The legal way the rich get their kids into elite colleges: Huge donations for years
LOS ANGELES - For the children of the well-off and well-educated, cultivating the hallmarks of an outstanding college application starts early.
Those whose parents attended a prestigious university are born far more likely to get into that institution. And the advantages pile up from there: Lessons for aristocratic sports such as sailing and fencing might begin in elementary school, while private tutoring, prep school and - if they're exceptionally wealthy - large donations to preferred colleges come later.
The "Operation Varsity Blues" FBI investigation has highlighted the outsize role that wealth and social connections play in college admissions, and the many ways the rich get a leg up in this opaque process without resorting to bribery, lying and cheating.
"Money allows you to really engage with a different network of resources,"
