Students Should Also be Held Accountable in Admissions Scandal

The college admissions scandal has shocked many people and some are wondering what will happen to the children who were involved and whether they knew what their parents did or not.

The students whose parents were involved should not be allowed to attend the college they are currently enrolled at if they were caught in the scandal.  It is not fair to the students who got in as a result of their hard work and determination.

The parents will be punished, but this does not mean that the children should get off without any sort of consequences for what their parents did.  For all we know, the students could have had knowledge of what their parents were doing.

Current college students are enraged that the children of the parents who bribed admissions officials are still attending their colleges.  Students who landed admission into colleges because of their parents’ money should be expelled or forced to leave their campuses.  If these students gained admittance on a bribe, how can other students and faculty, who were not aware of this, trust that certain members of the faculty are not also giving these students special treatment?

Students from across the country shared their shock and outrage with The New York Times.  One reader called the scandal a “heart-wrenching human indecency” and unfair to those who worked hard but could not get into the college they wanted simply because they were not born into money.  Other students said they were not surprised, since lying is all people seem to do these days – to each other, as well as in our political and education systems.

The colleges involved in the scandal have received a lot of backlash; some are even threatening disciplinary action for any student involved in entering false information.  If these colleges follow through with such action, it will make a statement to other colleges that are inclined not to take a strong disciplinary approach with the students involved.

If the students are not punished, it increases the likelihood that this could happen again in the future.  Yes, the parents will be punished for what they did, but the students should assume some responsibility as well – whether they knew about what their parents did or not.  By punishing the students who were involved, this sends a message to other students, colleges and parents that if something like this happen again, the students will be held accountable.  Just as their parents are being held accountable.