As a parent I can relate and agree with those wanting only the best for their children. But at what cost? Is there really a price tag on the “best” when it comes to education, test-scores and athletics? Apparently so, as we are watching the biggest college admissions scandal unfold layer-by-layer like a Hollywood drama.

“Pay-to-play” schemes are nothing new to the college scene — admissions or athletics. So I’m not surprised this was going on, but I will say I am astonished at the lengths parents and others took through bribery and the falsification of documents and credentials to ultimately use students as trophies.

Unfortunately, the students are the ones who suffer in this. Many are not even aware their parents had gone to such measures and now they face ridicule and embarrassment over the series of events that landed them the coveted seat they unknowingly displaced others to occupy.

Further, and even more important, to all the students out there who truly need extra time on the SAT or to all the student athletes who worked countless hours to earn a spot on the team, it slaps in the face. It’s shameful.

The journey to college should never be about getting into the most prestigious of schools. Rather, it should be about an ethical approach to finding the best fit. For the student who gets admitted to a college on their own merit is a student who will become the best version of themselves, carving a path of their own in society and experiencing a limitless number of possibilities for their future.

Mark Cruver, M. Ed. C.S.A., CEP
Peachtree City, Ga.