that place for so long. When I didn’t get in, I laughed it off, my family telling me that it wasn’t everything. But deep down, it hurt.

An audit Sept. 22 revealed details on the University of California school system admissions process that hit me differently. The Guardian uncovered a dismal report about the institution – at least 64 students were “inappropriately admitted” to University of California schools in the past six years as a favor to donors and people with close ties to the university. There were also around 400 other “questionable” applicants who were accepted, including some who didn’t seem to have athletic ability, according to a state auditor. NPR reported that some students were accepted solely based on a promised donation to the system’s athletic department.

Money is a huge deciding factor when planning for college, but it looks like money can also be a huge deciding factor for the colleges themselves. It can even buy dozens of acceptance letters, impeding on the opportunity for those who actually work hard to receive acceptances. The fact that some people are able to bribe their way into universities while so many students look to state schools as a more affordable option is truly upsetting.

I really can’t believe this. But at the same time, I can. Students are told that if we work hard and be the best we can, we’ll get into the school of our dreams; and if we don’t, it’s because of our own flaws. And to be the best students, it means all-nighters, giving up extracurricular activities and driving ourselves to breaking points because it all becomes too hard to manage.

Thinking back to that Uber driver, I now know she couldn’t be more wrong. Test scores don’t define us. And in the same breath, college admissions don’t define us either. Because of this audit and the many other college scandals, including Chapman’s, that have occurred these past few years, it’s become more clear that many schools evaluate students with corrupt ideals and agendas. I’m almost certain this is happening at other institutions – they just haven’t been caught.

I’m not saying these botched acceptances negate the hard work of the students that truly did earn their spot at these schools. But it’s the principle – an institution of higher education should never accept bribes or favors to attend a place where students work their whole lives for. To a place that values education: What does this teach students about ethics? Students should work hard because they want to, but they shouldn’t feel worthless because a university didn’t accept them into a place with corrupt ideals.