Celebrities wept in court. Coaches lost their jobs. Elite universities saw their reputations stained. And nearly four years later, the mastermind of the\u00a0Varsity Blues scheme\u00a0was sentenced this month to more than three years in prison.
\nBut there\u2019s little belief the college bribery scandal has stirred significant change in the admissions landscape. Some schools tweaked rules to prevent the most flagrant types of misconduct, but the outsize roles of wealth, class and race \u2014 which were thrust into public view in shocking plainness \u2014 loom as large as ever.
\nCollege admissions leaders say the case is an anomaly. Corrupt athletics officials abused holes in the system, they argue, but no college admissions officers were accused. Still, critics say the case revealed deeper, more troubling imbalances.
\n\u201cPrivilege is just really baked into the system in many ways,\u201d said Julie Park, who studies college admissions and racial equity at the University of Maryland. \u201cAt the end of the day, there\u2019s disproportionate representation of the 1% at any private college.\u201d
\nIn court, some of the accused parents argued their alleged bribes were no different from donations colleges routinely accept from relatives of prospective students. Records revealed from the University of Southern California showed lists detailing scores of \u201cVIP\u201d applicants, with notes such as \u201cpotential donor\u201d or \u201c1 mil pledge.\u201d
\nAmong the parents sent to prison for participating in the scheme were \u201cFull House\u201d actor\u00a0Lori Loughlin, her fashion designer husband Mossimo Giannulli, and \u201cDesperate Housewives\u201d star\u00a0Felicity Huffman.
\nWhen authorities announced the first charges in 2019, it left colleges across the U.S. scrambling to review their own admissions systems, especially where there was overlap with athletics programs. Schools added layers of scrutiny around recruiting, with a sharp eye on lower-profile sports targeted in the scheme, such as water polo and rowing.<\/p>\n