Melissa Korn & Jennifer Levitz: Privilege, Deceit, and the Making of the College Admissions Scandal

Watching America

A man named Rick Singer was at the center of the largest college admissions scam ever prosecuted by the Department of Justice. Singer helped wealthy parents get their children into colleges of choice with doctored essays, altered test scores, and fake athletic resumes. And let’s not forget—a whole lot of money. Wall Street Journal reporters Melissa Korn and Jennifer Levitz wrote a book detailing what Kirkus Reviews calls “the seamy intersection of ambition, money, and higher education.” Dr. Alan Campbell speaks with Korn and Levitz about the book, Unacceptable: Privilege, Deceit, and the Making of the College Admissions Scandal. We hear how Singer managed this scheme for so long, how he was eventually caught, and the social backdrop that created the demand for his services.