From the start of our 12-year public education here in America we are told that attending top-elite schools is the key to the most successful life. We are convinced that the process of gaining entry into these elite programs is completely based on merit and hard work. We spend our entire preadolescence “preparing” for the real world. From going to school and attending other obligations every day, it is engraved in our brains that opportunities are obtained through consistent effort and accomplishments. The higher education system claims to select students based on their intellect and other factors, including grades, test scores, grade point average, as well as student’s other accomplishments and endeavors.

We are convinced that the playing field is completely level from the first time we step into the public education system. We are forced to blindly follow the idea that those with money have no true advantage in the admissions process.

The fact that college admissions cheating scandal, which was recently brought to light, is described as “not surprising in the least” is the grimmest part.

Students who come from a low-income family or minority have a disadvantage. Their whole lives they are told that it doesn’t matter what you come from, it matters what you are capable of. This is false hope, and it is not right to fill hardworking, deserving individuals heads with lies of equality and level playing fields.

If you live in America and you are not a straight male of European descent, then the chances are you will not face a level playing field. That is what should be taught. Students should learn about what they will be actually facing in the real world. From the advantages the wealthy have to the discrimination faced in the real world, students should be prepared and equipped to overcome these challenges. Students don’t deserve to be filled with false expectations for their future; they deserve a chance to be prepared for the world they will face.

The sad truth of this country has, and always will be the same. No matter how hard you work, how hard you help and love, or how much you truly deserve it, things do not come easily to those who cannot buy their way through life.

Educating children on the sad truths they will face is important because it will spark a change. The idea of a level playing field that is embedded in students minds at a very young age puts them at a disadvantage. Yes, hard work among other things will get you somewhere. However, for most, there’s a ceiling or limit to how far you can go. The dismal part is, the only ones who will understand that limit and its devastating effects, are those who spend their whole life working against it and the sick humans who utilize it, without millions to move every obstacle they face out of the way.

How valuable could the educations of these top-notch schools truly be if admissions are based upon variables, such as who is in your family or how much money your mommy and daddy are willing to “donate” or maybe even just plainly based on other prejudice or classist variables?

The wealthy believe that there is nothing wrong with using their money to put themselves and their children ahead. That is not okay; that is what needs to change. The education system, justice system, and America as a whole continue to overlook the fact that the wealthy are using their money to create divides intellectually, fiscally, and socially.

Stop letting wealth define worth. More importantly, stop allowing the use of wealth as a trait. Being wealthy says absolutely nothing about who a person is. In the same way, being poor says absolutely nothing about who a person is.

Actions define a person. For example, using wealth to put yourself or your children ahead defines you as a person. Wealth doesn’t mean that you are a bad person or a good person, but what you do with that wealth does. Don’t let your sickly use of money define you to the rest world.