Recently, the FBI released a 204-page indictment, charging dozens of individuals for college admissions bribery in the wake of "Operation Varsity Blues." By now, I am sure you have heard the story: Rich parents, including some actors and corporate executives, manipulated the system in shocking ways to get their kids into good schools. Among the defendants are Homayoun Zadeh, a professor at USC's medical school, and Gregory Colburn, a radiation oncologist, who is now being investigated by the medical board of California. For those of us who are still in higher education, these indictments hit close to home. Although many question the value of undergraduate education, seeing its usefulness only as a certificate of validation, higher education is essential in medicine—not only in terms of medical training, but in how it shapes the way we treat and empathize with patients. Currently, I am at my sixth university. Although one could say that I am a product of the system, there is more to higher education than most seem to realize. Pursuing an undergraduate education can be one of the most valuable experiences in life; however, in practicality, it feels broken. College is broken. As you can imagine, that starts at the admissions process. Playing the Admissions Game Combined, I have applied to 126 schools through seven application cycles and have been admitted to 11 schools total: one community college, four undergraduate universities, one transfer school, one master's program, three medical schools, and one PhD program. It's safe to say that I've written a lot of personal statements. The admissions process misses the whole point of what universities allegedly stand for: creativity, design, deep philosophical thinking, and exploration. If one thing is clear, getting into school today isn't about equality. It is about "playing the game." Of course, I only learned this after applying to loads of schools. The game is skewed to help those who know the system, who have someone who knows the system, or who are just plain wealthy. The game involves following unwritten rules; applying as early as possible; memorizing arbitrary words, formulas, and facts; learning how to excel at "standardization"; and getting others to lobby on your behalf. Whether you are brilliant or not, you must sell yourself on a 10- to 25-page application and pay some outrageous fees. The admissions process misses the whole point of what universities allegedly stand for: creativity, design, deep philosophical thinking, and exploration. Universities were founded under the pretense of academic freedom, the idea that free thought, philosophy, and the advancement of deep intellectual thought should be taught and fostered. The idea was that intellectually hypothesizing, studying, and theorizing should be the formula to advance our understanding of the world around us. Since the time of the first modern university, the University of Bologna, founded around the 11th century, we have lost that original intention. Universities are now designed as machines and run like businesses, with the goal of producing corporate workers. It all starts with admissions. How to Change the Game Paying a kid's way into school via false athletic records, cheating on tests, and other such tricks is obviously unethical. It points to a larger problem, one that could be solved with an overhaul of the admissions process. Most schools use nationwide application services; thus, revamping the process would take coordination from hundreds of schools and sometimes multiple application services. The admissions process shouldn't rely on arbitrary facts, numbers, or standardized tests. Writing and selling yourself on paper shouldn't be the only parameter. The application process should not only include creative writing and past classroom performance, it also should borrow techniques used by modern companies, including critical thinking, mandatory video uploads, and teamwork-based modules. Instead of applying whenever they want over a given period, students should register to apply and then be given a set date on which to submit. All applications should arrive over a short period of time, and they should be randomized for admissions committees. Having this structure would prevent testing bias and time-based biases, and would force students to think critically and learn to craft a narrative about themselves, in their own words. As an education "lifer," I can tell you that the system is broken. But it still has value. I've never fit in; I have always been fighting upstream. I see why the system benefits those who play the game. However, the educational system is not unrecoverable. It is still valuable if you choose not to play the game. I have built my educational career by not fitting in. I haven't followed the rules. Although I have received pushback at times, my belief in the "why" and the purpose of education is what has kept me sane through all the years of schooling. I am one of the few truly happy medical students and PhD candidates that I know. I have consistently dived headfirst into the philosophical implications of everything we learn, something that has not always been looked at positively by professors. What these parents did is unfathomable and condemnable. However, the issue can't be solved by just preventing admissions bribes. We need to change the system. We need to restore what higher education is supposed to be about. We need to bring back the purpose of universities. We need to educate not for a degree or diploma, but so that students can graduate with the intellectual training to be creative, productive, fulfilled citizens of the world. I'll end with one of my favorite quotes from Christine Gregoire, the former governor of Washington State: "Education is the foundation upon which we build our future." We should use the education we received from this recent indictment to rethink higher education, rethink college admissions, and move to a place that will better serve the future of humanity. Source
