Feds uncover large-scale college entrance exam cheating plot

[tcf15]

Feds uncover large-scale college entrance exam cheating plot
A large-scale scheme to cheat on college entrance exams has been busted by the FBI and federal prosecutors in Boston, according to court documents unsealed Tuesday.

The alleged scheme focused on getting students admitted to elite universities as recruited athletes, regardless of their athletic abilities, and helping potential students cheat on their college exams, according to the indictment.

The plot involved students who attended or were seeking to attend Georgetown University, Stanford University, UCLA, the University of San Diego, USC, University of Texas, Wake Forest, and Yale, according to federal prosecutors.

 

[UofCT]

Duke....UNC....

 

[tcf15]

So doesn't seem like this is CBB related, just rich people offering bribes to get their kids into school: Felicity Huffman, Lori Loughlin among actresses, CEOs charged in alleged college admissions scam

 

[upstater]

So doesn't seem like this is CBB related, just rich people offering bribes to get their kids into school: Felicity Huffman, Lori Loughlin among actresses, CEOs charged in alleged college admissions scam

It is sports related for minor sports. Crew is listed in the article. Crew coaches were paid off.

You also have SAT administrators in on the scam.

 

[auror]

"The bribes ranged from a few thousand dollars to up to 6 million, according to officials. The charging documents, unsealed in Boston federal court, are more than 200 pages long. "

6 million? How dumb was the kid? Can't you just build a building on campus with your name on it for that amount?

 

[huskymedic]

 

[UCDaveD]

The documents say the Loughlin and her husband "agreed to pay bribes totaling $500,000 in exchange for having their two daughters designated as recruits to the USC crew team -- despite the fact that they did not participate in crew -- thereby facilitating their admission to USC."

First of all, Aunt Becky how could you?
Second, your kids couldn't get in to freaking USC on their own? Maybe college just isn't for them.

 

[HawkHusky]

 

[Chuck]

I don't have the time to read into this latest scandal, but I really do fear my kids' ability to get into good schools. College seems to have gotten so crazy competitive. Heck, my kids are doing more work in middle school than I did in high school. The super wealthy will buy their kids' admission (as always), but even that seems to be getting more complicated! We're doing fine, but I don't have the cash to endow a chair, and my kids don't check off any special boxes to give them a bump. Oh well, I guess the world needs ditch diggers too (Smails, Judge, 1980).

 

[J187Money]

I don't have the time to read into this latest scandal, but I really do fear my kids' ability to get into good schools. College seems to have gotten so crazy competitive. Heck, my kids are doing more work in middle school than I did in high school. The super wealthy will buy their kids' admission (as always), but even that seems to be getting more complicated! We're doing fine, but I don't have the cash to endow a chair, and my kids don't check off any special boxes to give them a bump. Oh well, I guess the world needs ditch diggers too (Smails, Judge, 1980).

Define "good schools" - I'm a huge believer that undergraduate school (unless you have very specific intentions (Wall Street / Top Law Schools / etc) is largely a commodity - and that any good student can get into a "good" school, even if they don't get into the one they wanted.

 

[Tenspro2002]

Define "good schools" - I'm a huge believer that undergraduate school (unless you have very specific intentions (Wall Street / Top Law Schools / etc) is largely a commodity - and that any good student can get into a "good" school, even if they don't get into the one they wanted.

Most of the time, unless you're going to a truly elite institution (Ivy, MIT/Caltech, Stanford, top liberal arts colleges), it's more worthwhile to go to a state school and get into their honors program than to go to a second-tier private school.

Committing fraud to try to get into Yale? OK, I can see that. Wake Forest? lol

 

[gtcam]

Rudy Meredith is a really good soccer coach - why he got involved in this is beyond my belief but if there's money involved, people do crazy things

 

[superjohn]

6 million? How dumb was the kid? Can't you just build a building on campus with your name on it for that amount?

Seriously, have none of these people heard of Thornton Melon?

 

[Hey Adrien!]

No kids yet, but living in Norwalk, surrounded by these wealthy towns, my perception of college has changed.

If my kid ends up being handy, I will shoe them in the "don't go to college, get a trade, work hard, be a good person and make more bank than your parents who have masters degrees" direction.

 

[Chuck]

Define "good schools" - I'm a huge believer that undergraduate school (unless you have very specific intentions (Wall Street / Top Law Schools / etc) is largely a commodity - and that any good student can get into a "good" school, even if they don't get into the one they wanted.

We may sidetrack this thread, but I've come to agree with you. In fact, I think that kids will do fine at a "good school" (non-elite) even with specific intentions you mentioned in your post. I went to two good, not elite, public universities. It may have been a bit harder, but I've done fine and had opportunities to do even better had I wanted. Some of my worst employees have gone to elite schools.

I should qualify what I meant by "good schools." I was being a bit dramatic. I was really referring to elite schools. I am surprised how tough schools have gotten across the board. It seems to have trickled down from the elite to other schools that I'm shocked have become so difficult to get into.

I, like many parents, started by wanting my kids to get into an elite school. I wanted the best for them, and I'm sure some of it was my pride/ego. I'd still love for that to happen, if it works out for them. I'm not going to stop them from trying to do their best, and I'll prod them if I don't feel they are working hard enough, but I won't get obsessed and I don't want them to work themselves into oblivion. I have friends that disagree with me. They are driving their kids hard. It's costing them a lot of money and I hope their kids don't burn out.

 

[Chin Diesel]

No kids yet, but living in Norwalk, surrounded by these wealthy towns, my perception of college has changed.

If my kid ends up being handy, I will shoe them in the "don't go to college, get a trade, work hard, be a good person and make more bank than your parents who have masters degrees" direction.[/QUOTE]

Dealing with this trade off right now. Son is interested in joining military right out of high school. I'd prefer he start off in college, and if that doesn't work, the recruiters are always there.

The immediate benefit is no college debt, a salary, healthcare, 4 weeks paid vacation, 401k enrollment and GI Bill to pay for college.

Statistically you are still better off earning a degree for long-term income and stability.

Skilled trades can easily pay in the $40-$70 an hour range which, depending on where you live, can put you in the fat part of the middle class curve.

 

[Lynyrd]

Good thing I have no money ... I have 3 dummies that I would have easily forked over the cash to get them into Yale and out of my house.

 

[jibsey]

It helps to have someone inside at SAT and ACT to change your score I guess. I coulda been a Rhodes scholar.

 

[upstater]

Rudy Meredith is a really good soccer coach - why he got involved in this is beyond my belief but if there's money involved, people do crazy things

Seems he made $1.2 million + on this racket.

There has been an increasing push against the admissions leniency associated with athletics at schools like the Ivys and some of the liberal arts colleges. This is just going to ramp up the oversight even more.

 

[businesslawyer]

First of all, Aunt Becky how could you?
Second, your kids couldn't get in to freaking USC on their own? Maybe college just isn't for them.

USC is not easy to get into these days.

 

[businesslawyer]

Seems he made $1.2 million + on this racket.

There has been an increasing push against the admissions leniency associated with athletics at schools like the Ivys and some of the liberal arts colleges. This is just going to ramp up the oversight even more.

That doesn't begin to describe what this is going to cost Yale and the others. I don't see anything in the articles that makes me thing the universities did anything criminally, but what is the defense to the class action suit against Yale (and the others) on behalf of everyone who paid to get their applications reviewed and considered without being informed that university employees were accepting bribes to fill some of the slots? This is going to spawn mammoth amounts of non-frivolous litigation.

 

[Bezzz]

If my kid ends up being handy, I will shoe them in the "don't go to college, get a trade, work hard, be a good person and make more bank than your parents who have masters degrees" direction.

As I went off to architecture school my grandfather told me I should get a good job instead, like plumbing.

 

[Excalibur]

Define "good schools" - I'm a huge believer that undergraduate school (unless you have very specific intentions (Wall Street / Top Law Schools / etc) is largely a commodity - and that any good student can get into a "good" school, even if they don't get into the one they wanted.

Been saying this for years.

Additionally, depending on how young your kids are, school enrollments are shrinking. The nutty selectiveness will start to reverse itself.

 

[uconngb]

First of all, Aunt Becky how could you?
Second, your kids couldn't get in to freaking USC on their own? Maybe college just isn't for them.

I can tell you from experience that getting into USC these days is just as hard as getting into Duke, Vanderbilt, Stanford, etc. My daughter applied last year. They accepted 6,000 kids from over 50,000 applications. The average placement on the standardized tests of their accepted students was 98th percentile..........yes, you read that right. My daughter was 93rd percentile........she didn't have a chance. Also have to be a straight A student and apparently have to know somebody or bribe somebody. My daughter was crushed she didn't get in. I hope that anyone that tried doing an end-around and got caught gets some kind of serious punishment. Anyone who knows will tell you that getting those rejection letters just flat out SUCKS.

 

[Dream Jobbed 2.0]

I guess they’ll have to go to Felicity Huffman’s Booty Academy.