Bribing admissions officials isn’t worth it

Believe research: Elite college is no golden ticket

On the surface, the college admissions scandal might seem like yet another story of America’s wealthy elites using their power and influence in ways the average person cannot. But it also has captured the zeitgeist of the college admissions process — for everyone.

Not everyone, of course, is as rich and famous as actresses Felicity Huffman and Lori Loughlin, who were among the 50 admissions officials, coaches and affluent parents charged by federal prosecutors this week in the nation’s largest-ever college bribery scandal. The parents are accused of participating in a number of conspiratorial activities aimed at getting their kids into elite institutions, including cheating on SAT tests and paying coaches massive bribes to fabricate their children’s athletic records.

Yet getting into college has become so filled with anxiety and perceived high stakes that many parents who are not wealthy spend their kids’ childhoods stressing about grades and overstuffing their activity schedules, trying to ensure that their kids get into the socalled best universities. This is because many a parent has bought into the idea that entrance into an elite college or university is a golden ticket to success. But is it? Research has consistently shown that it actually might not be.

You’d be hard pressed to find anyone who didn’t believe that “Harvard graduate” on your résumé meant every door would open to you. Yet groundbreaking 2011 research by Stacy Berg Dale of the Mellon Foundation and Alan B. Krueger of Princeton found that whether a student attended an elite college or another less selective school made no difference in their future earning potential.

And though elite colleges are universally believed to provide the best educations, the 2017 National Survey of Student Engagement found there’s “no guarantee” that a school’s selectivity translates to a better undergraduate learning experience. Many less selective universities ranked equally well among students for teaching quality. In fact, the intense focus on academic research at many elite colleges and universities means the attention of professors may be more focused on their academic projects than on teaching.

It’s also possible that students might not be learning much at any college. In “Academically Adrift,” co-author Richard Arum of New York University found that 45 percent of undergraduate students hadn’t advanced their skills in critical thinking, reasoning or writing after their first two years, and one-third hadn’t done much better after four years. This could be why many firms, including tech giants Google, Apple and IBM, are forgoing the once standard requirement of a college degree.

The demonstration of skills, including both hard skills such as cloud computing and soft ones such as creativity, has become the new way to stand out in the workplace. In fact, even among employers who continue to require degrees, skills and knowledge of one’s field are what employers value most, according to a 2013 Gallup poll. Where a student went to college ranked lowest.

One important takeaway from Dale and Krueger’s research is that it’s the student, not the school, that makes all the difference. Students who work hard and take advantage of college opportunities — including independent projects, research and internships — and who work on developing their creativity, adaptability and ingenuity will succeed no matter where they go to school. On the other hand, if students don’t focus on developing career-applicable skills, even the fanciest degree can’t create a successful life for them.

It’s in the nature of being a parent to worry about our children’s futures. But it makes very little sense to engage in illegal behavior to procure a “golden ticket” that might not even matter. There are so many varied pathways to success. The truth is that well-paying careers and fulfilling lives aren’t the exclusive result of prestigious degrees. It’s absolutely OK for parents and students to relax. You can have a great life no matter where you go to college.