I am a highschooler who is interested higher-level theoretical computer science and math. I am motivated to get into a good college because I want to have good

I am a highschooler who is interested higher-level theoretical computer science and math. I am motivated to get into a good college because I want to have good educational foundations and the opportunity to meet professors involved in the research areas that I am interested in. Seeing the college admissions bribery scandal outraged me. Society pressures people my age into getting into a good college as an indicator of worth. Before the controversy, I had already felt cynical about the whole culture of test prep and ungenuine ECs. I feel as though society pressures other teenagers and me into not being true to ourselves, and living our own lives, but instead doing things just for the grades or the attractiveness to college admissions officers. When the bribery became known, it bolstered my belief that elite colleges are places of classism, dishonesty, and phoniness. The girl mentioned in the article who said that she was going to party instead of study is especially a slap in the face for me. Therefore, I have a conflicting view of elite colleges. On one hand, I greatly admire the professors who work at the colleges, and respect the colleges as places of research. On the other hand, I have a cynical view that elite colleges are a place for social prestige. I had wondered if there was a conflict between the interests of the professors, who would like passionate students, and the interests of the admissions officers, who, according to the scandal, maintain a class barrier by taking bribes instead of admitting students egalitarianly. This article solidified my thoughts that there is a conflict between the interests of professors and admissions officers.