‘There’s Always Been An Extra Spot’ For Wealthy, Privileged Students: Inside College Admissions
The St. Louis-area teens with whom Debbie Greenberg interacts at College Bound are doing everything they’re supposed to do as they prepare to further their education – seeking out mentors, studying for college-entrance exams, gaining financial literacy and more.
But with a high-profile college-admissions scandal making headlines at the same time that institutions around the country are releasing decision letters to potential students, some of those local teens are also feeling “a sense of outrage,” Greenberg said on Monday’s St. Louis on the Air.
“There are still barriers, there are still roadblocks” for these high school students, she added, noting that the recent revelations about powerful parents using illegal means to get their children into elite schools are indicative of a much broader problem.
“We always knew this was happening … there’s always been an extra spot for students of privilege,” Greenberg, who is College Bound’s director of college counseling, told host Don Marsh.
Alan Byrd, dean of enrollment at University of Missouri-St. Louis, also participated in the discussion about longstanding disparities within college admissions and ongoing challenges within the industry.
Byrd acknowledged that big donors play a role not only at elite schools but even at public institutions where considerable focus on “protect[ing] our bottom line” competes alongside recruitment and academics.
“Students from families of wealth and students who have resources to possibly be donors absolutely get special consideration at times,” Byrd said.