CCT Proposal for ENG4C
______________________________________________________________________
Research Topic: College Admissions Scandal in USA (Operation Varsity Blues)
Name: Ashton Un
Period: 2
Lecturer: Ms Cristel
CCT: Proposal
For the topic of CCT assignment, I have decided on the college admission scandal occurring in
the USA, which touches upon the social justice issues of bribery and corruption. In 2019, the
world of Tertiary education was shaken with the largest college admission cheating scandal ever
uncovered, also known as Operation Varsity Blues. The scandal revealed a criminal conspiracy
where wealthy parents (including celebrities and high-profile individuals) illegally bribed Rick
Singer more than $25 million dollars, the mastermind of the college admission scheme, to assist
their children in securing admittance into elite Ivy league schools such as Yale, Stanford,
Georgetown and the University of Southern California.1 The topic of operation varsity blues has
intrigued me as the scandal not only reveals how wealthy individuals funded their child’s path
into the Ivy league as well as Rick Singer’s fraudulent activities. Rather, it provides more insight
into how people recognise the advantages that were provided with their wealth and privilege, yet
they are still willing to sacrifice their ethics and violate laws to cheat the college admission
process. Thus, the focus of my report is to increase awareness on the corruption and systematic
issues of America's college admission, what it takes away from other well-deserving students as
well as what strong actions and measures can be taken to prevent the illegal manipulation of
1
Mark , J. Drozdowski. “The College Admissions Scandal That Shook Higher Ed: BestColleges.”
BestColleges.Com, 21 Mar. 2023,
www.bestcolleges.com/blog/operation-varsity-blues-college-admissions-scandal/.
Accessed 06 Aug. 2023.
college admissions that comes with greed.2 To conclude, I hope this report will shed some light
on the harsh truth of how wealth, privilege, and elite higher education are interconnected, as well
as addressing the hypocrisy of elite institutions’ assertions that competitive admission is fair for
everyone and not biased towards the wealthy.3 Ultimately, college admissions scandals are
impossible to prevent entirely, however I believe with the proposals made in this report, cheating
in college admissions can be made significantly less prevalent and it can be simpler for
employees to act morally.
2
Balasubramanian, Sophia. “Review: ‘Operation Varsity Blues’ Is a Harrowing Exposé of the
Higher Education System.” The Arizona State Press, 1 Apr. 2021,
www.statepress.com/article/2021/04/specho-review-operation-varsity-blues.
Accessed 06 Aug. 2023
3
Mark , J. Drozdowski. “The College Admissions Scandal That Shook Higher Ed: BestColleges.”
BestColleges.Com, 21 Mar. 2023,
www.bestcolleges.com/blog/operation-varsity-blues-college-admissions-scandal/.
Accessed 06 Aug. 2023.
Works cited
Mark , J. Drozdowski. “The College Admissions Scandal That Shook Higher Ed: BestColleges.”
BestColleges.Com, 21 Mar. 2023,
www.bestcolleges.com/blog/operation-varsity-blues-college-admissions-scandal/.
Accessed 06 Aug. 2023.
Balasubramanian, Sophia. “Review: ‘Operation Varsity Blues’ Is a Harrowing Exposé of the
Higher Education System.” The Arizona State Press, 1 Apr. 2021,
www.statepress.com/article/2021/04/specho-review-operation-varsity-blues.
Accessed 06 Aug. 2023
Board, Editorial. “Can College Admission Be Bought?” tjTODAY, 20 Mar. 2019,
www.tjtoday.org/26062/uncategorized/can-college-admission-be-bought/.
Accessed 06 Aug. 2023
POINTERS
Evidence (online proof)
why they are interested in
this topic
www.bestcolleges.com/blog/o
peration-varsity-blues-college
-admissions-scandal/.
focus on
www.statepress.com/article/2
021/04/specho-review-operati
on-varsity-blues.
the purpose of this report
www.tjtoday.org/26062/uncat
egorized/can-college-admissi
on-be-bought/.
Justify ( explanation)
Wealthy individuals bought
their child’s path into the ivy
league & people are willing
to sacrifice their ethics and
values to do so, despite their
privileges
Bribery and corruption
committed by wealthy,
high-profile individuals to
gain their child entry into ivy
leagues, and Rick Singer’s
fraudulent activities
To increase awareness on
how the corruption and
bribery of college admission
in USA, its consequences as
well as the potential solutions