Why is anyone shocked this is going on. Heck I think it is just the tip of the iceberg. These folks with mega bucks are willing pay to get what they want. When it comes to their kids they are willing to pay the premium to get what they want. Most of these schools involved in this scandal got a piece of the pie so they willing to keep the apple cart steady. Anyone who thinks this is a isolated incident is really blind to how things work. Everything has a price and if your willing to pay for it you can get what want. These kids just listened to their parents when they told then we will handle everything. Their parents are movers and shakers so they know how the game is played.
@“Cardinal Fang” Thanks for the clarification, I agree with that though I’m not sure how many lower level schools would want to admit someone that was involved in this even if the kid had no knowledge of what the parent had done. I would think their would always be some lingering doubt? But I could be wrong, I’m just a parent and have very limited knowledge about college admissions. Maybe a religious college that wants to practice forgiveness would be their best bet?
@emilybee – good for your son to have a subsidized Master’s! I don’t mean to belittle Northeastern (my own daughter graduated from there and the school did very well by her) but its current high profile is sort of funny considering not so long ago it really didn’t have much reason to register on anyone’s radar. That’s what a boat load of money and savvy top administration will do.
Colleges know their brand is enhanced for many people by landing the kid of a celebrity or high profile wealthy person. This is going to get wild!
Open admission community college?
USC used to be the University of Spoiled Children (or the University of $ and cents) but there is no reason that in due time it can’t become as important as Stanford. And in many ways, it already is.
I think a lot of these kinds of elite privates cater to mediocre rich kids (with or without complicit parents, lol) and true academic talent which feeds the school’s academic reputation. We can all grumble about it, but a smart balance of the two is how Harvard became HARVARD, Stanford became something other than the school that took in Cal’s rejects (kidding, folks) and USC became a major academic/professional power house. This balancing act is as American as apple pie.
@privatebanker : " …satellite campus options (I.e. Emory Oxford)…"
There is a long-standing tension between students who start out at Oxford and then move over to the Atlanta campus (Emory) regarding the perception that Oxford students are second-tier in the admissions and acceptance process.
Even the tours of the campuses - at one time separate, independent institutions - highlight the unique, distinct role which Oxford plays in the dual campus community of what is now Emory, and Emory at Oxford. That role, it is stated, is not that Oxford is a second-choice/second-slate/second-tier campus of Emory, but one where students who prefer a smaller campus community and a more personal and intense professor-to-student working relationship may find that.
@damon30 , thanks for reprinting that. Definitely enlightening.
@menloparkmom , a lot of people are going to be unfairly tarnished by this, sadly. USC kids are one bracket. The kids of wealthy children who are decent people and while advantaged, don’t cheat are others. (Yes, not all rich parents and their kids are entitled cheats.)
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Has there been any mention of the college board voiding all the scores of the kids involved in fraudulent exams, btw?
No worries, I didn’t take it way. I knew what you meant.
@Waiting2exhale No doubt. Not saying any of these options are not elite.
Just the opposite.
But they are options and not as traditional, entered to willingly as you mention. And people choose them for good reasons.
But it’s not a completely stand alone option. I believe you apply to can apply to one or both. You don’t get to choose which one after acceptance? Or has that changed?
And it certainly helps Emory too with the extra income from that campus and filling dorms in year three when kids travel abroad. It’s mutually beneficial.
I don’t know how it effects their rankings. Do they combine both campuses in one composite for usnwr ?
I don’t know and it doesn’t really matter. I would send my student there in a heartbeat. It was just a quick detour from the thread and I would gladly like to help steer back.
Shame on the College Board. We put this much significance in the hands of a private company and they have no controls. They should require multiple people in every room. It is much harder to get three people in on illegal activity. Allowing one person to consistently proctor a room is crazy. Mix it up and put in some controls. They have way too much to lose, and they need to lose their power.
Only about 24 some odd sports programs earn a surplus. Most of that goes back into the (non-revenue) sports program (and help reduce student athletic fees). Rarely, a sports program will give a small amount back to the University. More likely, profits are used to fund additional scholarships (in the non-revenue sports) and capital projects (and pay debt, for those capital projects).
There is a layer that I don’t understand.
How did this group guarantee who the proctors were going to be for the students? The school where the tests are held certifies and assigns the proctors…and there is no guarantee that proctor A will be assigned to student A.
How did that proctor assignment get made?
@TatinG said:
Does anyone seriously think Lori Loughlin-tiny, beautiful, talented, famous-will go to prison??? No way that happens.
At my son’s proctor site it is always the same people. They work at the school so they sign up to get the “job” to proctor. The proctor was part of the scheme. So the proctor signs up to work that day and the school is happy they do not have to worry about it. The proctor is experienced and the school is happy to have it covered.
Some schools see sports revenue in terms of donations and development. It’s hard to quantify the value of “The Game” at HY or boosters/alumni donors after Auburn/Clemson games etc. not just ticket prices. But school merch etc.
There is more to the economics than just team profitability at stake. Or they would have scrapped it years ago. Most of the faculty and ao teams could probably care less.
^^I agree. No chance!
This has to be a CC record, 536 posts in about 12 hrs!
@privatebanker: “But it’s not a completely stand alone option. I believe you apply to can apply to one or both. You don’t get to choose which one after acceptance? Or has that changed?”
Yes, the students who are accepted at both campuses get to choose which to attend.
I thought I’d take this moment to make the mention, as I’d inferred the earlier comment to b something of a ‘if you can’t get into your first choice, then…’ And I agree, they are fine institutions.
So, what are the implications of today’s news? Does something change for the better? Will it be more of the same after this news cycle dies down? Will the colleges do things differently? My guess - it’s the tip of the iceberg as others have said. I personally believe that the college admissions madness is out of control. Perhaps this will slow it down a little.