Scandal Offers Little Insight into Admissions Process

One of our readers recently asked, “You cover college admissions every day. Why are you not covering every development in the college admissions bribery and cheating scandal?” The answer is a simple one: we reported on the scandal extensively when the news broke, we offered insights on various news broadcasts and to select publications, and then we grew super bored of it. A Yale student is expelled. A Stanford student, too. Lori Loughlin is fighting back against the charges, while Felicity Huffman is pleading guilty. The Loughlins aren’t getting along. The former USC athletic administrator has listed her Long Beach, California home for sale. And on and on and on.

As a former dean of admissions, Jason England, recently wrote in a piece for Vox entitled “The mess that is elite college admissions, explained by a former dean,” “Stories like that of the recent FBI investigation revealing fraud, racketeering, and bribery don’t actually give much insight into the admissions process.” As a core objective of our college admissions blog is to offer insight into the admissions process, reporting on each and every development in this outrageous scandal no longer serves this goal.

And so in the days and weeks ahead, turn to our college admissions blog if you’re seeking insights into how to stand out as singularly talented or how not to present as well-rounded. Turn to our college admissions blog if you want to learn more about legacy admission or how elite colleges must do more for veterans of America’s military. Turn to our blog if you want to learn how not to approach a Why College essay or how to go about securing the best letters of recommendation possible. But if you want to know what Lori Loughlin is eating for breakfast these days, we advise you to turn to The New York Post instead. You might just find out!