Meghan Daum
Who Deserves a Fancy College Education? I Probably Didn’t.
The ultimate status symbol isn’t getting into a fancy school, but taking it for granted
“I don’t know how much school I’m going to attend… I don’t really care about school, as all you guys know.”
These were the words, posted to social media last fall, of Olivia Jade, a 19-year-old social media influencer and beneficiary of an elaborate bribery scheme in which parents paid enormous sums to get their otherwise unqualified children into top-tier colleges universities.
Jade, the daughter of actress Lori Loughlin, is one of dozens of kids whose parents were so fearful of having to resort to safety schools that they paid a college admissions coach upwards of $1 million in some cases. His services included bribing athletic coaches and arranging for cheating on exams, among other acts of nefarious hubris.
The desperately sought goal, as Jade’s father, fashion designer Mossimo Giannulli, wrote in an email, was “getting her into a school other than ASU!” (Jade eventually enrolled at the University of Southern California.)
It’s curious that he would care so much, since not attending or caring about school can be done anywhere — or at least needn’t be…
