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What is your reaction to the college admissions cheating scandal?

Fifty people in six states were accused by the Justice Department on Tuesday of taking part in a major college admission scandal. They include Hollywood actresses, business leaders and elite college coaches. On Tuesday, federal prosecutors charged 50 people in a brazen scheme to buy spots in the freshman classes at Yale, Stanford and other big name schools. Have you heard about the scandal yet?
- What is your reaction to the college admissions cheating scandal? Are you surprised that something like this happened in the United States? Why or why not?
- Who do you think should be held responsible for these crimes and how so?
- Do you think the college admissions process is rigged to favor the wealthy? Do you think it is fair? Why or why not?
- What message does this scandal send to high school students who intend to go to college? What is your biggest takeaway from it?
SW-User Best Comment
I've heard about it. Two girls at my school are suing because of it, which is kind of dumb. It isn't something that people didn't already know. The privilege at pretty much every Ivy League is ridiculous. But honestly, if you didn't get in because someone bought your spot, it's because you were already at the bottom of the barrel. I've got friends in every Ivy League, and they're all extremely aware that some people are only there because of their money.

What surprised me is that it went on at Stanford, especially since some of those cases went on years ago, like, before Stanford's acceptance rate got super low. I'm honestly not surprised. Every poor kid knows that shit has been happening. People use their money and their status as legacy students to get in to Ivy Leagues. They tell you straight up that your chances of getting in increase if you're a legacy. It's not a huge secret that if you're a legacy, you're rich. So yeah, it is rigged in favour of people with money, even without the bribing. Rich kids go to better schools, they live in places with more opportunities, they can afford tutors, private lessons, they have pretty much everything while poor, first gen students like myself have to struggle for every single thing. It isn't fair, but there's nothing you can do but fight harder to take your place.

In any case, I think it's fucked up to take a person's degree, even if they've paid to get in. You still have go go through hell to even graduate, lol.

Tbh, i don't think it will do anything to discourage students. If anything, it'll be even more fair now. If you've got the stats, you'll apply. I applied to every Ivy league except Brown because I knew I had a chance. If you know you have a chance, you won't let it stop you. Poor kids know that shit, rich kids know that shit. When you apply to an Ivy, you know that shit is rigged against you. Now it might not be. I think it's more encouraging than anything else.

It's kind of funny. My classmates at Stanford have been sharing memes about this, lol. Everyone is just having a laugh.

I'm going to comment, but with a slightly different take on this. We have a major problem with our educational system in the US, with ridiculously high tuitions pumped up through scholarships as well as a coddled and protected Student Loan industry.

Add these things to millenials becoming politically active and the hatred for the Fox/new Right for intellectuals, academics, science, etc, and I think this little aside, which is mostly just about fraud and racketeering in connection with private and a few elite public schools, will help tee off some bigger educational reforms which go far beyond just the admissions process, the criminal activity and even the income disparity issue.

This part, I think, will be good, in the long run.
4meAndyou · F
I posted a question about it a couple of days ago. I am viscerally disgusted. I think every one of the participants should be jailed. I think that a search should be made to discover who did NOT get in to the colleges involved because of these fraudulent admissions, and I believe they should be given automatic all expense paid admissions to said colleges and universities, paid by the fraudsters.

Sadly, I believe that rich elites everywhere in the world, have used their wealth and influence to buy their children into the most prestigious schools. Usually they buy new buildings, or libraries. The people involved in the present scandal are not considered to be in the same class of wealth...and I suppose you could say they have proved beyond a doubt that they have no class.

I think that all the students who gained admission due to this fraud should be expelled, whether they knew about it or not, and that their parents should be charged with explaining to them WHY they were expelled. THAT would be the ultimate punishment for all of them.
@4meAndyou Sheesh. I'd settle for some of that, but free tuition for everyone else and expelling "innocent" students seems like a bit much.
4meAndyou · F
@MistyCee Well, it probably is a bit much...but I think we need to send a very strong message. The "fraudulent" students will eventually be outed, by the press, when their parents go on trial, and their lives will be ruined.

Even if they were not expelled, the odor will follow them. When they apply for jobs, the HR department will be mentally wondering just how stupid these kids had to have been to cause their parents to buy them into college.

Their lives would be vastly improved by expulsion. They could apply to colleges on their own merit, and they could live their lives without having to wonder what 4.0 athletic genius from a poorer background was denied a chance they had earned by hard work and their own sweat.
@4meAndyou I get your resentment and even share some of it, but punishing the actual bad actors seems more into important and worthwhile, and that includes coaches and others who may not be wealthy or privileged, but nevertheless were part of the criminal enterprise.

I like small calculated cuts, rather than mass beheadings, even of the aristocracy.
GJOFJ3 · 61-69, M
As bad as this is, in the grand scheme of things it has little impact on the average student getting into the college of their choice. This basically is a reflection on the ego of the wealthy elite more than an indictment of higher education
Spokeskitties75 · 46-50, M
When are people going to realize that if it involves dishonesty and large sums of money... the shit is gonna come out!!
ScarletWitch · 31-35, F
Haha suckers
we are so used to corruption it doesn't even surprise me

people have zero integrity
DonaldTrumpet · 70-79, M
FooLZ for GettiNGZ CaugHTZ
DonaldTrumpet · 70-79, M
@MarkPaul ALLegedlYiEZ
MarkPaul · 26-30, M
@DonaldTrumpet The only thing that is alleged when it comes to your fat ass is that you are able to hold up a chocolate layered cake with two scoops of ice cream on a tennis racket with bone spurs.
DonaldTrumpet · 70-79, M
@MarkPaul i KmowZ i IS vERyz TALtenTEDZ ANz U IS sMArtz FOR RECOGNIzINGZ Itz
MethDozer · M
It's kinda like the Harvey Weinstein thing.
It's great that something is being done about it but I also always figured it was "business as usual". So I don't really understand the shock or even the witch hunt out of nowhere. The zero to a hundred in a blink of an eye makes the spider senses tingle for some reason.

 
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