As some students hear back from colleges this spring, Vanessa and Natalie dig deeper into the admissions hysteria, obsession, and scandal. The Varsity Blues case might have cracked open an illegal underworld of corrupt deals—but there are plenty of perfectly legal ways privileged parents bend the system to their will. Think test prep, tutors, and college coaches who charge hundreds of thousands of dollars to text kids reminding them to turn in their math homework. Today, Vanessa talks to Sarah Bernstein, playwright, college essay writing coach, and author of the New York Times story, “Elite College Admissions Have Turned Students Into Brands.”

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