On March 17, Netflix released a documentary about a college admissions scandal named Operation Varsity Blues. This has been one of the biggest cases the US Justice Department has had to deal with. 

The documentary gives insight and information on how this whole scandal took place and the way it was done. It follows Rick Singer, the mastermind behind this whole operation, and how he worked with parents to get their kids into several top American universities. 

The Operation Varsity Blues included many rich families, such as celebrities and prominent business people. It was filed in the United States District Court for the District of Massachusetts and incorporated hundreds of pages of allegations, which implicated more than fifty people in two sets of schemes: standardized test cheating and college acceptance bribery.

The documentary uses real conversations that are recreations of wiretap transcripts that were released by the US government.  It also includes other speakers who talk about the situation and the systems within the college admissions, and place more input about the whole operation. 

This documentary brings to light how easy it is for the rich to cheat and find loopholes when it comes to getting into top universities. Most of the kids that were admitted into these universities didn’t have the qualifications to get into these schools on their own terms, so their parents used their money to get them in. 

In addition it showed just how corrupt these institutions are and how easily they are swayed by money. 

The documentary does well in presenting people who have background and know about the education system and college admissions. It also shared videos and testimonies of other students who applied to these top schools and had the qualifications to get admitted into them, but were rejected. 

In the documentary, they explain the pressures that students experience when applying to college and all the preparations they take for that specific moment in their life. It also includes how social media plays a big part in this, as well as their families, society, and so much more. 

It also did a great job in speaking about other factors that come into play when it comes to admissions, such as standardized testing, athletics, donations, and many more. 

The documentary shows news reports of when this scandal was released to the public and how people reacted to the situation. It gives information about the trials and what the outcomes were for the people that were involved in this. 

The people in this documentary let the audience know that these top universities in America aren’t the only schools. There are so many more options and it will give students the same education that are given in these top institutions. They make a big point in that because since so many people are applying to these elite schools, it makes the chances for students to get in even lower. 

Overall the documentary does great showcasing the reality of how rich people can easily buy their education, even if they don’t deserve it. It brought to light the corruption within these institutions and how money can play a big part, whether it’s legally or illegally, when it comes to college admissions.