Dig deeper into some of these stories and you realize they also knew someone at the newspaper. Or a very expensive college applications specialist (i.e., $20k+) orchestrated the entire thing from concept to connections to media feeding, etc. Throw in a back-story professionally written and you've got top college acceptances!
Obviously, also throw in hand-selected medical specialists who diagnose you and prescribe extra time on the exams, great photos of your child at the local soup kitchen, a clutch summer internship with the local congressperson's office.
The entire college game is comprehensively stacked against the poor. Throw in the abandoning of test-based systems towards "leadership evaluation" acceptance methods and you get even more invested into gaming this process by the wealthy.
Obviously, also throw in hand-selected medical specialists who diagnose you and prescribe extra time on the exams, great photos of your child at the local soup kitchen, a clutch summer internship with the local congressperson's office.
The entire college game is comprehensively stacked against the poor. Throw in the abandoning of test-based systems towards "leadership evaluation" acceptance methods and you get even more invested into gaming this process by the wealthy.