The bomb that was the 2019 college admissions scandal blew up in all of our faces not long ago. We saw famous faces spewed across the media and watched in awe as our favorite personalities became convicts. The release of Netflix's 2021 documentary, Operation Varsity Blues: The College Admissions Scandal, has effectively resuscitated the drama once again. Director Chris Smith provides captivating insight into the inner workings of the rich and famous. We are likewise familiarized with Rick Singer, the mastermind behind it all.
“U.S. News started ranking colleges in the ‘80s, based on one criteria: prestige”
This documentary takes a deep dive into Rick Singer's fraudulent behavior. We become thoroughly acquainted with his business, sliminess and all. What's most jarring about the portrayal of Singer and his activities is the sense of normalcy among his clients. Smith does an outstanding job portraying how the use of college admission loopholes is not just common amongst the rich, it is expected. Singer's extensive network of clients speaks for itself. We see snippets of his various marketing campaigns, conversations with parents, and most flagrantly, praise from clients. It becomes overwhelmingly clear that parents and students alike share a distrust in the traditional college admissions process. When money is not an object, it is almost a given that Singer's "side door" method is the default approach.
“I'm not worried about the morals of it, but if she gets caught, she’s done for”
I was quite disappointed by the majority of the documentary. If not for the system-blaming trajectory toward the end, I would say that it definitely missed a beat. Smith focused so heavily on Singer's behavior and the celebrity drama that he hardly addressed the root of the problem: the universities themselves. Albeit entertaining, by centering the narrative around Singer and his clients, Smith influences the public to place their anger on the people rather than the institutions enforcing this behavior. Institutions of higher education have been known for ages to prioritize the privileged. SAT scores are disproportionately highest among the wealthy. The cost of college is skyrocketing to an increasingly unattainable level. Even a perfect GPA, a 1600 SAT, a dozen extracurriculars, and a golden ticket last name do not guarantee a spot at the most prestigious schools. What does? Selling your soul - or half a million dollars. It is not until the very end of the documentary that we truly delve into the corruption of the universities themselves. If the system were built in such a way as to not require fraudulent behaviour, there would be no temptation to cheat. How can we demonize the parents and the students for using loopholes when it is the school's system of preferences that causes, possibly even demands, this behavior in the first place?
“Your status is now increased because your child is at what’s called an ‘elite institution’“
The overwhelming themes of competition and academic elitism shot me back to George's power struggle in Edward Albee's, Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?. The documentary helps to illuminate the exorbitant amount of value people place on academia. The ultimate source of George's insecurities stemmed from his academic inferiority to Martha's father and to his colleague Nick. Martha exploits his self-doubtfulness to get him to behave as she pleases; this mirrors how Singer exploits families fears about college admission for monetary gain. The College Admissions Scandal emphasized how colleges and college counselors prey on students' insecurities. It all makes me wonder why we place so much value on prestige in college when there is hardly any merit behind it.
“They’re plagued by this anxiety”
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