Welcome to college! Every one of us have had to go through entrance exams, evaluate class times and locations, determine finances, define and redefine program choices and goals (and yes some are still undecided!) and finally begin or continue the quest toward something. We all know we are here for a few reasons, but money speaks loudly for some of us. A recent study indicates that college grads earn far more than high school graduates, to an average tune of $17,500 annually[1]. Many more of us are in search of our passions and our purpose. Seeking your desired path is incredibly challenging for some and change numerous times for others. In fact, I myself changed my major 4 times trying to figure out what I wanted over my 6-year journey to my bachelors degree.

While it would be wonderful to enter into a prestigious college and have it entirely paid for, 99.99% of us are not in the upper echelons of the income brackets nor are we gifted with a God given talent to run fast, jump high or throw a ball 98 miles per hour with the accuracy to smack a moving fly 60 feet away every time! Like me, you are paying for a quality education, and here you are getting a very high-quality education without the added impact of high debt. Congratulations, you have made an incredibly wise choice, although some may not see that for a few years.

Reading about the college entrance scandal that broke earlier this year, I am reminded that every business has ethical decisions to make, including colleges and the wealthy and powerful folks we find in the articles below. Yes, college is a business. So is a hospital, a not for profit mental health facility, a pharmacy and any other money-making venture. Ethical behavior is a challenge that most of us will encounter somewhere along our professional journeys. Not one of you reading this assignment will be immune to it and all of us will have or will need to define our own definition of ethical behavior although it is based on societal norms as well as our own backgrounds and moral make up.

With all this said, read the attached articles. Read them well. Prepare a minimum 500-word evaluation of the ethical dilemmas found within the college entrance cheating scandal. Once done, review it with the Reading and Writing Studio. You will have 3 weeks in which to do this so schedule your time properly. Remember you can choose an online or an in-person meeting, but I recommend in person. The Reading and Writing Studio team will make sure you have presented your opinions well, formulated your document properly and ensured the proper usage of citations. Once completed, you will post both your assignment and proof that you have indeed visited and received guidance the Reading and Writing Studio. The due date will be reviewed in class and will be posted in Canvas. As always, I do not accept late assignments so be cautious. Furthermore, as with all my assignments, no more than 20% may be taken verbatim from sources, meaning at least 80% must be in your own words.