@TatinG same with lacrosse. And aren’t our kids already being told to watch what they put on social media? Admissions is checking social media but not athletes status?
@TomSrOfBoston No. Many of the Class of XX Discussion threads have had more in a 24 hour period around decision day. But this is is possibly the most posts in the initial 24 hour period of thread creation.
@LisaNCState -Kids can be tested for LDs in their school- no need for private evaluations.
I wonder what will happen with the handful that are applying in this current cycle. Will acceptances be pulled?
This goes wayyy beyond being a legacy/donating a building to get your kid in. We all know that power/money = access, but this takes it to a whole new level. I’ve read many of the details from multiple sources - some highlights:
- positioning an applicant as an athlete for a sport he/she isn't at a level that is being reported;
- positioning an applicant as an athlete for a sport he/she doesn't actually play;
- positioning an applicant as an athlete for a sport that not only does he/she not play, it is not even offered at the high school;
- either the discussion of or actually photoshopping an applicant into sports photos;
- SAT/ACT scores changed by someone on the administration side;
- SAT/ACT tests taken by someone not the applicant;
- SAT/ACT tests taken by the applicant with someone sitting next to them and feeding them the answers during the test.
The thing that struck me is the language some of these parents used: “we” need to get into this school, “we” need a better test score, etc. These parents are SO invested in the prestige their kids bring them through the school they go to. I know it doesn’t take a millionaire or a celebrity to have this kind of overinvestment, but not allowing your child to own their future is not good parenting, period. This is terrible for:
- the kids of these parents: the parents didn't care or believe in them enough to allow them to pursue schools suited to their academic abilities and goals (if they even WANTED to go to college in the first place). It was all about how the prestige of the school reflected on the parents.
- the kids who didn't get accepted: a more qualified applicant who could have taken that spot and been more successful and happier to be there. The college acceptance process feels even more like "the fix is in".
- all of the kids currently attending the schools in question: there will be that lingering question employers and others may ask themselves - who did your parents pay off to get you in? This is unfair, because I like to believe that most acceptances are based on truly qualified applicants, but the stigma might still be there.
This is not how we supposedly do higher education in this country.
From the beginning I’ve said it is obvious many kids knew, but definitely not all of them. I think it is unfair to throw up “my kid would never…” please, give it a rest. Yes, you’re kid is beyond reproach, we get it.
There are examples of kids who got to college and questioned why they were getting emails to report to track or soccer practice. Kids who went to take the test, saw the adjusted score and were proud because they didn’t know it was doctored. Rich or not, that’s gotta hurt. It doesn’t make them stupid .
@CFandango students who are ill or have a conflict take an alternate AP about 2 weeks later with entirely new questions.
Not too, too unpopular - you got five “agrees” and a “like”. (Including from me.)
@CFandango:
“I’m starting to feel like what’s the point of my kids ever trying for any kind of elite school if many of the students were prepped beyond belief and had their applications curated by professionals, or even resorted to cheating?”
That’s why I feel that you (and everyone) should concentrate more on (the tougher task of) getting your kids to examine what does it mean to be a good person and to live a good life, what goals do you need to reach to do so and how to reach those goals.
@anon145 Exactly! The current system is 100% institutional benefit. The public relations aspect is not a side thing, it’s the main thing. Keep most people mostly happy and keep the money flowing in.
I’m thinking that transparency with the process should also include some kind of database where you could look up a current or former student and see their complete application to that school including essay and why they were admitted (e.g., admitted due to athletic performance). It would make it easier to prove veracity.
I think many of us went through this realization. Honestly, if you are White or Asian and unhooked (no legacy, not first generation, not an athlete, etc) you are probably better off not getting your heart set on an “elite” school, if by that you mean an IVY or equivalent. The statistics for unhooked applicants are dismal. On the other hand, high stats and great accomplishments can still give your child wonderful opportunities in all the many excellent schools throughout the country. Top 50 ranked schools are quite achievable with hard work. The real problem is that some kids grow up thinking, “I’m gonna go to Harvard!” and it just isn’t realistic.
I was reading an article about celebrities’ reactions to this scandal and I kind of liked this one – 
@STEM2017 & @damon30 :
It’s more like roughly 100 kids a year per class per school and the lowest price is probably half a mil (though that may only be a tip; enough only to push an average excellent 99th percentile kid over the line).
@STEM2017 or those assistants were paid off too.
My Facebook friends are really blowing up over this. Because it hits their unconnected, middle class kids hard. Whoever said ‘the fix is in’ is right. People want to believe that intelligence and hard work will get them into college. People don’t want special advantages based on wealth, privilege, race, or special treatment of any kind. (The proposition ending race-based admissions in California public universities is still popular in this ultra liberal state).
But it’s the colleges that are getting the scorn. They claim to be the victims, but it’s their squishy admissions apparatus that makes schemes like this possible.
Colleges encourage the unfairness by hooking certain sports that middle class and poor kids have no opportunity to play. They advantage the wealthy by hooking kids who did ‘charity work’ overseas, places where middle class kids can’t afford to go. They sometimes require letters of recommendation and those with letters from connected people get an advantage. They give a boost to alumni who have given ‘donations’ to the college. The college recruiters come to expensive private schools for their presentations, not the public schools where students might need financial aid.
So the average person feels like they’ve been rooked again by the elite.
The kind of SES “diversity” at super selective colleges means that the rich and top edge of the self described “middle class” (i.e. top 3% income/wealth or so to be full pay, with the plutocrat level overrepresented within this group) make up half of the students, while the bottom 97% or so (on financial aid because they cannot afford $70,000 per year) make up the other half (and the bottom 50% on Pell Grant are underrepresented in this group).
Perhaps the rich want to meet someone from a middle or lower income family, but do not want to be surrounded by them.
I do find the pro-bribery apologias amusing (“but it’s for a good cause!”)
If you wanted to use the rich to fund poor deserving kids, you could just advocate for taxing the rich to provide free college education for all.
@PurpleTitan Why should Yale look like Caltech? Obviously, I’m not in favor of cheating, but what does that have to do with a student wanting a diverse campus filled with kids with different backgrounds, interests, and experiences. We already have Caltech and MIT. Whats wrong with also having Yale, Sarah Lawrence and Oberlin?
One of my daughters is in a field where she could have chosen a conservatory, but chose a full university (Not any of the mentioned schools) because she didn’t want to be surrounded by only people like herself. Its been a great experience.
@PurpleTitan More often than not taxes collections for a dedicated cause end up being "reallocated’ to the latest “priority”.