In the recently released “Operation Varsity Blues” viewers get a firsthand glimpse into the lives of the elite as they take part and unravel amidst the scam of our lifetime. The 2019 college admissions scandal came as a shock to American’s nationwide. This compelling Netflix documentary allows viewers to see the scandal beyond the list of celebrities involved and ultimately open our eyes to a corrupt educational system.
Lets see what are the most thrilling Netflix documentaries to wow you.
When news initially broke surrounding the college admissions scandal in February 2019, the media could not rest until no stone was left unturned. Details began to emerge regarding the wealthy parents who paid hundreds of thousands of dollars to buy their kids’ a shortcut into the Ivy League schools of their choice. The public’s obsession began as respectable actors and members of society started to be indicted on charges of mail and wiretap fraud. Over 50 people were charged by the FBI, including beloved actors Felicity Huffman (Desperate Housewives) and Lori Loughlin (Full House). The public was justifiably in an uproar over the blatant hypocrisy displayed by our most ‘privileged’ society members.
In this thrilling chronicle, we see the FBI inquiry played out in this dramatic contextualization of the investigation itself. The documentary draws on actual FBI recordings of conversations between college admissions advisor Rick Singer and his clients. These conversations are what ultimately led the FBI to Singer’s door. Viewers can watch this Netflix documentary as the drama unfolds on screen in this captivating and riveting retelling of the most extensive scheme to cheat the college admissions process for Ivy League schools across the nation.
While we get a chance to see the celebrities involved and understand their motives, this documentary’s overall central meaning is to expose the flaws within our once renowned educational systems. The onscreen reenactments are interlaced with interviews from former Singer colleagues, investigators and lawyers. These interviews add up to a well-thought-out critique of the college prep industry, higher education and an entire class of entitled parents in the U.S. Operation Varsity Blues skeptically regards the college admissions industry as a scam unto itself.
Rick Singer, the documentary’s lead figure, presents himself as a friendly admissions “coach” to help families navigate the complexities of the college admissions process. These elite members of society were lured into his scheme when he promised an easy route into the nation’s top-rated schools for a “fair” price. He guaranteed the children a “Done Deal” admission into these universities but only utilizing his exclusive “side door” method.
We learn Singer did whatever it took to get these children into the schools of their choice or, in some cases, their parents’ choice. The rules Singer manipulated to get these children accepted had evolved into a more overtly criminal nature. He found more ways to work the already egregious ‘tradition’ whereby the wealthiest can donate (multi-millions) to get a ‘leg up’ into some of the nation’s most exclusive universities.
Singer saw these donations as an overpriced ‘Back Door’ admission fee, while the ‘Front Door’ was the standard admissions process everyone else must follow. Singer took matters into his own hands by creating his own exclusive donation method called the ‘Side Door’ access. These well-to-do families were enticed by Singer’s confidence in his Side Door access scheme, as services cost families only hundreds of thousands, compared with the multi-million Back Door route.
Singer’s practices were considered unconventional by the families. However, they willfully turned a blind eye, despite most having the sense that not all of his methods were ethical or lawful.
The pressure for young people to be accepted into the nation’s top schools causes intense stress and anxiety for students and their families.
Singer was well aware of this and highly skilled at exploiting these pain points in parents. Language like, “Don’t you want your child to go to a good school?” or “They won’t get in without me!” was often directed at the parents.
Singer would cheat the system by lying about student athletic abilities, applications, and test scores. Singer had infiltrated the admissions boards across the country, establishing relationships through program donations and favours. An unknowing victim of Singer’s endeavours was John Vandemoer, the head sailing coach for Stamford University, who was unfortunately unaware that the donations he was receiving from Singer were in fact bribes. Vandermoer was perhaps the least culpable of victims within the group of cases. Fortunately, Vandemoer did not pocket any donations personally and instead used these donations to care for and provide equipment to his students.
As the documentary plays out, Singer’s methods become more and more deceptive and manipulative. Singer would commit fraud in various ways to manipulate and ensure the admissions board accepted these children.
It is evident that the admissions scandal is not only focused on one scammer or celebrity parent involved but rather reveals the inequality and rigged favour within admissions for those who already benefit from being upper class.
Unfortunately, this skewed admissions process stems from the school’s obsession with higher rankings. This desire led to the need for a redesign in their admissions processes. Top-tiered schools across the country understand that the more exclusive they are with their applicants, the more prestigious they appear and ultimately increase their rankings by doing so.
Singer used his knowledge of the admissions processes and his lucrative creativity to incite one of the largest college admissions scandals of a lifetime. Operation Varsity Blues is a dramatic and informative Netflix documentary for those who want to see into the lives of the elite and understand precisely what people are capable of even when money is no option.
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