https://boards.hellobee.com/ Pregnancy, Baby and Parenting blog, by Hellobee en Fri, 22 May 2026 16:45:54 +0000 https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/the-college-admissions-cheating-scandal#post-2876636 Thu, 14 Mar 2019 20:18:11 +0000 Starlamp 2876636@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>(Secondary account here to shield my identity) </p> <p>Through my line of work, I have encountered people who tried to involve me in cheating their way into a top school. I basically told them to eff off, I don’t do that crap. I find it so insulting that anyone would think I would participate (and so weird that they don’t seem ashamed to make the request—that’s rich people for ya!) The rich—they are the ones who feel entitled, and they try to turn the rest of us against each other by “otherizing” groups of people and claiming other groups are entitled. It’s all just to shield their position. </p> <p>Next, how do people respond to my refusal? They just move on saying if I don’t, someone else will (and yeah, they will probably find someone to do the dirty deed). I have informed admissions committees of these cheaters; I have never been told whether my warnings made a difference. </p> <p>I did find out that one of these cheaters got into a different elite school, I presume with a stolen portfolio and ghostwritten essay. It’s sickening. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/the-college-admissions-cheating-scandal#post-2876487 Thu, 14 Mar 2019 08:43:58 +0000 foodiebee 2876487@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Not surprised in the least, still angry about it. The blatant illegality of the efforts sets this apart I think. In the past, I'd hear stories like a wealthy parent going to a fundraising event with the dean and saying something like, "My kid is an incoming freshman, and I hear you need a library funded. So I'll fund your library, and in the future if my kid needs help in any way, I'll send them to you." Not illegal, still quid pro quo.</p> <p>I'm glad people are talking about it. Just because the wealthy wield their money to their own benefit and the detriment of everyone else doesn't mean we shouldn't continue to be outraged by it. That's the only way to move the needle, imo. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/the-college-admissions-cheating-scandal#post-2876403 Wed, 13 Mar 2019 18:14:27 +0000 Portboston 2876403@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@MrsSCB: yes yes yes. This exactly. And at the end of the day, those charged with the crimes in the college admissions scheme will probably get off with a fine and be done with it. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/the-college-admissions-cheating-scandal#post-2876382 Wed, 13 Mar 2019 16:09:09 +0000 Mrsbells 2876382@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I felt surprised and angry but also not that surprised at the same time. We live in a society that likes to pretend that we all have equal opportunities to make it, but we all know that isn't true. Privileges exist and open doors for people. But I was stunned by how deep this went and disgusted that coaches and examiners were in on it. It makes me sad thinking of the deserving people who didnt get the spots they genuinely worked for. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/the-college-admissions-cheating-scandal#post-2876380 Wed, 13 Mar 2019 15:58:30 +0000 pinkcupcake 2876380@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I am so ANGRY and LIVID at this absolutely disgusting abuse of power, wealth, and privilege. There needs to be outrage and the sentence better not be a slap on the wrist. College is huge. It can determine the whole course of a person’s life. How can people get SO outraged at the thought of a single mom possibily “gaming” the system for some free formula but just go tsk, tsk at something like this? (I am not saying anyone here is, just speaking in general terms because this really pisses me off) </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/the-college-admissions-cheating-scandal#post-2876343 Wed, 13 Mar 2019 13:40:26 +0000 Littlebit7 2876343@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I'm not surprised, however my initial thought was "I wonder if their kids know". If your mom or dad said to you "Ok, apply to Harvard and I'll see if I can talk to a friend of mine" to imply that they are going to flex their influential muscles, but instead dropped $6 mil to buy your way in....i don't know. Do you think the kids knew? They must have right? Or perhaps not? If not, how crappy do they feel right now after this hits the press. </p> <p>ETA: reading the comments on this thread from those that read the entire affidavit makes me think some of the kids in fact didn't know. This is just awful all the way around. So many lives ruined, and for what. This entire thing is just crazy, but not surprising. Why didn't they go the old fashioned route of buying a building at the school. (rolling eyes) </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/the-college-admissions-cheating-scandal#post-2876342 Wed, 13 Mar 2019 13:31:02 +0000 JJ2626 2876342@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I’m incredibly angry but not surprised. I also don’t understand-if you have $500K for this, I think if you made a donation to the school your kid would get in anyway. This is honestly just one step beyond donating to get your kid in which is above board but has always made me upset. The whole thing is also so pathetic and such a horrible example of helicopter parenting gone too far. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/the-college-admissions-cheating-scandal#post-2876340 Wed, 13 Mar 2019 13:29:25 +0000 graceandjoy 2876340@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I finished reading almost the whole affidavit. Crazy! </p> <p>I actually feel really bad for the kids that had no idea their parents did this to/for them. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/the-college-admissions-cheating-scandal#post-2876336 Wed, 13 Mar 2019 13:22:52 +0000 Mrs. Lemon-Lime 2876336@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@nwm: the affidavit was interesting.</p> <p>CNN has a clip of Aunt Becky’s kid talking about wanting the college experience but not caring about school. She’s apparently monetized the college experience. </p> <p>Just to think I really thought the elite stayed elite because all of their underlying education and world experience gave them the upper hand. In a way I knew people bought there way into certain situations like buying a building or legacy advantages. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/the-college-admissions-cheating-scandal#post-2876334 Wed, 13 Mar 2019 13:20:51 +0000 MrsSCB 2876334@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Something else to think about related to this--there have been people who have literally gone to prison for providing a false address in order to send their kids to a higher quality public institution. And I'm talking elementary through high school, not college. I'm thinking of a woman who was sentenced to FIVE years a little while ago for sending her kids to school in the district where her father lived, because the schools were safer and better. So part of what annoys me with this, "Eh, not surprised. Next." mentality about this college scheme, is that it seems so dismissive. Yeah, wealthy people use their money and privilege to get ahead. Of course. But let's talk about it! Let's talk about the impact on people who are less well off, and the disparity between how they are treated when they desperately try to seek the minimum of a decent, public K-12 education, rather than just brushing it off like, "rich people being rich people, whatever." </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/the-college-admissions-cheating-scandal#post-2876333 Wed, 13 Mar 2019 13:20:23 +0000 TemperanceBrennan 2876333@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I'm not surprised this was happening, but I guess I'm surprised there was so much effort uncovering these crimes and that it was actually investigated. I think that is at least a bit encouraging that it was brought out in the open and confirmed what most people already "know". </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/the-college-admissions-cheating-scandal#post-2876320 Wed, 13 Mar 2019 12:19:07 +0000 karenbme 2876320@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Anagram: I want to speak specifically to the Buzzfeed piece, because even though people are not surprised what the author describes is not at all common industry-wide. I'm not an admissions counselor, but I work with data primarily for higher ed--admissions, financial aid, and student success--and the vast majority of schools are what's referred to as need-blind, meaning that admissions counselors are specifically barred access to financial aid data and would have no knowledge of whether or not a student is full pay. Need-aware admissions (the reverse of this, what's described in the article) are so rare that there are only two schools I can think of that the author could have worked for (small, northeast, high selectivity, need aware). Further, it's important to remember that, outside the top ~100 schools, most colleges are looking for reasons to admit students, not reasons to deny them. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/the-college-admissions-cheating-scandal#post-2876319 Wed, 13 Mar 2019 12:06:48 +0000 Chuckles 2876319@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@lindseykaye: I think that's the part that struck me the most - that these parents were so concerned about their kids' self-esteem that they hid everything they did so that the kids thought they got in on their own merits. These are kids who weren't even close to elite college level students - their world view must be so skewed. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/the-college-admissions-cheating-scandal#post-2876317 Wed, 13 Mar 2019 11:55:05 +0000 graceandjoy 2876317@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Foodnerd81: There are probably those cases too. Like if the kid took a practice test, and suddenly her score jumped like 400 points at the real thing and that's where the people corrected her answers afterwards, she might have just thought she studied harder and did amazing. </p> <p>The ones that were designated as athletics recruits, there is no way they don't know, esp in Aunt Becky's case, I think they had to tell their daughters what to say if they were ever questioned :meh:</p> <p>In some cases this spilled into have 3rd parties take classes for the students and students using those scores on their applications. That also, they can't not know if you didn't even go to the class! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/the-college-admissions-cheating-scandal#post-2876315 Wed, 13 Mar 2019 11:52:14 +0000 Foodnerd81 2876315@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@graceandjoy: ok I haven’t read through everything and saw some kids who had taken the test, then their parents did whatever to change the scores without telling them. But that’s probably naive or me, because yeah, even if they thought their test scores were high enough, that doesn’t make you a crew team star. No way to trick a kid to believe that. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/the-college-admissions-cheating-scandal#post-2876312 Wed, 13 Mar 2019 11:45:15 +0000 graceandjoy 2876312@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@nwm: Wow I am going to read this on and off today. Craziness. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/the-college-admissions-cheating-scandal#post-2876307 Wed, 13 Mar 2019 11:30:06 +0000 Lindsay05 2876307@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Shocked? No. Surprised? Not at all. This happens in more places than colleges. Completely unfair. It sucks for those who legitimately attended these colleges. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/the-college-admissions-cheating-scandal#post-2876305 Wed, 13 Mar 2019 11:19:20 +0000 MrsSCB 2876305@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Anagram: I'm with you. Am I surprised? No. But that doesn't mean I just sigh and say, "Eh, we all knew this was happening," like it's just a part of life that we all have to accept. Nope, fuck these people. And anyone who complains about affirmative action, while any dumbass rich person can be accepted to whatever college they want, for a wide variety of reasons. I'm not shocked, sure, but I'm still pissed! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/the-college-admissions-cheating-scandal#post-2876304 Wed, 13 Mar 2019 11:14:54 +0000 nwm 2876304@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>If you're as interested in this case as I am, it's pretty fascinating to scroll through the FBI agent affidavit supporting all the indictments because they relate all the wiretapped phone calls, etc.: <a href="https://www.justice.gov/file/1142876/download" rel="nofollow">https://www.justice.gov/file/1142876/download</a></p> <p>So sick of feeling so cynical about everything and wondering how to raise genuinely good people in the current climate. Mrs. Bee's post on raising kids on an island is resonating with me this morning. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/the-college-admissions-cheating-scandal#post-2876302 Wed, 13 Mar 2019 11:05:59 +0000 Mrs. Lemon-Lime 2876302@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I’ll admit it I’m shocked at the level of dishonesty that is pervasive in our society. I’m shocked how brazen the cheating was in itself- taking someone else’s test, photoshopping. In a way I feel like this is going to end up like a bad joke because of the two actresses involved. But, because of them it really puts a familiar face on just who is the rich and powerful class we always talk about. Just to think there was a black girl in the news that was accused of cheating because she studied to improve her SAT scores. Here we have kids from the right zip codes just bypassing the tests altogether. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/the-college-admissions-cheating-scandal#post-2876301 Wed, 13 Mar 2019 11:05:00 +0000 graceandjoy 2876301@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Foodnerd81: I have no idea if any or all of these kids tried their best and thought their hard work got them in or not, so I def cannot and should not judge them. But worse, if they knew (I mean, how do you not know if you went in as a crew recruit and you don't row... And how you didn't take the SAT/ACT but your scores appear on your apps, etc), then it's just ingraining the mentality of money can buy everything, you don't need to work hard? </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/the-college-admissions-cheating-scandal#post-2876295 Wed, 13 Mar 2019 10:57:49 +0000 Foodnerd81 2876295@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I agree that I’m not terribly surprised. Surprised that it was done in such a large coordinated way and that it’s been caught and prosecuted, yes, but I pretty much assumed there were kids out there who had people take their SATs for them and write college essays and such. This is just next level. </p> <p>@graceandjoy: what do you mean it sets up these kids in the worst way? The students who didn’t know their parents had cheated to get them in? I actually think it would be WORSE if they knew. At least they thought they had to work hard to get in, they just were tricked into thinking their hard work was enough. Better than going into it like I don’t don’t need to work hard, daddy will just buy me admission to college. And post college, these same parents who cheated into college will be happy to trade favors with their wealthy buddies to give each other’s kids jobs after making them “interview” for them. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/the-college-admissions-cheating-scandal#post-2876275 Wed, 13 Mar 2019 09:02:20 +0000 Anagram 2876275@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Mrs. Turtle: yes, there are have been numerous lawsuits to try to take down affirmative action--but there's way less outrage about the methods (both the legal and the illegal) the rich use. It's like Americans are just resigned to it all. So they focus on the low hanging fruit.</p> <p>Why are we all okay with the rich or legacies being given admission priority, but not okay with first-gen students or students from underrepresented minorities? (I'm using "we" to mean, general american society). It's pretty sick.</p> <p>I guess I am surprised at the both the cheating AND the general apathy from the public when hearing about it.</p> <p>It's Paul Manafort/Jussie Smollett all over again--the selective outrage that out of scale to the crime. There are people that go to jail for posession of marijuana for longer than Manafort. I know these issues aren't related on the surface--but they are. The average american is continuously being lied to-- we're all playing on an uneven playing field, and yet, somehow.....a giant swath of the american public believes the people with the advantages are the ones to put their trust in to make things better. :bummed: </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/the-college-admissions-cheating-scandal#post-2876271 Wed, 13 Mar 2019 08:45:37 +0000 graceandjoy 2876271@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Not surprised/shocked, definitely enraged as well that this is what it comes down to. It 100% sets these kids up in the worse way possible for the rest of their lives. I mean, maybe some will redeem themselves but I'm not God. I'm just super disappointed. Things like these just perpetuate everything these same people claim to want to fight against... </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/the-college-admissions-cheating-scandal#post-2876270 Wed, 13 Mar 2019 08:45:16 +0000 Mrs. Turtle 2876270@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I just keep thinking about all of the kids of color whose legitimacy and right to be at these colleges is constantly questioned. And then this. But I'm not surprised. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/the-college-admissions-cheating-scandal#post-2876269 Wed, 13 Mar 2019 08:42:16 +0000 periwinklebee 2876269@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I work in higher ed and work a lot with undergrads at a very good university. There are clearly lots of problems, and not things to be minimized. Expanding access is something I devote a lot of energy to. But importantly, it's not so bad as you'd think just from reading about this case - the media sensationalizes things, and kids who get in via cheating or parents making massive donations are by far the exception. The vast majority of students are super smart, motivated, and more than capable of doing the work. Access to test prep courses and expensive extracurriculars is part of the issue. Problems in college admission rubrics are part of the issue. But the biggest thing is huge variation in resources and quality across elementary and secondary schools (and even things like access to early childhood education) that we see in the U.S., which is pretty unprecedented in the rest of the developed world... </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/the-college-admissions-cheating-scandal#post-2876267 Wed, 13 Mar 2019 08:34:38 +0000 lindseykaye 2876267@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I'm both not surprised and shocked at the same time. Gaming the system has been happening a loooong time for the wealthy, but legally! Like mentioned above - buying a building or donating to a program or scholarship fund or whatever and getting your kid into the school they wouldn't otherwise gain admission to feels like something we all knew was happening.<br /> But man, I feel for the kids who had no idea they didn't actually earn their place at these colleges. Those who were genuinely proud of the test scores they thought they earned and of their resulting admission. That's gotta sting to now know that your parents didn't think you would do well enough on your own and committed fraud on your behalf. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/the-college-admissions-cheating-scandal#post-2876266 Wed, 13 Mar 2019 08:29:57 +0000 Madison43 2876266@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I’m fascinated by it, and sort of amused that Aunt Becky was arrested by the FBI but not at all surprised. This is par for the course for elite universities (elite anything) and the mega rich. It’s gross but not shocking to me. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/the-college-admissions-cheating-scandal#post-2876265 Wed, 13 Mar 2019 08:21:55 +0000 jape14 2876265@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I work in higher education (on the research side) at an elite private university - and although some of the methods were not what I would have expected (fake photos), on the whole I'm not at all surprised. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/the-college-admissions-cheating-scandal#post-2876264 Wed, 13 Mar 2019 08:16:11 +0000 cake2017 2876264@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Unfortunately, I am not surprised. There’s so much that is happening wealthy or not and many people get away with it. It’s very sad. </p>