My younger brother's exam scores were poor, but Dad promised a spot at Sunshine University. He was shocked to be admitted.

Dad always claimed he had a connection in the admissions office at Sunshine University.

My younger brother, Gavin, barely scraped by with a GPA that would get him into a third-rate college. But Dad insisted Gavin should apply to Sunshine University, the best university, saying his "connection" could pull some strings.

As someone who worked in the local education department, I thought Dad’s plan sounded ridiculous. Connections like that rarely worked the way people thought.