In the wake of the massive college admissions scam in which parents allegedly used fraud and bribery to help their children get into elite colleges, commentators and aghast onlookers have speculated about the answer to one big question: Why?

Why would wealthy and famous parents break the law to help their children get into top schools when their large fortunes and connected social networks all but ensure that their children will be OK in life?

We may never know the real answer. But research that my colleagues and I conducted for my upcoming book Choosing College (Jossey-Bass, August 2019) sheds light on the question.