The College Admissions Scandal
How It Affects the Students that didn't get into their Dream School
Seeing Lori Loughlin laugh and sign autographs outside a Boston courthouse before facing charges for her alleged involvement in the nationwide college admissions scandal is disgusting enough. Add to that your own child's deep disappointment over not getting into her dream college (as a fully deserving student AND a double legacy) and you've got quite a sad story on your hands.
Sophia and her classmates who set their sights on an Ivy League School—among the bunch are National Merit Scholars, perfect ACT score recipients, the valedictorian, the salutatorian, all the things—were all denied. Not a single letter of admittance from an Ivy. This is troubling and disappointing on a good day. But on a day like today, when the news is filled with undeserving kids getting in because their parents paid their way, it stings even more. It begs the question in a young person's mind, "was all this work worth it?"
Thousands of great students did get accepted at an Ivy League School. Congratulations! But when we hear from administrators that the class of 2023 is "nearly half students of color," and close to twenty percent are first generation college, we too, as parents of middle class, non-minority students, begin to wonder, "what's the point in trying?"
We know there is a point. We know their efforts will take them farther than they dreamed possible. We know the big scholarships are arriving from other schools. We know they'll probably achieve even more as big fish in a little smaller pond.
We just need to keep reminding our children of these truths because it's hard for them to see that now.
Thank God that He's in the business of redeeming not only lives, but circumstances as well.
We would do well to trust that He has our best in mind, that His plan is more perfect than we could ever ask or imagine, and that quite often our biggest disappointment turns into our deepest delight.