Because when you’re rich and you’re surrounded by a sea of not-rich, every problem shares the same solution: Who should I Venmo to fix this thing? In one passage, William Singer, the founder of a college-prep business who authorities say was the architect of the scheme, explains his plan to a prospective parent. But Mr. Singer dismisses the back door. It costs “ten times as much money” — he’s right about that — and because it’s greased by connections and a certain kind of social class, “there’s no guarantees.” Instead, Mr. Singer explains that he has devised something cheaper and more certain. By contracting the little people — not drivers looking to make a little extra scratch but college athletics coaches, test proctors and a university administrator — he had pried open a “side door” into college.

Source: New York Times March 13, 2019 18:56 UTC