After a lengthy investigation, the U.S. Attorney in the District of Massachusetts charged nearly 50 people in federal court for illegally conspiring ways to get their children admitted into high ranking universities and colleges. Standing at the forefront of the scandal are celebrities Lori Loughlin (Full House) and Felicity Huffman (Desperate Housewives). The two previously seeming non-problematic actresses have been accused of mail fraud and honest services fraud.

The most infuriating aspect of the scandal is the fact that the children of these wealthy families already had numerous resources to help them succeed academically. Their parents clearly have more than enough money, considering how they bribed their child’s way through admissions in the first place. Instead of using their money illicitly, they could have put their children through tutoring or training, however, they chose to take the “easy” way out. Not to mention, that the children of the wealthy are more often than not already receiving the highest caliber of education possible, with their parents paying for them to attend private schools. The children of these elite society members are already privileged being born with the utmost of resources at their disposable, yet they still could not get into college legally- like everybody else. While these students may have had potential on their own, their parents have now tainted their children’s reputations as well as their own careers.

As if it were not enough to alter the lives of their children, countless of other people’s lives have been affected as well. Due to the fact that colleges only accept a certain amount of students each year, these admission spots have been wrongfully handed to the undeserving as opposed to those who have worked diligently throughout their entire academic career to further their education. While prospective students may have had the opportunity to still be accepted into a certain school, their likelihood to get in diminished as the children of wealthy elites usurped their chances.

Most parents would do anything for their children, which is perfectly fine as long as their acts remain within reason, and perhaps more importantly, the law. It is understandable to want the best for your children but at some point a line must be drawn between what is best and what is right. These parents deserve to pay for the destruction that they have caused to prospective students and for their illegal crimes. Bribing a student’s way into a college or university is never the answer. If the children were not capable enough to get in on their own the responsibility should be on them to adapt and find another solution that does not involve their parents breaking the law. For these elite families to participate in illegal crimes simply because their already-privileged children could not gain admission on their own is pathetic and unjust.