The story is nothing new. J.J. and I recall an exceptional scholar and football player who was admitted to an Ivy League school on scholarship. After his first year, he was back for the summer. He truly sounded perplexed and said, “I never had so many unprepared and unmotivated classmates. I guess some of them were admitted as legacy kids and waiting around to receive their diplomas because they already have a job with their parents’ company.”
Another person J.J. and I know wrote the admission essay for her daughter. We will call her Betty. Betty then spent the next four years doing the daughter’s home works, term papers and take-home exams. I recall Betty’s sister telling us that it’s as if Betty went back to college to earn another degree.
Cheating is wrong. Living one’s life in a falsehood is wrong. We should look at the bigger picture of the college admissions scandals. One should go back to the basics of being a good individual and a good citizen.
One should live one’s life honestly.
One should respect yourself and others.
One should take responsibility to one’s conduct.
One should be fair to one’s self and to others.
One should be kind and caring to one’s self and to others.
One should be trustworthy to one’s self and to others.
Aloha -- Cathi