
Unacceptable
Privilege, Deceit & the Making of the College Admissions Scandal
Failed to add items
Add to Cart failed.
Add to Wish List failed.
Remove from wishlist failed.
Adding to library failed
Follow podcast failed
Unfollow podcast failed
$0.99/mo for the first 3 months

Buy for $20.25
No default payment method selected.
We are sorry. We are not allowed to sell this product with the selected payment method
-
Narrated by:
-
Brittany Pressley
About this listen
Forbes Top 10 Higher Education Books of 2020
The riveting true story behind the Varsity Blues college admissions scandal, a cautionary tale of parenting gone wrong, the system that enabled families to veer so far off course, and the mastermind who made it all happen.
When federal prosecutors dropped the bombshell of Operation Varsity Blues, it broke open the crimes of exclusive universities and wealthy families all over the country, shattering the myth of American meritocracy. In Unacceptable, veteran Wall Street Journal reporters Melissa Korn and Jennifer Levitz dig deep into how otherwise smart, loving parents became caught up in scandal, led through the side door by one man: college whisperer Rick Singer.
Unacceptable traces how, over decades, the charismatic Singer easily reeled in parents hoping to guarantee top educations for their children and exploited a system rigged against regular people. Exploring the status obsession that seduced entitled parents in search of an edge, Korn and Levitz unfurl a scheme that entangled more than 50 conspirators, from wealthy CEOs to famous actresses, leading to imprisonments, ruined careers, and terminated enrollments.
An eye-opening account of corruption in America’s most exclusive institutions, Unacceptable tells the story of helicopter parenting, coddled teens, and the man who thought he couldn’t be caught. Detailing Singer’s steady rise and dramatic fall, Korn and Levitz expose the ugly underbelly of elite college admissions and the devastating consequences of buying success.
©2020 Melissa Korn and Jennifer Levitz (P)2020 Penguin AudioListeners also enjoyed...
-
The Woman Who Fooled the World
- By: Beau Donelly, Nick Toscano
- Narrated by: James Saunders
- Length: 10 hrs
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Belle Gibson convinced the world she had healed herself from terminal brain cancer with a healthy diet. She built a global business based upon her claims. There was just one problem: she'd never had cancer. In 2015, journalists uncovered the truth: this hero of the wellness world, with over 200,000 followers, international book deals and a best-selling smartphone app, was a fraud.
-
-
Must listen
- By NutriGal on 02-10-18
By: Beau Donelly, and others
-
Guilty Admissions
- The Bribes, Favors, and Phonies behind the College Cheating Scandal
- By: Nicole LaPorte
- Narrated by: Betsy Foldes Meiman
- Length: 10 hrs and 52 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Guilty Admissions weaves together the story of an unscrupulous college counselor named Rick Singer, and how he preyed on the desperation of some of the country's wealthiest families living in a world defined by fierce competition, who function under constant pressure to get into the "right" schools, starting with preschool; nonstop fundraising and donation demands in the form of multi-million-dollar galas and private parties; and a community of deeply insecure parents who will do anything to get their kids into name-brand colleges in order to maintain their own A-list status.
-
-
Roasting Rick (a more accurate title)
- By JR on 05-21-21
By: Nicole LaPorte
-
My Friend Anna
- The True Story of the Fake Heiress Who Conned Me and Half of New York City
- By: Rachel DeLoache Williams
- Narrated by: Rachel DeLoache Williams
- Length: 9 hrs and 7 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Rachel DeLoache Williams’ new friend Anna Delvey, a self-proclaimed German heiress, was worldly and ambitious. She was also generous - picking up the tab for lavish dinners at Le Coucou, infrared sauna sessions at HigherDOSE, drinks at the 11 Howard Library bar, and regular workout sessions with a celebrity personal trainer. When Anna proposed an all-expenses-paid trip to Marrakech at the five-star La Mamounia hotel, Rachel jumped at the chance. But when Anna’s credit cards mysteriously stopped working, the dream vacation quickly took a dark turn.
-
-
The author is lucky she was scammed.
- By A. on 09-01-19
-
Going Infinite
- The Rise and Fall of a New Tycoon
- By: Michael Lewis
- Narrated by: Michael Lewis
- Length: 9 hrs and 35 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
When Michael Lewis first met him, Sam Bankman-Fried was the world’s youngest billionaire and crypto’s Gatsby. CEOs, celebrities, and leaders of small countries all vied for his time and cash after he catapulted, practically overnight, onto the Forbes billionaire list. Who was this rumpled guy in cargo shorts and limp white socks, whose eyes twitched across Zoom meetings as he played video games on the side?
-
-
really expected more rigor from Michael Lewis
- By Wowhello on 10-04-23
By: Michael Lewis
-
Bad Blood
- Secrets and Lies in a Silicon Valley Startup
- By: John Carreyrou
- Narrated by: Will Damron
- Length: 11 hrs and 37 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In 2014, Theranos founder and CEO Elizabeth Holmes was widely seen as the next Steve Jobs: a brilliant Stanford dropout whose startup “unicorn” promised to revolutionize the medical industry with its breakthrough device, which performed the whole range of laboratory tests from a single drop of blood. Backed by investors such as Larry Ellison and Tim Draper, Theranos sold shares in a fundraising round that valued the company at more than $9 billion, putting Holmes’s worth at an estimated $4.5 billion.
-
-
Extreme retaliation against former employees
- By LEE on 05-29-18
By: John Carreyrou
-
The Price of Admission
- How America's Ruling Class Buys Its Way into Elite Colleges - and Who Gets Left Outside the Gates
- By: Daniel Golden
- Narrated by: Nancy Linari
- Length: 14 hrs and 45 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Naming names, along with grades and test scores, Golden lays bare a corrupt system in which middle-class and working-class whites and Asian Americans are routinely passed over in favor of wealthy white students with lesser credentials - children of alumni, big donors, and celebrities. The Price of Admission is a must-listen - for parents and students with a personal stake in college admissions but also for those disturbed by the growing divide between ordinary and privileged Americans.
-
-
Good for a view of how the admissions process favors others, but not a critically-thinking piece
- By Alejandro Wences on 01-27-20
By: Daniel Golden
-
The Woman Who Fooled the World
- By: Beau Donelly, Nick Toscano
- Narrated by: James Saunders
- Length: 10 hrs
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Belle Gibson convinced the world she had healed herself from terminal brain cancer with a healthy diet. She built a global business based upon her claims. There was just one problem: she'd never had cancer. In 2015, journalists uncovered the truth: this hero of the wellness world, with over 200,000 followers, international book deals and a best-selling smartphone app, was a fraud.
-
-
Must listen
- By NutriGal on 02-10-18
By: Beau Donelly, and others
-
Guilty Admissions
- The Bribes, Favors, and Phonies behind the College Cheating Scandal
- By: Nicole LaPorte
- Narrated by: Betsy Foldes Meiman
- Length: 10 hrs and 52 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Guilty Admissions weaves together the story of an unscrupulous college counselor named Rick Singer, and how he preyed on the desperation of some of the country's wealthiest families living in a world defined by fierce competition, who function under constant pressure to get into the "right" schools, starting with preschool; nonstop fundraising and donation demands in the form of multi-million-dollar galas and private parties; and a community of deeply insecure parents who will do anything to get their kids into name-brand colleges in order to maintain their own A-list status.
-
-
Roasting Rick (a more accurate title)
- By JR on 05-21-21
By: Nicole LaPorte
-
My Friend Anna
- The True Story of the Fake Heiress Who Conned Me and Half of New York City
- By: Rachel DeLoache Williams
- Narrated by: Rachel DeLoache Williams
- Length: 9 hrs and 7 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Rachel DeLoache Williams’ new friend Anna Delvey, a self-proclaimed German heiress, was worldly and ambitious. She was also generous - picking up the tab for lavish dinners at Le Coucou, infrared sauna sessions at HigherDOSE, drinks at the 11 Howard Library bar, and regular workout sessions with a celebrity personal trainer. When Anna proposed an all-expenses-paid trip to Marrakech at the five-star La Mamounia hotel, Rachel jumped at the chance. But when Anna’s credit cards mysteriously stopped working, the dream vacation quickly took a dark turn.
-
-
The author is lucky she was scammed.
- By A. on 09-01-19
-
Going Infinite
- The Rise and Fall of a New Tycoon
- By: Michael Lewis
- Narrated by: Michael Lewis
- Length: 9 hrs and 35 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
When Michael Lewis first met him, Sam Bankman-Fried was the world’s youngest billionaire and crypto’s Gatsby. CEOs, celebrities, and leaders of small countries all vied for his time and cash after he catapulted, practically overnight, onto the Forbes billionaire list. Who was this rumpled guy in cargo shorts and limp white socks, whose eyes twitched across Zoom meetings as he played video games on the side?
-
-
really expected more rigor from Michael Lewis
- By Wowhello on 10-04-23
By: Michael Lewis
-
Bad Blood
- Secrets and Lies in a Silicon Valley Startup
- By: John Carreyrou
- Narrated by: Will Damron
- Length: 11 hrs and 37 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In 2014, Theranos founder and CEO Elizabeth Holmes was widely seen as the next Steve Jobs: a brilliant Stanford dropout whose startup “unicorn” promised to revolutionize the medical industry with its breakthrough device, which performed the whole range of laboratory tests from a single drop of blood. Backed by investors such as Larry Ellison and Tim Draper, Theranos sold shares in a fundraising round that valued the company at more than $9 billion, putting Holmes’s worth at an estimated $4.5 billion.
-
-
Extreme retaliation against former employees
- By LEE on 05-29-18
By: John Carreyrou
-
The Price of Admission
- How America's Ruling Class Buys Its Way into Elite Colleges - and Who Gets Left Outside the Gates
- By: Daniel Golden
- Narrated by: Nancy Linari
- Length: 14 hrs and 45 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Naming names, along with grades and test scores, Golden lays bare a corrupt system in which middle-class and working-class whites and Asian Americans are routinely passed over in favor of wealthy white students with lesser credentials - children of alumni, big donors, and celebrities. The Price of Admission is a must-listen - for parents and students with a personal stake in college admissions but also for those disturbed by the growing divide between ordinary and privileged Americans.
-
-
Good for a view of how the admissions process favors others, but not a critically-thinking piece
- By Alejandro Wences on 01-27-20
By: Daniel Golden
-
Valedictorians at the Gate
- Standing Out, Getting In, and Staying Sane While Applying to College
- By: Rebecca Munsterer Sabky
- Narrated by: Eliza Foss
- Length: 7 hrs and 43 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
An inspiring battle cry for sanity in the college application process that looks beyond the rankings to successfully determine what’s truly the best school for you or your child.
-
-
Insider’s View
- By Helen on 01-21-25
-
Gambler
- Secrets from a Life at Risk
- By: Billy Walters
- Narrated by: Billy Walters
- Length: 10 hrs and 56 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Anybody can get lucky. Nobody controls the odds like Billy Walters. Widely regarded as “the Michael Jordan of sports betting,” Walters is a living legend in Las Vegas and among sports bettors worldwide. With an unmatched winning streak of thirty-six consecutive years, Walters has become fabulously wealthy by placing hundreds of millions of dollars a year in gross wagers, including one Super Bowl bet of $3.5 million alone. Competitors desperate to crack his betting techniques have tried hacking his phones, cloning his beepers, rifling through his trash, and bribing his employees.
-
-
Good but
- By Amazon Customer on 08-30-23
By: Billy Walters
-
The Gatekeepers
- Inside the Admissions Process of a Premier College
- By: Jacques Steinberg
- Narrated by: Jacques Steinberg
- Length: 13 hrs and 5 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In the fall of 1999, New York Times education reporter Jacques Steinberg was given an unprecedented opportunity to observe the admissions process at prestigious Wesleyan University. Over the course of nearly a year, Steinberg accompanied admissions officer Ralph Figueroa on a tour to assess and recruit the most promising students in the country. The Gatekeepers follows a diverse group of prospective students as they compete for places in the nation's most elite colleges.
-
-
Excellent insight but too much filler
- By Troyus on 07-28-14
-
The Fund
- Ray Dalio, Bridgewater Associates, and the Unraveling of a Wall Street Legend
- By: Rob Copeland
- Narrated by: Rob Copeland, Will Damron
- Length: 12 hrs and 54 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Ray Dalio does not want you to listen to this audiobook. Late last year, when the billionaire founder of Bridgewater Associates, the largest hedge fund on the planet, announced that he was stepping down from the company he started out of his apartment nearly 50 years ago, the news made headlines around the world. Dalio cultivated an aura of international admiration and fame thanks to his company’s eye-popping success, coupled with a mystique he encouraged with frequent media appearances, celebrity hobnobbing, and his bestselling book, Principles.
-
-
Best finance book I've read in years
- By Aaron on 12-16-23
By: Rob Copeland
-
Number Go Up
- Inside Crypto's Wild Rise and Staggering Fall
- By: Zeke Faux
- Narrated by: Dan Bittner
- Length: 9 hrs and 48 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In 2021 cryptocurrency went mainstream. Giant investment funds were buying it, celebrities like Tom Brady endorsed it, and TV ads hailed it as the future of money. Hardly anyone knew how it worked—but why bother with the particulars when everyone was making a fortune from Dogecoin, Shiba Inu, or some other bizarrely named “digital asset”? As he observed this frenzy, investigative reporter Zeke Faux had a nagging question: Was it all just a confidence game of epic proportions? What started as curiosity—with a dash of FOMO—would morph into a two-year globe-spanning quest.
-
-
Phenomenal story
- By Michael on 10-05-23
By: Zeke Faux
-
The Fall
- The End of Fox News and the Murdoch Dynasty
- By: Michael Wolff
- Narrated by: Michael Wolff - introduction, Holter Graham
- Length: 10 hrs and 32 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
For almost three decades, Fox News has not only made political careers (see: President Donald J. Trump) but also fundamentally altered the political landscape of the United States. It is a truism: as Fox goes, so goes the nation—into further divisiveness and awash in fake news, a gleefully polarizing company. But just as Fox has pushed America apart, now it too is coming apart. As is the family dynasty behind it.
-
-
Terrific rundown of Fox
- By Iread on 10-05-23
By: Michael Wolff
-
Who Gets in and Why
- A Year Inside College Admissions
- By: Jeffrey J. Selingo
- Narrated by: Sean Patrick Hopkins
- Length: 10 hrs and 11 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Getting into a top-ranked college has never seemed more impossible, with acceptance rates at some elite universities dipping into the single digits. In Who Gets in and Why, journalist and higher education expert Jeffrey Selingo dispels entrenched notions of how to compete and win at the admissions game and reveals that teenagers and parents have much to gain by broadening their notion of what qualifies as a "good college". Hint: It's not all about the sticker on the car window.
-
-
A must-read for anyone applying to college
- By Nom de Guerre on 10-21-20
-
Soundbite
- The Admissions Secret That Gets You into College and Beyond
- By: Sara Harberson
- Narrated by: Sara Harberson
- Length: 6 hrs and 28 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
On average, an admissions committee takes seconds to decide whether to admit a student. They must sum up the student in one sentence that will tell them if a student is going to be a good fit for their program. What is the best way to transform this admissions process from a stressful, pressure-cooker arms race into an empowering journey that paves the way to the best individual outcome? Written by a college admissions insider turned consultant, Soundbite guides parents and students through the admissions process from start to finish.
-
-
A Gamechanger
- By Jen on 03-14-25
By: Sara Harberson
-
Bone Deep
- Untangling the Betsy Faria Case
- By: Charles Bosworth, Joel Schwartz
- Narrated by: Gary Bennett
- Length: 11 hrs and 20 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Two days after Christmas, 2011, Russel Faria returned to his Troy, Missouri, home to find his wife, Betsy, dead, a knife still lodged in her neck. She had been stabbed 55 times in a brutal murder that would set off a chain of events leading to one man's wrongful conviction and imprisonment, another man's death, the revelation of a diabolical scheme, and an astounding miscarriage of justice left unresolved for another 10 years.
-
-
One of the Best
- By V. Orner on 03-01-22
By: Charles Bosworth, and others
-
Dopesick
- By: Beth Macy
- Narrated by: Beth Macy
- Length: 10 hrs and 16 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In this extraordinary work, Beth Macy takes us into the epicenter of a national drama that has unfolded over two decades. From the labs and marketing departments of big pharma to local doctor's offices; wealthy suburbs to distressed small communities in Central Appalachia; from distant cities to once-idyllic farm towns; the spread of opioid addiction follows a tortuous trajectory that illustrates how this crisis has persisted for so long and become so firmly entrenched.
-
-
Useful, but recommend Dreamland instead
- By Sarah on 08-27-18
By: Beth Macy
-
Why Should White Guys Have All the Fun?
- How Reginald Lewis Created a Billion-Dollar Business Empire
- By: Reginald F. Lewis, Blair S. Walker
- Narrated by: JD Jackson, Christina Lewis
- Length: 13 hrs and 59 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
When six-year-old Reginald Lewis overheard his grandparents discussing employment discrimination against African Americans, he asked, “Why should white guys have all the fun?" This self-assured child would grow up to become the CEO of Beatrice International and one of the most successful entrepreneurs ever. At the time of his death in 1993, his personal fortune was estimated in excess of $400 million and his vast commercial empire spanned four continents.
-
-
Outstanding- inspiring and instructional
- By Gavin S on 09-15-20
By: Reginald F. Lewis, and others
-
Flying Blind
- The 737 MAX Tragedy and the Fall of Boeing
- By: Peter Robison
- Narrated by: Feodor Chin
- Length: 10 hrs and 45 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Boeing is a century-old titan of industry. It played a major role in the early days of commercial flight, World War II bombing missions, and moon landings. The plane maker remains a cornerstone of the U.S. economy, as well as a linchpin in the awesome routine of modern air travel. But in 2018 and 2019, two crashes of the Boeing 737 MAX 8 killed 346 people. The crashes exposed a shocking pattern of malfeasance, leading to the biggest crisis in the company’s history—and one of the costliest corporate scandals ever.
-
-
(Revised). Missing some, but informative.
- By Amazon Customer on 12-04-21
By: Peter Robison
Critic reviews
“A fast-paced account of the massive college admissions scam devised by Rick Singer...This indictment of contemporary American culture offers an in-depth look at the families who were willing to break the law and ignore ethical principles to provide higher education for their children...A well-researched and detailed picture of a crime emerging in an American culture corrupted by wealth and celebrity.” (Library Journal)
Featured Article: Catch Our Grift with These Tales of Female Frauds, Scammers, and Cons
When it comes to cons of the criminal variety, women often fly under the radar. And when it comes to pulling off high-level, multifaceted schemes, women continue to be underestimated. But with enough confidence to remain undetected, female con artists, fraudsters, and grifters have scammed their way to infamy, racking up dollars, favors, and fame along the way. The stories they leave behind make for some of the most intriguing cases of all time.
What listeners say about Unacceptable
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- EF
- 11-03-20
LOVED IT
The narration was fantastic and the story was well told. The more high profile people were mixed in with others. The story was not told chronologically the whole way through but streamed together stories of different families to help the reader really understand and appreciate the enormity of the scandal.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
1 person found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- TL
- 08-28-20
Riveting, insightful story and a great listen
Unacceptable goes far beyond the headlines to present a riveting and thoughtful account of the motivations, machinations and incentives bubbling beneath the college admissions scandal...and arguably the entire college admissions system.
Unconstrained by newspaper word count, and exhibiting both empathy and scorn, the two journalist-authors present a remarkable array of character portraits detailing the anxieties and social pressures that pulled parents across very fine lines, the toll their efforts took on their children, the economic pressures in academia that encouraged complicity by coaches and administrators, and the nearly diabolical competitiveness that drove the mastermind to exploit these conditions.
Unacceptable is a sprawling, insightful and entertaining window into human nature and the search for certainty. The road to Harvard...or prison...is sometimes paved with the best intentions.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
1 person found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Misterorange
- 04-11-21
Okay Book, Okay Narration
The underlying story itself is interesting. But I felt that the authors lost control of the narrative. Maybe this is understandable, given the scope of the scandal they document here. Regardless, the middle 50% of the book--after the Rick Singer background and before the courtroom phase--was less like a coherent story and more like a series of loosely structured anecdotes. "Here's this person. His job was X. He looked like Y. He did Z." Rinse and repeat. I didn't count, but it felt like there were upwards of 100 characters in this relatively short book--and the only one I really got to know in any depth was Rick Singer. I understand the scandal had a broad scope, but maybe a better approach would have been to focus on just a few bad actors and tell their stories in full.
The narration was fine, but the narrator used the same pattern of intonation over and over again. Eventually it became rhythmic and disengaging--sometimes even irritating. She would say one thing, then she would raise her pitch when she hit a coordinating conjunction or started a new sentence, then lower the pitch again. The overall impression was: "So you might think X... Buuuuuuut really the truth was Y." After a while, I started to feel like I was being talked down to, like a well-intentioned but foolish child. ("So you might think X... Buuuuuuut really the truth was Y [and you're dumb for having thought X to begin with].") This could be attributable more to the writing style than to the narrator, however.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!