“USC has already climbed a lot in the rankings (in part because they heavily game it).”
Yup. Best way to get into USC (without spending big bucks) is to apply as a transfer. Much easier admit standards. And USNWR only measures the credentials of the incoming frosh class. So the transfer students are essentially “off the books” to USNWR.
USC takes LOTS of transfers.
Do we know that all these kids even took the PSAT? Perhaps they were encouraged to skip it and only sit for the fake test- that way no score jump
what is the difference between taking 2 days to take SAT and transcripts padded with all As (inflated )… Cheating is a cheating and it should be punished. Looks like you proved my point … Grade inflation happens !!! @PurpleTitan
I was under the impression that CollegeBoard doesn’t flag increases from PSAT to real SAT…it’s just certain types of increase from SAT to SAT that they are concerned with.
@LisaNCState, oh trust me, I’m quite cynical about college admissions.
Cheating is indeed cheating, but there is no law again grade inflation, and lots of “cheating” (in quotes because they are perfectly legal, if shady) in college admissions isn’t punished.
Same with freshman spring admits, I believe, and they (USC) accept many of them.
@PurpleTitan - glad to hear … I talked about my earlier experiences (chronicled 3 years back) related to “Fake Charity” as well … sometime I feel colleges know what’s going on and they just ignore it as long as money is coming in!!
College should get away with athletic admissions right away but NCAA/College Football is a huge business … not sure its possible …
The non-revenue sports (basically all except football and men’s basketball, and even these two lose money at many or most schools) need to exist at schools in the NCAA conferences by NCAA rules that require 5 (D2 and D3) or 7 (D1) sports of each gender: http://www.ncaa.org/about/who-we-are/membership/divisional-differences-and-history-multidivision-classification .
There are also Title IX issues that colleges have to be concerned about, especially if they have football: http://www.ncaa.org/about/resources/inclusion/title-ix-frequently-asked-questions .
“Northeastern’s coaches weren’t ensnared in this scandal, but someone allegedly paid a quarter of a million dollars to get their kid in. Boggles the mind on oh, so many levels.”
Ok. I was just going by the NYT article.
My son is getting his MBA Certificate at Northeaster - paid in full by his job. 
He’s been very impressed by his Professors and his program. It’s not HBS but still a good program and the price is right. His company is paying for the two other people on him team, too.
Yes, that was before the mid-1990s. Then they wanted to raise their academic profile, so they were offering attractive scholarships to National Merit Finalists (no longer as good now was some years ago, since now they can get strong students to apply without needing as big scholarships to attract them).
But note that now USC has the highest Pell grant student percentage (22%) out of the private schools in the USNWR top 25 list: https://www.usnews.com/best-colleges/rankings/national-universities/economic-diversity-among-top-ranked-schools . Pell grant students are still underrepresented there, but not as much as at other private schools commonly viewed as high ranked.
@LisaNCState, the revenue sports at least make money and (at the top programs), generate excess revenue that goes to fund the academic side.
Singer sure lived up to his surname!
Lori is getting a much bigger bang for her buck than Felicity. Look at how well her daughter has been able to monetize her college experience.
Spring admits, transfers, starting in a foreign country first semester, satellite campus options (I.e. Emory Oxford), guaranteed transfer programs (separate from the excellent CC to Uni programs) are all very common.
All have value to both the student (opportunity versus rejection) and the school (rankings and money)— more importantly both counter parties are fully informed. Also the general public is aware.
NEU USC and BU may be prolific in their use of these tools and potentially helping to inflate their rankings. The schools are still elite, and it’s both legal and bilateral.
It’s so funny. A Harvard degree is actually open to anyone and for far cheaper (Harvard Extension School). Yes, yes, not Harvard College and not the traditional college experience (and you still have to make it through), but if you get a HES degree, at least you would have gotten it honestly.
Some of these have non-rank-gaming uses of balancing fall and spring enrollment (if everyone starts in the fall, fall enrollment is greater, due to those who graduate one semester early or late having one extra fall semester).
Perhaps if the rankers included all matriculants from the frosh admission cycle, including spring admission, first semester abroad, and guaranteed transfer arrangements in their admission stats, that would reduce the rank-gaming use of these programs, but colleges which do them for fall/spring enrollment balancing will still do them.
@PurpleTitan Great point. Same classrooms and access card for the same libraries. Professors are many times the exact same. And I’ve seen the diploma. It just says Harvard University, not the college if I recall, and it was signed by Derek Bok or Larry Summers. Same President as everyone else. Pretty much couldn’t tell the difference.
I think they all get to wear the same sweatshirts around Cambridge too!
The thing that’s so sad is these people have the money to get the best tutors etc for their kids. Getting extended time for ACT is not easy and for everyone given I am sure it is taking away from a kid that “really” needs the extra time.
College admission is a lot like taxes. People will push the rules to the limit and beyond to gain advantage. College admissions has hooks that every student wants to gain an edge. The idea of each hook started with good intentions but over time has been abused. The whole system needs to be rebalanced.
Which brings us back to holistic admissions. Admissions committees should look a the whole applicant and pick select a group that makes a smart, interesting class. Students should be encouraged to be their true 17 year old selves. If a kid says he is about to cure cancer that probably isn’t true. Interviews should be given more importance. That is where the school can really see who the kid really is. We should not foster a culture of victims, but on the other hand we need to recognize that their are some kids that should be helped whether it is because of a legitimate disability, tragedy or a lack of family resources.
Unfortunately there will always be winners and losers. The best we can hope for is fairness and a level playing field for all.
@yellowgranite56, USC has already climbed a lot in the rankings (in part because they heavily game it).
It’s wasn’t all that long ago that everyone knew USC as the U of Spoiled Children and it was known as a school for rich kids who couldn’t get admitted in to a UC.
Was accepted at USC many years ago (Father and Uncle graduated there) but with no scholarship. Could’ve afforded it, but didn’t want to financially burden my father in any way. My older brother had a rough time at USC as well and dropped out (was around the time of the Rodney King riots). Roommate was stealing (he dropped out too) from him/others in a cramped triple dorm room with non-stop partying. Couldn’t sleep at night as a bus bench was right outside their dorm window with homeless causing a racket all night with high crime in the area. No way was I going there!
He preferred I attend any UC School due to the better cost and high quality of education. Was so happy I attended and graduated from UC Riverside! Received a top notch education/college experience there and was the best fit for me and I had a double dorm room a few years to boot!
Drive my car down here in “wealthy” South Orange County California flashing my “UC Riverside Alumni Highlander Pride” license plate holder amongst a sea of “USC Alumni” license plate holders that flaunt wealth, status, and prestige…the things that matter to so many down here to the exclusion of those “other” factors and just laugh knowing I made the right decision and wouldn’t change it for the world!