This month, like countless Americans all over the country, I opened the doors of a new business. I was excited to take my part in the story of the American dream. Since January, I’ve spent several hours obtaining the required state and federal licenses, building a website, writing templates, and preparing for launch.

After six years of doctoral study, and over a decade teaching at the K-12, community college, and university levels, I recognized a major problem. A large number of students did not have the tools necessary to successfully navigate the college search process, and existing higher education consulting services were heavily tilted to the wealthiest Americans. There was a market need for honest, trustworthy, affordable services to help students navigate the admissions process and find the college that was the best fit for them.

The market needed a service that wouldn’t accept kickbacks from universities to push students in their direction, and a service that wouldn’t accept bribes from wealthy parents to engage in fraud. I was excited to fill that market need and provide affordable services to normal American families.

In the “Mission & Purpose” section of my webpage , I wrote, “Independent Education Consultants (IECs) are an option for wealthy Americans, but these services can cost $10,000 (or more) for customized services during the 11th and 12th grade years.”

I knew from my doctoral work in education that the dollar figure was much higher, but I didn’t want to be accused of hyperbole. I thought that no one would believe that parents would spend over $200,000 on consulting services. The wealthiest families treat their kids like academic prizefighters, and hire the Rocky Balboas of education consultants to train them to get into Ivy League schools.

I’m in this field. I know what wealthy parents are willing to spend in order to get their kids into the best schools. New York City’s wealthiest parents even hire consultants to get 3-year-olds into competitive preschools that cost almost $50,000 a year to attend. From potty training to SAT prep courses, wealthy students are coached from cradle to college with the single goal of Ivy League admission.

Even I was shocked at the depths of corruption in the fallout from the FBI’s Operation Varsity Blues .

The services that I mentioned from cradle to college are 100% legal. They’re just astronomically expensive.

Operation Varsity Blues showed Americans that the wealthy weren’t just giving their kids a leg up, they were actively rigging the system and committing felonies to get their kids into college, while spending upwards of $1.2 million in the process.

William Singer is the corrupt consultant at the center of the scandal, who laundered over $25 million through charitable donations to fraudulently gain admission for wealthy students. He often used non-existent athletic credentials to help that corruption, bribing coaches of sailing, crew, and soccer teams to claim that the students in question were elite athletes. Once they got into college, they never showed up to practice.

In the field of higher education management, admissions departments are often referred to as gatekeepers. They provide access and opportunity to students who pass the rigorous admissions standards at major research universities. Mr. Singer referred to his actions as “opening a side door” in the admissions process for his corrupt clients.

In the Middle Ages, spies would sometimes infiltrate enemy towns and castles and open the gates for invading troops, negating the defensive advantages of high walls and towers. Mr. Singer’s corruption is especially heinous, because elite higher education institutions and the wealthiest Americans aren’t enemies.

They’re allies.

The gates are wide open already, and trade is flourishing. Mr. Singer infiltrated the castle of an ally and opened the side door for his clients, just to close the gates and lock them for students who truly deserved admission.

The reason Mr. Singer’s actions have been so shocking and revolting to the American public is that they strike at the very heart of the principles of meritocracy and equality of opportunity. We like to imagine America as a marathon that everyone begins at the same time. From that identical starting point, Americans advance as far as their individual merit and work allow.

Sadly, that’s not the case. The wealthiest Americans began that race as toddlers, while most kids were figuring out how to use the potty. Worse still, even with that huge head start, some families still try to rig the system to provide unfair advantages for their kids.

Reading news of this scandal made me ponder whether to start my business at all. I’d already invested a few thousand dollars to file the paperwork and procure the start-up necessities for my young firm. I’m about to welcome my first child into the world; I could use the supplementary income my business would provide. However, I questioned whether I wanted to work in a field where men like Mr. Singer fleece the public and defile the principles of American democracy for their own corrupt means. After Mr. Singer and his clients sullied the title of higher education consultant, did I really want to put that label on my business card?

After a long reflection on the matter, I believe my business is necessary and will serve the public. Ethical, affordable education consulting is exactly what is needed in an era of corruption. I’ll help normal American families find the best college fit for their kids at a price they can afford. I’ll show them a map with a path to multiple castles, instead of pounding on the door of the fortress that’s closest to home.

For the wealthiest American families, I can offer a kid happiness and peace with their college choice, instead of paying hundreds of thousands of dollars attempting to ram a square peg into a round hole. What’s the use of spending those hours and dollars getting your child into an Ivy League school, if the kid is miserable and doesn’t graduate? For under $500, I can provide your child with a report that would show several options that she might not be aware of. The ROI on my report is likely to be much higher than money spent on an expensive IEC, especially if a kid could be a well-adjusted college graduate instead of an Ivy League drop-out. I’ve read the stats. Most drop-outs don’t turn into Mark Zuckerberg. They default on their student loans since they don’t have the degree to earn the salaries that would give them the capacity to pay their bills.

The college search process is frightening and frustrating. In normal American families, too much of the burden is placed on high school students. They are expected to find their own way to and through the gates of a college, at a time when corrupt families are sneaking their kids through a side door. It is understandable that the response to the present circumstances is outrage and anger.

The system is unfair. However, honest and ethical education professionals are here to help. Don’t lump us all in with criminals like Mr. Singer. If you have any questions about the admissions process, browse my website. Send me an email. Let’s have a conversation. By contacting me or other honest professionals, you can find answers and options instead of frustration.

You don’t have to knock down the gates of a college admissions department or start an expensive siege to gain access to higher education. I can show you a path to the open gates of the college that is the right fit for you, and help you walk right through the front door.

Dr. Rudolph Lurz is a teacher, author, and coach. He received his doctorate in Administrative and Policy Studies from the University of Pittsburgh, with a research concentration in higher education management, political rhetoric, and state government policy formation. He is the founder and CEO of Lurz Education Consulting Services (LECS). He lives in Chicago with his wife and cat.