At this point, family expenditures on students often become more specific to the college admissions process. For instance, families may hire SAT tutors, or they may find a college counselor to help their child with their application essays and interview preparation. Students from lower-income backgrounds are less likely to access these resources, creating yet another disparity.
The following article explores another way in which family wealth and spending can undermine the equality of opportunity in college admissions:
"Need Extra Time on Tests? It Helps to Have Cash"
High-income communities have a much higher percentage of standardized testing accommodations than lower-income communities. Goldstein and Patel argue that data like this suggest an unfairness in the process of acquiring accommodations. While some wealthy students may simply be abusing the system, more significantly, they reason that lower-income families don’t have the resources to provide their kids with the up-to-date evaluations needed for their children to qualify.
“Worries grow about application essay 'help' that may go too far”
Jaschik points out that families with the means are able to hire expensive essay coaches to help workshop students’ college essays to near-perfection. The article raises questions about the ethics of allowing students to submit these workshopped essays that may not truthfully reflect the student’s writing capabilities or ideas.
Questions for discussion:
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What are some other hidden advantages that wealthier students have?
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What sorts of family expenditures are acceptable? What sorts of expenditures cross the line?
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Is there a way to restrict the sorts of family expenditures discussed in the articles above? How?