(CNN)For many people, the most surprising part about the revelations that wealthy parents — Hollywood celebrities, fashion designers, CEOs, lawyers and doctors — paid to get their kids into college by cheating on tests and faking athletic records, was that these families didn’t get a leg up through legal channels available to those with money.
“Lots of parents throw money at it, that’s nothing new,” says Jill Shulman, who has been working in college admissions as a coach, teacher and evaluator for 20 years. “Alums will throw a big event when the president comes to town. They’ll meet with their contacts at the school, they become donors. None of that is new. But the level of this scandal is a symptom of helicopter parenting on steroids.”
Admissions based on donations — while not necessarily illegal — often aren’t considered ethical or fair either.
