@TatinG
This is hard to ignore. I’ve been bypassing these comments. You think recruited athletes didn’t get admitted based on hard work and intelligence? Especially in non revenue sports? It’s so evident that most people protesting the loudest here want a system geared to their kids specific case. Your kid doesn’t have a LD, do away with more time. Your kid is unathletic, no recruiting. Your kid isn’t disadvantaged, no consideration given to talented students whom are part of a disadvantage group. Your kid isn’t Asian, they should limit the Asian admits. Your kid isn’t an URM, no consideration should be given to them. You people don’t see you want the same exact thing these parents involved in this scam want. That is a system that is geared to getting your child into these coveted schools.
Jack Buckingham’s comment (or, more likely, his media relations specialist’s):
IMHO there’s no way a 17 or 18 year old kid raised in the environment he was would look at it this way. Heck, even a kid who was exceptionally other-focused would not be at a developmental stage where his main thought is how unfair the system is to others. The more likely thought he had is how much he hates his mom for ruining his life. He provided a handwriting sample to his mom to give to the ringleader in the waiting room of a doctor’s office. He took “the ACT” at his home. He’s not very bright if he can’t put 2 and 2 together on this matter.
I would expect that he would be rejected from every school he applies to that requires a standardized test.
On a separate matter, why does the ACT give kids with extended time 3 weeks to take the test (per the wiretapped discussion)? That’s obviously a huge security risk for the content of the test.
As to why bail was set so high for some of the accused, maybe they were considered more of a flight risk than others?
These students need to be expelled or if they graduated, have their degrees revoked.
“This is ridiculous what you just said … This hole must be filled ASAP by SAT/ACT folks right away!”
I think one of the things that will happen as a result of this fiasco is that it will become a lot tougher to get an accommodation. Another result will be admissions applying more scrutiny to recruited athlete admits, particularly in the more obscure sports.
“What this is exposing,” he said of the scandal, “is the steps and the leaps and bounds that wealthy families take to secure a spot that is rightfully no one’s – that they think they have proprietary ownership of.”
What the college cheating scandal says about race…
https://www.cnn.com/2019/03/14/us/college-admission-affirmative-action-race/index.html
My daughter has expressed frustration with classmates getting extra time on ACT/SAT as well as in class tests. Anecdotally, I would guess 15-20% of her class qualifies for these exceptions and many of these kids have gotten 33+ ACT scores as average students (ACT seems more time restrictive so the extra time appears more beneficial) They also get the ability to take tests with significant extra time and over multiple days where they go back and reference notes/books.
The reality is if they aren’t in need of concessions they are only cheating themselves and creating a false sense of reality (for themselves and their parents.) Ultimately, whether in college or in the workforce, there are no more privileges and you are judged on your own merits relative to those around you.
How could Jack Buckingham not know that he registered for the test and didn’t take it on that day? Whatever the explanation is, he doesn’t deserve his acceptance.
This is a crisis of public confidence in college admission process and the penalty for the perpetrators and their beneficiaries has to be severe enough to restore some public confidence. It’s similar to stock inside trading in terms of its effects. Just like in insider trading cases, monetary penalty and jail for the perpetrators are still insufficient. You have to take away something the perpetrators really value and what they commit the crimes for. In this case, it is their kids’ acceptances and/or degrees at those colleges.
My kid got a 25 on the ACT. Three attempts. She attended the free study workshop at our local community center. We don’t have the money for private tutoring. Imagine if she had the resources and opportunities available like those that can afford them? Makes us feel like bad parents. Add that we are in PA where the state related schools (PSU,Pitt and Temple) are $35-37,00/year COA in state . Our options are few.
This system sucks and is propped up by lies and a promise of better job opportunities based upon what school you attend and that is in most cases just another myth.
Looks like this accommodation trick only rich and famous people seems to know. @bester1 - I don’t know about you but I still have nightmares not finishing my SAT lol … I wish I had done accommodation like everyone else LOL
@katliamom :“He came from a public university and was shocked to see a list being circulated among the college’s administrative staff listing names of students who couldn’t be flunked out.”
Where, oh where, is the proper CC link to represent my response to this?
responding to post 1251
I have personal experience how this works. Being a high stats kid increases their value as a recruit, because the team’s average stats for the recruited class has to achieve a certain SAT/ACT score, and then as well the overall athletic dept recruited class has to hit a certain average. Therefore, while it is possible to be a recruited athlete with a 900 SAT if your sport is football or baseketball, if you play a non-revenue sport then your score must be hundreds of points higher.
@bester1 I know how you feel. As a parent we always wonder what might have happened if we had done more or done things differently. But if this whole scandal shows anything, its that unlimited funds and opportunities don’t necessarily translate into higher grades. Otherwise, these parents would not have had to buy grades and bribe coaches. There is also a lot of benefit in facing adversity that these kids have never had to experience. The kids of the wealthy don’t always turn out that well in the end.
@busyparent: “I wish the focus wasn’t so I had on the one actress’s daughter. She might think her life is now over and try to end it.”
While I am not overly focused on that young lady, I am concerned, with each successive moment of this scandal, for the emotional and psychological health of these young people, even those who willingly participated. Young people simply do not always see past the pain and travail of a moment to know that there is life, hope and possibility on the other side.
@LisaNCState …I actually still have nightmares about forgetting my locker combination in HS or forgetting to drop a class before the semester deadline…I really do.
@Cavitee you are only spreading misinformation by stating that kids with documented disabilities taking a test over multiple days can go review notes and reference books. Unless someone is being bribed, for the ACT each section is taken in one sitting. The additional days allow for taking only one section per day so there is no opportunity to go back to questions or benefit from knowing the quesitons and being able to look something up.
@dancer41 that’s in reference to “class tests” not the ACT/SAT.
@GnocchiB depends on the accommodations needed, it takes a long time to take those test in Braille! Accommodations aren’t limited to just to kids with LD sometimes it’s physical or maybe a combination of issues. Not an excuse to game the system but there are reasons why some kids need multiple days to test.
@soccermother - I heard duke does it all the time, they get more kids with 2400 ( or 1600) to get a good avg SAT score to balance athletic recruit.
I am not the least bit envious of people who gamed the system to benefit their children. That isn’t something I aspire to - getting accommodations for extra time on a test is questionable as well. Some truly need it, and some are manipulating the situation. Who cares if they got a higher ACT score because of that? I would rather have a kid with an honest 25 on the ACT who can get admitted and be successful at many schools AND IN LIFE!!! That isn’t failure, that is SUCCESS!
I haven’t been able to read all 1250 posts. This thread moves too fast. But some accommodations allow kids to take their ACT test home for a few days???
This is a problem, no matter how serious the disability.