USC Student Reactions to the College Admissions Scandal

By: Sumaya Hussaini ‘22, Karla Leung ‘22, and Ann Nguyen ‘22

In light of USC’s involvement in the recent college admissions scandal, we wanted to shed light on this issue by gathering reactions from our student bloggers, first generation students, and organizations closely tied to the scandal like the USC Crew Team. The USC student body is represented by people of many different identities, yet this scandal is disappointing for many of us, devaluing our hard work and dedication to gain acceptance to this school.

USC’s Involvement in Admissions Bribery Scandals

News broke out last Tuesday that the University of Southern California is involved in a federal investigation regarding the alleged scam involving rich and famous parents paying millions to ensure their children are granted admission into prestigious universities.

Investigators said that the coaches accepted bribes in exchange for admitting students as athletes, regardless of their ability. Lori Loughlin, an American actress and producer, spent $500,000 in bribes for her two daughters to be admitted as recruits of the USC crew team. However, neither of her daughters, Isabella Rose Giannulli or beauty vlogger and social media influencer Olivia Jade, were actually part of the rowing team.

On her Youtube channel, Olivia Jade faced backlash after expressing more interest in partying and attending game days than in studying at USC. “I don’t know how much of [university] I’m going to attend.” Jade said. “But I do want the experience of like game days, partying… I don’t really care about school, as you guys all know.”

After a guidance counselor from Olivia Jade’s high school expressed concern about how neither of the girls participated in rowing, Loughlin wrote to a participant in the alleged scam: “[Our younger daughter] has not submitted all her colleges apps and is confused on how to do so. I want to make sure she gets those in as I don’t want to call any attention to [her] with our little friend at [her high school]. Can you tell us how to proceed?” Being copied onto the email, Olivia Jade received assistance from individuals her mother had connections with who essentially filled out the USC application for her.

After being accepted, Olivia Jade expressed her lack of a desire to even attend college. “I’m gonna go in and talk to my deans and everyone, and hope that I can try and balance it all,” she said.

Despite the fact that her daughters don’t seem to care much for school, Lori Loughlin was easily and successfully able to buy her way into both of her daughters being accepted into USC, and it’s terrifying that there hasn’t been news on this scandal until now.

Various USC Students’ Reactions to the Bribery Scandal

By: Karla Leung ‘22

The student body of USC represents people of all different identities, including differences in race, sexuality, economic status, etc., creating a range of perspectives across campus. I asked a variety of people for their reactions on the bribery scandal and how it affects themselves and USC as a whole.

“When I first heard about the incident, I wasn’t shocked at all. I feel like these incidents occur at most elite colleges on the regular. I feel like USC is much deeper and more than just a bunch of rich celebrity parents and corrupt officials.”
- Anonymous Student ‘22

“Hate and bullying should not be tolerated at any level. Having the scandal certainly paints USC in a bad light, being so prominent in social media, but the public should know that there are still hard-working students and teachers filling the campus grounds. Although we should all accept and understand the actions taken to rectify the situation, I hope the public can move on and USC can continue to be a place of integrity and pride. “
- Anonymous Student ‘21

“We condemn the actions of the former women’s rowing coach, but we continue to hold the utmost respect for our Women of Troy. Rowing is an extremely challenging sport, and we are shocked that someone would think they could use this as an easy way into USC.”
- USC Crew Team

“USC should make up for this. How is it fair that a student like that got into USC, where I on the other hand who’s family income is 1% of the amount of money that she paid to get in. She did not deserve her spot. Why should students like me, which there are plenty of here on this campus, accept to conform to a system that pledges “academic excellence” when it pays less attention to the students who actually deserve to go here. Remember this: there was a deserving student on that wait list who did not receive a spot to this university for the sole reason that their family could not pay $500,000. That could have been any of us. Don’t pretend to care about the less fortunate when you’re also disenfranchising them behind the curtain.”
- Matt Coppola ‘22

“I think they’re just privileged and maybe I’m jaded but it’s pretty clear that most parents will pay as much as those in the scandals. Private schools that cost nearly the price of college are only because it increases their chance of a good college — the same with SAT classes or private tutors. As someone who never had any of that, the people I’ve met in college come from the same high schools and same privilege. It makes it no surprise they paid their way in even if it wasn’t technically fraud. I see a distinction but honestly, most students pay their way in, in some ways.
- Anonymous Student ‘21

“As a student from a low-income background, I personally know what it’s like to not have as many resources available to me as wealthier, more privileged students. And to know that these students and their parents had the money to be able to pay for a great number of resources that would aid them in their high school journey, but instead opted to scam their way into prestigious universities baffles me. I come from an LAUSD public high school, one with finite resources, one where you are more likely to drop out and work than go to college, much less a prestigious 4-year university. This scandal greatly upsets me, and I hope that the parents and students involved receive the consequences that they deserve.”

- Anonymous Student ‘22

A First Gen Reaction to the Continued SC in Scandal

By: Ann Nguyen ‘22

I remember being admitted to the University of Southern California, one of my dream schools, last January and just thinking, “Wow, this is so amazing! All of my hard work — my literal blood, sweat, and tears — has finally paid off.” Being a first generation college student, I pushed myself to not only do well academically but to also pour my heart and soul into passion projects and extracurricular activities outside of classes in the hopes of attending as prestigious a university as USC. 

Not only could I receive no advice from my parents who knew nothing about the application process and the competitive nature of college admissions, but I was actually often met with opposition from them because they didn’t want me spending so much time on work outside of my studies. They didn’t understand what I was going through, and there were few others I knew who were struggling with my dynamic. It was a tough journey to finally reach that wonderful moment of opening my admission packet.

Therefore, hearing about the scandal greatly upset me — as it upset many. How many students were robbed of that great moment of joy — of validation and even vindication? As hurt, disappointed, and admittedly embarrassed as I was, I was not shocked as so many media outlets expressed the general feeling over the scandal news.

Let’s be honest, there’s always been this idea that if you’re rich, you really can do anything. Even if it isn’t explicitly donating large sums of money to a new wing of a library or exploiting high up connections and legacy ties, money still makes it easier to get into college. There are plenty of legal routes that those of higher socioeconomic status can take to reach elite universities that may not be an option for low-privilege students with lack of funding. You can get one-on-one SAT/ACT coaching, private tutors, college application coaching, essay editors, etc.

I was fortunate to go to a wonderful high school that was understanding of my financial situation and offered avenues of college prep and advisement to all its students, but as a first gen student I always felt that I was alone and had to do everything by myself, since that was what I had been conditioned to do. My parents always expected me to have all the answers — to be responsible for myself and really own everything I do, which led me to put a lot of pressure on myself. I worked so hard because knowing all the struggles my parents had gone through, I understood how important an education is. 

To see the flip side in which there are students (who do not even care about school) simply being handed an opportunity to learn from the very best at universities like USC is disheartening. Hearing about it brought me back to 11th grade, when I wondered if I was good enough and thinking that it would be a waste of time and money to even try. I remember thinking back then that even if I was good enough, there would be someone who had more connections and more donations to offer, so even in a need-blind situation, how could I stand out when there are people writing checks to these schools already?

I know I am not the only one who has been confused on how to even start applying to college or on how to fill out forms and apply for much needed financial aid. I know that right now, especially in light of these bribery scandals, there are so many students — possibly first gen and/or lower-privileged individuals — feeling that they have too much to lose in failure and thinking that there is no use in applying. I think one of the worst things about these revelations is that it highlights how unfair the college admissions process can be and is; they strengthen the idea that when you’re already down, the scales will remain tipped the other way.  And the acts of bribery that were allowed to occur further discourages bright students from taking a chance on themselves in fear of wasting their efforts because there is just so much on the line. It makes me so sad to know that USC is a part of the problem. 

A First Generation Student’s Perspective on USC’s Prioritization of Class

By: Sumaya Hussaini ‘22

As a first generation college student who worked tirelessly to be accepted into USC by working multiple jobs on top of a heavy course load but still almost couldn’t afford to attend the school, it is extremely frustrating to find out that I have privileged peers who are being accepted into the same university simply because of their socioeconomic status. And I’m not the only one.

About 1 in 6 USC students are in the first generation of their family to attend college. First generation and low-income students work hard to be accepted to prestigious universities but still either cannot afford to attend or feel as though they don’t belong, while wealthy students are able to essentially buy their way into the classist system.

During my application process, whenever I was confused about how to fill out an application or how to navigate the complicated FAFSA, I had nobody to turn to. First generation and low-income students who lack resources do not have the same privileges as rich students and I really wish this was something we talked about more.

Finding out that the students of rich celebrities who paid their way into this university rarely attend class and have clearly received accommodations from their professors made me ask the question: why aren’t these same privileges granted to other students who have commitments outside of college? 

Does the university really view traveling to Fiji to fulfill commitments as a social media influencer as more of a necessity than low-income students who have to skip class and work to support their families? What about the students who are mothers that need to skip class to raise their child[ren]?

Low-income students are more likely to drop out of college at disproportionate rates, yet the university isn’t willing to make accommodations for those who desperately need it. USC’s prioritization of concerns of those students who come from wealthy families is disappointing and concerning. 

Low-income students deserve an institution that isn’t founded upon classist principles. To all the first generation, minority, and low-income students who worked their entire lives to achieve acceptance, my heart goes out to you and I appreciate all the hard work you have done. You deserve to be here. You matter.

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