I think that the student cheating scandal is an awful thing. There are kids in the world working so many hours of their lives trying to study to become their best self. Whilst there are people who think that they can pay off collages and their kid will get in and have not done any work? If people think this is ok then there must be something that we have done wrong in this world. It’s not right and it’s ridiculous.
@Madison
I wholeheartedly agree. If parents can buy their child into a Ivory League / Big name school but their kid can't legitimately get in is sad. Sad that they feel entitled to a good school. It's also disappointing that sports coaches agreed to help get them in, that they aren't paid enough so they accept the bribes. This whole scandal brings up a huge list of issues. I could write several essays on them. I also feel that trying to pay your way in and getting caught that there should be some jail time involved.
The college admissions scandal is absurd. I am Hispanic, and to see other students who have the same ethnic background or other POC stay up late studying for an exam or go above and beyond with extra curricular activities, and not get accepted into well known schools is upsetting. A majority of POC are already at a disadvantage, and students who are primarily white and wealthy are handed an acceptance letter from USC, Yale, etc. only confirms the corruption in the admissions office. What truly surprised me was the amount of money given to whomever to allow someone's child to be on a team or receive a high score on a test. This only adds on to the fact that no matter how hard a student may work or how many extra curricular activities they participate in, their spot can be taken by someone who is simply wealthier. In all honesty, I am not surprised at this scandal. The United States is a world in which the white and wealthy are superior, therefore anyone who is less affluent and/or apart of the POC community, will have to work harder, and a majority of the time the spot in that college or university is not promised.
In Korea, university is like everything of life..
So, when a admission scandal broke out we all got mad and sometimes, take a skeptical approach to our education...
It's a really sad story...
Corrupt admissions to elite schools has and will continue to exist so long as there are people wealthy enough to make these schools profit by accepting their children. Maybe everyone would be better off if instead of being a largely hidden system, this became open. 5 percent of the class openings could be sold to the highest bidder. One Chinese family was wiling willing to pay 1.5 million to get their daughter into Stanford, don't forget. Then this money could be used to directly subsidize the tuition of the remaining 95 percent of the class. Gone would be the absurdly high yearly tuitions of $45,000 and higher to attend these schools.
A lot more exceptional and diverse students would apply to these schools, knowing they wouldn't incur a llifetime of debt or consume their parent's lifetime savings.
As for the 5 percent who didn't get in by merit? They're still there, regardless. But instead of benefitting the other students, they're now benefitting the corrupt administrators, coaches, and teachers.
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Among Chinese parents and kids, it's widely known that you can pay to get into many "brand-name" colleges. I know a few who discuss about guaranteed admission to the UC Irvine or top Canadian schools. The student who has F's on his transcript just got into top Canadian schools mentions how it is easier to cheat his way into Canadian schools. The Chinese agencies are fully experienced and most of these students find an alternative way to cheat. Why risk so much to hire someone to take your SAT when there are other means. The rich Americans getting caught is one thing. But a complete lack of respect for the US by the middle class and wealty Chinese students is frustrating. It's almost as if college admissions want to not know about it (maybe because they are full-pay) and US citizens are afraid talking about it for it may be accused as bias. If you work with Chinese students/parents for a number of years, you know cheating and "getting ahead" is considered "smart" in their contemporary culture.
This kind of favours and kickbacks and donations and lobbying etc has been going on from the beginning of time; and the rich and the connected will always find new ways to discover how to cut the line. And those sanctimonious people who think that its unfair; they too would do the same if they had the resources or friends in the right places.
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I think its a terrible thing that is happening at all. I think its unfair that some kids work their butt off and study every day and then these kids just get in because their parents paid someone to get them in. I think that its not right and ridiculous.
It’s a shame that cheating in college admissions is happening at all, but it’s also a shame just how many students have no idea of this possibility. It leaves them unaware that they may have lost the chance to enter the college they have prepared years for to an undeserving student with parents that have a couple hundred thousand lying loose around the house.
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In my opioun i think that its a shame becasue people who do this dont become succesful in life like not finding a good job, not getting a proper education and people who do this are cheaters and they cant become winners because of what they have done and in America its soil of equal and winners and its not a land of outcomes of when people do the wrong and the bad. I belive that people who work and try in school,sports,and activites they should be the people with a greater life and becoming someone succesful.
I have mixed feelings about this topic. Part of me thinks that it's unfair for these kids to get into schools based on their parents wealth, I think that it's unfair to the kids who study hard to get into schools like Stanford or Yale. The other part of me thinks that life's not fair and people should use whatever means necessary to ensure the best for their kids, even if it means elbowing others out of the way.
@River Morrow
I agree with you on what you said about how it is not right on how others study hard hoping to get in college but I disagree with you on how you think that it’s okay for parents to get do whatever is means necessary while harming others in the way to get their child to succeed. Yes
, parents should want the best for their children but there's a certain extent to things. People have to face challenges just like others do. This is hurting the kids that studied hard to get in college but it's also affecting the kids who are getting into college because of their parents bribery. It’s teaching them to not be independent and always rely on others. This is also creating an issue as well. So I don't believe that people should do whatever is necessary for their children even if it means harming others. We would be just as bad as them. That is just increasing the issue and making it seem like its okay when it’s not.
It's a real shame. Such a shame.
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my opinion on the cheating scandal is that is ridiculous. If my family had that much money, my parents would still make me work for everything. they wouldn't just hand me everything on a platter. also I think that the parents are trying to live vicariously through their kids. they want their name at Yale, Stanford, or other elite schools.
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The college admissions scandal illuminates the inequalities that exist in the “land of opportunity.” It necessitates a discussion that runs deeper than college admissions. Although parents, faculty, and institutions involved are most responsible for this scheme, the college admissions system is also to blame because it commodifies education and students. College admissions have become a game for the rich to play at the expense of deserving but less privileged students. In this academic doping, we— students, parents, and institutions— all lose because it threatens the values America stands for.
The scheme trivializes hard work, justice, and liberty. It hurts students who are admitted to elite institutions based on merit and prevents qualified individuals from attending them. When parents become the drivers of their children’s lives, children lose their freedom and autonomy, which blurs the concept of fairness. In so doing, they create a culture of apathy. Settling for mediocrity and accepting complacency did not make America great. Why do that now?
This scandal undermines integrity, a pillar of American values. Inequality brings society down; we all lose in the game that only few of us can play. The systems and culture that allow privilege to silence integrity need questioning. This scandal is a call for discussion among people of all backgrounds to address the inequality that exists in society today.
I believe this is the single stupidest thing anyone could do America is the land of equal opportunity not the land of equal outcome.
There is a Latin proverb that states “Fortune favors the bold!” However, in the United States of America it might be said that in reality, “Fortune favors the wealthy!” This can be seen in the current state of college admissions. The recent cheating scandal which led to the indictment of 50 individuals has highlighted this problem. Well I do think that bribing coaches, and paying someone to correct SAT score is wrong, what about Jared Kushner? His father made a a $2.5 million donation just as he was applying. Although he didn’t directly pay for his son Jared to get in, that large donation had some influence on his acceptance.
I do not find it surprising that something like this would happen in the United States. For a long time the wealthy have had a big advantage in many ways. They can afford private schools, tutors, and coaches to make sure their child is succeeding. The wealthy have always had a big advantage over middle class throughout the years. To be honest I really don’t know what should be done. I think the schools involved should definitely expel the students, or should re evaluate their applications. I think that taking away from another students well earned spot was wrong.
I don’t think cheating is ever the answer to anything. No matter how big or small. The spots these students got into the school were wrongfully earned. These parents are teaching their children that cheating the system just because you have money is okay.
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I was not surprised even in the slightest when I found out about this scandal. It has always been clear that in a country that touts equal opportunity for all, the ultra-wealthy have an obvious advantage. Multi-millionaires & billionaires are able to “get ahead” in all parts of life, such as education, through financial bribes. This scandal also highlights how merit is not always rewarded, and that most of the time, money is more powerful than any real talent a student may possess when it comes to admission into a college. It also shows how rigged our economy & education systems are in favor of the rich, seldom allowing lower-class individuals to thrive here. The scandal disgusts me, but no part of it is in any way shocking.
I believe that the college scandal isn't fair because it isn't okay for people with money to buy their opportunity's. Life is different for everybody. Some might have it easy, others might have it hard. However there are people in this world who try their hardest in order to succeed. Others have the money and think its gonna get them through everything in life. For a parent to buy a spot on a sports team for their child, and take someone else's spot is just wrong. As well as faking a learning disability, to make sure you get a good score on you're SAT and ACT test. I feel like those with privilege don't really try because they know that one way or another they are gonna be able to buy their opportunity's somewhere. While others are trying their hardest to do work and want to be able to reach their goal. It's sad to think that it can take years for someone to reach what they really want, and for certain others with privilege it takes them at most a few weeks to get into a college their parents paid for them to get into.
I believe that this is catastrophic disaster because this changed innocent student lives. For example basketball stars like rj bared, would not go to duke because someone payed to get in. This can risk a persons career and can risk there future for a better life. I think its crazy how people fake having learning disability in order to cheat and get a good test score.When actual people try there best to achieve an accomplishment. This shows that people are working super hard to get to college but get kicked out by someone who is lazy and rich.This is super bad and we should be more aware of rich peoples privileges.
This college scandal does not upset me, it enlightens me that the rich have gotten caught and it opens the worlds eyes that the truth will always come out eventually. It shouldn't be a new surprise to the world that people's dreams or achievements and goals they want to accomplish are taken away by the rich, overpowered, and privileged people. The ones who used their power to cheat their way around the system are just disappointing themselves. It proves to them they can not get anywhere in life without putting effort in. It is embarrassing for the parents to be a role model to their own children. They are teaching them you can always cheat through life and to take advantage. Yet, that is not the proper way. It is a shame how they is numerous students aiming their way into college since they have worked very hard and deserve it. When their is others, who do not put any effort in. How will they succeed in life when they have the driven mindset that life will be easy, when it isn't?
This brazen scheme of manipulating college entrance exams with wealth and power degrades the heart of the American dream; by having the audacity to cheat through bribery and lies, these parents damage the liability and merit of elite schools and other universities. Students should have an incentive to work hard and achieve their desired goals, not leisurely buy their way in with no effort. Not only do wealthy and privileged students and parents defeat the purpose of academic merit and ambition, their thoughtless actions can potentially affect the future of more qualified students who may lose their spot in these schools. For example, Stanford student Erica Olson claimed to have been guaranteed a fair admissions consideration process when she applied with “success in athletics and stellar scores on standardized admissions tests,” according to People magazine. Her admission was denied, which later brought question to other qualified students denied admission after the cheating scandal broke out. While wealthy and privileged families take advantage of the college admissions system, injustice is being brought upon deserving students who strive to work hard toward desired careers; this highly unfair treatment may influence us into a society that values money and personal gain over integrity and hard work.
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I believe that the college scandal is unfair for the students that have worked hard to go to college. Just for some non smart rich kid could take that away. I wonder what they would have done if they were not rich and if someone was taking their chance to go to college.
The college sandal is unfair, because privilege parents are buying their children into colleges that don't work hard for. Unlike other children that work hard, don't get accepted. The privilege people who don't play sports or who don't wanna go are talking peoples in sports. Another fact that is unfair is that the parents with a lot of money get to bail themselves out of jail. Another reason whys is wrong is how they get in trouble and they makes themselves and the schools they were in make it look bad.
I believe that you shouldn't be in college just Because they pay there way in to college or that they photo shop pictures to make it seem that they are professional at sports when there not. And Especially If the Daughter daughters of Lori loughlins don't even care about school. And whats even worst is that she only wanted to go to that college was to go to the football games and the parties. It's unfair because someone else could of have that college spot. I believe that they should be more than just being charged money. And It sucks how there are some people in this world who get what they want from buying there way in or out.
It is unfair that many Teens are getting accepted to college by cheating while lots of people try really hard to get into college . Rich can afford to cheat for their son or daughter and poor parents don't have that opportunity for their son or daughter . I am really shocked because these parents who's son or daughter are cheating are paying people to help them pass for college while parents are struggling with that money in order to pay for their kids college . I think these people who were passed by cheating should be kicked out immediately .
It surprises me that some people actually pay others to lie about an education. I think that its unfair that people work hard for a education and they wish for a spot in college and they cant get it because someone that cheated already got it. The parents were wealthy and thought the daughter was gonna like it, but she didn't care, she used the money for a bad purpose.
It is unfair that many teens are getting accepted to college's by cheating while lots of people try really hard to get into college . Rich parents can afford to cheat and poor parents don't have that opportunity . I am really shocked because these parent's who's son or daughter are cheating are paying people to help there son or daughter pass for college while other parent's are struggling with that money . I think these people who were passed into college should be kicked out immediately .
I believe the college admission scandals is unfair because the daughter of Lori Loughlin went to the college only to party their and other activities with no interest in learning. While other people. could of a been accepted and earn a scholarship to go to school. Instead of earning It. Lori Loughlin bribed her daughter in to the school. The college Admission cheating scandal send's a message to students In High school to not cheat their way in u have to earn it.
I'm very shocked of what happened in the pass week. I can't believe that someone would have the audacity and nerve to go to a high ranking college, what embarrassment for a college and for rich famous people.What a shame famously college would accept a bribe in that such sorts.This scandal was very tragic to the students that actually have been hard working.Some of the students that can't afford to the college and they actually deserve it. What a shame that some people can't be privileged and taking away opportunities from other people.This scandal overall was horrible and also a little bit of mockery to the other students and people. This makes me nervous to apply to this college,what a shame.
I find this whole college scandal situation outrages. Students work very hard just to make sure they have the requirements to get accepted to their dream college. I have seen part of the process of trying to get accepted,its very stressful and exhausting. Colleges like a well rounded person which means you have a better chance to get in if your involved in clubs,sports or even a job and still maintain perfect attendance and grades this will be a big advantage. Lets say you just graduated from high school, you have always maintained a perfect GPA,attendances, and you play many sports and you also have a job,you have just finished applying to your dream college.its been months you just revived a letter back you got rejected because of lack of space there is a big possibility some kids lied about their grades and being involved in extra things. How would you feel if you had your dreams taken away from you from somebody who doesn't deserve it.
I feel that the college scheme is unfair.! One reason I believe that it is unfair because a lot of people work hard to try to get a scholar ship and just buy their way into college. One example of that is when some people bribe the coaches and athletic officials. and the college couches say I need the this kid on my team. But then the person who actually plays the sport doesn't get into the team or get a scholarship if they are good enough.and worked hard for it.
I feel like this is unfair because not a lot of people have the opportunity to go to college. Its unfair because so many students did so much to get into college and then get that opportunity taken away because of another student's parent who bribed coaches to put their kid in the team even though they don't play at all. This scandal makes me nervous because I will be applying to college and knowing that this is happening I fear that my spot will be taken away unfairly. I think the parents should be responsible because they are the ones who bribed the person and they should have known that what they were doing was wrong.
I feel mad but not surprised because rich white people are privileged. The reason i am mad is because Loughlin and her daughter Olivia Jade took opportunities from other children.For example by them paying the coach 50,000 to say he desperately needed their kid on the soccer team. And to that's straight up wrong because she didn't earn it. On the other hand I'm not surprised because it ain't the first time someone white paid their way into the game.
Its unfair because rich people can get away with this just because they have money. It also surprises me because people work so hard to try to go to college while others just cheat their way in . Teachers should not be bribed . Now because of this students had lost the opportunity to go to college . This shouldn't be happening no more . People who cheat their way in to college because of their money do no deserve to go to college.
I believe that the college scheme is unfair because one reason why i feel that theirs a lot of people working very hard and theirs people that just pay there way up on to a college. One example is that when people fail they start to bribe people so they bribe the coaches, and the coaches go and say oh we need this kid we need him on the team. But then the kid who go for the try out's and do everything but they do not get accepted to the team and they won't get that full scholar ship.
my reaction to collage admissions is shocked becuse of what are these people doing to get a better test score . I feel that people should just study and people that are studying are trying . Its not fair for them beacuse they barley make money and cant afford to pay people off.
It's definitely unfair that this happened and many chances were lost because of this. Honest working people lost their chance because of wealthy people. What could have been going through their mind when they performed this act? I feel sorry for the people who didn't get in because of these people. People with many ruin chances because they are selfish and only love their things. I feel like they can be so selfish with money that they sometimes don't even want to spend it.
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I believe that this is unfair because everyone deserves to have equal rights even if your poor or rich.Everyone should have the same rights in the process of getting accepted to a college. I think that college scandal is unfair because people cheat to make their own way in.In addition other students could've been achieving and working towards their college acceptance but instead student that don't really care about school are getting accepted,because their parents paid for it.These wealthy people that are cheating there way in and cheating a less fortunate student chance of being successful in their life.
It's unfair that Lori Loughlin and Felicity Huffman and other people get to pay for there entrance for their kids. I am shocked that a students works really hard for a spot. This is a crime because college is a work that you need to work hard and earn things. The parents should pay for there consequences because it's right thing to do. My thoughts is that rich people are taking advantage of college because they have money to pay people and the poor people take time, and work hard. The parents deserve to go to jail, also the kids because they knew and they kept going.
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I believe the college scandal is unfair because people cheated their way into school, while other students are working hard to get into college based on their merits. People who didn't get accepted and worked so hard to get into school deserved that spot. What I don't get is that why would parents do this for there kids. They should have the ability to get into school them selves.
I strongly think the college scandal is unfair to people who only got accepted to colleges for those who cheated and bribing without even trying. This is absolutely unacceptable because it makes me frustrated hearing that rich people buying there way into college and taking the others person spot for after they work so hard on. In my opinion it is really unfair because for me, I work really hard on my work to be ready for college unlike cheaters they don't even try. People who do this do not understand the responsibility of college at all.Its upsetting to me and others out there hearing that students in college try so hard to get in college. And others who are rich were able to pay college to get in and cheat like, that's messed up, to be honest it's again totally not fair.
This is disappointing and horrible, not only to me but to many students who have tried their hardest to get into that school. With all the time and work they have gave, gone because of a student who DOESN'T even want to go to school and for classes and just going for fun, taking the spot. Its crazy how far these parents will go for their kids, and I don't know if its to make their family look good or to just spoil their kids, but its very ridiculous. Wasting their money for something that isn't even used correctly. People should know how the game is played. they can't cheat their way by paying to the top. It makes people feel horrible about themselves. By their intelligence and even the amount of money they have. They have to stop using their money as an advantage, actually doing the work and putting some sweat into it.
I believe that the college scandal is unfair because rich people can buy opportunities. While other people who actually try and work for their chance don't get that opportunity. Because wealthy people pay fro SAT's and ACT test so they can go to good colleges and universities. But other kids who actually want to go to good colleges and universities often don't get that chance because wealthy parents pay students to help them get into good colleges. Like faking a learning disability so they can get the answers correct on a test. It sucks because kids who actually been studying extra hard and get rejected from a college they've been wanting to go to since thy were young has been thrown out the window just like that
It surprises me that people cheated their way in and were accepted into college. Many students work hard to get into college yet their chance was taken away by rich kids that didn't even have to lift a finger to get accepted. All of this is the wealthy being more favored than the poor, not only making it unfair but also disappointing. Then again, this has always happened, the wealthy always seem to have things better than the poor who usually get things worse. It is a terrible thing for many trying to get into college especially when each opportunity they have is taken from them.
1
its unfair that they get Away with them caring about school but they just come for party or other stuff and their wealthy parents have to pay for their college.
It makes me feel sick to think about this scandal. I understand as a kid who just went through the college admission process that you agree to do anything to get into your dream college. However, for most students, "doing anything" means staying up late working on homework, studying for days to ace the big test, and writing essays for many many months that you believe will impress the admissions office. It stinks that even with all that hard work, your well-deserved spot may be taken by someone with enough privilege to pay their way into the school.
Evan as awful as that is, the most disgusting thing to me about this scandal was that the parents were willing to do this for their children. Parents are supposed to be the control when it comes to kids' id-driven motivations. However, these parents encouraged the cheating process. I do not care how much money the family has, a parent should never condone cheating the system to get to the top even if they have all the means to do so.
I think that while these people were doing this they may have thought it was a good thing for their kid and that it wouldn't hurt anyone. Although in reality, they deprived tons of ACTUALLY DESERVING kids from getting into the schools of their dreams, and they set a precedent for wealthy parents, basically meaning some wealthy parents now think they are invincible, because they like to think money controls everything. The fact that they were even able to get away with this for a short period of time, makes me loose all my faith in the educational system. Everyone I know (including me) has worked our butts just to get into major state universities, let alone an ivy league school. This makes me feel like all of the hard work I have put in during my high school years, in order to get into the college of my dreams, now means nothing because there are always going to be other people who are able to pay their way into/out of everything.
I believe that it is unfair because people actually took some time out of their day to study and to go to college and for them to loose the spot and chance to someone who paid their way and cheated.People who paid are getting nothing from doing that but they still do it any way.Its sad knowing that someone who wants to go to college to learn lost the chance to someone who doesn't even care at all and for them to go party and waste time.But then one day someone realized and told the admission and all the people are getting arrested and paying for the consequence.Even celebrities are doing it but just because you're rich doesn't mean you can do whatever you want after all money doesn't buy everything,I would be really sad and mad if someone paid to take my place. And I believe that the people who lost a great chance should get a second chance.Cheating makes you look bad so just take your time and study like everyone else .
I think the college scandal is unfair.The main thing that makes it unfair is the fact that various kids didn't get accepted to college when they got a spot on the team for a certain sport.They were replaced by people who don't even play sports. I think that since they cheated on their test it makes things worse.Those other who got their spots taken could've had a chance to do something good in their life, but instead they were replaced with people that don't care and were there for parties and "the college" experience. I feel like cheating their way in wasn't going to get them anywhere. People that got into college know how much time and hard work it takes to get accepted.It's disappointing to see that people got in so easy without putting in any work or effort.
Its unfair that rich people can just buy there way into college.It is crushing others dreams because they actually try their whole lives to get the oppurtunity.Some people just bought there way in to that oppurtunit.An example is that they would pay the coaches to make it look like if they got the talent to be in that sport.If i was put in that position of the person who got kicked of the team I would have been mad and would probably yell at the coach. That's why my opinion on the scam is it should be banned and people who did it should get a punishment for what they did.
It’s truly sad that people can pay their way through life. It’s very unfair to people that work really hard. If you think about it, it’s really not the people with money’s fault it’s the people accepting the money. Of course if you have money your gonna spend it and also if you have a lot of it your gonna try to use it to get stuff not everybody can have. The rich parents that are being blamed should not be getting trashed. Of course when someone offers you a lot of money you don’t wanna turn it down but at the same time the people accepting this money is playing a bigger role in this illegal activity then the rich parents. That’s just my opinion.
This scandal shows that you don’t have to work for anything if you have enough money. College is a thing where the best students that work the hardest are supposed to get in, not the students with the richest parents. It’s not fair to the students that had to actually work to get into the college.
If people can get into colleges, whether legally or illegally, just by emptying your bank account, then what is the point of even having application forms or requirements? How can people who work hard their entire schooling career stand out to big, ivy league universities if there are others throwing in millions of dollars just to get accepted? The idea that students can ride into the best colleges because of their wealthy background corrupts the system for everyone else. It can’t be seen as fair to anyone.
I think after reading this article, I am and am not surprised by what these adults are doing. I feel like I could see parents doing this, even though it’s not the right thing to do. Many parents will pay for their children to do things that the child may not even deserve. I think the most shocking thing in the article I found was students were getting into a college through sports. I could see parents paying their child into a high college for an education, but I was surprised to see parents pay their child into a school through sports. I am not surprised this happened in the United States. I’m sure that many more parents are paying their children into high colleges still. I’m not surprised by this because many parents will pay their children into high college schools so that the child can look good when they go get a job. I think that the parents and teachers that got the child into the school should be the ones that get charged. I believe that if the student that got into the school is still in school, they should then get kicked out of the school.
I believe the college is unfair because its a bunch of privileged people who bribed their way into college, instead of working their way in. Doing this caused Teens to lose important opportunities that could've impacted their life's. This frustrates me because imagine being good at a certain sport and out of nowhere you lose that chance but someone steals your spot even though they have no experience. Then only to figure out the only reason you didn't get that spot was because that person bribed the coach. Which brings me to the case of Olivia Jade Giannull, one of the students who got recruited in a crew team, only because her parents paid the coach a total of $500,000 to get her daughter in the team. Even though she has never had experience in a crew team. This whole scandal disappoints me.
It sure takes a lot of hard work to get into college. The thought of it is so overwhelming. SATS, college applications, and extracurricular activities are just some of the tasks I know I will have to tackle. When I heard about this new cheating scandal I got really upset. So many students work hard their entire school life in order to get into the college of their dreams. While wealthy, privileged, high-society kids get to go to that same school without having to put forth any effort or hard work, because their parents cheat the system. According to Olive Jade (one of the students involved in the scandal), she just wanted to go to college to “party”. I think "snow-plowing" parents are bad in general. I think kids have to know what it is like to fail or make mistakes, so that they can learn how to fix them, and make them better. If our parents cheat and buy our way through everything, how can we grow and flourish. Children need to learn real life skills. By doing basic everyday tasks and working hard students will become more successful. For example, I do my own laundry and I make my own lunch for school everyday. My parents aren’t trying to punish me, they just want me to be better prepared for college and living alone. These little tasks have taught me to be more self sufficient. Parents need to be involved in their child's’ life, but they also need to give them room to grow. If they were meant to go to a prestigious college then they will have worked hard to get there.
I think that this whole scandal is ridiculous and that it's unfair to many people that didn't get their chance in college because someone paid their way in. In a way the thought of someone taking advantage of someone less fortunate is not shocking to the world or society. It's not right that people who work their way in and really try their best are being denied their right to their education. They really have a nerve to let someone go who has the knowledge but then accept someone who just has money and wealth. It's just terrible that this situation is happening in which people lose their spot in their college and loose their opportunity that leads to their future. What if that's the case when I apply for college and I couldn't be accepted because someone privileged enough to bribe someone with money.
fter reading this article I think what's happening is so unfair. There students that work really hard to get into a collage that they probably dreamed going there one day. but on the other hand you have these students who their parents just practically bribe the collages so there children can get in. its sad because you have there hard working students that really want to get into probably the colleges of their dream and it seems unfair how you have also these students that do not have so much passion to study at this collage. but also for the students who parents paid to get them there i don't think it would be fair to them also because if they didn't pass the test that’s gets them into college can they actually pass the classes thats are probably are going to be hard? I think that everyone should have an equally shot at getting into colleges because truly is is unfair
This scandal was terrible, people that dedicated their lives to their dream college, knowing that their chance was taken by a spoiled, lazy and corrupt person that didn't put half of the efforts to be accepted fairly. Parents taking advantage on their wealth to spoil these kids even more, and give them examples of how corrupt and dirty they are.
I believe that this scandal was a terrible act. Hardworking students dont deserve this because they work hard to get in these good universites. Rich parents are taking advantage of their wealth to cheat in their kids in good universites. I think the teachers/coaches should be responsible for this situtation, not only the parents. I believe its not just the parents because some techers/coaches took part in this, because instead of reporting the rich parents of their actions they also contributed by helping their kids getting in without any hardwork. I just think its unfair for the hardworking students, but not only them their parents too, they also worked hard to help their kid or kids get in a good university and knowing that this happened, i just think its unfair. And they still thought that was a good action to make, did they not know that there was or could have been a possibility that these would come out sooner or later to the public by someone?
The college scandal is very unfair for people who deserve a spot in that college . But it's not surprising rich people are using there money to cheat and lie there way in. This makes me sad because this means any person that has money can take away an opportunity of a life time . For the privilege little kids it's just going to another school. This makes me feel unsettling because my family has to save a lot of money ,for me to go to a good school. The sad part is I don't think the people that cheated don't feel bad . Because They still go to party's and travel all over the world.
I think it's unfair that people of higher class think they can just throw money at people and get what they want because some families can't even afford to send their kids to colleges that they have been accepted by on their own. Being able to have everything you need and want is more than anyone can ask for. But taking other peoples dreams that they have worked hard for is just unforgiving. Some people think about what college and university they wanna strive for at a young age. It becomes a dream but they can't always afford such an opportunity. With all that work and dedication just thrown away in the trash because some stuck up rich kids' parent made a few phone calls to take their well deserving spot just because they want to attend parties as well as games. It's not right and I know for a fact I am not the only person to stand for it. College is an experience but it's also somewhere to help you find an amazing career you enjoy and make a living the way you want. Some people can't afford an education from the very beginning and have to get a job to support themselves as well as their future families so they can have such an opportunity. This isn't entirely everyones fault. But college shouldn't be so hard to attend. If your gonna use all that money to get your kid into college that you can get arrested for along with your child getting kicked out. Do something helpful by donating it to people who need it for tuition to the college they got excepted to with their talents.
what I have noticed is that a lot of people here tend to think that it is the students fault. In reality, a lot of the students had no idea that they were in fact, involved in this scheme. However, the ones that were involved are taking away chances from my peers and I, some of which work very hard to get to where they are, but still do not get into colleges. Near by me, I know of two girls who "cheated". One of which, deserves what is coming to her, and knew about it. The other, had no idea. She was the nicest girl, and she was so passionate about school. She cared for many people. Now, her life is ruined. If I were you, I would stop and think about the toll you have on these kids. YOU, are ruining their life. Take it out on the parents, not the kids.
I feel like this is pure stupid..... Nothing other than stupid.
It's unfair that there are parents paying people and colleges to get their kids in. I feel that this is horrible because there are people that work hard to keep their grades up and people that wake up every day for sports practice, just for someone to get accepted because of money. This leads to the hard-working kids not being accepted because of the rich kid. This makes me feel like no matter how hard you work rich people will always have an advantage.
I believe that it is really unfair that not all individuals get the opportunity to get into a college regularly. It is unfair because they got into college by bribing the coaches and by taking pictures pretending they played sports. It surprises me because not all people have the opportunity to get into a college regularly and they have to keep doing many applications until they get accepted to a university. I feel like it is unfair because they paid coaches to get their kids into a college when their are other kids that can have an opportunity to get into a college. I am shocked because they also cheated on their test pretending they got a good scores when they could've shown how smart they actually are instead of paying people to put fake scores. This is why I think the scandal is unfair because other people can't get into a college regularly and show what they are worth.
I think that colleges should just state real facts because thats the main reason why people why apply because of how good the school is so they can see if they want to go there or not.
Why is it that there is a possibility for wealthy families to be able to buy their way into their kids future.It is disappointing to know that those who work very hard or have been through a lot to be able to pursue their dream can be taken away and replaced to someone who is not willing to learn.And yet to know that someone is capable of doing that is disgusting .It hurts even more because im someone who is working very hard at basketball.Its my dream to be a professional Athlete and go to USC. It really is shocking that the various amount of kids have been replaced.As much as i care about my future no others future should be thrown away.Overall its frustrating because i dont have privileges as others and me working to be good at basketball and go to college and to feel overwhelmed that i can be denied and someone taking my spot. IT IS UNFAIR.
i believe that the college cheating scandal is unfair because is showing that rich people can buy happiness.Because the parents of some students are bribing people to let there kids get in to colleges that some people worked hard to get in to.I dont really think its fair because they rich people are taking advantage of there money and some unfortanute people are having to work really hard to become sucsessful amd some people are ust buying there way.
@michael
I completely agree. What does it say about our society that people who work hard to get to where they want to be in life are trumped by the wealthy. Children are told from a young age that hard work is all that is necessary in order to achieve a goal, but obviously, as demonstrated by this scandal, that is not the case. We would love to believe that the world is a meritocracy, but unfortunately, we are often the furthest thing from it.
I believe that this is unfair to hard working, earning students because whether we are rich, poor or in between, we should always work hard to earn what we want or want to get. I know for a fact that people might feel the same because at some point in life we fail and succeed, get rejected or accepted. But will always be hard working and never give up, so why can't others see that? I think these people should take responsibility for taking away a chance of a spot in college of the hard working students and should stop using their money for stuff like this, and should use it for better reasons.
I believe that the college admission scandal is very unfair to all the students who worked very hard just to try to get into a school. I am shocked that even some of the college athletic coaches from the schools were involved in the situation. It's unfair that "the student weren't aware that their parents were lying to get them into school", though I am pretty sure that they were very aware. I also feel like those students should also be punished because how did they enter the school without knowing how they got in? I feel like nowadays parents that have tons of money think they could cheat their way into getting their kids into good schools. I believe that the students and their parents should've thought about the consequences before they even did it.
On Saturday March 16th Erin Foster --the daughter of Canadian producer and musician David Foster--posted a screenshot on Instagram of a text her father sent her. In the screenshot David appears to have said "Thank god you didn't want to go to college- I'd be in jail right now!!". It appears that most people would agree that "cheating your way" into college in both unfair and unjustified. And I can see why, from a students perspective I would be very upset if my spot in the "school of my dreams" was taken by somebody who didn't earn it and was simply born into a wealthier family. Although it appears that David Foster's message to his daughter was supposed to be a joke- I think it opens up a new perspective into the situation. I began to question if I were in the same spot of these parents and were able to give my kids the best possible education (even if they didn't earn it) if I would too "cheat my way" into college. And I probably would, I think that a may of these celebrities have the mindset that because they earned their money why can't they use it to their and their kids advantage.
I believe that it is unfair that fact that students that have money think they can buy their eay into college and not even trying because they know are rich.They aren't commited on doing it the right way like everyone else that has been truly trying and commited into going to class and doing everything correctly.To become successful and and get a better life and to not struggle.So them wanting to cheat and the coaches agreeing on getting the money is so unfair for everyone that has been trying and are actually good at the sport.Things shouldn't be this way for the rich people in allowing them to do this.Them having this makes the rich untouchable because all they want to do is slove everything with money instead in going through the struggle.I feel very upset at all of this because I have family who went\go to college that actually try and did everything to become successful and doing it in the correct way.
I believe the college students that paid for their acceptance should be kicked out of universities and colleges. They should be taken to jail because it is a crime, what they did, stealing someone else's opportunity who tried to earn an acceptance. The rich can pay their way into success. The other kids that could've made it should've been given full scholarships to the school. This can really mess with someone else's life. The parents that paid for these admittance should be charged and pay for their actions.
@Erick
I like your thinking on what should be done to the famous people, parents, kids, teachers. Because it shows that money can mess with the human brain, and that it can not buy your way into every success.
@Erick
I fully agree with your statement because this scandal is just used to keep the high-class and middle-class in their places. That’s not how colleges or even other schools should work, everyone should have an equal chance to get acceptance and not just have the lucky kids pay their way in.
@Erick I totally agree with you. Middle-class and poor students worked their butts off to get even an opportunity to try to get to these colleges and to not even get a chance because of rich parents paying off people to get their children in is disgusting. These parents and people that were bribed should be put in jail or pay a fee for what they’ve done to the people who never have the opportunity of attending top colleges because of these rich parents.
I feel upset that people with a lot of money are buying their way into colleges and taking away the spot form other students that truly worked hard and truly deserved the spot in the school. I am shocked that they would go as far as paying someone else to pretend to be them to take a test. I would think that because they are rich they would pay for good tutors so that they would be able to pass the test.I think that it's completely unfair for a school to dismiss a student that has been training and practicing for a big portion of their life for a student that has more money to offer a college. As someone who will be applying to colleges it makes me scared and nervous that even if I work hard and do good in school and the tests it will still not be enough to get me into the school because someone with more money will take my spot. I also think it's inappropriate and unfair to fake a disability to get help because people around the world have to deal with actual problems that come with being disabled and other people have to take the test with no help. My biggest takeaway from this is that normal people now have a smaller chance to go to college because people with money will be taking their spots even if they don't deserve it.
@Ariana I agree with all the points you made, but I would like to point out to you the fact that it took this long for the scandal to be uncovered. There are people in the government being paid to take care of this type of issue, as well as other athletes that can clearly see that other students that are depicted as "prestigious" in a sport must have seen what was going on. This is especially obvious in team-sports. I could be incorrect, but I believe that the majority of this scandal took was in lacrosse, which relies heavily on cooperation.
@Ariana I completely agree with this. There are so many people across the world who work hard to get into a good college. When people get into college due to outside connections and wealth, they may not deserve to go to that college or university. This is not true in all cases, but clearly in this one that is the situation. I also find this concerning as someone who will be applying to colleges soon. Many people my age are already concerned that they will not get into their desired college. The standards are set very high already and, depending on where you apply to, it can be difficult to even be accepted into college. Many students looking to apply to college worry about their grades and extracurricular activities throughout high school and it consumes most of their four-year experience in high school. So if someone can go through high school not worrying about these things and still manage to get into a prestigious school due to wealth, what does that say about how colleges evaluate applications?
@Ariana I completely agree with your points. It is not fair that people, who have worked hard their entire lives in sports will not get into college so someone who's parents make a lot of money can. The reason that they don't just hire tutors is because it's the easy way out. It is easier for the kids, who have taken everything for granted and never studied an ounce in their life to just have someone else take the test for them, rather than study like crazy to get an okay score.
My guess is that some of the coaches that are taking the bribes realize that they will never be able to get the athletic talent in their sport for their school. Because of this, they do not receive as much funding as other schools, and that is why they take the bribes to place someone who has no athletic ability on their team.
It is very inappropriate and disgusting to fake a disability to be able to cheat on a test. I agree that they should have more respect to the people who have to deal with that on a daily basis. I am glad that they are cracking down on this problem before I get to college because hopefully some of these problems will be gone and people who have worked hard and deserve to be admitted to these schools get in.
Its unfair because people work their butts off to get good grades to go to college. And try so hard tests and study so hard for act or sat. And lot of people try hard to go on sports teams and do not make it. On other hand people from rich family's pay their way to colleges. These kids did not even try to get good grades in school because knowing that they are going to college know matter what and some even have fake credentials. 50 people took part of this scheme they are either cheating on standardizing tests. Don't get me wrong some probably did not even know, but no doubt that most of these students knew. I kind of seem a little bit mad because it sure seems that most white people bought their way through these good colleges and my parents were trying hard at the time just so they could go to college, and not knowing some were paying their way in is upsetting.
@Robert
I totally agree with you. I would be extremely upset myself if someone who didn't work very hard and got in to college because they had fake credentials and I didn't even get in, yet I worked really hard in school and got good grades. Also, why would people want to do this. Ultimately, it will feel better to work your hardest and earn that spot in that college rather than get in with fake credentials. These people should be kicked out of the school.
@Robert
I completely agree with your assessment of the recent college scandal. The abuse of power, especially by white American celebrities, is absolutely appalling. Not only did these parents enable their children to be failures but they also stripped deserving students and families of opportunities. For many American families, scholarships for both academic achievements and athletic ability is a gateway to a new life. However, the lives of countless people have been altered beyond repair.
Additionally, the fact that a parent faked their child's disability is enraging. It is detrimental to that child and is a mockery of the handicapped community. Like you said, I also find it hard to believe that the children did not know their tests were doctored. Overall, this scandal represents the tragic demise of values in some portions of the world.
@Robert I agree. Many people work really hard through out their high school careers to get into a good school that they could afford. But when the school does something like this. It would be rather discouraging for everyone
It surprises me that people already know that they are rich and still take advantage of the lower class and whom struggle and get paid less. Do to this happening my reaction was what the heck, rich people do this, not saying all, but when finding out or hearing about this I compared this to what happened to my dad. My dad crossed the border, came to live with his step dad and didn't know about college until his step-brother started applying. My dad was made fun of his indigenous way of life, had a difficult up bring and he still earned his college acceptance. And comparing this incident it made me frustrated and sad. Because my dad struggled a lot and was made fun of just to hear that rich parents are taking advantage of what they have. So hearing this makes me doubt as an athlete in soccer, basketball, volleyball, track, and football. I wonder if this would happen to me, one of my friends or family? All in all I hope the kids and parents pay for their actions.
@Tlaloc Yes, I also find it disgusting that people who are rich would abuse their money to indirectly disadvantage the lower classes. I'm also glad that there were no deaths involving this case, which I saw as a possibility.
I believe the college scandal is unfair due to people only got accepted by bribing and cheating there way in. This is also unfair because all families are privileged and white. Them cheating on the test is unconsidered to people who tried on the test and college process. As well to the minorities who seek scholar ships through sports and can get into a school through a sport they actually play. The scandal is also unfair because some kids from the scandal don't care about school and other who do didn't get accept because there spot was stolen by money. Some kids from the scandal might care for school and have good grade, good behavior, and try in school. True, but this still doesn't make it right and should've done it fairly and not cheated and might still gotten the spot.
@Sherlyn why does it matter that they are white? I could argue that minorities "cheat their way" into schools due to the fact that people of color are more likely to get accepted to schools even with less credentials/recommendations than white people and are more likely to receive financial aid.
@Sherlyn
I also agree with your point that the college scandal is unfair to not only students but to the college as well. Students who have worked hard to achieve high academics do not get the same chances as other students who have celebrity parents. Bribing and cheating to get into a college can take away opportunity for others who are less fortunate. Most of the college scandals revolve around parent influence. Some students do not even know that their parents are getting involved with their high school successes. The students are unaware about their parents actions. The celebrity parents are ruining their child's successes for the future.
I believe that its unfair how "celebrities" and wealthy families can buy their way into college.While actual students work hard and raise their own money to apply to possibly get accepted into their dream college.In this situation many hard working students don't get accepted because they're spot has been bought by a wealthy family.Its disgusting knowing that wealthy people believe they can buy they're way into anything just becuase they're rich.Why is it that hard working athletes who aren't the "wealthiest" but are good at a sport don't get accepted and wealthy kids that don't even play the sport and they do get accepted.It is unbelievable that wealthy families think they can buy they're way into anything and still get away with it.Overall i believe this cheating scandal is unfair and It is a shame.
@America
I completely agree with what you’re saying. It is outrageous that kids who tried their hardest to get into a college were not excepted due to rich families bribing the schools to get their children in. However, I disagree with your argument when you said, “Why is it that hard working athletes who aren't the "wealthiest" but are good at a sport don't get accepted and wealthy kids that don't even play the sport and they do get accepted“. This is not always the case as athletics are in a more public spotlight. People would easily be able to see the kids with no talent who bought their way on the team, which is why this isn’t common in athletics. I do mostly agree with what you said though, and think this is totally unfair.
It makes me feel upset because not everybody comes from a family that is privileged with money and success. I work hard everyday that i go to school so that i can create a better future for myself and make my parents proud. To see/hear that these kids dont care about there education and take it for granted and just wanted to go for the "partys, and games". Its upsetting to hear that the kids who worked and thought they had a chance to get into a good college, dont get to because of some cheating rich kids
@Evelyn
I completely agree. It bothers me that students who have worked so hard 24/7 trying to get into these elite schools. While on the other hand kids who have wealthy parents that are trying at all cost getting their children in these ivy leagues. Its extremely unfair to students who want to get into their dreams schools but its taken away like that. Its very detrimental to the student futures who actually applied to schools and studied hard for the SATs and did it the right way.
@Evelyn I completely agree with you. It's not morally acceptable to buy your way into a good education that you may not deserve. Someone who does not have as much money are being cut short of seeking higher education.
However, the people who do not reach the academic requirements and bribe their way into the university (most likely) won't be able to keep up with the amount of work assigned. This might result in the student being forced to dropping out of college, or flunking entirely. In a way, its karma, and they'll just have to learn that cheating won't bring you lifelong success.
The collage scandal is awful. I do not believe wealthy people should be able to buy there way into college. Its not fair. Some people are not as as wealthy as others so it isn't fair to others that actually try to get into college by doing there best on their test scores and grades. All the people were white. Why can't dark skin people like others get the same treatment? What does that say about our country? People are trying to make our country great again but yet there are not doing the best that.
@Camila
I completely agree that it is not fair to students who work hard to get into collage but wealthy kids and their parents worked hard to get where they are. I agree with what you said about the darker skinned people it isn't fair for them and that needs to change.
I believe that the college scandal is very unfair. I hate the fact that people take advantage of the privilege they have when there are other's who work for it, like parents, single or not they are working day and night so that their kids can have the life that they didn't have to just get nothing in return. I don't get why dark skinned people like me haven't gotten the same treatment , or privileges that people with light skin have always gotten. It makes me think that the world will never improve, all people ever do is just take and don't give back. what if no matter how hard I try I won't succeed, i mean not everyone's parents are super rich. It's not fair that there are people who work so hard just to get thrown into the curb by some rich kid who doesn't even care for school. What about "equality" or "make america great again" wheres that? It doesn't look like its happened, And this makes me think that it never will. What about my future? or the other hard working people like me. What do we get in return?
I believe that the college scandal is bad because its unfair for the people that actually tried their best to get into college . This makes me mad because what if someone struggled and managed to get their grades up. And some rich person with grades that arent that good steels your spot into college. I think thats really unfair. I hope that when I get into college my spot doesn't get taken by some rich person with grades that arent even good.
@Brian
i do agree with you that it is not good for some wealth kid to just take your place like that but would if it was the other way around the poor kids would get to go and the the richer more wealthier kids did try but did not get in would you feel bad for the wealthier kids trying to get in or the more unfortunate kids trying to get in?
@Brian
i agree with you. These kids payed and tried their hardest all throughout their school career since they were 5 years old just to get into college, and there are also some kids that are lucky enough to buy their way into college and i feel like the kids that tried their hardest to get into college should have a better shot than the kids who dont try.
The college scandal is unfair because of how they don't care about school and fake there credentials. This is not fair because there are other kids who want to learn and tried hard to get into college and they don't get in because cheaters like those accused. The way into college is not to get in the way, if you are high class money won't get you everything, same time money can get you in trouble. Just like this college admission scandal. Coaches were bribed to get help and get those kids in to school with a fake athletic credential. It is not fair how there are kids who have trained their whole life and did not end up getting accepted because they lost their spot to those "fake" rich kids.
@Destiny I completely agree. I also feel bad for the kids who were bribed in and didn’t know about it. They probably felt really proud when they got a good test score and got into a good college, but now that’s stripped away from them. Also, that has to be really embarrassing, and they’re probably facing a lot of heat for this that they don’t deserve since they weren’t the dishonest ones.
It's unfair that people pay their way into college. Mostly for everyone who deserved the spot. The rich and the poor are no different when it comes to school. Everyone who actually works for it should be able to go. They lose a spot into a great college because someone had the money to buy the spot. Now they have to pay their consequences for cheating their way into college. People who are rich and greedy think that it is okay to abuse their power, most of all the other people who are smart and study hard to get into college just lost their chance into a spot in a high education or great place to start their older life.
@leo I agree that it is unfair that people are bribing their way into colleges, especially since they took other hard working athletes positions. Not only should the parents be ashamed of themselves but so should the coaches that accept these bribes.
@leo
I totally agree on all of the points you have made. It is truly unfair that the well deserved opportunity for a hard working student, is being taken away through bribes and money. America believes in equal opportunity, however this act is showing how money can corrupt such an important aspect of our society.
To go off of what you said, how much money students, or their parents, have should not play a factor in the education and opportunity provided to all. An extremely talented and skilled student has now been stripped of the opportunity of attending such high level collages, such as the ones mentioned in this article. Meanwhile, other unworthy students, with wealthy parents, are getting in, to their extent, for free. Meaning, their parents paid the money, as well as they put in little to no effort to be able to attend the collage like someone who deserves it. That student has done nothing to be in the spot they have, not earned, but have been paid into.
@leo
I agree, it is robbing deserving kids of a possible future at a prestigious university or college, which can go on to impact them for the rest of their lives. These big name celebrities needing for their child to seem perfect is morally unjust and has such far reaching consequences.
It's unfair knowing that if a family has money they can buy their future but for some people like me cannot. I have to work for what I want, I have to earn it. My mom is a single parent with 4 children, so Its hard for my family to get money and a good future. I have to work and earn for what I want and knowing that someone dont have to its unfair. I have to save my money just so that I could go to the college I want to go to which is UCLA. Ive been wanting to go to UCLA ever since I could remember, but knowing that UCLA was one of the schools part ofnthe scandal is just unbelievable. I want to go to UCLA to play softball and hope to get a scholarship to help my mom out but knowing that UCLA was giving a scholarship away to someone who has never played that sport is not fair at all. It concerns me because I care about my future and I thought this universties were all about intergrity but Im not so sure anymore. Im shocked that people would even do this and not feel guilty about taking a spot that they have worked probably hard for and studying for their entire life and without owing up to their mistakes and saying that they did nothing wrong just makes me feel angry but also sad because I never know if I applied to a college and I actually had a chance but they denyed me because someone bought their way in and took my spot.
@Noelani
I absolutely agree, but not just for the sports aspect, for the academic aspect too. My family has had it's highs and lows, but while I know I'm not going to college to play softball, it frustrates me to know that while I put so much time and effort into my school work, that my college application might be pushed aside because someone richer than myself can afford to get in without putting any work in. This is not to mention the fact that it continues the idea that with more money, you can have more privilege. Furthermore, I wonder how many other college admissions scams have occurred, and that we still just don't know about them yet.
@Noelani
I can completely correlate with your comment. I have always conspired how colleges manipulate their admissions process to accept entry to particularly wealthy people. Now that the admission scandal is public, I have fell into a state of distraught and disappointment. Like you, I have lost a great amount of respect to the world's most prestigious colleges. Rather than analyzing students by their intellect and intuition, it is perplexing to find the most respected colleges to accept bribes in order to let someone that is more privileged into their college or university. Like in the article, it is inevitably unfair to those who have worked hard such as you, me, and hundreds of thousands of other students. Thank you for sharing your thoughts.
@Noelani
I completely agree and understand where your coming from. People are so caught up in having the best things and being in the best school and people will go to great lengths to do so. It is so unfair that people who have more money than most can do something so cruel as to ruin chances for less fortunate people just to benefit themselves. People put all their time and effort into school and grades and the fact that people who have more wealth that are cheating their way into the system is abominable.
This scandal is a horrible thing.First of all, it's not okay for other student who worked their butt off to go to a good college or university, not to be accepted.For them to get displace for student who paid their way in.Honestly, it's not surprising that the rich have the privileged to pay their self in , while others are working hard by studying and working to get into a good college and university.It makes me feel upset because so many student are working hard to get in a college to make their parents proud but for these student parents who paid their way in for something they didn't work hard for.I believe their consequence should be, them getting kicked out of college and for their parents to go to jail because it's a scandal.
@Joana I. I agree this is a sick messed up thing and its not surprising that the rich get to go places where people work their whole lives to get into. On the other hand, if you think about it, these people who are getting into these colleges, probably end up flunking out anyways not too long after because they cant handle the work that they haven't experienced prior to college.
I believe that it is unfair for the other students because they could have gone to college but other students that paid to get accepted to college took their spot. This means that other students who worked very hard and deserve to get into college didn't get accepted because of people that paid. This makes me feel angry because what if I applied for a college and didn't get accepted because of someone that paid. This is also unfair because some people pay sports coaches to get in and they don't even play the sport. This also makes me mad because there are people trying to make their family proud by going to college but doesn't get accepted because of some rich person that paid
@Damian I agree with what you mentioned about the how it's not right that the students that put in their very best effort might not be able to attend the college that they are working towards being accepted to, because of a person bribing their way in. It's illegal to bribe colleges to accept you for money.
College admissions are rigged to favor the wealthy. We've seen this in many occasions such as, pledging money to a college or paying someone to look over your child's transcripts. Yet some wealthy families are still going even further to help their kids get into these prestigious colleges. More than 50 people were caught doing this in different forms, such as, cheating on their SAT and ACT or faking athletic credentials. This is unfair because people in lower class, who don't have the money to bribe or pay their way in are less likely to get into these colleges, despite having worked so hard to get there. As a first generation Mexican American this makes me feel mad, how am I supposed to feel ready to apply to these colleges in the future knowing that wealthy people are buying their way in. People who are minorities are going to have to put in twice as much work as these wealthy kids, yet they'll still be put on the back burner and not taken as a serious option.
@Laura I had the same reaction to when i heard about this scandal. It seems as if all of this hard work a person puts in, could not even pay off in the end due to wealthy parents bribing their unqualified kids in. As someone who comes from a big family close in age, my parents are constantly prioritizing how to spend their money so my family can have a bright future. It is disappointing in me of the people who accept this money not having regard for all the children who it could be effecting.
@Laura I completely agree with your thoughts on this topic. In 9th grade I am already worrying about college and thinking that I might not be accepted over some privileged rich kid is a joke. The fact that Mr. Singers people went as far as faking pictures of athletic achievements disgusts me. There are real talented kids with real achievements who might have their dreams crushed over a student with his life already taken care of before he is out of high school. It is sad that we must shed light on something so cruel because these colleges affect our future careers. We strive to do the best we can to get a career that is right for us and having to worry about this is horrible.
@Laura I agree with you as well, I am a first gen Asian, and this makes me furious. There are people out there who are following a true and honest way. But there's some people out there who know a secret passage to get their kids into hi-fi colleges, and that passage is illegal. Most middle-class parents work themselves off for us. Some lavishly rich parents, are putting their kids into good colleges because of their fear of losing their reputation. Then there's the parents who don't even care. The rich prents are illegally putting in their very dumb kids into good colleges. That's why America's not be being run by nerds. I also feel like here it's the same thing everywhere: minorities vs majorities. Also think about all those hard working kids' lives it probably ruined. They were the ones who desreved this oppurtunity to go to a good college. The obvious victims here are the hard working students who were rejected.
The college admission cheating scandal was very surprising to me. It was surprising to hear because out of everything people cheat in, college is something you don't expect people would cheat on. It made me very upset when I first heard about it as I have a relative who worked hard to get into a college and to know there was a possibility she wouldn't get accepted because of people who paid there way in is very upsetting. There were many different ways the parents got their kids accepted in these colleges from receiving a sports credential without even playing a sport to cheating on the SATs. The parents of these kids are very wealthy and they think its okay to pay there kids in instead of just having them work hard for it.
@Armando
I agree that college isn't something people would normally cheat on. It is unfair that people worked hard for college aren't getting in because other kids are paying to get in.
@Armando I agree with you and I was very surprised to hear of this cheating scandal because it had never been done before. Many people work extremely hard in their applications and make sacrifices to go to colleges. To find out someone has cheated their way in not only makes it unfair for the hardworking students, but unfair to the person who could have got into the college. I also believe everyone should have the same opportunity to get into college regardless of wealth. You should have to work hard to get places in life and not let money do everything for you.
@Armando
I concur with what you are saying here about this scandal, the point where you brought up even having to cheat on an SAT is nauseating. With parents who pay coaches to make their kids look like athletes and they are the ones to get a spot on the team, it is gut wrenching to think about the kids who worked really hard at a sport but to get rejected because of a kid who has rich parents. I am with on having a relative working hard to get into a college and being rejected by someone who doesn't deserve it, I would be livid. What makes me even more angry is the coaches agreeing upon this so they can receive money, that is just flat out wrong. The parents need to face it that they cannot do everything for their kids.
I feel it is unfair that these people get to buy their way into college while others work hard to get into college. People that I know did not get to go to college because of money and others don't work at all.They just had enough money to get their daughters into college. As I grow up and start planning to go to college, I will feel intimidated because wealthy people with privilege and money are buying their way into college today. What will the future hold for me?
@Katherine GREAT JOB !!. i agreeeeeeeeeeeeeee.
Its unfair that these people are given stops in the college that they don't dserve, while people are working their butts off only to be turn down because someone esle took by scamming the colleges. The worse part is the coaches are being paid off. If I go to college, I wouldn't want my oppurtunity to be taken by someone who doesnt even care about college or sports. That video of that actresse's daughter posting about going to college and not caring about school only wanting to go to sport games and parties is like what the heck? You can do that and not be in college because you just took a spot of someone who wants to go to college and wants to work hard and get a degree but they lost their spot to some rich kid who does care about school.
I believe its unfair because some people work there hardest just to get an opportunity to higher education, parents who work that that harder to get them an education. These people helped there kids to get nor college by paying and swinger. In the one of the articles, it says "One was to cheat on the SAT or ACT, and the other was Division I coaches and use bribes to get there parents kids into school with fake athletic credentials." This is just mest up because like I said some people worked there hardest and there's people who cheated there way in. They payed there way in college just because they are very rich. This is just so unfair for others because some families don't have a lot of money and there are just these people who pay/cheat their way in college. This just makes me upset because there "allowed" them to be in college when they not studying.
@David Camacho I completely agree. Imagine, being a rower, waking up at 6:00 every mourning putting in three hours of hard work and sacrifice just for some rich girl to take your spot at am elite college for division one rowing just because she paid for it. That ruins hard work and sacrifice and corrupts the system. This whole thing just shows how people will do anything for greed without being aware of the effect that it has. This scandal is a sapling that could grow into deep corruption.
I feel that the fact that the rich are taking their money for granted is hard to believe. Usually not all the time but the rich usually helps the poor and the fact their taking it for granted and bribing coaches and test administrators is unbelievable. Kids who have never played a sport before are getting into amazing schools like UCLA and USC through false statements. I believe this is unfair. Students who have worked hard to get into a College are getting rejected because there are no available spots.
It is not fair that there was people that paid for their college admission while there was people that worked their butts off to try to get into a college. While people worked hard to get in to college there was Mrs. Lori Loughlin daughter who got accepted to college, to just to go party and games and she said she does not care about school. This makes me mad because there are people that tried so hard to get in and a person that does no care about school took a hard working persons spot.this makes me feel really mad because she did not study she paid her way in
This scandal is truly horrible. First of all, it's not okay to cheat your way into college because from experience of seeing my sister, she worked her butt off and to know that the rich just bought their way in is taking advantage of the poor. This isn't a surprise here in the United States because for years the privilege people always take chances away from the poor. Imagine how many kids were left in the waiting list for their favorite college. Imagine them having to find out why they were put there is just wrong and sad. I think that everyone involved should suffer the consequences they caused and the kids should be kicked out and let other kids have a shot they deserve.
Why would parents pay their kids lot of money in college even though they have no idea what to do and other student who worked their butts off to go to this specific college and these rich people take their spots without even working. As a student this is unfair. The people with the money has power and people without money is nothing. The world is full of people like this and there is more thing going on that we don't know yet. So we should be looking out more of these act.
@Will I agree. So many students from all over the country are trying to get into these schools and it is so stupid that all of these people with money bribe these schools just so they're children can get in. Stuff like this offers no challenge and work toward this school you are trying to get accepted into. These kids need to work for their goals if they want to succeed in life.
@Will I totally agree with you bro. Every second every moment around the world scandals like this are happening or will take effect soon. It just puts people's pride aside and doesn't allow them to show their full potential. It’s unfair to the students and families who are in debt and who are trying to get into these schools to be punished because they don't have the money that some others have. It is really degrading and opens eyes as to how strong greed and pride can consume someone. It hurts to hear that it could be any one of us that have tried so hard to get into colleges like Yale, only for someone to take that away from you with their money. Basically, them laughing in your face saying, "Ha-ha, I'm rich and your poor!" It's horrible and only one of the many problems that need to be addressed and resolved with this country.
Personally, I wonder why anyone is surprised. Breaking news about people with money and power using their money and power for their own gain is not breaking news because it is nothing new. The only thing distinguishing the people involved from some others who manipulate and cheat the system is that they got caught. It may be disappointing, it may be unfair, and it may be alarming, but the reality is that it is nothing new. Though college application is supposed to fair and unbiased, people will look after their own interests first, especially if they have enough money to bend the rules.
@Reuben C I agree with you. I was not at all surprised when I heard about this scandal. It is just another way that rich people are abusing their power and money. It is completely unfair that privileged rich kids are getting into colleges after not working for it. They are taking a spot away from someone who has worked day and night to go to college. There is no reason someone should be able to buy their way into college if they do not deserve to be there. Having money should not get you everything in life.
The most interesting part of this scandal is the reasoning behind the actions. I feel that these families have developed their opinions of well-known, highly selective colleges as a perfect fit for their kid because they feel entitled. However, I feel like they have lacked to realize that their children may not be happy at a school unfit for their intelligence level. While they think that because of their wealth, they belong at the best schools, they fail to consider how the environment at these prestigious schools may make their child feel poorly once they get in.
@Kristen Varin I definitely agree with what you have to say. It's not the child's doing in faking their way into these great colleges. But it is the parents who insert themselves into the situation and confuse wealth with education. They completely lose touch of what their child wants, but rather what would make them look better. These scandals are horrible and sadly not surprising. Worst of all, the student that got bought into the college will most likely hate their experience and drop out, which makes it even more disappointing.
@Kristen Varin I agree with the points you brought up. I think when the parents make the decision to spend their money in order to get their children into a school that will make them look smarter than they may actually be, they don't consider the affect it will have on their child. An already famous/wealthy parent being able to "brag" about their child's intelligence by claiming they got into Yale for example, gives the parent a false sense of pride. Along with this, their child then falls behind in classes due to the fact that they did not actually make it into the school, most likely because their academics were not up to par with that of the rest of the students who would be attending the college. What parents fail to see is that forcing their child into a school that is not meant for them, is doing more harm than good.
@Kristen Varin I agree with your point. Even if their children wanted to get into these schools, after even the first few weeks, they will feel out of place, or even think themselves as "stupid" because they were falsely put into these schools. Because of this, there could even be negative mental side effects such as anxiety and panic attacks that would severally worsen their lives. Just because their parents are rich, does not mean that their kids should go to the most expensive school where they will certainly fail.
Nothing about this scandal is surprising. Disappointing? Yes, but in today's world, it should not be a surprise to anyone that money can buy - almost - anything. College admissions are often regarded as highly distinguished processes with honest applicants and honest unbiased judgment, so it is disappointing to know that the people involved in this scandal were so easily bribed into helping the students cheat their way into esteemed schools. In the case of the children who did not know what their parents did, I feel incredibly sympathetic because it must be devastating to be confronted with information that your parents did not believe in your own abilities - AND in the public eye. Many people are upset by the use of money to get into big name schools, saying it is unfair. This is completely true but so many things in life are not fair. Some people have bigger advantages over others, advantages that are uncontrollable (ie. race, what class you're born into, and access to opportunities). So, at some point, people need to accept the fact that there is an unlevel playing field from the beginning. However, that is not to say people should/need to cheat to this extreme extent. Obviously, the system needs change. Perhaps more strict regulations and precautions, or somehow putting less emphasis on what is considered to be a "good" school and more on what fits the individual. Although this scandal is near-laughable in terms of the extremity, it hopefully will bring about change.
@Maren Altadonna I completely agree!! Life is totally not played on a level field. However, there is much to be done to make it more fair. I honestly believe that this scandal is not unbelievable; with the way college admissions works these days, I’m more shocked it didn’t happen earlier.
Also, not only did these parents not believe in the abilities of their children, their children will be denied access into schools they thought they got into. For most of them, their reputations will be ruined forever.
Your statement that people need to put less effort in going to a “good-name” school is absolutely true. And to add on to that, the system that bases admission based on race and gender needs to be changed as well.
I think that it is horrible that anyone would cheat hard-working, deserving children out of important college spots by bribing a university to accept their child instead. The parents of these children should have realized before hand that this was a terrible thing to do and should never have done it in the first place. This event really speaks to our society: if you are born wealthy than you stay on top your whole life without having to really work and if you are born poor, than you will struggle your whole life to make a better life for yourself and your children. I am not surprised that his happened in America. In America there is a huge separation between the small amount of very rich and the large amount of very poor. This allows people who can pay their way into spots that they do not deserve to stay on top of society while people who worked hard for these spots get pushed out.
@Amalia T.
I completely agree with you Amalia, it is terrible to think that such role model collages would commit such a crime and keep worthy, deserving students from getting in. Collages are supposed to be places for students to study and get the education they need for their future, and to think that they would except a potentially non-deserving student based on money is terrible. However, I am not too shocked that parents would do this. Any parent would want their kid to have a good life style and get a good education for their future, so it does not surprise me that they would go through such extraordinary measures to do so if they can. What shocks me the most is the fact that these universities are letting them do so. It is unethical.
@Amalia T.
I strongly agree with you, it is completely unfair that hard working children are being cheated out of colleges by wealthy parents. As you said, this event really does speak to our society. This proves that people born wealthy can be on top their whole life without putting in the work when there are hard working families at the bottom that have to struggle to achieve a better life. I also agree that this event happening in America was not surprising. This shows that people at the top will do anything to stay there and keep their reputation. Just because families have money does not mean that they should be able to bribe their child's way into competitive colleges like Yale or Stanford without putting in the time and work.
The world is an unfair place, not because it was created unfair but because the society has policies that make cheating an acceptable part of society. This scandal was something bound to happen as foundations for its occurrence, have long been established.
@Zubra Khaboyo
I agree with you, strongly, that this world is truly an unfair place, for a number of reasons brought up in the article. I completely see your point that the societies' policies to make cheating acceptable are what made the world unfair and not that it was created that way. To expand on what you have said, cheating is an awful thing for people to do, that unfortunately happens very, very often. Cheating, where it is able to happen, is bound to happen at some point. There really is nothing to do to stop this, but what really matters is how people respond to it. Branching off a bit, I feel like this instance of cheating was handled exceptionally well. The colleges involved could have gone ballistic on the students and parents and sued them for falsifying information about the potential students and denying other students, who deserved the positions at those schools, opportunities to be accepted. They could have done so many other outrageous things involving the students and parents, but they did not. Instead, they were civil and allowed the information of the scandals to be public. The fact that so many people flew to respond to this incident is amazing. The different opinions online provide the ability for others to understand the things that occurred. To come full circle, the world is unfair for so many reasons, such as the entire scandal itself. Additionally, your next point including the fact that it was bound to happen is completely true.
~Emma~~Korb~
I believe this scandal is atrocious and outrageous. The most shocking part of the article is how the adults/parents really believed they could get away with it. It's unsurprising that a scandal like this would happen in the United States because in this country, money, fame, and status rule the world. People are no longer valued for their talents; money has become the motivating factor. I believe the parents should be given the weight of the blame and I believe that it is shameful they were desperate enough to go to the extent of bribery, just to send their kid to a high-esteemed college. How sad is it that these parents knew they raised their kid so poorly, they'd have no chance of making it into college other than buying their way in. I would say the admissions process is fair... if I genuinely believed it. However... this scandal just proves the many corrupt people involved in this process... AND these are only the people they CAUGHT. It's obvious there's probably thousands of people ruining the system, yet they just slip under everyone's noses. Mr. Bruni's claim is actually very accurate; you are ultimately cheating your way into a school if you have to hire people and rely on their connections to "earn" a spot at a university. Although this scandal is ridiculous , it does not make me steer away from college. I will not let the desperate actions of others determine my future success as a student. It's not the college's fault that these people were desperate.
@Samantha Drake I strongly agree with you. While this scandal is horrible, I am surprised it didn't happen before. I agree that this only covers the people they were able to catch in the act, and unfortunately, no one knows how long its been going on or how many people are involved. I mostly feel bad for the kids involved. Like you said, the parents had to go to the extent of bribery to get them in these colleges. If they don't belong there, it can make their experiences worse, and lead them to dropping out. On top of this, it can be sad for a kid to figure out they didn't get into the college all by themselves. I still don't understand why parents would go to such an extent to get their kids in these colleges if they might drop out anyway.
@Samantha Drake I completely agree with you that this scandal is completely outrageous and cannot be accepted. Even worse than that is the fact that it is very likely that many other scandals like this exist as well and we still haven't figured them out.
You bring up a really good point that at this point money and fame rule the United States. It seems like the rich are getting richer and the poor are getting poorer, and very few celebrities or businessmen are willing to invest money back into the poorer neighborhoods of the nation.
However, I never believed that college admissions were fair. Certain students are selected based of race and not by achievement or academic standing, and many times, when students have similar achievements and abilities, it's like a lottery to see who gets in. Even worse is that it was possible, even in the past for rich kids to get in when their parents donated money to certain colleges.
It is unacceptable how these rich and famous parents think it's alright to commit such an atrocious crime. Have they lost their moral compass and sense of what is wrong and right in their pursuit of money and fame? How can the people that we look up to, the people who inspire us be the ones who are cheating the children into school? In the end I believe that these rich parents do want the best for their kids. But what if they were never destined for an Ivy League School? To a parent, that cannot define success for their child.
While originally reading this article i was upset that “minor students” are putting forth an effort to keep good grades,do well on tests,and fight their whole life to get into a top schools while other students just paid to get in. Mr Lelling said,“The real victims in this case are the hardworking students” who were displaced in the admissions process by “far less qualified students and their families who simply bought their way in”. Then while reading it once more i looked deeper and felt bad for the students that got accepted for the money because that shows that the parents didn't think they could make it own their own. They didn't think their kid could make it on a sports team or even get into a challenging college, they thought rather than pushing for the kids to put forth the effort to work for accomplishments they would just buy their way in. Knowing that students that worked hard and spent their whole lives to get to this crucial point in their lives just to find out that one of their colleagues just bribed their way in. We live in a society where your family and wealth determine how you will be treated in society, this just shows you can do whatever you want- if the price is right- if you have money. I think college admissions should be looked at with a fine comb, it's unfair for students that are a great fit for a tough college or student athletes perfect for the team.
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@Ava Walger I was angry as well when I found out that these kids were getting into these prestigious schools and taking the spots of other well deserving, qualified student/athletes, by their parents bribing and cheating their way in. These days, kids in sports start at such young ages and devote their lives to one sport and in reward hope to play in college or professionally. Imagine someone who has never even played the sport or worked as hard as you, take your spot because their parents bribed the coach. It is completely unfair and shows how money in our society can out way even hard work and talent.
In a society where being born into a certain family sets people up for either success or failure, life is mostly a game of who has the right resources to play the system. This college admissions scandal - hardly an unexpected or novel revelation - highlights just how far the reach of privilege extends. Despite the unsurprising exploitation of money and power to get ahead, this recent report still leaves behind a bitter remnant, a harsh reminder of how little many people value hard work. As a high school student beginning the college admissions process, these dishonorable acts dishearten my confidence and leave me regarding every sleepless night and study session as meaningless, able to be signed away by a simple paycheck. This also speaks to the nationwide emphasis on the country's top schools as a means of future success and affluence. Teenagers are constantly pressured by both their families and society to go to big-name colleges, a task so competitive that many resort to cheating and bribing. Not only does the admissions process itself require reconsideration, but the entire attitude towards "name-brand" schools must be observed for its toxicity.
@Izzy
I completely agree with the idea, of everyone is born into a different life whether it be rich poor, or not even about money. I also have to admit that i am also not surprised by this. As you said i believe everyone has been cheating the system and this is the first time the public had really taken it as a big deal. This is upsetting on many different levels. Number 1 their parents paid to get them into a top school that they did not work for and or qualify for. Number two using athletic recruitments to ensure a spot is even more wrong. This takes away a chance for another athlete that has definitely worked hard than these kids opportunity to go to a school they might have not have got into with just academics.
@Izzy
I can only partially agree with your points. While I agree this case is not surprising in the society we live in, I do not think it is discouraging to collage applicants. Since I will begin the collage search soon I find this "scandal" somewhat motivating. The fact that people can get away with this is indeed upsetting, however it makes me even more determined to get into my dream, big-name collage on my own. Other people need money and bribery to get into important collages, but now I am excited to prove that I am not one of those people.
@Izzy
Izzy, I completely agree with you. It is unfair to the students who have worked incredibly hard so that their academic or athletic abilities could secure them a spot at a good college. As someone who always strives to do her best in school, it really does make me wonder what college admissions are looking for when all the applications come through their doors. Are they looking for what you have accomplished or what you are willing to do to get in? It makes me sad that there are parents who would stoop to such low levels to get their children into good schools. These children, might I add, have no interest in attending classes. This is unfair because it robs more interested and qualified people in earning a spot at these schools.
I don't see why this is very shocking to most people--I feel like it is pretty well known that students often lie in a variety of situations. Whether it is to get a job by putting something down on your resume that you never did or lying about income to get free lunch and lowered AP test prices; students (at least from what I see) are always lying to help benefit themselves. This fact doesn't necessarily bother me just because it is so prominent in my school and I assume in other schools as well. However, I also understand that these scandals are way more detrimental than getting free lunch every day. Still, this isn't extremely shocking news to me. That being said I do agree that there should be punishments set in place, but maybe just not as extreme as I feel they are going to be. When you put it into a broader perspective, I think it's easier to understand maybe just a little bit of where they are coming from. At the end of the day, everybody is just trying to somehow wiggle their way into college while saving some money along the way. I assume the students involved in these lies didn't think they were acting out the greatest sin against mankind (if they did, I doubt more than half of them would have gone through with it). I'm not trying to fully defend them or say they aren't at fault whatsoever; just maybe bringing up the idea that this isn't as crazy a scandal as most people are making it out to be. Feel free to disagree--my opinions aren't super strong on this subject.
@Sarah
I completely agree that this does not come as a surprise. However, the surprising aspect is that parents would ruin their reputation to allow their children to attend prestigious schools. I believe that famous parents should not be involved in these types of scandals because of the way they live their lives and the amount of money they have. Other than that, I agree that this is not a crazy scandal.
@Sarah
I definitely agree that a lot of students and just people in general lie about certain things to get higher up. In the case of these parents, it's bribing colleges to accept their kid who most likely isn't even a good fit for the school. While its not the biggest scandal ever, this is where the issue comes in: these kids are taking spots that could've been given to some one who actually worked to get where they are. Elite schools are highly competitive, so students have to work hard year-round to even have a chance of getting into them. High GPAs, high test scores, community service, jobs, summer programs, and sports are all things that elite schools look at and consider, which adds up in terms of stress on a student. It's not fair that people with money can buy their way into a college without even working for it while people who commit their time and effort don't stand a chance. This is not a crazy scandal but it is definitely a serious one that hurts many students who are willing to work for what they want.
@Sarah
I agree with parts of your argument, about how many kids are "trying to somehow wiggle their way into college while saving some money along the way". But I also disagree respectfully. These kids that are being sent to school under these false pretenses are lucky because some parents don't have the money to do this, and I feel as though it presents an unfair advantage. Also, colleges need to make money too, to pay their staff, and the parents doing this are cheating out the colleges and breaking the system. So I do believe that they deserve the punishment they are going to get. It will also serve as a future reminder and example to others and will show that it isn't a good thing to do.
Personally, I agree that college admissions has become much more competitive recently. For some people, I think the name of the school matters more than anything else. Many people focus so much on getting into a prestigious university such as Stanford or Yale even when it may not be the right fit for them. It is also very upsetting that these students bought their way into these schools when there were students who were much more worthy of admission. The fact that a student who worked hard and pushed themselves for years may not get into a certain school simply because someone else paid to get in is very troubling.
@Will Bond I agree that the years of hard work that is put into getting into college can simply be bought by someone is unfair. Wealthy people are trying to create a good image for themselves by going, or sending their children, to well-known, prestigious schools. The students who get into the school are there for good reason and can handle the academic aspect while the people who bought their way in, I would assume, struggle to study at such a high level.
@Will Bond I agree that many people will try to get into a college just because of the colleges reputation, not what the see fit. so when it does become competitive I believe that this is a good way to see which students actually belong in the college and which don't.
@Will Bond I agree with your opinion on about this article. As you said, many people want nothing more than to get into an elite college, even when the college is probably not right for them. If someone is not invited into one of these schools, then that is the school directly telling the student that the college it way too difficult for them. It is important to keep in mind that even though it became a lot easier to get into these schools with money, that does not mean that the classes themselves will get any easier. So, it is very likely that these students who paid their way into the school will not be able to pass and the only result will be a huge waste of time for the student and a huge waste of money for the parents.
My reaction to this article is difficult, students do not really have the chance to enroll in a prestigious college, because the rich take over with their money. This will lead America to corruption. As rich parents take control of it. Each parent wants what is good for their children, but not by reacting as it will make your children the best by doing this malicious acts. By preventing the best poor students to get access to the prestigious university.
@Christelle 3A
I totally agree in the society now it is looked at that all the rich go to prestigious colleges. And if all of the rich go to these prestigious colleges it doesn't allow the very highly skilled poor students attend. This is clearly unfair for the students that are very smart but just don't have the money. The poor students want to have a prestigious education at these schools and try all they can to do in these colleges yet just because people have more money they are losing their chance for this access.
@Christelle 3A
I also agree with you that it is horrible what parents are doing. Richer families have more of a chance of getting into better schools because colleges are hungry for money. This is unfair because some of the most talented people can not get into good colleges because they do not have enough money. What parents were doing to get their kids into good colleges is unacceptable. Most of the students did not even know that their parents were paying which is sad. The people who had their parents pay for them to get in must feel ashamed of them and i can not imagine them getting benefits from this.
The actions these parents took demonstrates the weight people place on four years of your life. Rather than wanting their children to receive a well-deserved, meaningful education, parents involved in the scandal focused on the status that accompanies admission to a popular school. The aspect of the scandal that struck me the most was the cases where the children did not know that their parents altered their SAT scores. It would be crushing to know that you did not actually deserve your place at your school.
@Caroline I totally agree with your points. It is saddening how parents could want to fix their test scores and pay money just so their child would get into the best college possible. Parents are supposed to be this figure that supports what their children do and love them no matter what grades they get or what college they get into. For the students, they are given a sense of false hope because of the actions their parents decided to take. If money was the only way to get into the best college possible, than there would be so many students who are smart, in schools that aren't as elite as the schools that those students actually deserve to be accepted to. The fact that these parents would waste the four years that each of these students spent in high school, just to change what their hard work gave them, is depressing. The college that each student gets into should reflect their grades and the amount of work they put into each class, not the amount of money that their parents have.
When something is put on a pedestal, there is bound to be people cutting corners to reach it. College is often seen as the final frontier for education and students work their lives to get there. With all that said, it is not surprising to see that some rather utilize their funds than working.
I am in a SAT prep course and it has been mostly funded by my grandmother. I am very grateful for my privilege and I will work to have it well finished.
@Chris Llanos I agree without you that people will always try to make themselves look the best by going to college and in this case using money to get in. I think the most worrying thing about the scandal is that everyone thinks that to succeed in life’s you need a 4 year degree from a well known college. People need Tom realize that manny jobs that pay well do not need an education past high school. I am disappointed not just in the people who are involved in the scandal, but also the world for making college seem like a need.
@Chris Llanos
what a meaningful and powerful comment. good luck to you- you sound like a winner so I'm sure you will find success!
Personally, I am very upset by the fact that college admissions are susceptible to bribery. I believe that I work harder than most kids, and I push myself for the purpose of maintaining good grades so I can get into decent colleges. I also try to participate in many sports, clubs, etc. to add to my college resume. It make me very upset that some colleges gave an advantage to kids who do not work as hard as I do and might not get grades as good as mine simply because their parents can cough up a large sum of money. I may sound rather self-centered or narcissistic, but I am sure that anyone else who has worked hard for something only to have it be given to someone less deserving can understand where I am coming from.
@JB I agree with you. It is not fair how kids, who are not qualified enough for a school, are still being accepted, just because their parents have money. It is not okay for parents to bribe there kids way into an elite college that is not suited for them. It is also not equitable for students who actually succeed and do the best in school, just to get pushed aside by colleges for someone else who is less skilled, but has money. Bribing schools to have your child accepted is unfair to other applicants and not acceptable what so ever.
@JB
I 100% agree with you. Money shouldn't be able to get people into a higher level of education, which grants them to do things the less educated can. Colleges and Universities let "students" pay large amounts of money to get in, which is not fair to the real students who work and learn to get in. It just is not fair and right to let students who don't try in school, into these colleges just because their parents have a lot of money. This also makes colleges look bad because they are accepting these bad students for money.
I am horrified by this college admissions scandal. I find it most shocking that parents are paying MILLIONS of dollars to get their kids into USC or Yale. I am surprised that this would happen in the United States, especially with this crowd of people. You would think that adults so much in the limelight would want to steer clear in excess drama and problems but that is clearly not the case. It does, also, kind of make sense that these adults would do this. They often see their children as more privledged and deserving than others. I am surprised that the United States, a country that wants to seem like they are above scandals, would be the place where this happened. I think the parents should be held responsible for these crimes. They initiated, they bribed he college officials, they undermined their children because they didn’t think they were smart enough to get into these schools. I don’t think it is the children’s fault, most of them didn’t even know this was happening to them. The college officials who took the bribes are also to blame, they stopped to the parents level and did an inexcusable action. I agree that college admissions have become so cutthroat that people think they need to bribe their way in. I think it’s ridiculous that kids these days have to go through such hard competition to get a good education. For a nation that tells us we need a good education to be successful, they do an awfully good job at making that hard to get.
I find it very surprising because how easily those students are able to get away with it. It is pretty disappointing that the parents have been so proud of their children and didn't even realize that they have cheated and pay so much just for their college funding. This shows that we need to be more careful and monitor these students when they are taking the ACT and/or S.A.T.
@IJ
I think that famous/wealthy parents are so eager to be able to boast about how their child attends a prestigious school, that they are desperate enough to pay so much money for them to attend these schools. I agree when you say that this shows that we need to be more careful and monitor these students when they are taking the ACT and/or S.A.T. However, I think its unfortunate that we see threats in these students that come from wealthy families because many of them are the average student that wants to find success, but doubtful parents seem to get in the way.
I'm not surprised at this cheating scandal, but I am surprised of the lengths of this scandal. Parents around me have been joking about this for ages. However, it shocked me to hear parents were paying up to MILLIONS for their kid to go to USC or Yale. I'm not surprised this happened in this US because this is the type of entitled parental behavior associate with the US. I personally think the parents and coaches should be held responsible and appropriately reprimanded because the students are, probably, minors that probably thought they got lucky. College today is so competitive and the stigma around getting into a local college vs USC carries strong in students today. It shows us how desperate students, and especially the parents, are to get into a good college to not be embarrassed. Well, Mr. Bruni is correct to some degree. It's so much easier to get into college when you have money because the wealthy can pay for the best tutors, the best essay writers/reviewers, and can even send money to the top colleges for favoritism. The biggest message in this scandal is that no matter how hard you work, there's probably someone less qualified that will get in due to their parent's money or influence.
I am not at all surprised by this scandal. And I didn't find anything that was shocking in this article and not at all shocked that something like this happened in the United States because they chose Donald J Trump as president and can buy guns is some states without any papers. I think parents should be held responsible for these crimes because they are the ones that came up with the idea. The message that this scandal send to high school student that intend to go to college is to work harder.
@YF I agree with the fact that this is completely unsurprising. Children who group up with entitled parents always seem to be in the best programs, and if the child isn't allowed in, who says money doesn't solve that? It is completely unfair to hardworking students who actually deserve spots in these schools, rather than some entitled brat.
I'm really not surprised about the fact that such things happen in the United States. This fact proves us that hard working people are competing with federal suspects and that money can beat pure knowledge. These days millions of students are fighting to get to top universities but, some of them own big quantities of money. It seems that universities became like a business, they do everything just to get money, it's not in all cases but, again this crime proves us the opposite. I hope the suspects will be punished for this infamous crime.
@Giorgi I totally agree with your opinion. So many people will do whatever it takes to get into the college of their choice, sometimes it is their parents who hope the best for their children and don't care what it takes. Everyone should have the same chances to get into the college of they prefer no matter how much money their family might have. There should be some kind of punishment for these people who decide to break the laws.
When I first read the news about college admissions cheating scandal, I was not surprised at all. In fact, I was already aware that scandals like these are rather common in today’s society. Although most of the article did not come as much of a shock to me, I found the fact that the students in many of the cases were not aware of the cheating to be odd. I’m pretty sure that these students are well aware that they do not satisfy the expectations by the schools, but if they got accepted, shouldn’t they question how they got into the schools? Any guilty conscience if they got in for a sport that they didn’t even play? I think that the parents should be held responsible for these scandals as they are mostly in control of this scandal, but the schools should partly blamed as well. I agree that the college admission process has become so competitive today, but that does not change the fact that these students cheated into a spot that could have possibly gone to a more potential student. This case tells us about the rising competition that exists in college admission. It is true that the wealthy may easily get into a college by paying their way in. The students that were caught cheating now have to face the consequences of being labeled as cheaters who bought their way into the top colleges. Students can learn from this scandal that although it may be hard, it is always right to proudly accomplish something by your own skills.
@Hara J. I completely agree with you I am not surprised by the fact that college admissions are taken advantage of by parents who have the money and power to get this accomplished. I also agree with you that the concept is rather odd for students who are unaware of how they got into a college for something they are not even very experienced in. The fact that schools are getting progressively harder to enter in and maintain a stable grade in, is pretty sad. At the same time, we do not know what goes on in the household of one of these families. Parents could be forcing this school upon their child for the sake of status, and as a result of this now their child will be isolated and untrusted by society and most importantly the schools they wish to get into.
I'm not even slightly surprised by what happened. Parents work really hard to secure their children's future and something so underhanded like this is not surprising at all. When the competitiveness for getting into college gets too high, people are willing to do anything. Mr.Bruni does bring up a good point about this idea of donating. I once read a story about a kid who had I believe straight C's but he still got into USC because his parents were ridiculously rich. In our world, I don't think it's even possible to be able to stop bribing and things of the like. It's something that is inevitable. Something occurred to me recently though. When was the last time a new college was made that I was made aware of? My parents always tell me, "Apply for UC's" or basically go to colleges that are already established. I'm not sure if new credible colleges are being made, but I definitely think that if it could happen it could lower competition, and in the end lower situations like this. No one will have to reach such desperate or cheap measures to get their kid into college.
Honestly, I'm not surprised that this was going on at these high profile universities across the nation. People with enough money and the right contacts can buy their way into anything, its very similar to our current political system today. What I found the most shocking is that schools like Yale and Stanford were partaking in these scandals. These schools are the top of the top and have a less than 7% acceptance rate which would lead me to believe that they are prestigious universities that only accept the best, not someone who paid to get in. I'm not surprised this happened in the United States, after all, it is home to some of the best universities and some of the richest people, put 2 and 2 together and you have bribery scandals. I think that the people accepting money to admit these students should be in trouble, it was their succumbing to greed that caused this to happen, assuming that the universities themselves didn't know that this was happening. I agree college is something that most people want to do after high school so, obviously, the admission centers are going to capitalize on that. This sends a message that no matter how much more merit I have than someone, they can always go farther than me because of an abundance of funds.
I think that the college admissions scandal is this sad thing that happened and definitely makes me look down in our society in the lengths that we would go to to fit in the ideals if education and how we must attend certain schools which validates us or qualifies our knowledge or gives us more Authority. It also shows how far we will go to get what we want and how unnecessary this was truly if someone has enough money to pay their child into University then they should use that money to get their child enough education to get them in to the school in a credible way. There people that work hard and devote their lives to their education just to have others pay their way in if we use money to buy things that others work so hard for it changes the value and makes it less that if everyone could afford to pay their way into college then College wouldn't necessarily be such a big deal because it wouldn't be hard to get.
After reading the article, I was not very shocked about this cheating scandal, although I did feel disappointed. Although, what did shock me was learning about the amount of money the parents have put into the rigging of their child's college admission as it was such a large sum and that no one should even be tempted into thinking of a bribery that large. I am not surprised that something like this happened in the United States because the process of getting into a top tier college has become so troublesome and rigorous that students have sacrificed great amounts of energy and even morals to meet above the standards. It is clear that the parents should be held responsible for these crimes. Parents are the models of our generation and they should have understood that bribery and cheating the system are morally incorrect. The college admissions process is a bit rigged to favor the wealthy as wealth can lead to private tutoring sessions and better conditions when learning. For the most part, however the process is fair because it has a balance between academics, athletics, and SAT scores. I believe that this scandal was simply a case of corruption and temptation with money. This scandal discourages the less wealthy high-school students who try their hardest to potentially get into a top tier university. Overall, I learned that the college admissions process is not as fair as I thought it was and that corruption still takes place within our society.
Believe it or not I'm not surprised by this scandal what so ever. Scandals like these are displayed all over television shows; so for this to be a reality did not seem far fetched. A detail that really hit that I did not take into consideration was all the money that was spent to get the children of wealthy people into good colleges when they could have easily given their child the necessary resources to get into a good college through merit and without cheating. Especially in more poverty stricken areas, if there was a phenomenal student that needed that extra money so they could get the resources they needed to apply to a good school they would because opportunities like that do not come around often if not ever. The issue is that people with affluence have an entitlement issue and feel as if they should automatically have the benefit of going to or putting their child through the best schools to reflect on their accomplishments as parent. Someone should be held responsible for these actions because it should be considered fraudulent activity, someone is purposely being deceitful so that they can seek the positive results of something they did not work for. Yes, I do agree that college admissions have become cutthroat but this is due to all the technological advancements America has endured. Prestigious Universities want the best representing their school so when an individual that went to school there makes a huge contribution to society it looks good on the University.
To be upfront, I am not surprised, because corruption like this is found throughout any type of society in the world, due to the fact that money rules the world. However, the thing that surprises me is how much certain parents are willing to spend for their kids to fool people with supposed success. With one group of parents spending around 200,000, it blows me away. Personally, I believe the people accepting the bribery should be held responsible, since these type of actions are expected from people, but the fact that the people who took these bribes prioritizing worthless, non contributing members is morally and logically wrong, labeling them the deserving of the punishment. I agree with Bruni's claim, since this behavior is all over America, where the less wealthier classes are pushed aside by the rich. This type of behavior is encouraged just by the ideals of the country. This incident shows high schoolers just how much money is a benefit in our country. The biggest thing to learn here is that everything in this society has a price.
Some in our society have become increasingly consumed with wealth, upward mobility at any cost and worse of all the aim to achieve those with complete disregard for hard work or honesty. As a result we see financial scandals at all levels. What’s so sad is that some (who are financially capable) are willing to encourage and teach their kids the acts of dishonesty and avoidance of hard work.
Parents who encourage their kids to cheat on exams to get into schools have done their kids and the kids who are working honestly and hard a disservice. There are many bright and underprivileged kids who are denied the opportunity to obtain a higher education and be contributing members of society because of dishonesty by a few privileged families. The Department of Education need to look into the college admission process and formulate improvements to it. This is necessary as the majority of schools receive direct or indirect funding from the government.
This scandal is punch to the gut for high school graduates and their families who struggle to borrow funds for their kids to get into mediocre schools. Cheating denies all of us the opportunity to teach and train a future doctor, teacher or scientist who did not get into or can afford college tuition etc. Those found guilty of participating in this exposed crime need to fund a scholarship at the school their kids applied to for displaced students in the amount the paid in the scheme or pay to the full extent of the law.
I was shocked by the amount of people who got away with scandal, but even more shocked by the fact that Lori Loughlin was a part of it as well since she was apart of my childhood through the show “Full House”. I’m not surprised by the fact that this happened because it is commonly known for those who are rich to use their money to get what they want. I think the parents Andy those who accepted the money should be held responsible due to them making this happen and not letting those who work hard for those kinds of opportunities get their chance to have them. This tells us how college admissions will do anything if a good amount of money is involved and I agree that them breaking those rules show just how desperate they are to be the best. Mr. Bruni’s claim basically shows what happens everyday with those who have the money do when they have that power, colleges who go with these actions are the ones that are rigged to the wealthy’s favor which is unfair to those who actually have done the work that deserve those opportunities they took. This sends the message that life is never going to be fair when those who have more power influence everything to their will without any punishment to their actions.
When I heard and read about the scandle I was not super surprised. The only thing that shocked me was how few people were charged in the case. I would have imagined more wealthy parents would have taken advantage of the urge of people and organizations to make as money as they can. To not see more parents doing it was shocking. Anyone who had anything to do with the scandal should be punished in a way that sends a message to everyone. All this situation does is expose how desperate some people are to get into college and how competitive the process is. It shows that college has been emphasized to the point that some people are willing to break the law to get into academic institutions. Mr. Burns is absolutely correct in his analysis when he talks about the double standard and leniency that wealthy people have over the common person. Organizations and institutions that were created to help everyone are being taken over by the people with the most money. Affirmative action wasn't to help the rich. The only thing that matters in these situations is your socio economic status and since the wealthy are the ones who write the laws the system gives them a supreme advantage over people with less money. It's not even close to fair but fair does not exist, but nobody will do a thing about it. As a Junior in high school it tells me that the classes I take and the effort I put in mean nothing if I apply to school where I have to hope some rich kid stole my spot with his parents money
@Nathan Price, at first I was a little weary to agree with your post. It was really surprising to me at the time of reading the article, but I am now starting to change my mind. It is definitely different to think how corrupt our system really is and that no one really tried this sooner. I also agree that not enough people were being punished. After explaining how many people were involved, it didn't seem like there was much to punish these people in a way that reflected poorly to society.
I also agree with your statement of "fair does not exist." Really when digging into things, it is amazing at the amount of scandals that occur throughout America as well as the rest of the world.
Reading this I was shocked and upset. I was shocked by how many people have actually paid enormous amount of money to have their child to be accepted into their dream college. Even though college is very difficult to get into, especially the one you really believe will help pursue your future career, no one should have more advances than others. Everyone works their hardest and those who supposedly did not know their parents paid for them to be accepted basically kicked someone out for a chance to get in and that person probably worked ten times harder than the one who got in. It’s disgusting. I am not surprised that this happened in the United States because it seems today that tons of people have been brieveing their ways into stuff and our country today by fact has been going downhill. I think the parents should be the ones to blame because they are the ones handing their child the acceptance. Almost anything is handed to kids today because they are spoiled and parents need to teach their children that not everything can be handed to them. I AGREE with “ ...how college admissions have become so cutthroat and competitive that some have sought to break the rules.”Like I said, colleges are extremely difficult to get into but it does not mean you will not get into one.That is just how life is. Almost anything and everything will be competitive. I agree with Mr.Bruni’s claims and to me it seems, even though I said to only blame the parents, sadly colleges do favor the wealth.
When I heard about the news scandal I was disappointed, but not entirely surprised with the situation. The thing that was the most shocking was how few people were involved. Given how competitive college has become I would have imagined more wealthy parents would have taken advantage of the situation. Colleges are meant to help kids, but since they are run like a business money speaks the loudest unfortunately. Anyone who contributed to the scandal or covered should made an example of and simply firing them is not enough. A clear message needs to be sent that public institutions will not be taken over by greed. Since college is so heavily enforced there is so much pressure to get in and that can make people desperate enough to get into college. It shows college is too heavily enforced. Mr. Bruni is correct and the reason for that is because the wealthy make the laws and so of course the system is going to favor the wealthy. It is not fair, but given how much money is made nobody is going to anything without real legislative and political pressure. This scandal shows high school students that the work put in might not matter if some rich parent can by their kids way into a school and steal their spot. It can send the message that hard work is not always rewarded, and a high school junior who is going to be applying to college soon this worries me. I want to go to top colleges, and the fact that some kid can buy their way in is concerning to say the least.
After watching the video on the prosecutions of the college admissions scandal and reading this article, I am unphased by this current issue. I am more surprised at how long this took before being discovered because of the amount of people involved in the scandal. I am also surprised at the fact that other students are astonished at this. Yes, this was a major scandal and one of the largest college admissions scandals but history has shown us time and time again that many people, no matter what era, will be willing to cut corners or find the easy way out (or in this case, in) of a situation whether it be legally or illegally. I believe the parents as well as the SAT and ACT proctors and coaches should be held accountable for this crime. The children of these parents obviously do not have the money or other resources to have gone through with such a plan of paying people to do illegal things. The author of this article also stated that schools were becoming so cutthroat that people sought out methods like this. School has progressively throughout the years gotten a little bit more difficult to be accepted and schools have heightened their standards, but not enough to cut lines and illegally be accepted into the school. If children do not meet requirements of schools, this usually means that the child will not do well in this school and most likely drop out because of difficulty.
Every student who has worked tirelessly in their academics is being cheated. I am extremely disappointed in the parents who paid for their children’ entrance into the schools. I was most shocked that athletic coaches were bribed to recruit students into a sport without experience. The news was honestly not a surprise to me. The gap between the upper and lower class continues to increase and those with money can easily bypass the struggles of life. Students with money do not dedicate themselves to school anymore and will depend on their parent’s money to advance in life. Everyone involved with the scandals should be punished. The college administrators that accepted the bribes should be fired. The students should be removed from the colleges. I agree with the authors’ statement because colleges want money to develop their title. They ignore the harsh evaluations when accepting students with rich parents.
Mr. Bruni’s claim is true because every method of using money to secure a position is the same crime. Colleges do favor administrations for the wealthy and it is not fair because those students do not deserve their place in a top university without putting in effort. This scandal sends a message to many high school students about the greed of the school administrators and the reliability of these universities. My biggest takeaway from the scandals is that upper class people have been to skipping obstacles without the struggle. Hopefully, the scandals will limit their power.
Considering how difficult and expensive it has become to attend college , I was not surprised at all about the cheating scandal. A large amount of students today are pressured by parents and society into receiving a good education causing so much competition and almost everybody is willing to do anything to get it. The real people responsible for this scandal has to be administers who allowed this to happen. It is there responsible to ensure students are granted the opportunity to attend college fairly. This only proves that college admissions only seem to care about the money. I also agree with Bruni's statements as it mention how deceptive college admissions really are and this case really just sheds light on this reoccurring issue. It is a real shame parents felt the need to pay for their child to enroll and it is even more shameful for the students who actually work hard and are put aside for the sake of money.
When I heard about the college cheating scandal there was not any surprise that someone would pay for their child to get into school illegally, but when I heard about the scenario of a teenage girl who's never played soccer in high school or club soccer automatically become a top pick recruit at Yale I was appalled. From an athletes standpoint, I automatically thought someone who's worked their whole high school career trying to be the best to be that person to get recruited for the Yale soccer team is simply never going to have a chance. This shows me that it's all about the money and not the quality of the candidate applying to the college, and this can start to become a fear of the growing generation. Personally, I believe that the athletics coach and the parents of the candidate who committed the scandal should be held responsible and be given a charge to the fullest extent. While a couple of the candidates knew what their parents were doing, many of the candidates were unaware of their parents' actions and this will be harmful to their future. Overall, I believe that the parents that paid for their children illegally to enter any school are unethical, and they should be penalized not only because it's the right thing to do, but also as an example for other families with the potential to try to scam their child into another top branded school.
I have a very strong opinion on this one that can be boiled down to three simple words.
It’s not fair.
A simple opinion? Yes. Childish? Maybe a little. Incorrect? Not in the slightest.
Students work hard to get into college. They constantly push to achieve their dreams. They sacrifice time, sleep, and even their passions just to get where they want to go.
Sometimes they don’t get in. It’s sad, but it happens, and it often means that the person who did get in worked harder, and that the person who didn’t get in might need to work harder. That’s fair.
What isn’t fair is a hardworking student not getting into the school of their dreams because they weren’t born with deep pockets.
That’s unfair.
I understand why the parents did it. I understand that parents want their children to achieve their dreams. However, this does not excuse their actions, and I am glad that they are getting repercussions for them.
@Thomas D.
I totally agree with you as well. Parents want the best for their kids, and that's why they did this. But, you can't cheat your way out of life expecting not to get caught. This takes the time and effort out of other students to be wasted after these fake college admissions. Instead of wasting your money to lie, use the money to get a tutor or something. Like you said, most people applying for colleges work hard, but that other fraction of people could be loaded compared to the others and might not work as hard. Like it says in the article, that students claimed they never even knew that their parents were doing this felony, it could ruin kids careers for ever.
I was severely disappointed in hearing about this scandal. The amount of money that was poured into college acceptances and the number of authorities involved shocked me. I would expect college coaches, test proctors, and other officials to know best the competitiveness of getting into selective colleges, yet their greed for money clearly won over their sense of morals. I'm not that surprised that something like this happened due to the frequency of corruption in today's society, which is seen almost daily.
I think that the parents and those who were bribed should be held responsible for their actions, but also those who constructed and allowed the school system to come this extreme for their own benefit.
I believe that it are events such as these that reflect how America's school system fails students. The competitive nature of the college admission process forces both parents and students to go to extremes in order to gain even the slightest of advantages.
I have conflicted feelings when it comes to Bruni's claim. For sure, the college admissions process is rigged to favor the wealthy, as such admissions help processes often do cause hundreds to thousands of dollars, which is clearly tipping the scale to the privileged's advantage. However, those who did achieve and succeed in life often had the goal to make their family's lives better, especially their children. In addition, such services are plentifully available online for free, so there is a bit of a grey line.
I am not surprised by the outcome of this scandal. Whether through illegal means or bribery or legal donations to the school, the wealthy have always been trying to give their children an edge when it comes to admissions. I feel that top universities need to reevaluate how they handle favors and donor's children in the admissions process, even if every bit of money going to the school is through completely legal means. Another thought I have about some of the children of the children is that they were not qualified enough to get into the school in the first place, so them not getting accepted would be for their own good. Not every student is made for every university. If the student was not smart enough to get the scores or grades required, they might have suffered heavily while attending the university, falling in the bottom percentile of the class. There are countless universities across the country that children can thrive at, and the wealthy paying for their child to go to one that the student might suffer at could harm their future more than help it.
The cheating scandal is horrific at best, but no one should be suprised. The United States has created a society where everyone is constantly in competition with one another to become the best. The only way to achieve this outcome is to provide yourself with a costly education to gain a high paying job.
“Ivy League” colleges carry a lot of weight. That is why I agree with Mr. Bruni’s claim. School is rigged to favor the wealthy. Thousands of dollars are spent to attend universities and get the materials necessary. Those who don’t go into debt are rare to find. The elite stay elite, while those who struggle can only make it if hard work is put in. The college admissions process is not fair because nothing is fair in the real world. Someone always has an advantage in some way.
Those who are corrupt morally and the institutions themselves must be accountable for the scandal. It is literally in the school’s job description to limit cheating in admission(admissions officers, etc.). Every American must be held accountable too. We have created a mentality that we must be the best at all costs. Grades are valued over integrity, and alternative facts prevail over truth. Constant comparisons make us become desperate to be perfect.
High schoolers across the nation now know that the haves do prevail over the have-nots. Some people have “hand-holders” but many don’t so buckle up, get good grades, and be the best regardless of others because it’s an eat or be eaten world.
Hearing about the college admissions scandal was devastating yet not shocking to me. Considering that the wealthy dominate in the U.S, it's no surprise students have bought their way in, but seeing the strategies these people went about is eye-opening. The most interesting aspect is that the parents knew what their actions were illegal, they didn't simply walk up to the office and pay a fee, they went through a loophole and found ways to pose their child as exceptional.
Despite these strategies, it's the schools that should be held accountable. People will always be willing to buy their way into a program but, it's the college's duty to refuse them knowing it's against their policy. Colleges have the last say in whether or not they will accept the bribery.
There is no doubt getting into college has become overly competitive, but that's just it. College admission is a competition based on individuality. Many students spend countless hours studying or practicing and still don't get in, while wealthy students are able to pay their way to the top?
I agree with Mr. Bruni's claim to an extent, both cases are very similar however, there is no way we can eliminate an economical factor in college admissions. There is no formula into being accepted into college therefore admissions can always have controversy. This scandal shows students that cheaters never prosper and hard work is what pays off. Just imagine all the college kids who are proud of themselves after hearing of this.
When I first heard abut this scandal, I was disappointed that this is what the times have come to. It is sad to hear that the process of applying and getting accepted into colleges have become corrupt. I found it most shocking that parents are lying to get their child into sport that they have yet to play in their lives. Why should the child who has worked hard from a young age to play at the collegiate level in their sport be rejected so a student with little to no experience can play just because they have the money to pay for their spot? I am not that shocked that this has happened in the U.S. because this country is already corrupt and full of non-hardworking kids who don't deserve everything handed to them. I think the parents should be held responsible for these crimes because their actions are jeopardizing their kid's future. Parents set examples for their children and this has shown them that they can cheat their way through life. I do believe that this tells us that the college admission process has become cutthroat and overly competitive because it is even harder to the hardworking students to earn their spots anymore. Big name schools have low acceptance rates which is very discouraging for students. I believe that this process is rigged and there needs to be change so it is fair for everyone, no matter the wealth. It sends a message to high school students that they don't have to work hard anymore for what they want as long as they have the money to do so.
@Elizabeth L.I agree with you a lot of kids in are world today are lazy, and instead of working harder they just give up. Parents also feed into this, by giving their kids whatever they want no matter what it takes. Although, I do get that every parent wants to see their kid succeed whether it’s in sports or academics. It angers me that a family with less money and a kid who has worked all his life to play a college sport. Could be pushed aside by another family who used money to get their kids into the college they want.
The college admissions cheating scandal is insane. I am not surprised that this sort of thing happened in the United States not too long ago. Wealth has always been a main factor and people "buying" their way in to something has been seen before but not in this manner. The most shocking thing is that "the students were not aware" that their parents were doing these actions because it doesn't make sense that these students are unaware for their parent's "wrongdoing". Wouldn't they suspect something?
I believe that the parents, coaches, and proctors should be accountable for their actions. The coaches and proctors should know better than to take bribes from wealthy parents. Admissions should be more responsible when looking over applications and if something doesn't look right they should automatically speak up.
Having a little extra competitiveness is always a good thing because it makes you work harder. For those who go the wrong way and cheat their way in don't just ruin it for themselves but they ruin it for those who actually had a chance to be admitted. This scandal shows that no matter how smart you are money will prosper. There are some low income students who struggle to pay but still would like the opportunity to go to those prestige colleges and it doesn't help them when there is a rich family pushing their way through to have their unqualified kid to go.
It's disappointing that these positions are being given to those who aren't deserving of them.
In today's world, it seems the status quo is to go to college. It is large societal pressure to enforce college. However, no matter how much it is enforced to go to college things should not ever stoop to this low. The means of going to a college, and high leveled colleges like these are not worth what these people fifty people did and it should never come to this extreme. The matter of fact is: if an individual feels entitled to do this or their parents do, really they were not good enough to go into the college in the first place. It is one thing to be a scholar, it is another to be a good person. It is shocking to find those who feel the need to take away opportunities from others and find it okay to use money and "false advertising" to get themselves ahead. It's outright greedy. College may be hard to get to, but it is hard because a standard has to be set. It is incorrect that people are defying the standard, it is met to be hard and to set expectation.
Honestly the entire scandal does not shock me that greatly, although I did find the fact that some families were willing to pay upwards of a million dollars just so that their child could go to a certain university surprising. An education at colleges such as Yale likely isn't worth a million dollars more than an education at another school. If there's anywhere this could have happened it would have been the United States: here the admissions process is so rigorous and so much importance is placed on going to a good college that it's completely understandable to want to give your child more security when it comes to admissions. The parents and coaches are obviously the only ones who have done anything wrong and are the ones who deserve to be punished. Punishment is a complex issue, however, as reversing the admissions decision only hurts the child. Overall, it's not just the admissions process but the entire system that is rigged to favor the wealthy: more money means access to better education, private tutoring, and the resources to put a child through an expensive college. While financial aid and affirmative actions can alleviate this issue, it's clearly skewed to favor those with more money rather than more innate talent or achievement. As for me, the main message that I can take way from this is that the admissions system for high-level colleges is even more unfair than I thought.
While I'm not surprised by the correlation between wealth and college admittance, the illegality of this situation is shocking. When a family donates millions of dollars to a school, it's morally wrong but certainly illegal, whereas this case was full of felony charges. I think that these parents should serve time regardless, but they should evaluate the children involved individually to determine if they were involved, a minor during the application process, and the consequences. For example, the Gianulli daughters were both 18 and clearly knew what they were doing by posing for fake photos, so they should be prosecuted. Still, the kids who were tricked out of a fair college application process are likely who have suffered the most from this.
Considering how difficult and expensive it has become to attend college , I was not surprised at all about the cheating scandal. A large amount of students today are pressured by parents and society into receiving a good education causing so much competition and almost everybody is willing to do anything to get it. The real people responsible for this scandal has to be administers who allowed this to happen. It is there responsible to ensure students are granted the opportunity to attend college fairly. This only proves that college admission only seem to care about the money. Bruni's argument also brings up this idea of deception that I completely agree with and this scandal really is just bringing light on to how deceptive admission processes have been over these years. It is a real shame that parents feel the need to pay someone to enroll their child and is even more saddening for students who truly work hard to retrieve their goals and were put to the side for the sake of money.
In all honesty, I wasn't exactly surprised when hearing about this cheating scandal, but it did cause a sense of disappointment and anguish for me over this whole situation. What had mainly shocked me was the amount of money that was invested in these admissions alongside the fact that not only were there numerous parents that were charged in the case but also how top college athletic coaches would accept these bribes. I am not surprised that this happened in the United States because when it comes to the college admissions process today, teenagers are known to go above and beyond in order to stay competitive so that they can be accepted into their dream schools and this can eventually lead to drastic measures. When it comes to these crimes, I feel that the parents involved in this scheme alongside those who accepted their bribes should ultimately be the ones who are held responsible. This type of scandal basically translates to most high school students that with access to wealth and a well-known name, you can basically get away with anything and it can truly be disheartening for them because no matter how hard one works and tries to give it their all, in the end, it may not even matter. It shows how colleges are putting aside their morals where they would rather accept a student who can pay their way to the top, rather than accept a well-deserving student who worked hard all throughout high school, but whose opportunity was then taken away from them.
The scandal’s absurd & the parents are selfish. It’s shocking that the students “were not aware.” It’s ignorant for the students to not realize they had been cheated in. I’m not surprised this is happening in the US, it’s been known that some buy their way in, but the measures taken are surprising.
Parents, proctors, coaches, & those within boards of admissions should be accountable. Proctors & coaches should’ve withheld their positions as trusting individuals & shouldn’t be dumbfounded for money. The boards of admissions are supposed to be cautious while reviewing app.s, but were manipulated instead. Pressing charges & firing those wrong will show that univ. systems do care about WHO’S going to their schools, not the money they are making.
Competition isn’t an issue. For applicants to break rules shows they don’t have the qualifications to get in on their own. This reveals how bad parents want their kids to go to top name univ.s & shows how much comp. there is. The comp. is not a valid excuse because w/o it, the prestige & honor of being admitted & graduates of, wouldn’t be there. If you have more money than someone else, you probably have more ad.s in most, maybe all aspects of life. I don’t believe that colleges favor wealth; there are many low-income students admitted.
It’s hard to know that a spot for a deserving qualified student didn’t go to them because of money. The biggest takeaway is to realize that cheating your way in is not worth the mishap that can occur.
After reading about the college scandal it was quite shocking, buying ones way into a college is just false and unfair. The fact that these parents are buying their children into these colleges, getting the best possible education without simply taking the effort to get there on their own is appalling and disappointing. Not only was it a few teachers and parents that were involved but many others like coaches and administrators. The parents and those that let this bribery happen should be held responsible for their unjust actions.
The competition in order to get to the best of best colleges place many students as well as parents to work off the charts however, this act of paying does underscore how college admissions have been so cutthroat and competitive.
I do not think that it’s fair about how adminssions tend to favor the wealthy, many students spend hours and nights studying and working to be able to get to the college that they desire but when someone is able to get in through money, it just makes the system cruel and dishonorable.
This scandal reveals that cheating doesn’t get one into to everything and how it is crucial to work hard with determination.
I'm glad this scandal is brought to the light, instead of the cheaters getting away with it. Not surprised that they would rig the system but upset because those kids who cheated their way into a school are taking up spots of those who want it ten times more and are willing to work ten times harder for it.
I think those who should be blamed are the parents, and any person with the position such as a coach or administrator, that aided them to cheat.
I agree, this shows the brutal competition for education, and this scandal shows us the desperate measures some are willing to take just to get a spot.
I think Mr.Bruni is absolutely right, the system is obviously rigged to those who can afford to do so. It's unfair how the system works but that's how life is. unfair.
This scandal shows high school students that sadly, it takes more than good grades and test scores to get into the college of your dreams. And if you didn't get in, you have to consider the other corrupt factors in the competitive system today.
I think the cheating scandal is appalling and also shameful. I think I that the parents going behind their kids backs, as they claim that they had no idea, is completely shameful and shocking. I am not surprised that this would happen in the United States because it is a very industrialized country and everything eventually becomes a business, even college.
I think those who placed the bribes and those who accepted them should be punished for committing these crimes because they committed acts of fraud. Their children should be pulled out of school because they did not earn their right to be there.
The college admissions process has become very competitive like a business. People invest their money into getting into these schools and it is a continuous cycle that makes the country richer.
I think rich people are favored in the college admissions. Students who have average grades but are wealthy are more likely to succeed in college, compared to excellent students with high grades but low incomes. People who don’t have money to pay for college may take out a loan and end up with years of debt.
This scandal may make hardworking students who feel that they're are underdogs feel even more worthless or irrelevant. These students involved in the scandal who were able to attend major school only because their parents paid for them to get in prove that you don’t have to be the best student, athlete, or mathematician to get into college- you just need money.
Well, I’m not surprised by this scandal. Today it’s become really hard to get into good colleges. People have become so much more competitive. It’s not shocking to me at all because people will do anything for money. I think it’s unfair because people who are less fortunate than others work so hard to get into good colleges but their places are taken away by wealthy people who pay their way into college. I think that the people who are involved in this crime should be punished to the fullest extent of the law.
@Kou H. While I do agree with the fact that it is unfair for the less fortunate, harder working people who's spots at a good college are taken by people who pay their way in, I disagree with your opinion on the punishment. The punishment to the fullest extent of the law is the death penalty, which is far from applying to this situation. Paying to get into college without working hard is on a completely different spectrum than, say, murder.
@Kou H. i definitely agree with you. I think you are right that it is not surprising that people nowadays would do such a thing. There are many wealthy people who will do anything to have a good reputation like going to a good school. I also agree with you about the fact that it is unfair to the students who worked hard to get into these schools, and were admitted based upon their score and not their wealth. Such a crime like this deserve proper persecution.
When I read this, I was upset but wasn't very shocked. The way this world is and the direction it's currently heading are all factors that make it so I wasn't surprised. I always just assumed that things were always happening, in fact, I would be surprised if things like this didn't happen. America is a corrupt country, it's just fact. The most shocking thing I would say would be that only 50 parents were found guilty and prosecuted. I believe that the blame rests solely on the parents because without them none of these things would happen.
I am very surprised to find out about this cheating scandal. The fact that parents were willing to pay that much money just for their kid to go to a top of the class university is ridiculous. They could have just as easily used that money to get her into a good university and still have money for other classes to higher their child's education. I am sort of surprised to know that this is happening in the United States because people will do anything they can nowadays to get what they want. I think the child's parents should be held responsible for these crimes because the article says, "In many of the cases, prosecutors said, the students were not aware that their parents were doctoring their test scores and lying to get them into school.", this is unfair to the students if they are getting into trouble for their parents' actions and wrongdoings.
I think that the college admissions scandal is just sad. It's bad when even your parents think you're stupid. What I found most shocking is that people would go through these lengths just to make their child go to a certain school. Also, the fact that the parents did all this behind the back of their own kids. I'm a little surprised this happen because you would think that because the parents worked hard to acquire their wealth that they would want their kids to work hard too. But at the same time, I'm not that surprised because there are a lot of really spoiled kids in the U.S. These kids don't work for anything, they get everything handed to them.
@Diego B.
I agree that it is very sad that people will do these things. Most people that get into these very good schools have to work hard in order to get accepted. While other people just have to pay a certain amount of money. I think that if the students are not smart enough to get into schools like Yale, than they probably will not be able to preform well in these classes. In addition I think that it shows how important people think college is. I think that it is crazy they are willing to pay a ton of money just to get accepted let alone the cost of books and other expenses just so there kid can go to a big name college.
@Diego B.
I completely agree with you, parents shouldn't be wasting their wealth on cheating their children into college. There are other ways to help their children get into college like private tutors, but cheating should never be the option. Cheating made their children's situations much worse in this case. These students that are getting into these high ranked colleges are also taking up places that hard working students that deserve to be accepted into these colleges could fill. I am not surprised that things like this are happening because parents are willing to do anything to give their children what they want, and if you are rich you can just use money. It is ironic that the parents, who worked hard for their money, are making their children work as little as possible to be successful in life.
Honestly, this is wrong. For parents to just buy their child into colleges. Something this world needs to know is that cheating yourself into everything will never get you anywhere. Our generation needs to learn that you have to work hard and earn your spot into that college or into whatever you want to do. For all the students who did work hard and deserve a spot,yet they did not get in because of this. Its sad and messed up. I am in all honesty disappointed. For people to not even be surprised at this point ? That is just sad. Our society today really feels that money is higher than anything. Those students who cheat themselves into college, they are not getting anywhere. They just played themselves.If they did not get into that dream college or get that spot, that means they did not work hard enough or that it simply wasn't meant to be. You can not have everything in life, you only get what you need. Lastly, for the people who took that money, are you really that eager to get money? They are not helping anyone by doing this, because of society we are walking around as if this is such a normal thing to do and as if it is right.
Ok so first off I am really surprised people do this, especially celebrities. Even though they are making their kids dreams come true by getting them into their dream college, they are also crushing someone else's dream to go to their dream college, who have worked hard. But no, the celebrities don't care if someone elses kid gets in or not, their kid just needs to get in. Don't parents teach their kids to do the right thing and to work hard. But what are the kids going to do when their parents aren't following that rule. Many people say that rich kids are really spoiled. I didn't really believe them but reading this article I do know.
Honestly, I am so disapointed in all of the people involved in this cheating scandal but mainly the parents. Lori Laughlinś daughter Olivia Jade got into USC solely because of her parents paying so that she could be on the crew team when in reality she doesn´t even row. There is also no way she was academically strong enough to have gotten into a school like USC on her own. The only reason she even wanted to go to college was so she could make Youtube videos about it and have the college experience. The fact that they took the spot away from someone else who could have had it that probably worked really hard to even be considered to play for a top tier school like USC, is so morally wrong. Itś probably so discouraging for students reading this knowing that the oppurtunity to go to a really great school could be taken away from them by some rich kids that payed their way to the top.
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No I don't think it's fair that parents bribed coaches and workers at the schools. Some people have to work hard to achieve their goal of entering big schools. It's not fair that money can just buy people their scholarship. Most of the students that are in big schools now had to work very hard most of their life to get to where they are now and for the others they just had to pay and that is very unfair for the other students who had to work very hard.
I would like to say I’m surprised when I found out on the news about the college admission scandal but I wasn’t. People how have money want their children to be just as successful as them and to attend elite colleges so they can have the best education and have the highest possibility of attaining fame.
As stated in the article “ The real victims in this case are the hardworking students” who were displaced in the admissions process by “far less qualified students and their families who simply bought their way in,” Mr. Lelling said. It’s an unfair system where the student who put in all their time and effort into getting into the school Won’t get in because someone else who paid to get in was accepted in their place. Parent live on through their children so they would prefer to do everything for the kids instead of letting them do it themselves
The wealthy bribing colleges to accept their kids is nothing the world hasn't seen before, but something I thought was in the past. After reading this article, it seems that not only has paying loads of money for an unqualified student to take their place at a school remained an issue, but instead of just paying money, parents are finding ways to cheat so that their students are accepted. One of the biggest lessons I've learned in my life is that hard work can take you a long way. Apparently, people with money don't need to teach their children that lesson.
My biggest takeaway from this scandal is the sorrow that I feel for well-deserving, hard working high school students who were denied spots at these top universities. What’s surprising is that the nation’s wealthiest and most privileged had to succumb to dishonest lengths in order to earn their children’s acceptances into top-notch colleges. The elite are already given special treatment. I would’ve thought that their money alone would have proven to be a great asset in the college admissions process. I think that wealth in general serves as a great advantage in the college admissions process. I know, for example, that only those that are wealthy and can secure great payments can apply Early Decision to colleges. The majority of people can not afford to apply Early Decision, because this is binding and upon acceptance the student must forfeit his or her other applications. Most students must weigh all of the options and take the financial component into great consideration. For this reason, I think that wealthy families and students already have an advantage when it comes to picking and choosing colleges. I found it surprising and angering that the nation’s wealthiest and most privileged would exploit their status and cheat out other well-deserving students.
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The wealthy bribing colleges to accept their kids is nothing the world hasn't seen before, but something I thought was in the past. After reading this article, it seems that not only has paying loads of money for an unqualified student to take their place at a school remained an issue, but instead of just paying money, parents are finding ways to cheat so that their students are accepted. One of the biggest lessons I've learned in my life is that hard work can take you a long way. Apparently, people with money don't need to teach their children that lesson.
I think it is sad that we are not surprised by this scandal. If you do not have the decency to put in the time to be a successful college student, and would rather pay your way in you are a coward! This is a perfect example that America can be a privileged country and it always will be. Money talks in today's society people have no input.
As a junior who is in the middle of my own college search, I find this college cheat scandal disgusting. I feel that it makes individuals who are qualified for elite or even average colleges look down on themselves as if they do not deserve a spot in that college if they are not accepted. College admissions have become the hardest part of high school mainly because of the pressure induced by society's opinion on what is considered to be an elite school and what isn't. If you are not accepted to Ivy League schools, you are seen as below average even if you are qualified. I think all schools set you up for success in their own way. You could go to a community college, which is seen as the lest elite, and receive a better education than from an Ivy League school. Society needs to change its views on what is seen as the best schools and that is the only way horrible people like the ones being prosecuted in this case will not cheat their way into college.
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As someone who applied to 25 schools and has spent hundreds of hours reading and writing about college applciations, I'm disappointed but not at all surprised by the scandal. Despite hugely popular conceptions of the American Dream and a prestigious college education, America has statistically been shown to have low social mobility, and prestigious colleges have statically been shown to favor the rich. As an aside, affirmative action aims for social equity- to uplift those from unprivileged backgrounds and try to maximize the impact a university can have on society. More relevantly, bribing for fake SATs and athletic records seems incredibly silly to me. Despite the fact that a bribe is cheaper and more cost effective than a donation as it can be tax-deductible, I believe those students could've definitely been accepted in if the same amount of money (and more effort, obviously) went towards their passions. That's the win-win scenario that never happened because of the way the system is designed and the unethical culture those families had.
My reaction is more subtle surprise if anything. I'm stunned this is still happening to this day. I know it could be a common issue, money making the world go 'round and all, but for it to carry up to this point in time seems almost surreal. If anything, nothing is really shocking. Everything sounds as if it's ripped right out of a drama. Am I surprised that something like this happened in the US? Most certainly not. If anything, I feel as if it would most likely happen in the US over anything. The people held responsible for these crimes should be the adults, as they sought greed and power by placing their kids into high class colleges, and that goes for the coaches as well, as they looked the other way in return for profits.
My reaction is that I am disappointed in how credible these schools have now become, because finding out that a student just paid to get accepted, with some of the collage employees help is very saddening for kids who deserved to get in and worked hard to do so. Like the article said it is not okay that the kids that worked their whole life to get into a school like this, all of a sudden doesn't because someone pays to get their hard worked spot. I believe the kids that parents paid to get in should be expelled, and the parents should be punished by the law. Although I am not surprised because this has probably gone on for a long time, I am disappointed. I have a cousin whos SAT scores were top 3 in the country and perfect grades but she didn't get in to Stanford, but it was the same year one of the kids parents paid for them to go to the same school, so I believe it was very unfair because my cousin worked super hard for a spot she didn't get, probably because another kid paid to get in.
My reaction is not only disgust, but also dissapointment. So many people were deserving to get into big schools. Many worked hard to even apply for these big schools. So when I hear that people were able to cheat their way through buy paying large sums of money, its horrible.
No one should be accepted into a school simply because their parents are rich and are willing to pay. Those spots couldve gone to someone with less money, or people in lower classes who have worked for a very long time to get into said school.
The parents and the school should be punished. After all, they were the ones paying and orchestrating this all.
I am curious to see if there is a difference in sentencing depending on how much the parents spend cheating. I think that the more accused paid for their kids to cheat, the longer they should be sentenced. Overall, I think this scandal is grossly disrespectful especially to people that need accommodations for test taking because of a disability. It makes me afraid that they will take away accommodation options in the future.
As a junior in high school and starting the college search, reading this article made me feel sick to my stomach. All parents want the best for their children, but this doesn't mean they should use their money as a tool to determine their child's future. After reading this article and talking to my mom about it, she showed me a video that was on The Daily Show where Trevor Noah brings some comedy into this appalling scandal. He explains feeling sympathy for these families, however looking at it in a different point of view, one can see that these students who got bribed into these colleges took away other students possibilities of going to the institution who actually worked hard day and night. I believe that the parents of these students should be held accountable for these crimes that were committed. The worse part in this scenario is that another investigation took place that led to finding this out, if it weren't for this other investigation would this cheating scandal even be known today? As bad as this situation is, it can be a learning lesson that although money can buy ones way out of things, in the end it will just turn right back on the victim. We can now be more aware of admissions and college testing which will help the future of students as well as institutions.
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I found this unsurprising. Cheating will always happen. No one will ever be able to fully prevent cheating. There will always be a way, it just depends on how far the cheaters are willing to go, whether that's spending large sums of money, spending a lot of time, or some other taxing strategy of cheating.
The reason we don't see more cheating scandals busted, is because good cheaters are never caught, and I'm sure there's a lot more cheating involved in college, this is barely the surface.
My reaction to the college admissions cheating scandal is disgust. I have this reaction because there were many examples where the wealthy parents would stop at nothing “to get their children into competitive American universities.” Some students are required to work extremely hard to be admitted into high ranked schools in the United States; meanwhile, wealthy parents were able to bribe college officials - with large sums of money - into allowing their children to be accepted without their own hard work and trying. The detail that I found shocking was that some college officials allowed for wealthy parents to bribe them into allowing their children, who were actually less educated than those who were hard working, to be accepted into some of the highest ranked colleges in the United States. I am surprised that something like this happened in the United States because I am often not fully informed of international news. This is surprising to me because I did not think that some parents had it in their character to force their children into a course that would be too difficult for those who were without the experience of having to work hard to achieve something. I think that the wealthy parents and the college officials who were bribed by the parents should be held responsible for these crimes. I think this because they thought that it was fine to cheat some students into top ranking schools. Also, people should not be bribed - for any amount of money - to commit a crime.
It is painful that with the money you can buy the integrity of an institution or person although this can take you to jail. They should let everyone demonstrate their skills in a legal way. The biggest thing is that a father pays to gives his son something that he does not earn because he is teaching him that money can do everything and an irresponsible human being who does not fight for his dreams. I am surprised that something like that happens in the United States because the laws here are very marked and are supposed to sanctioned these situations. I also believe that it should sanction the institution, the employee, and the parents. A student with an excellent average will be admitted to a good university, however a student with a millionaire father takes away the opportunity to someone who works really hard to be there, but the money won the battle.
After reading "What Is Your Reaction to the College Admissions Cheating Scandal?" by Natalie Proulx, I am not surprised or shocked about this. Rich people have been doing this for a long time now, and I don't know why it's a big deal now.
Even though, the people involved went way too far this time. For example, the text states, " A high school boy eager to enroll at the University of Southern California was falsely deemed to have a learning disability so he could take his standardized test with a complicit proctor who would make sure he got the right score. Cost to his parents: at least 50,000" (Proulx). In my opinion that is insulting towards the child; I mean what type of parent would pay 50,000 to make the child have a mental disability.
Another situation is where "A teenage girl who did not play soccer magically became a star soccer recruit at Yale. The cost to her parents: $1.2 million." (Proulx). This also an insult to the kids because the parents don't believe in their own kids' skills to get into a college.
I can see why the parents did this; They just wanted to help their kids be successful in life, but they just did it the wrong. There is no excuse in making their kids get involved, then bribing teachers and coaches because you don't trust your own child's skills.
In my opinion, the parents, coaches, teachers, colleges, and everyone involved should be ashamed of themselves. They should now know that they should not cheat or into colleges.
When I listened Yale, Stanford or another big name of prestigious Universities I thought in a list of many intellectual qualities that requires any person for belong there. For a student that work hard for to get a high score is sad know that the money is above of intellectual capacities. I think that this corruption was long time ago because the scandal have many people involved. Time when dreams were destroyed, where the professors could not identify the intellectual coefficients, years where the development of the society was manipulated.
I think this college admissions scandal is a disgrace to the American education system and the people involved in the scandal should be made example of and should be given the highest maximum sentence. I also think that it's more awful that coaches and test administrators would be bought out. The parents of the children should be held at full responsibility for funneling the money through.
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This situation shows how divided America is in terms of finance. It is almost sickening to think that no matter how hard people will work, wealthy parents can just pay to have their children admitted to elite universities.
After reading this article, I’m not very intrigued. Disappointed is the feeling I associate when I hear about celebrities doing these type of things. People look up to celebrities, in some sort they follow what they say. What kind of message are these parents sending, that it’s okay to rely on money instead of hard work? I was shocked when the article stated that students didn’t do anything wrong, but how can that be true if they had someone take the tests for them. I’m not surprised that something like this would happen in the U.S., I believe parents should have known better, I wonder if they thought they would never get caught. If the students aren’t smart enough to get into the prestigious colleges they should try applying to a different one. I believe that the parents and test instructors should be charged for this scandal, they should have known better.
The college admission cheating scandal is that a big and serious crime against the students who are working hard to get into these schools. Students who really deserve and get into schools fairly can get over placed and students who are bribing themselves in, which is not fair. The most shocking to me is that the students who takes the fake test and have their parents to pay them into school, we do not know about the scammed test and fake scores as well. It is truly shocking students do not know that the test is fake because this makes the students think that they are more intelligent then they are. I am not surprised that this would happen in the United States because there are many people who pay for things to be done and bribes are common now. Even though it is a law not to bribe in sporting events to win, teams still do it. Having people pay for things to be done is something that everyone does. So it is in our nature to pay people to help, even though this case is more extreme. I think the adults can help to recover and to prevent the cause of this crime - the individuals who receiving bribes, the parents who are bribed their kid to join in a college, and the people who scammed the test - are the guys who are responsible for this, ignore like these scandal to not to be happened again. The college admission cheating scandal is a very serious issue and crime, we should do something to not let it be done again in our society, not even only in United States but in world.
This article teaches us that we must all sacrifice ourselves to achieve what we want and to strive. It is not fair for the students who are really doing everything possible to get to college and with great effort they want to reach their goals and so that other students get everything to the easy with a fraud that the parents themselves make. I am disappointed that parents have paid for their children to be accepted in universities without the proper qualifications. It is not good that parents bribe a teacher because they make their children have no experience and they do not have knowledge of their life. I believe that students should strive to obtain their own qualifications and achieve their goals.
After I read about the cheating scandal, I was shocked. I couldn’t believe that anyone would cheat to get their children in college. Parents always want the best for their children, but there were other ways that the parents involved could help their children get to those colleges. Now, not only are the parents putting their children in a bad situation, they are depriving students who have worked hard to get a spot. One of the details that shocked me the most is that one of the parents claimed that their son had a learning disability. This is not only unethical, but this is very disrespectful to those who do have learning disabilities. Another part I found that was upsetting was that some of the parents used pictures of other people to get their kids athletic scholarships. This scandal is also disrespectful to the children getting into these colleges. This shows that the parents did not believe in their children enough to make it on their own. Instead, the parents decided to cheat for their children. I am kind of surprised that something like this happened in the United States because this is not what America is all about. The reason that America started is because we were being cheated out of our freedoms. In this scandal, the parents are cheating hardworking students out of places that they deserved. I think that anyone who knew about this scandal should be held responsible because if they knew about it, they could have done something to stop it.
I thought it was unfair and not right for the parents to do this. Some of the students may have worked very hard to get in to that school while others just got their parents to buy their way in. "In many of the cases, prosecutors said, the students were not aware that their parents were doctoring their test scores and lying to get them into school. Federal prosecutors did not charge any students or universities with wrongdoing". It surprised me that the students did not know anything about this. I thought that only the smartest and hard working people would get into on of the top schools in the country. This does not surprise me because rotten people in our society will do anything to be at the top. I think the coaches and the parents should be charged because if the students did not know anything about they should not be charged. The students are probably humiliated by their parents misdeeds.
It is really disappointed many students work hard to get into the schools , I was also shocked when the parents staged pictures of the children participating in sports, that is not good way for help our kids to be successful . I hope this people being held responsible and should pay for their actions !! because this is dishonorable!!
Personally, I was not surprised when this story came out. I notice that wealthy people, or ones with privilege, do things like this all the time. Yes, it may not be as extreme, but it does happen. Even ordinary people cheat their way through college. What did shock me was that they were actually caught. Usually when people do things like this and pay off others to keep quiet, they never get what is coming to them. The only thing that really did upset me what the fact that coaches would allow these cheating students to be "recruited" for their team when they know they will never play the said sport a day in their college life. The parents also would go as far as saying their child is "mentally challenged" just so they could have someone help them during the test. There was not one ounce of consideration of their own morals, and it shows how low a human would steep just to get what they want. Regardless of whether their child actually had the skill set required, the parents still pushed forward. The spots of other students - the ones who strove to be their best - were denied a chance for their future because of these students who did not have to lift a finger to be at the top. The colleges should reflect on themselves, and reconsider the choices they have made. They hold the lives and futures of the "freshmen class", so to deny a person their spot in life because they are willing to take money instead of actual effort, is unethical. This should never take place again.
When I first heard about the scandal, I wasn't really shocked. I wasn't mostly shocked mostly because cheating your way through college seems to happen a lot and these people just happened to get caught. Rich celebrities feel entitled and like they deserve the best so they did what they had to do to get what they wanted. In my opinion, I think the students are just as much at fault as the parents, most of the students went from not playing sports to getting recruited. The students knew about the situation and should be charged just like everyone else involved. Even though the scandal didn't affect me it's still upsetting to know that some students who worked hard didn't get accepted because of the students who cheated their way in.
The first reaction I had when I heard about this was: why? I understand parents want their children to succeed, but parents should be supportive of their kids in whatever they decide to do. So, why would they waste thousands of dollars for their child to party, compared to someone who deserves the spot for hard work? Was it because of status, because of the “family name,” or because they wanted to show their wealth? Either which way, it’s wrong. The person who accepted a bribe is just as guilty. Maintain a true representation of the school and deny the bribe because someone more qualified deserves the spot. We are all human beings, the majority of us make enough to get along. Most of us are lucky to go to college, most of us work for what we get. Tell me why people what to rip that hard work away for someone that just wants to party? Why do it for the family name? Wake up people! We can’t magically have everything at a snap of a finger like some people. This reminds us to be humble, don’t show off your money for stupid status. We should all be valued for merit, not just for money. This is why the parents and coaches involved in the scandal should write a sincere apology to the applicants of each Ivy League School. After that they should be punished like someone in middle class: no privileges and nothing absolutely over the top. They are humans too.
In my opinion college Admissions cheating scandal is that many students who want to enter studied for a long time and it is not fair. This is a crime because the television and Hollywood people took the seats from those students. Each mother or father they lie so that their famous children can have more money. But every student who is in High school and goes to college, they study a lot and their parents works hard so that they have a better future. But this is not fair with lies and crimes will also be violated with those crimes.
The reaction I had to this article was complete shock. What surprised me was the people that committed the crime. Children and adults look up to certain people in the world. Actors, businessmen, and coaches all are the type of person we look up to. What this scam does is make citizens more distrustful towards the well-known. Also, the fact some teens had no idea of what their parents did was stunning. If I were that teen, I would wonder if my parents really were proud of me or if they thought I wasn't good enough. Finally, what was also startling was the amount of money paid for these scams. The article tells us that, for example, a teenage girl became a soccer star at Yale for 1.2 million dollars. Going to a college the student got admitted into would be cheaper. While I was surprised about these things, I am not surprised by this happening in America. I love our nation and mean no offense, but small crimes will lead to bigger crimes like this. This shows us that we all need to pay attention to stories like this. I think who we blame this on depends on the people performing the crime and the people who knew about the crime. If the students did not know about this, they should not be held responsible, but if they did they were a part of the crime. The people who paid for this to happen should be held responsible too, as well as the people who were bribed. They were the ones who made this scam happen.
After I read this article, I was angry, but not exactly shocked. With the world we live in today, I have already seen how far people go to get what they want. I have already seen how effective money is when it comes to bribing people. Of course, I do not believe that what these people did was right in any way. What enrages me most is that these underserving students may have taken the spot in an elite college of a student who worked extremely hard all their life. I also find it shocking that most of the time, the students did not really know what was happening. I find this most shocking because I wonder how the students did not notice anything suspicious going on. How did they not notice that, for instance, they had never played on an elite soccer team, and then all of a sudden, they are getting accepted into Yale? However, even though this piece of information is surprising to me, I am not shocked by the fact that this happened in the United States. In the United States, there are many celebrities and other wealthy people who probably think that they can do anything with money. I think that the parents who paid thousands of dollars for illegal activity should be held responsible. Also, I believe that William Singer should definitely be held responsible for bribing everyone that was involved with the students' acceptance into the college. These people should undoubtedly be punished for what they did, but overall, I am not extremely surprised about this scandal.
I believe this entire cheating scandal is very wrong and the people involved deserve these major consequences. My initial reaction did not come as much of a shock hearing about such a wrongful thing, but when I read that celebrities were also involved it came as much less of a shock to me due to how today’s society is getting worse and worse in America. The scandal shows how easily people in the world today can be manipulated to do things by greed for money, especially in the United States. The fact that something like this occurred in the United States does not surprise me because of how twisted and greedy the people of America have become. America has gotten much worse, morally and ethically, over time and does not seem to be getting any better which is why something like this does not come as a shock to me. I believe that the parents and faculty involved in this scandal are the ones to blame, not the students. Most students involved in this scandal were unaware and even the ones that were aware were simply doing what their parents told them to do and many people would want this opportunity if presented to them by their parents. The faculty was wrong in this situation because hard-working, qualified students could have gotten into these major league schools but instead, wealthy kids with qualifications nowhere near as good, were accepted for large sums of money.
I think this is ridiculous. The fact that the kids didn’t even know they were being cheated while they were is what makes this so bad. These kids who aren’t as bright as the others are the ones being accepted into ivy league schools. Most of them don’t have athletic background either, so I am sure the professors that weren’t in on it were very surprised within just the first week of school and most likely contacted someone about it. This is so unfair to the kids who worked as hard as they possibly could every day of their life, every year, just to get in to the colleges these kids were cheated into. But what I found most shocking was Mr.Singer spending 8 years gathering around $25 million to bribe other test administrators, and coaches to let these kids get in to the colleges they want in without doing the work truly required or even playing sports. One second, a student is about to drop out and not playing sports, to acing the ACT/SAT and being a star athlete. But to be honest, no, I am not surprised something like this would happen in the United States. the United States’ government is so corrupted right now that anything bad can and will happen. It also doesn’t surprise me that wealthy will abuse their power and money like this. There have been shootings, robberies, murders, and now frauds that continue to happen. In my personal opinion, I think the parents, all school and test administrators should be punished. Including Mr. Singer, and the coaches that allowed this.
When I had heard about this scandal I was shocked. I was shocked by knowing that people had been paying money so their kids could pass and get into elite colleges People who are not talented enough have parents that pay their way through so they can get a high-level degree and get a good job. You can't just think about that, you have to take in consideration and think about other kids. Kids that have worked very hard all their life and they get their spot taken. Only because you had a kid's parents that paid a lot of money so they could get in. Stop and think for a second about how you would feel if this happened to you. That a college took a student over you for money. To me, that seems unacceptable and unfair to other people that have worked hard and have been waiting their whole life to go to their favorite college that they have ever wanted to go to.
When I first figured out about this college admission scandal. I wasn't shocked that it had happened, but the fact that they were caught was the part that was very surprising. I personally think that this situation is just awful. Where are you going to go in life if you just cheat your whole way through? What also shocked me was how far these people went. Its awful that these parents didn't even think anything was wrong with it and that they were doing a normal thing. I think its awful that these parents are setting such an awful example for there kids and they are exposing their own kids to this. I think that this is a very serious crime that needs to be known and acknowledged. I think cheating will get you absolutely nowhere in life. These people should have thought about what they were truly doing and how awful this is.
I believe that the college admissions cheating scandal was such an arrogant thing to do. I don't understand why anybody would participate in this. This cheating scandal infuriates me, many opportunities were taken away from hard-working students, who actually deserved enrollment into college. The fact that administrators would agree to cheat the system, in order to seem better and higher up than other colleges is sickening. It’s also crazy that people would agree to do such a terrible and illegal thing like this, just for money. There are major risks and consequence leading something like this, but people are so money driven and reliant, that they participated in this. Honestly, it doesn't surprise me that this took place in the US. Nowadays people are so hungry and desperate for money, they'll do just about anything for sweet cash. Americans have given up on other factors in life because they're so money fueled. I feel that some of the parents that took part in this scandal just wanted a reason to brag and bring attention to their children. They did this just to have a reason to boast about their children’s “accomplishments”. I think that all parents and college administrators involved in this should be held accountable for what they did. I do believe that some of the kids were being forced into this by their parents, so, therefore, they should not take all the blame. But, for the kids that did this willingly, should take just as much of the blame as adults.
When I first heard about the college admissions cheating scandal, I was shocked by some of the famous influencers that were involved. I believe that it was wrong doing on their part and should be held accountable for their actions. The whole situation is unfair to many people that were caught up in it. First off, the students that were put into such a place of elite learning were not ready for the tasks that the schoolwork required. The students were set up by their parents to fail just so that they could go to a top school in the country. I don’t understand why the parents still went through with it. Secondly, it was unfair to the students that were denied to go to the college of their choice. These students that actually deserve to go to the high profile schools were cheated out of the opportunity because of the wealthy parents paying and bribing the admissions office. What I found most shocking was the fact that the administrators and coaches let themselves go through with such a n out of line plan. I can see that the parents were trying to get their children into the elite schools, but I believe it’s crazy that the employees were letting it happen. They put themselves at risk and were later caught.
I think that this groundbreaking news is impostorous and terribly unsettling. This makes me utterly lose faith in humanity. There are people who will do anything for money even if it is incredibly dishonest. However, the real tragedy is the “hard-working” students who got the “door” shut in their face, and these undeserving kids who got a “side door” opened to them. I have a friend that was just accepted into Yale and I can’t help but think what may have happened if one of those dishonest people had gotten accepted before him and taken his place. The utter amount of money and greed astounds me. The amount of money the parents were willing to pay and the “$25 million” that Mr.Singer made during the time of the misconduct. I am disgusted that this took place but I am not utterly surprised. Things like this do happen throughout the world and the United States is no exception. I would, however, hope that the U.S would have more integrity and represent the good people of the world. Yet, I do know that there are dishonest people everywhere, and they don’t always get caught. I think that the parents, Mr. Singer, and the inside people at the universities should be punished. These people constructed the plot and ruined other students chances of attending these elite universities. However, I don’t think the children should be held responsible because from all that I’ve heard the kids genuinely thought they were making these high-level test scores.
I am not surprised about this issue since it has been happening for years. But this is important news because the people involved have just now gotten caught in their “scandal”. It is disgusting to see how these parents bribed test administrators. The parents most likely just don’t want to be humiliated by the fact that their child was not accepted into a college. But, to be honest, Hollywood stars were involved. That’s ridiculous. The fact that the students didn’t know their parents were doing this to get them into college is truly disappointing. Shockingly, Mr. Singer had the willingness to help the parents cheat the college administration system. Consequently, the hard working students didn’t get their shot at being accepted because their spot was filled by some other student who probably didn’t belong in that elite college.
I know people make wrong choices here in America and in other places - we’re all human - but the fact that parents would do that to their kids is horrible. When the kids get into college, they would have no idea what they are doing in their classes. They wouldn’t be prepared for the real world. The thought that these people involved thought they could get away with doing something like this is disturbing. I believe that the people who organized and bribed other people to do this should be held responsible because they are the ones who came up with the idea of the crime.
I was not surprised to find out about the college admission scandal. I knew there was most likely bribing involved, however what was shocking to me was the lengths that people would go to. People were photoshopping their kids faces on hard working athletes to deceive collage admissions. Its truly sad that these parents really don't find anything they did wrong. The ones being bribed aren't any better knowing there are other students who have killed themselves studying for their grades.
The bribe to obtain higher scores and access to institutions of higher education, unfortunately, is a common situation in our society today. I think all parents want the best for their children. However, I do not think that paying for their children's work is the best way to help them, since facilitating their work only makes them lazy and inexperienced in real life. In addition, they are depriving them of the satisfaction that gives them something to achieve and the opportunity to demonstrate their abilities. I think that striving to achieve a dream is a path full of life lessons that often improve us as people. Our society needs people with a dynamic, progressive attitude, who know how to survive and develop in society.
@keyri 3A I completely agree with you, the fact that colleges are receiving bribes for children to get into them is bad enough, but now information is surfacing that says colleges were bribed to get kids on certain athletic teams? That seems absolutely ridiculous.
When I first heard about the scandal, I was shock and in disbelief, but then I thought about it and I wasn’t surprise. It is no lie the college system is corrupt. While college is suppose to be a place of continuing learning and growth, it became a business industry where money talks. Knowing this information is concerning to me as a high school junior because my peers and I are going to be applying to colleges soon, and I know that most of us do not have enough money to “buy our way” into college. It is also disheartening because I know that many of us actually try our hardest to get good grades, do well in our respected extracurricular like sports, juggle many AP classes, and so much more, but there are kids that are able to have mommy or daddy pay someone to fake their resume and SAT scores which is wrong. By doing this, many kids would feel discouraged to apply to these top schools and the preconceived ideas about the college system will prevail. There is nothing wrong with a parent paying their child’s college tuition when they get in rightfully, but cheating to get your child into college with bribery is wrong and shows how corrupt the college system is, making it hard to know what colleges are built for;educating or becoming a money-making empire.
I’m surprised that the adults involved thought they could get away with their deception. They knew their actions were wrong, yet they still tried to “buy spots in the freshman classes” of prestigious schools, hurting the high school students capable of succeeding in those schools. The parents actually thought they could cheat the admission system. Most shocking was Mr. Singer's willingness to help parents cheat the college admission system. I was also shocked when I learned that the parents staged photographs of their children “participating” in various sports and doctor pictures of other athletes to make it seem as though the athletes were those kids. Unfortunately, I’m not surprised that something like this happened in the United States. As I mentioned earlier, many wealthy people think they’re above federal law. These wealthy parents also think their children should be allowed to do whatever they want and not have to suffer the consequences, simply because they’re rich. I believe Mr. Singer and the parents should be held responsible. Mr Singer created a “side door” for the parents to cheat their students through. The parents were the ones who were willing to bribe many people in order to make it look like their children were qualified to be accepted into prestigious colleges. The students were unaware of the deception, so the court was right in deciding that they should not take any of the blame. The real perpetrators were the parents and Mr. Singer.
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After reading this article, I do not like that there was a college admission cheating scandal because it sets a bad example for kids in our country. Also, I feel like the students can work hard enough in high school to get into the college, instead of their parents cheating their way through. All the kids had to do was study really hard to get into the colleges, but that didn’t happen. The details in the article that I found the most shocking was that most of the students didn’t even know that their parents were cheating and paying for college admission. This is because I figured the kids would ask their parents for help getting into a certain college. When learning about the scandal, I am not surprised that something like this happened in the United States because there are many people in the country that are willing to do whatever to help their kids be successful. Going to college can mean success in today’s world. I think that all of the parents, coaches, teachers, and test workers should be held responsible for these crimes. They should have to pay back all of the money and their kids should leave the school. Also, they should be let out of jail on bond. So as you can see, I feel like this cheating scandal was very wrong.
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My first reaction to the scandal was shocked. But then after I found out more about the situation it made more sense to me. People say that money can't get you everything in life but I have come to understand that it can get you a lot. The only thing is that sometimes money can get you into a bad situation. I think that everybody was shocked when they first found out about this but the detail that I found most shocking was the fact that Lauri Laughlin was one of the parents involved in the scam. I would have never thought that she out of all people would have been one of the parents involved. Even though I was stunned about the situation, after I thought about it it kind of made sense. I always knew that the really prestigious university's enrollment cost is more. So it does not surprise me that some of the country's most wealthy parents have paid money for there kids to enroll in these colleges. The thing that angers me about this situation is the fact that these kids are paying money and bribing coaches to get into these universities, and there are other students and athletes working very hard to get into a good college. Not only are these parents making poor choices for their kids, but they are also taking away opportunities from other students.
My reaction to the college admission cheating scandal is that this is a big and serious crime against the students that are working hard to get into these schools. Students that deserve and got into schools fairly can get over placed by students that are bribing themselves in, which is not fair.
The most shocking to me was that the students, that took the fake test and had their parents pay them in, did not know about the scammed test and fake scores. It is shocking that students did not know that the test was fake because this makes the students think that they are more intelligent then they are.
I am not surprised that this would happen in the United States because there are many people who pay for things to be done and bribes are common. Even though it is a law not to bribe in sporting events to win, teams still do it. Having people pay for things to be done is something that everyone does. So it is in our nature to pay people to help, even though this case is more extreme.
I think the adults that help the cause of this crime - the individuals who received bribes, the parents that bribed their kid to join a college, and the people that scammed the test - are the ones who are responsible. The college admission cheating scandal is a very serious crime that should have something done about it.
When I look at this, I feel really bad. Students like me work really hard for our future, while some kids who don’t try at all are given the opportunity to go to the top colleges without putting in an ounce of sweat. I stress every day thinking about getting into college and knowing that it could be taken away because of people like this is terrifying. This is very wrong! The thing that I found most shocking is how many people were stupid enough to do this. Some people received over 1.5 million dollars and while you still have to get accepted some of these colleges might not even cost 100,000 dollars! Even the coaches and some administrators were involved in this and ended up losing their jobs and risk being put into jail. This does not surprise me because people in the U.S. are becoming lazy and more and more people are looking for the easy way out of everything. For the kids who have worked hard, they might’ve gotten all this taken away for kids who didn’t even try and were getting their parents to help them with everything. I think all the parents, test-taking administrators, and people involved should be held responsible but they should be lenient on the kids. This was a bad representation of the wealthy class!
I am disappointed in the coaches and administrates who let these kids into college when they knew they were cheating. It upsets me because they knew they were letting undeserving kids into elite colleges. I am also upset at the parents and the person who coordinated the cheating. I’m mad that they decided to cheat; that they thought - just because they had money - they could get their kids into these elite colleges. The kids didn’t have to work to get into good colleges like you or me, they just had to cheat. The detail of this article that I find most shocking is the fact that the coaches choose to give up some on their spots on their teams to kids that would never even go to a single practice. I have to imagine that these coaches lost some really good players that could have been on their teams because they decided to falsely say they were recruiting these kids who weren’t even athletes. Honestly, I’m not that surprised that something like this is happening in the United States. In the US and in the world, in general, I think that people look at lot into the name of something. Going to a college with a really big name like USC or Yale means a lot to people. I’m not surprised that people would try to cheat just to get into a college with a prestigious name. I think that anyone who took money to make sure these kids got into elite colleges, and the parents who paid to make sure their kids would get into elite colleges should be the ones held responsible for the crimes.
I think that this is a horrible thing that happened. This is very unfair for the people that actually studied and worked hard for the spots that they deserved. The thing I found most shocking was that the people that were behind this were using other people's profiles for children that didn’t even work hard for their spot. I am not surprised that this happened in the United States, because in this day and time the world is centered around money. Basically, anyone will do anything for money. I think the people that are being held responsible are the ones that deserve the punishment and a jail sentence.
This cheating scandal awes me in how some parents think that either their kid is better than everyone else and the kid should get into college, or that just because they think that just because the kid is a rich/famous person’s kid that they get to go to any college they want. I’m not really surprised that this happened, though. That is because the United States is full of people that bribe to get what they want, and this is no different. I think the parents, the coaches, and the students if they knew about it, but allowed it to happen, then they should be held responsible, but the students wouldn't have as much of a fine. What I found most shocking is that there are forms of this that are legal, yet not as extreme.
After reading this article I was shocked. I was in shock to know that people in our world go so far to get what they want. I believe that this whole scandle should have never happened. All people should have to work just as hard as others.
I feel that this was very unacceptable but not super shocking. As a student, I want to succeed in life by going to college and I’m sure parents want the same thing for their students. I believe the difference is just some wealthy parents want to go the extra height to ensure their kids to get into an elite school even though it isn’t right. I think the most shocking thing about the article was the fact that so many students were oblivious to the scandal. If I was accepted to a school like Stanford or Yale I would be ecstatic but to later find out that I shouldn’t have made it would be depressing. That isn’t even mentioning how you would feel towards your parents right now. I’m not surprised that this happened in the United States. People can misuse our freedom and use it in a way that benefits them. This is something that can’t always be found in other countries because of the strict rules they can imply. I feel that all the people that knew about the scandal should be held accountable. This is because they didn’t do anything to prevent more problems happening.
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I am shocked about the college admissions cheating scandal. The details that I found were most shocking are the fact the parents of the students were bribing elite colleges, which was cause of this scandal. I think this because the students whose parents were cheating their way into top schools genuinely believed that they were accepted in those colleges. I am surprised that something likes this happened in the United States because I thought people were better than this. I might understand this happening once or twice, but it is absolutely horrifying that people only found out about this recently when it has probably been going on for years. I think the parents and those who orchestrated the admissions should be held responsible, not the students. These people should pay for their actions by paying heavy fines and serving long prison sentences.
This college scandal is something that should never happen. I think that this is something wrong and cruel to do. Many students lost their spots at the college of their dreams because of people paying for their kids to get cheated in. There were many things that were shocking to me in this article. The one thing that shocked me the most was when they used other athletes profile’s to get onto a team at a college. I am also surprised that this happened in the United States, because it was famous people that did this and I thought that they worked hard for what they got. After looking at all the information I think that everyone who was associated with this scandal should be charged with a crime and put in jail. This is because they took the places of many students have worked very hard to get into the college they have always dreamed of.
To me, and this is terrible, but to me, it is just another scheme caught changing kids' test scores! This has been happening in America a lot lately, for tests of all kinds: college application tests, high school tests, state standardized tests for a wide variety of grades. A few years ago, there was a smaller scandal where some administrators were caught changing scores of state standardized Pensylvania PSSA scores, but it was big at the time, especially since this was one of my first years taking the PSSAs. Every night before I would take the next test, my mom would remind me over and over again that "If anyone comes up to you and asks you to change your score on the test, you tell them "No, I am satisfied with what I have", okay?", or "If you see anyone changing test scores, you should tell another administrator or teacher!" Thankfully, none of this happened at my schools where I took the PSSAs. I am sad that this is just another test changing operation caught in the act, but people will do very stupid things for a lot of money!
I think this is unacceptable and I find it astonishing that a coach or college would accept this money as a bribe. They shouldn’t have let this person that didn’t put any work into a sport be on the college team. I think the most shocking thing about this is the fact that a parent would pay over a million dollars for their kid to be on a college team. I also don’t understand how they expected to get away with it. How is some elite soccer teen just not going to get on a team, and a college just randomly receives 1.2 million dollars.Though this is all terrible, I think people shouldn’t be as surprised. There are people everywhere that if given the chance to buy their way out of a situation, they will take it.I also think the coaches, colleges, parents, and students that were involved in the scandal should be held accountable, because they all played a part in this dishonorable act.
The college admissions scandal has been all over the news lately. I, for one, think the scandal is unfair. Many students could have gotten into the college fairly, but someone decided to let themselves be bribed to get the student into the college of their choice. The students that tried to get in fairly had their chance to go to their dream college, but someone ripped the chance out of their hands. Some of the parents spent over “$1.2 million” just to get their kid “accepted” into college. Bribery can happen anywhere, so I am not surprised that it happened here. Some of the colleges here are some of the most prestigious in the world, which is yet another reason that I am not surprised. I think that the parents and the man that helped the parents bribe the colleges should have to pay the colleges the money that they used to get their kids into the colleges, and the man that created “the back door” to college admissions should have to go to prison for one year. The parents, depending on how much money they used to bribe someone, should have to go to prison too. The students, however, should not be punished for something that their parents did; they should just be kicked out of the college.
I think this is an outrage because these parents paid for their kids to get accepted into colleges without the right qualifications. In doing this they denied entry to other students who actually did the work to get accepted. What shocked me the most was that they were able to bribe athletic directors and proctors. People who work in schools and universities shouldn’t accept bribes in the first place! I’m a little surprised that something like this would happen in America but not much. With the number of wealthy people who are always trying to find a way to cheat the system whether it be taxes, loans, or even schools it was bound to happen someday. I think the parents of the students should be held fully responsible for these crimes. They knew exactly what they were doing when they started giving out bribes. They knew it was wrong and yet here we are. People who have lots of money seem to think they can rule the world as long as they have enough cash to bribe whoever is standing in their way. If I had that kind of dough in my own bank account I wouldn't bribe the schools I'd pay for my child to go to an expensive private school. These parents didn't have to bribe people to get their kids into good schools. All they had to do was pay for tutors and better private schools, and judging by how much money they were willing to pay for the bribes the cost of private school and tutors probably wouldn't even put a dent in their wallet.
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I believe that is is not fair to the people who work so hard to get into the colleges just to have someone cheat their way in with money. Other people who study and do great in school who are relying on scholarship money from doing what they know best and working hard, are losing spots due to this. These people are abusing their money and wealth. After these people were caught, how did this make everyone who participating look, BAD. I am very disappointing that many celebrities and popular athletic coaches were in on the scandal and decided to take money to let the kids in even if they have no intent to perform in these athletic events or buying themselves into the school.I am not surprised something like this happened because parents and celebrities that are paying for their children to get into the college they want, shows how desperate they are. These people do not deserve to take the spot over someone who has worked and does good in college. It paints a bad picture on the people who bought their children's way into the college.
After reading this article, my perspective of college admission cheating scandal has not changed. I still continue to think that this is highly unfair and don’t understand why parents get their kids through college in a cheating manner. This is unfair to the students who tried very hard to make it in that college but instead were replaced with another student. I think that the most shocking part of this article was learning that Jared Kushner was one of many students who was enrolled in Harvard in a cheating manner. His father paid over two million dollars for his son to get a degree successfully. I was shocked by this because Jared Kushner has a very important role in the government. He works as the senior advisor of the United States president. He is also married to the daughter of President Donald Trump. I am not surprised that something like this would happen in the United States. I think it is pretty known that cheating can’t be stopped, in this case, wealthy parents. In this case, I think that parents and the people who accepted the money should be punished because they were the ones who really cheated the system. The parents should get fined because if they were to go to jail, their child would stress. The person who accepted the money should be fired and charged because they really are breaking the system and will probably continue. Lastly, I believe that the student should be tested on their knowledge and then reapply to another college or university.
My initial reaction to the college admission scandal was outright shock, but then as I read more and more about the economic status of the people involved, I became less and less surprised that something like this could and did happen. It has long been the case that students of wealthier families are much more likely to attend elite universities, and there are often special privileges afforded the children of wealthy donors to these top institutions, and so the concept of essentially bribing a kid’s way to college was something I saw as simply an extension, albeit a truly criminal one, of those pre-existing special conditions. This issue stems largely from not only the corruption of a few officials, but from the higher education system as a whole. Over the past few decades, the college admissions process has become one massive competition, pitting students, peers, from across the country against each other, and while competition is not inherently wrong, the issue that has sprung up is that the process controls a student’s entire life, making many of their decisions for them. Many students are forced to make decisions not based on what they most enjoy, but what would look best on a college application. That is what is inherently wrong. Adding corruption further endangers these students' lives, and makes their decisions not matter at all. Something must be done in order to make our education system one that works for all americans, not just the wealthiest.
I think it is unfair and wrong that they just got to pay their way to college, while the rest of us have worked our hardest to at least get accepted to one university. I think the most appalling story, was the story where a high school boy that was eager to enroll at the University of Southern California falsely deemed himself to have a learning disability just so he could take his standardized test with a complicit proctor who would make sure he got a good score. However, I am not surprised people in America would do something like this, because we have people here who will pay their way to get what they want at any cost. I think the people that accepted the money should be held accountable because they shouldn’t have done that. They could have just said no or reported the parents. I also understand why the parents did it. They just wanted the best for their kids and wanted them to have everything. However, they did go about it wrong, they should have just hired a tutor or encouraged their kids to work harder.
I think that this scandal was extremely bad. The worst part about it was that people who worked really hard and wanted to get into a good college were getting their spot taken out for somebody that gets there way paid in. These teenagers may have no work ethic but they may be able to get into other colleges. I think that the coaches, administrators, and parents that let this happen should be charged or put in jail. I am not surprised that parents with money did this because this happens every day and most of the people do not get caught. This makes me very angry because people that are not as smart as people that are smart are taking other people's spots just for sports or parties. The people that fixed the students essays and sent out false pictures should be thrown in jail. I think that if you want to get into the college of your choice you should at least try and study before you try to get in. If your parents have millions of dollars, then at least try to get in by working for yourself before even asking them what to do. The example these parents are setting on their kids is terrible. I think that everybody that knew about it and was involved should be charged or put in jail.
I think the college admissions cheating scandal is unfair and mean. Kids that may not have even been qualified to get into these colleges replaced very hard working students who probably deserved the spot more. I found the parents who were accused of the cheating scandal very surprising because some of them are television stars who may have been idols to some of their fans. For example, the article states that “the television star Lori Loughlin and her husband, the fashion designer Mossimo Giannulli; the actress Felicity Huffman; and William E. McGlashan Jr.” were a few of the parents accused of the crime. I am not really surprised something like this happened in the United States. I am more surprised by the people who actually committed these actions. This event does not surprise me much because people cheat all the time, some people just do not get caught. I think the parents should be held responsible for these crimes, as well as the adults who accepted the money and lied to get these children into college. I don’t think the children should be accused unless there is good evidence that a student was aware he or she was being cheated into college.
The cheating scandal did not surprise me because people in this day of age will do anything for money. Some parents will do anything for their children so if they can afford to buy their child's success they will. It's sad that students who worked so hard with no help from their parents are missing out because of parents who pay to get their children into prestigious schools they can't get into. The college you go to does not mean everything and some of these parents need to be reminded of that.The people that should be held responsible are the parents who paid the bribe the person who accepted the bribe an the student. They are all in the wrong here because they all knew what they did was illegal and very unfair.
To be quite honest, I am not that surprised this happened. Getting into the most prestigious colleges in todays world is so difficult considering the low acceptance rates. It's shocking to think that people will actually go to extreme measures just so their child will get in to a good college. Some people choose to not work for things and take the "easy" way out which is not fair for the other large amount of people who worked really hard for their scores. Those who participated in the scandal just shows how these people care more about a name and reputation rather than their own child's ability to succeed. In the article, it says "A teenage girl who did not play soccer magically became a star soccer recruit at Yale. Cost to her parents: $1.2 million." All this money these parents put in for their daughter to get into Yale could've been towards college tuition to another college she worked to get into. Bribes should not be allowed for two reasons. One is because you're taking away someone else's opportunity to attend the college and two is because what if a student who's bribe allowed them to get into a good college but the workload and expectations are too much for them. The scandal wouldn't be worth it if the child just performs poorly in school. No one should be allowed to buy their acceptance into a college especially if someone else is more deserving of it.
I am completely shocked by this scandal. I think it is horrifying that some of the country’s best colleges value money over ensuring that all of their students are worthy of an education at such a prestigious school. A high-quality education is a reward for working extremely hard, and everyone who gets into one of the country’s top universities – fairly, that is – puts in a huge amount of work. It is unfair to cheat someone who worked extremely hard out of a spot at a university they deserve to attend, just because your parents have a lot of money and are willing to bribe people to get you into college. The amount of money a person’s parents have should not affect their future, and should certainly not guarantee them an education they do not deserve.
The thing that struck me the most, however, was the fact that many of these people got into school not just on bribes, but also on total lies. The article states, “A teenage girl who did not play soccer magically became a star soccer recruit at Yale...A student with no experience rowing won a spot on the U.S.C. crew team…” I find it bad enough that kids got into these colleges only because their parents paid large amounts of money for them to get in, but I think it’s even worse that many of them were admitted for things they had absolutely no experience with.
When I first heard about this I thought wow its unbelievable just how far people are willing to go to get what they want. Everything about this scandal makes me sick. The fact that parents are willing to bribe colleges into enrolling their children in them is beyond me. Its unfair to all the other students who actually qualify and have worked hard. This is going to show leading generations that with money you can get whatever you want. But the thing that really stood out to me about this whole situation is that the children of these rich parents that accepted into the college had no idea their parents were the ones who got them in. Imagine getting accepted into your dream college only to find out that you werent really choosen but rather your parents paid for you in. It'd be heartbreaking. Not only are the adults getting in trouble but the student is too. Its jeopardizing thier future carrer and something needs to do be done about it.
As it is very clear, there are large faults in the school system of this time. This issue has been talked about more and more throughout the years. This scandal is just another event supporting the fact of the failure that the school system is going through. This problem is further affected by parents pressuring kids to pursue a very hard goal to achieve, and now we see some people will do anything to have their kid go into an ivy league school. Of course, cheating is never fair but what goes around comes around, and the truth will always unveil itself so in reality, the only people that will be hurt because of this is the ones cheating.
I'm not surprised because there are countless of cases like this that have happened throughout the years. It gets me angry to know that a student that prepared themselves, spent hours studying, and go through so much stress did not get accepted to their dream college because of someone's wealthy parents who don't let their child succeed on their own. It's not fair for students who put all their effort into their education. Unfortunately, since this has been going on for years, I doubt that there will be less scandals like these because of how privileged people are. Its an embarrassment and its really frustrating.
Ultimately, this scandal is disheartening. As someone going through the college application process, I spend a lot of time and energy to do well and succeed. While I feel like I've always sort-of known the influence money can and does have on admissions decisions, seeing such a gross abuse of power laid out in such detail is frustrating.
“There is no substitute for hard work.” Thomas Edison said this famous quote which is perfectly fitting for this topic. The individuals in the article “What Is Your Reaction to the College Admissions Cheating Scandal?” who were accused of cheating and bought their way into universities may have worked hard but not when it mattered. This scandal has left Americans in shock. Those people who we look upon every day as role models doing something wrong. No, it isn't them? But unfortunately, they have cheated, lied and mislead us. As Mr. Lelling said in the article the real victims here are the students who choose to work hard which I couldn't agree more with. I think there needs to be a proper punishment for those who didn’t earn their way to college. College acceptance has gotten tougher over time but how come celebrities can pay large sums to even the playing field their children with everyone else without wealth is still working hard. I have no respect for those who thought it would be ok to use their wealth in the wrong way. I believe like the article there shouldn’t be sympathy for these individuals. Hard work should be rewarded not money.
I fully agree with Mr. Brunni. Both the legal and illegal bribery is unethical, and sends a terrible message. It says to kids that they are not goo enough on their own, right before sending them out to be alone and separate from their families for the first time in their lives. They are entering a place where they are supposed to be learning and shaping their own opinions and thoughts, and they're put their by the same restrictions and privileges they have had their entire lives. I liked Mr. Brunni's comment on the ethical, 'woke' liberal front that some of these people put on, as they contribute to the very systems of power they claim to despise. The United States college system reflect a large issue with current American society.
A scandal such as this one has shocked many in the United States. Beloved actors and political icons many of us look up to have corrupted and taken advantage of the college educational system. Many young students work their hardest to get accepted into the college of their dreams. Why should "rich and famous people's" children get into the college of their dreams without doing the same?
In this article, Proulx states "A student with no experience rowing won a spot on the U.S.C. crew team after a photograph of another person in a boat was submitted as evidence of her prowess. Her parents wired $200,000 into a special account." Substantial bribes like that should not be able to buy a student's way into a college when others more deserving of attending the college have to pay and work their way there themselves. Justice needs to be served to those who have abused their "so-called power."
It is an embarrassment to our country and educational system to have allowed something like this to happen. Not only does this scandal take away from other college students but abuse such as this is a bad example to other families who could do something of this same nature. Nobody should be able to buy their way into anything.
Although this event shocked me at first, I am sadly not surprised. In this day and age, getting into a prestigious college is a top priority for many Americans. Unfortunately, as we have recently seen, some families don't care how they get there. I find it very disheartening that these parents don't believe in their children's ability to succeed on their own. This scandal also shows that these white wealthy families would rather have their children "falsely" accepted than have them learn, and get there on their own. They want to be seen as capable of getting into reputable colleges to continue their status. Most likely, these students who bought their way in knocked someone else out, who worked extremely hard for the grades and scores they received. Not only should these types of events never occur in the first place, everyone needs to understand what college you attend, isn't the greatest factor controlling your life's success.
I am not surprised this happened. There are some pretty good colleges and universities to go to here, and stakes are stacked against you that you are going to get in, so it makes sense to think someone is going to attempt to cheat the system and get in when they usually don't belong. In the article I found the company the Key to be a big shock. The key is where parents pay to get the designated score wanted on the acceptance test, and use money to bribe them in too. Speaking of parents, they should be the ones to blame for this, as they are the ones paying bribes, and organizations like the Key to get their children into good colleges. These parents are cheating the kids who deserve to be their out. Also if the student is good at sports, the child who was bribed in has just cheated the child and the school of a valuable player who could have a useful career. The parents should be fined well more than the amount they paid for, and have their child withdrawn from the college. The message this scandal sends to high school students awaiting to go to college is do not bribe your way in. I say this because even though it is a working method, it is not foolproof, as the F.B.I have found most scandals. Also, you may not be prepared for that college. If you wanted to go to Yale or Harvard, you could bribe your way in, but when you get in it could not be what you wanted it to be, and it could be much too difficult for you, making it a waste of a lot of money.
Disappointed but not surprised.
That is the best way I could sum up my reaction towards the recent cheating scandal brought to light. I think that it is absolutely terrible and disgusting how wealthy parents can buy their children all the way through not only schools but even sports which came as a surprise to me.
Although, I believe this is incredibly reflective of the corruption of wealthy families and the ease of cheating; it also shines a light on how rigorous and increasingly difficult the high school and college education system has become.
If parents with students who have access to nothing but the very best coaches, tutors, private schools, etc. need to blow millions of dollars on rigging tests, doctoring photos, and so on, just so that is enough to get them into Ivy League universities; what does that mean for students who have nothing to rely on but their "God-given gifts."
Articles like these begin to worry me; as a high school sophomore already starting to think about the college admissions process, it is very unnerving when your parents aren't exactly millionaires and you have Ivy League dreams that seem to become more unachievable and more unfair by the day with more and more examples like these of how cutthroat the education system is.
When I hear about these types of bribes, I really get upset. I am still in school, I haven’t graduated yet, and these things still go on. Bribing could ruin what school I go to. It just annoys me that these parents aren’t following the law, and are being greedy and doing something that others worked hard for. It drives me crazy. It is unfair, and the parents know it. Their kids will not do well in the college, because if they have to bribe for them, they couldn’t get in on their own. It just shows that wealth controls everything. I wish people had a fair opportunity, but that never seems to be the case. This isn’t America’s fault, it is just the fault of the people who bribe. And the fact that 50 people were arrested makes it even worse. These people should have to go to jail. They could have just ruined someone’s life opportunities. I hope this never happens again.
It hurts to think that a student who prepared him or herself, who studied for countless hours every night, and to who college ultimately mattered more was not granted the right to an equal opportunity to achieve his or her dream. The whole American notion that if one works hard enough, he or she will accomplish all that he or she desires is false. When a mother is struggling to provide for her family, when a homeless person is standing in the street begging for just the bare minimum to survive, when a student is not accepted into a university, one should be ashamed of themselves for thinking that they just “don’t work hard enough.” This is not to say that the reason for every student who was not accepted into an elite school was because students had their parents buy their way in. This scandal proves that the rich and wealthy are privileged and will continue to be because they pave the same path for their kids, even if that means robbing the chance for another kid to pave his or her own path. The scandal hurt me, but it did not shock me. It proved what many of us were in denial of: Working hard just isn’t enough sometimes. But this scandal can enlighten and influence people to be proactive and sympathetic so that the rich staying rich doesn’t mean the poor has to stay poor. Students are told to study, and if they cheat, they will be punished. It’s not a difficult concept to grasp. Every person who participated in this cheating should be punished.
I am outraged and disgusted by this scandal. While I am not surprised, I am appalled that this has been going on for years and that parents and people with money feel the entitlement they do. Thousands of students across the country, myself included, work tirelessly at several jobs, are heavily active in their communities, and maintain high and REAL grades and scores just to have a sliver of a chance to be accepted to our dream school, and to be able to afford it without an enormous amount of student debt. The fact that parents, the people who children are supposed to look to for moral standards and guidance, rigged their children's entrance into prestigious schools, and robbed other, highly deserving students of amazing educations and opportunities is disgusting. Many of these children who were granted acceptance through this scandal are students who did not work for their position, nor do they care for it. They already have advantages because of who their parents are, but now they continue to use their wealth and privilege to step on the backs of those who do not have the same background but are more qualified and deserving. But what makes it worse, is that the students who were sucked into this scandal because their parents were unaware, and were granted a false sense of confidence and achievement. Imagine their heartbreak.
@Emily Sedlak I agree with Ms.Sedlak that the college corruption scandal is “appalling”, but I am going to expand on her argument by challenging the values of America as a whole. America’s foundations of morals -honesty, integrity, independence- has cracked, allowing weeds of corruption and selfishness to creep into society. This odious reality can be attributed to the dependence on markets in America. In Michael Sandel’s “Why we shouldn’t trust market with our civil lives,” he explores the depths that markets have woven into society’s morals and norms. He claims that America’s dependence on buying everything has shifted our basic values because everything comes with a price and nothing is inert to the greediness of the market. This idea can easily be exemplified to the college scandal because the morals of America of earning your way into college with hard work and discipline have become irrelevant in the eyes of the wealthy, leaving the little guy hurt again.
Let me just I think it is absolutely ridiculous for people of wealth to abuse their fortune on things they aren’t capable of doing themselves; college is just one of them. For someone to bribe their kid into the more superior colleges, and for the administrators to accept it, shows how desperate some people are. It also paints a bad picture when others look at our country as a whole.
In the article Bribes to Get Into Yale and Stanford? What Else Is New?, by Frank Bruni, he makes a valid claim on the message this scandal sends to the youth. He states that you don’t need to meet the qualifications for whatever you’re trying to get into, as long as you got your parents and administrators who can bend the rules, you’re good to go. This shows how corrupt the school system is and when children grow up, they will be exposed to this corruption and that isn’t fair. You know what else isn’t fair, a child working their butt off for 18 years just to get denied into their dream school while others are paying to get in.
These children of rich and famous adults could do nothing throughout their high school years and still get into the top schools. I don’t care if these people use their money to get tutors or help them with the learning process. It’s when they use their money to get an unfair advantage it is pushing it over the edge.
A scandal such as this one has shocked many in the United States. Beloved actors and political icons many of us look up to have corrupted and taken advantage of the college educational system. Many young students work their hardest to get accepted into the college of their dreams. Why should "rich and famous people's" children get into the college of their dreams without doing the same?
In this article, Proulx states "A student with no experience rowing won a spot on the U.S.C. crew team after a photograph of another person in a boat was submitted as evidence of her prowess. Her parents wired $200,000 into a special account." Substantial bribes like that should not be able to buy a student's way into a college when others more deserving of attending the college have to pay and work their way there themselves. Justice needs to be served to those who have abused their "so-called power."
It is an embarrassment to our country and educational system to have allowed something like this to happen. Not only does this scandal take away from other college students but abuse such as this is a bad example to other families who could do something of this same nature. Nobody should be able to buy their way into anything.
I would say most people either knew this was happening or were not surprised to hear about it. People with more money have more opportunities in this world. At college there are generally two types of people. The hard working, qualified one and the one there because his parent are rich. This large scandal was bound to get discovered eventually, it was just a matter of time.
For the people that were involved, they are terrible people who deserved to punished for their crimes. Their undeserving kids took the spots of potentially hard working and motivated students that wanted to help the world. they too the spots of athletes that wanted to go pro or ones that could have benefited the school’s athletic program. A college coach should not be able to be bribed, it just shows a lack of character and self-respect. Some of the colleges and parents involved are well known, including Yale and Lori Laughlin. The coaches and parents involved should be ashamed of themselves, but they are rich and “entitled” so they probably won’t even blink an eye. They may even try and bribe the judges or protecting attorneys!
I do have some remorse for the students involved that did not know what their parents had done. They felt accomplished, like they had earned their spot amongst their peers just as they had. They must have been crushed to learn who their parents really were and realize that they might not belong at the place they had arrived at.
My reaction, not surprised. But… still disappointed. Getting into college has always been difficult and it will continue to be. That is not the issue. The issue is the lack of initiative on behalf of the students. The rich have always and will always continue to abuse their power. This is not new.
The lesson to be learned is that this is the wrong way, an example of what not to do. Instead the youth should start making their own decisions and working hard for their own benefit, no their parents. I think that parents are overstepping, with the fear of their children not being able to continue the monetary success that they have had.
The article discusses the entirety of the scandal, additionally adding the data on how much these overstepping parents will go. Some paying up to $75,000 per test, per cheated on scam in a scam. This really highlights the disparity of the incapable. Paying their way through their challenges.
When people buy their way into pretigious colleges, many hardworking and better-qualified students are being cheated out of their place in that college. College admissions should be based on who deserves it the most, not who can pay the most money to get in. Even the fact that universities are accepting the money is honestly disappointing. Those accepting the money and the parents paying for it are the ones at fault. However, I believe that the students who don't know about the monetary exchange shouldn't be punished for their parents' wrongdoing. Reading this article has made me very disappointed in the parents who are cheating the more deserving children out of a spot in the college or university. All students should have a fair chance in getting in their college of choice, and money definitley shouldn't be a factor in the decision.
I think that the parents did a wrong thing because if their children don't know anything and don't understand then why go and the parents are taking other kids place to go to college who wants to go and have a better job for him and his carrer
This situation is awful not not entirely shocking. I know that people can be really competitive when applying to college. However, this shows that some people don't necessarily value a big name school for great education but rather for the status it gives them. If you can tell folks that your kid got into Yale, you're probably going to feel pretty special. But it's not fair of parents to cheat their kids' way into college. For one, it's taking away opportunities for other people who have worked hard, but it's also setting a horrible example for the child. No one should learn that you can get what you want without working for it. Also, I think it's a concern that people who get into college unfairly won't succeed there. Nobody should accept money to do something like this. It's only feeding the greedy and hurting everybody.
This scandal was completely unfair and I can 100 percent say that I have zero respect for all of those parents, and even the coaches and staff of the universities who allowed themselves to be bribed. It's ironic to me that the parents of those kids did this terrible thing for their kids to go to college, yet, as the article said, this scandal could have potentially ruined a deserving and hard-working students’ college experience. There could have easily been a really smart student who didn't get accepted into the particular university, all because of these parents who got their undeserving kids into high level schools.
I also feel terrible for the kids who didn't know that their parents had cheated them into school, because now some of those kids who weren't aware that their parents were deceiving the college admissions system are probably being cyberbullied and getting a lot of hate on social media. I would personally be mortified if my parents cheated me into a university without my knowledge. I would hate my parents for it, especially if I started being bullied because of it.
It's crazy to think that 50 different people, parents and college coaches and staff alike, were all accused of this across six different states. That's a lot of people. I hope something like this never happens again, because who knows, maybe one day a scandal like this could take my college opportunity away from me.
It is disturbing to think that admission to a prestigious college could be gained not from a students achievements, but from their parents wealth. Not only does this scandal teach teenagers that they can cheat their way to success, but it also insinuates that a person is only smart or worthy if they attend a "prestigious" college, such as Harvard or Yale. As someone currently taking the SAT, it is upsetting to think that other people are relying on their parents money and influence to get them into college, when myself and others work so hard to get in on our own merit. Although this scandal is heinous, it is not surprising or even new, and there have been many instances in the past where students used their parents influence and money as a means to gain admission. When parents donate billions of dollars to a school to help a child's chance at admission, is that not synonymous with this situation? Colleges should accept students based on their academic achievements and qualifications rather than their parents wealth.
This news of bribery in high level colleges seems like a scandal that nobody had seen coming, as it is portrayed as such, but really this was all bound to happen. Upper class citizens have had a leg up in our society since the beginning of time. There has always been a divide, ever since humans organized ourselves by the amount of money in our bank accounts and no way to bridge the divided between poor and wealthy. The more money that you have, the luckier you are.
This news of fraud hadn’t surprise me in the slightest, you really must be blind if you were shocked by these allegations. It's almost common knowledge that children of wealthy families don’t rightfully get into America’s most prestigious schools. These children aren’t accepted due to actual talent rather their accepted due to a “generous” donations of money made to the school. The only thing that shocked was one name, Lori Loughlin, known to me, and many others, as Aunt Becky.
I feel no real emotions towards what has happened, why should I? The rich have always had an advantage and they will continue to lie and scheme once this investigation is over. The rich may become more cunning, but their deception will never cease to exist. The rich will continue to skate by in life due to the luxury of money and the rest of us will continue to rot and watch on as the rich do as they please with no consequences. This scandal is one of many that have been and will continue to be looked over.
After reading this I am shocked and disappointed. I believe that this story reveals how materialistic people can be. When someone is willing to pay up to 1 million dollars to have admission into a certain school guaranteed, it shows how much value they put into their public image and pride. The message that this sends to students entering the college world is discouraging. When you hear about schools accepting money for admissions it frustrates applicants to see others cheat the system.
I think the college cheating scandal is way messed up but it is not necessarily shocking. The blames should go to the parents and the colleges, not as much as the kids. In my opinion, the most shocking details were the amounts of money the parents paid to accomplish whatever they wanted which is also very disturbing in many aspects. I am not very surprised this happened in the US, the US is not the perfect place. It has crimes, rape, political issues, murders anything that is considered to break the law. It happens in our biggest cities like Chicago or Newyork to our smallest towns like Landrum, SC. I think the parents should be held responsible for these crimes if they did it without their children knowing if the kids did know I think both the child and the parent should be held accountable and pay a huge price for what they have done. In these circumstances, it makes not only the colleges look bad but as well as the parents. Due to this, many kids spots were snatched right from them that they earned and worked hard for because of a bribe. If you imagine your child who has worked hard to get into a good school but rejected because their spot was taken by someone who paid their way in, it is absolutely disgusting.
I think that it is very wrong and disrespectful to the people who were accepted and the people who didn't make it. It is disrespectful because the people who made it in would feel like people didn't believe in them and that they couldn't make it without cheating. It was disrespectful to the people who didn’t make it because they could have had a chance to get in but couldn't because someone who cheated did better than them. I think what most shocked me was some of the actors that did it. What else shocked me was that it had been going on since 2011 and no one had found out until now. I'm not surprised just because people cheat in this world and are untruthful. It did not surprise me because, for the most part, I just looked at it like something that you wouldn't be surprised about. The other reason is I know that people bribe schools to get their kids in and it just didn't shock me that people would go to that expenses to get them in. I think the parents and the man that started it all should be held responsible for it. I do not think that the children should be punished because some were not even aware that their parents did this. The people that did it should just come out and admit they were wrong. The message this sends high school students soon attending college is that they can try and do that to get a good education but I think some would probably be disappointed and just stunned that people did that.
I am very shocked by this scam as I do not understand how someone could have the heart to keep others from getting what they deserve. While we all make mistakes, I think that it is disgusting that a person would commit these crimes and take away education from someone that is way more qualified and deserves it more.
The details I found most shocking is the soccer star that had never played before. This is very shocking because I don’t know how someone thought they could get away with being on a college soccer team when they have never played the sport before. There was also a child that had a fake lacrosse player profile for a school that didn’t even have a lacrosse team. Like, how in the world did no one notice this until now?
I am not very surprised that the incident has happened in the U.S. because of the high competition for college. However, I am surprised that it has happened so much and so many people have gotten away with it. As a person that is a couple of years away from applying to college myself, it’s almost discouraging to me that I work so hard to make sure I can get into the college I want and others can just pay their way in.
I feel that everyone involved should be punished because they all played a role in the making of this crime. The only people that I feel should not be held responsible should be the people that were not aware of the situation.
From reading the article, I was appalled to learn about the extent that parents took to make their name look superior. The heights that parents took to get their children into Ivy League schools is outraging. Spending thousands of dollars is unbelievable and unfair. The parents seem to have no affection towards their children desire against school. In fact, I think being a part of the fraud only hurts everyone in the long run. I'm not surprised by the situation, but glad that this subject is finally getting the attention it’s receiving recently. Many parents have donated thousands of dollars to a particular school in hopes of guaranteeing their kid's spot at the college for years. I think the irresponsible parents should be held accountable for their actions. Past records of the same action being done should be investigated. Lastly, we need to gain respect and support for the schools again- cheating is unacceptable, something must be done.
After this news story broke, my initial reaction is that it's not fair. It is not fair for the sons and daughters who didn't know that their parents were doing this and for the hardworking kids who were deprived of their chance for an education. Also, you wouldn't suspect that a collegiate level coach would agree to a bribe this large and risky. I was also surprised at the size of the sums of the money that the parents paid. It was almost more than the tuition itself. Why would you go to such lengths, just for entrance to an ivy league college? I am not that surprised though. The competition for colleges and universities in the United States is stronger than it’s been in a long time. It is almost as though it's less about the education, and more about the name. Just the fact something like this was a multi-million dollar, organized, effort is just ridiculous to me.
I think that whoever was informed and active in the scam should be held responsible for these crimes. It wasn’t their place to take a college education away from someone who actually deserved it, just to say that they got into an elite college. The whole scam is just an embarrassing excuse for American tradition and accomplishment. America prides itself on its universities, colleges, and the education that we give to young citizens. So what do we do when the traditional way to enter a college has been interrupted by something like this?
First of all, I think this is wrong for a parent to do because it's not very smart to lie to an ivy league or a large college without a fool-proof plan. Secondly, this is a huge waste of money. That is the most shocking thing I found in the article: paying $1.2 million for a "soccer" player. I believe that the parents should be charged with the crime. Also, I am not very surprised that it happened in the United States. If it had to happen anywhere, I would think that the scam would happen in the U.S.
Parents who altered test scores or paid money for their child to get into college are morally wrong. These parents don’t believe in their children. To me, the fact that parents would pay “$1.2 million” for a child to get into college is astounding. That is more than the cost of Yale. The fact that you have that much money lying around, on top of the money you would need to pay for college, is shocking. I am not surprised that this happened in America. This could happen anywhere in any country. Also, there is such a high competition for college that it is not surprising. I feel that the main person behind it -- Mr. Singer -- should be held responsible for this crime along with the parents and certain educators. Not only are parents cheating the system to get their child into college, but they are robbing the right from someone who actually deserves to be there. The educators who took the bribe should also be dealt with. All the educators should be fired, and parents, along with Mr. Singer, should pay a large sum of the money to the government and the college with nothing in return. If I were in high school applying for college, I would no longer want to apply to an Ivy League college. They were bought by people in order to get into this school. I would still want to go into college, but would not want to go to one involved in this scandal. It is morally wrong for parents to pay money or alter test scores so their child can get into college.
I think that the scandal is absolutely absurd. I mean seriously, why people? Why, just why? I think that before a student is accepted or put on a sports team they should be thoroughly screened to make sure things like this don’t happen again.
I found it shocking how people would fake a learning disability to get into a college. I mean people that actually have a learning disability could have their chance of getting in taken away just like that because of the people lying. It's also shocking that celebrities and famous people would be a part of this scandal. I could see a celebrity in some sort of different scandal but not this.
I’m semi-surprised. I could see things like this happening in the United States but at the same time I couldn’t. I could see someone like maybe the president or someone that is important to the country paying for their child to have a spot in college but not exactly the scandal type of thing. I am surprised that actors and designers did this though. They are probably risking their job by doing this for their kid, but they probably have enough money to live off of until they get a new job.
I think that all the people that paid for the spots in the schools and sports should be punished. I think that the employees that were involved in the bribe money should be punished. All the people involved should be punished. It may not have been the child's decision but they should be punished too, although not as severely as the parents would be punished.
My reaction to this is that people should not have cheated on the test, especially for the people who have not have cheated and want to go to that college. Cheating to get into college is not fair to many people, especially the ones who are smart but are beat by people who basically paid for the test. What I found most shocking in the article was about sports players. You would think that the college coaches would realize they are not that good at sports when they see them play. They may have been recommended as the “best player” but no one can just jump on a team, they have to see you play first. Even if the coaches are bribed, people are going to eventually see that they are not that good. I am not surprised something like this has happened. In this world, today people will do anything. So, when people want to get to a college, and they most likely won’t, they will do anything to get in. Some people may not figure out because their parents could have done something with the test. They would have wanted their child to get in so badly and they thought that they would not be able to get in by themselves. I think that the person that should be held responsible for these crimes are the people who did it. Whether it is the student, the parents, and/or the person who did the altering with the test. The student should have to be made to retake the test. If they then pass, they shall stay at the college but if not they shall leave quietly.
Living in a lower class family with a limited income and a greater pressure to work for opportunities, going to college sounds like a dream. I know my parents spend everything they have on giving my brother and i the best chances and prepare us so we have the ability to get into collages. When money is the issue we must find new paths to take and work even harder. But when you are someone with money and power, how could you not provide the best opportunities for kids?
My reaction to the college cheating scandal is this, it sounds like those accused (the wealthy families of Hollywood) clearly didn't care about their children's future enough to help them prepare for it. Instead they tried to take the easy way out and bribe colleges. Also, why would you spend so much money on a bribe when that could go towards fueling your kids talents, so they would be actually good enough at something to get into a college without bribes. It makes me sad how someone could so carelessly through away money when other families would be dying for that money. I find it selfish. To bad sometimes all the goods go to the wrong person.
After reading the college admissions cheating scandal article, I was stunned and astounded. One detail I found the most shocking was that the students were not aware that their parents were making their test scores look better or lying to get them in school. This is the most shocking to me because, if I were in this situation, I would be very upset with my parents. They should not have done that to make them look better. They need to love them for who they are. I was surprised that this happened in the United States, but I think many of us were expecting something like this to happen. I think the people who paid should be held responsible for these crimes. I think this because they are the main people that started this fraud.
This story is very heartbreaking. When you are a student who worked hard to get into a very well-known school but learn that your spot got taken by someone who paid money to get in, it is upsetting. The most shocking part of the article for me was that some parents did it without their kids knowing. This would make me feel like my parents don't believe or trust in me. Knowing that your parents did not think you could get in by yourself and strive without cheating is devastating. I think it was very shocking but I think it was kind of expected in our society. People today are willing to go to new extremes when they want something. Our society today is all about being or looking the best. I feel something like this was doomed to happen. Knowing that actresses and business owners that we look up to would do something like this, is very devastating and makes me really think about who people truly are. I think the parents who paid for this to be done and the person who allowed it to happen should be the ones punished. The parents were the ones who were willing to pay and allow this to happen in the first place, but on the other hand, the people who took the money and altered the admissions should get in trouble too. Hard-working children who are trying to get into college deserve more than to be booted out by someone who did not earn the position on their own.
It's not surprising at all. This is how JFK got into Harvard just by writing "I feel like Harvard can give me a better education than any other university...Then too, I would like to go to the same college as my father." This stuff has been happening for DECADES! The elite have always been able to buy their way into anything without putting in any work for the "experience", but when Kamilah Campbell, the young girl who was falsely accused of cheating on her SAT, everyone kept quiet. I feel like even if they get a jail sentence for fraud, nothing will be different, nothing will change,the ongoing privilege of the upper class will live on
It is terrible that some students that have put in the work to get into these colleges and not been able to because of deplorable acts of other people's parents. The details I found most shocking where first that some parents were doing this behind their kids back so the kids thought they got in completely right. Also, I found that people were paying to get scholarships on sports their children had never played. I am not surprised that a scandal this big has gone on in the united states because people do not want to put in the work to get something that they want. I think that the parents should be charged and held responsible for these crimes and be fined and also have to pay the students whose spot got taken by the scandal tuition.
When I had heard the news of the college admission cheating scandal, I was not that surprised. I mean -obviously- a bunch of rich parents would do anything to get their child into the best college in America. Many rich people have always used their money to gain something for themselves. Of course, there are some people with money that use it for good and give it to charities and many great organizations, but that still doesn’t defeat the fact that so many people are trying to cheat their way out of things. What I found the most shocking in the article is that a parent actually lied about her child having a learning disability. I find it heartless that someone would actually have the nerve to fake something that affects and hurts many people in their lives. They should be thankful their child is healthy and is actually capable of having the same, if not higher, level of education as the average student. I’m not that surprised that this has occurred in the United States, but I also wouldn’t be surprised if this happened anywhere else. You can find corrupt people anywhere in the world. I think the parents and the people who got paid to go through with the scam should be held accountable for their actions. I also believe that even though the majority of students didn’t know what their parents were doing for them, they should also be taken out of the college and if they want to they can try again next semester fairly.
In my opinion i think students should get into a college because of there talent ,hard work and not because of there parents wealth.
70% of valedictorians that apply to Harvard get denied, did you know that? 69% of people who have perfect SAT or ACT scores also get denied from Princeton. The academic atmosphere has never been more competitive. Now that it’s come out that many pay their way into the top schools I feel cheated. Why should I spend hours working and stressing over my GPA when someone else can get mommy and daddy to pay?
As frustrated as I am a part of me is unsurprised. I just wanted to believe that for once the system was fair; when it truly counted. But I was naive, of course someone would find a way around the system, they always do. But these people are cheating the people in the system more rather than the system it’s self. These spoiled kids were taking spots that many have worked their whole life for, and as a whole were far less qualified. They weren't just stealing spot s at top colleges, they were also stealing many people’s dreams.
This topic is very alarming, students are getting into very prestigious schools by claming to have a mental dissorder or faking awards and even using money to "bribe" the schools. This is not fair to other very capable students who will not have a chance to go to the school of their dreams. In the cases where the parents are at fault, if their child is caught it will impact their life greatly while the parents might not be charged at all.
I think it’s wrong because the people that faked their test scores or athletic profiles to get into these colleges took spots away from people that tried and worked academically or physically to get into these colleges. One of the details that I found the most shocking was that people who faked being athletes actually thought that they would be good enough to stay on the team after because they faked being good. I’m honestly not surprised that something like this happened in the u.s. Because many people in the u.s. Spoil their kids and so they want to make sure they go to a college because they’ve been carried the rest of their life. I think the people who should be held responsible for these crimes should be everyone who received or sent bribes. I think like in the article said that most of the kids didn’t know their parents were doing it, but if any kids knew they should be held accountable as well.
The fact that so many people find this fraud 'not surprising' is an ominous sign for this republic. Billionaires buying the Presidency, cops raping women, teachers cheating on tests for their students, etc.
Ominous. Of course, it's no secret that 'equality of opportunity' is a farce. For example, an academically talented but poor kid's poor parents can't afford a $300 dollar per-hour tutor, or a $2,000 dollar a week Test Prep School.
In the Dollar We Trust.
My reaction to the college admissions scandal is disappointed but not shocked. Things like this have been going on for years. Colleges accept bribes, some colleges discriminate when they accept students. The fact that this is taking place in the U.S. doesn't come with a huge shock to me. A lot of people are willing to pay for their children. Whether that be something as small as gas money, or something as tremendous as getting into Harvard. The admissions process isn't necessarily rigged until people start making it that way. Once people begin to pay their students into schools, then it's a problem. I don't believe that this is fair at all. There are students who have worked their way from poverty who are more deserving of admission than children who have their parents to pay for everything. I believe the parents should be held responsible. If the students and teachers are involved in the wrongdoing, they should also hold responsibility.
This news, although jarring, was completely unsurprising to hear. Of course the elite can hack the system, because they are the "untouchables." As angering of a situation that this is, it really highlights the issues of Hollywood and how these people's lives are controlled by image. This has nothing to do with the parents wanting the best for their children. This is just the parents wanting to make sure the public knows that they are a successful family. If you don't have the intellect to get in to Harvard on your own then it is probably not the best fit for you.
The real issue with this scandal is that they are taking spots away from people who actually deserve to attend those schools. They are completely stealing from other people just to ensure they carry on the family legacy.
In the scandal is definitely inequitable for all the students that have work hard to get admit good university and now underachieving students also accepted because of they are family wealthy and they paid enormous amount of money. Even though, I think parents involved in the scandal want the best for their children, but it’s not the right way to children will have been an educated. In my opinion, students should accepted in the college by their talent, hard work, grades, and leadership. Not for their parents are richest.
Hearing about college admissions cheating scandal is honestly not hard to believe at all. It makes you think about how many other “wealthy” people are using their money to get their kids in a spot someone else’s kid deserved and worked hard for. I mean it’s not easy to get into those colleges. I just think it’s not fair at all for the kids who worked hard to get there and there’s people who just buy their way there.
This news must shocked everybody, rich people who has a lot of money and ready allowed such as violation, also students who hard working to admission for top universities. The reason why regarded that the best education and Universities in the United States around a world, because all students have opportunities apply to any Universities and be one of the best specialist with the hard working by themselves. There is the question, so, why that children couldn’t apply for top universities by themselves? Because, they are uneducated for that tests. I believe that, even their parents helped them with universities those children will not show great results in the future. It will bring fail a dropping status of strong education in the United States. All rich people going to start buying spots in freshman classes and will stop worried about what scores have their children in schools. Those students who are really talented but don’t have enough money, going to lose their opportunities and ways in future. This means we will have fake specialists, losing original ones.
In article “College Admissions Scandal: Actresses, Business Leaders and Other Wealthy Parents Charged,” by Jennifer Medina, Katie Benner and Kate Taylor. We can see how the lack of professional ethics in each of the people who were involved in this case because they lost credibility before society and before in the world and before their acquaintances as money influences to do illegal things that affect the integrity and the morals of people.
This case is unfortunate to see how our society is going these days, we observe how the economic power of some influential people wants to put themselves before knowledge, principles up to the intellectual level of many that in some cases cannot enter and be part of these prestigious universities. It is very painful to see how parents are training their children without teaching them what the value of hard work, responsibility, respect, manners, how to earn a position in society and more sad is that they go so far as to bribe people so that their children fit into levels that are not yet ready. Thanks to the fact that this country is executed and laws are observed, we see how this case has come to light so that many see that everything under heaven has its time.
I was not very surprised when I read this article because affluent people can do anything if they have abundance but I cannot believe that these affluent parents bribed their kids to attend prime colleges and universities. It’s really malevolent and disadvantage for talent students who working hard to effort get chance those prime collages who actually deserve. In my opinion is based on article we have to stop these happened and bribed it able to be better in students future.
This article is about the power of money, how millions of people want to obtain everything without any sacrifice, it is incredible how people allow themselves to be bribed into accepting young people without the academic potential in the best institutions of the country. Money can save lives but not buy health, money can not buy education, nor any of the values that life has. Thanks to this country that applies and sanctions the law to those who violate it, we can see that no crime goes unpunished.
By reading this article "College Admissions Cheating Scandal , I feel really ashamed. It’s sad to see the parents who suppose to be our model, they are the one drag us into corruption. It’s up to the courts to conduct the investigations to reach a good result. Helping the parents to become aware and university to take their responsibility. The parents suppose a guide for their children, show them how to work hard to obtain their objectives.
I believe that students should be accepted into colleges based off of their academic success, leadership, and other college student characteristics. It is not fair for someone to be accepted into a school such as Harvard or Yale when they do not meet the academic standards that are required. By accepting these students, it is lowering the standards of the school. Bribing someone to let your child into a specific school is unacceptable and should not be tolerated. If the student works hard on their own, then they will get into the school they are supposed to.
In the article, Mr. Lelling states, " The real victims in the case are hard working students" who were displaced in the admissions process by "far less qualified students and their families who simply bought their way in." This really opened my eyes to the fact that hardworking kids are getting denied from schools just because someone else payed money to take their spot.
Overall, this is not a fair opportunity for the students that are not wealthy. Administrators need to pay close attention to what has been going on and not let the idea of money get caught up inside their head. A good school should be composed of motivated, hardworking students who earned the right to be there, not students who payed their way in.
My reaction about the college admission cheating scandal is that families should not be able to pay there way into getting there kids into college it takes away from other hard working kids who actually deserve to get into USC or Yale.
As a student who takes rigorous courses and works very hard to get good grades and a transcript that stands out to college administrators, it is almost frustrating to hear that others get "accepted" into universities based on false facts. I believe students should be accepted into colleges based on their merit and their skill, not the amount of money they are willing to pay to fake their way in. Some students who were accepted by these means were shown to not even care about the education they will be provided, but only for the "college experience." If this is what these students are looking for it would be just as easy to be accepted into a less prestigious school without cheating their way in. Although this scandal is absurd(yet unsurprising considering our current society), I do believe the courts handle the situation quite well.
After reading this article my thoughts were surprising! What I think about this scandal was disappointing because of the celebrities in Hollywood are just taking lots of amounts of money from many people around the United States. I hope that everyone that got there money stolen by this celebrities are alright about this and get there money back.
Now the college system is not based on grades and activities outside of school, but credentials of where you went to college. The college system in the United States needs to be fix otherwise college admission cheating will still happen. The United States college system, the parents and their children should all be accountable for this scandel.
I think this sucks because her parents had to pay a bunch of money. This isn't fair and people are being treated fairly
My reaction about the college Admissions cheating scandal is horrible and I cannot believe that why parent are playing a lot of money to for their children just to succeed without working. Parents works hard to get their money and they must teach their children to work hard too. I think the college Admissions must stop whose scandals and students who were working hard get their rewards and people who are cheating get away from school or give them a lesson and explain them how is important to learn. Instant of playing someone to do a test for you just pay him to teach you how to do it and get knowledge from him or her. At this century we are living in people are just thinking about money and money is the power and I can say being socialize and healthy is the first thing and without that, you will not learn anything.
With the whole scandal going on, it' s not giving the students who deserve their spot at the college because they proved themselves a chance to be at that college. When people buy their way into college, it's making the other people work for basically nothing and tearing down the college community. Yes, the parents are responsible for this scandal, but the people who should be in trouble the most is the staff members at the college because they are the ones accepting the money. They had an opportunity to not accept the money from the scandals but instead took the money and had the student take the freshman seat at their university.
I am not really surprised by this new cheating scandal. We all know that the rich, powerful, and alumni have so much sway over high-level institutions. Not much has changed since the beginning of this country and even before; rich people have the advantage.
The wealthy have access to private tutors, study programs, and better schools. They can get into college because they play exotic sports or because they have connections. And it works; according to a 2017 report from Raj Chetty, a professor from Harvard, 70% of Harvard students are in the top 20% of the income ladder.
Harvard and many other top universities have long been employing race-based affirmative action to create diverse student bodies. While this has been effective in gaining a more racially-representative student body, there is still a huge amount of socioeconomic inequality.
Top universities need to end their policies of race-based affirmative action and turn them into socioeconomic-based policies. They need to stop discriminating based on race and start giving middle and low-income people a chance for admission.
Only when top colleges swap their race-based affirmative action policies for socioeconomic ones will the unfair advantages of the wealthy be nullified, and only then will their student bodies be truly diverse.
In this article we talk about how it is so easy for people with money to buy everything without any sacrifice at the cost of leaving without opportunities to people who really strive to obtain this. The message that comes to me in this article is that we live in a society where money is the most important and goes beyond the limits leaving people who have no resources without opportunity to progress and I think that those responsible for this situation It is the society that makes us believe that whoever has money has everything but is in the wrong because it fosters a society that lets itself be carried away only by money and not by hard work.
Bribing college admissions and coaches is not only morally wrong, but bad parenting. Adults should be setting positive examples for their children, especially those that are constantly in the spotlight. Celebrities and well-known businessmen are telling society's youth that it's okay to cheat the system. Similarly, familial support is essential during high school, as teenagers are struggling to find their role in the community. This scandal undermines the confidence of the students involved; parents are facing serious charges just because they didn't have enough faith in their children. Pulling the delicate self-esteem of a teenager through this process of disappointment and loss could be detrimental to their mental health.
However, the parents aren't the only party to blame. The authors report that "federal prosecutors did not charge any universities with wrongdoing." This is unacceptable, as taking bribery is just as guilty as offering it. The admissions and collegiate coaches should be able to pride themselves in their honesty and integrity. For years, there have been rumors that many prestigious universities were supported by bribes and suspicious donations. Now that authorities are taking action, we need to charge both sides of the crime. This corrupted system, both from respected families and colleges, needs to be addressed properly.
The message that this gives me is that there are many people who really need an opportunity to study, and lose it for: wealthy families, people of fame, and the same university coaches who have more money to do what they want. For me, this makes me realize that nowadays the fraud still and more than in other years, it is really impacting how the rich people do not care about other people dreams only because of their banks accounts. It also makes me realize that if this is happening now, what I have to expect for me when I go to college? , I will have to think twice if there will be other rich parents who will took away my opportunity to go to college just because they have more money, that is not fair. I do not think that this scandal happened only now, this type of horrible situations happen all the time because of money and for the idea that nobody is going to make anything because they are people with fame and with a lot of "good" friendships.
My reaction to the whole situation is kind of like “oh well”. Stuff like this happens all the times where people use their resources to ensure a better future for their family, it's been happening for centuries. Anytime you have a capitalist functions society then you will have people taking advantage of the system by using their assets. The real sad part of the whole ordeal is that certain hard working students may not have been accepted into these universities because of the “backdoors”. I think the way the courts have handled the situation is exactly how it should have been handled, it's not going to stop people like Singer from doing it again. In fact I believe there are countless other organizations like his that do the same thing everyday and he was just the unlucky one that got exposed. I don't really think it has to do with how hard college admissions are its just because we live in a heavy capitalist society and people will do whatever they need to do to get ahead. (I want to clarify I’m not a socialist or communist be any means I’m a very strong advocate of capitalism.)
The college admissions process is not perfect but it works and continues to deliver to this day so I don't think we need to change it. Pledging a large sum of money to a college doesn't ensure that your kid will be accepted into the college that you pledge to, it's just a way to potential sway the acceptance office.
I believe that applicants to elite higher educational institutions should initially be screened by their performance on standardized tests (e.g., the SATs) and then on their "adjusted" secondary school grades. The essay should be eliminated because someone other than the student can easily write it; also, the weight put on extra curricular activities should be vastly diminished since these activities can also be faked. After the initial screening, it is the higher educational institution's responsibility to interview and evaluate the student's potential in a variety of areas (the interview should be video-taped so that it can be reviewed if necessary.) After these steps are completed other factors (e.g., geographical and racial diversity) can be taken into consideration. I am not minimizing the difficulty that elite schools with a great number of applicants may have in following the above, but attempting to devise a fair and equitable admissions process is worth the effort.
Admittance into colleges needs to be based on merit and how much the student challenged themselves over the course of their high school career. This system encapsulates the idea of both the American Dream and other ways that poorer people can pull themselves out of their circumstances. With this cheating scandal it doesn’t just affect the people who were caught and should be prosecuted, it also affects current high school students, students applying to colleges, and it further divides the mental attitude towards wealthy people by poorer people. Students who can’t afford to go to college but if they try hard enough and work extremely hard would have a chance can see this and give up. They understand that if wealthy but poorer students can buy their way into college through false entrance exams and bribes than why should they even try? Scores mean nothing if you have enough money and this changes the atmosphere and might shift colleges or individuals into only looking for money and not the scores which denies these students their hard won opportunities at a better life. This scandal increases the tensions between students with wealthier pockets and those who would actually have a shot but are missing out because of them.
The entirety of the college admissions process is one big headache. Top colleges want students who have the top scores, top GPA's, and have solved the cure to cancer. They expect 17 and 18-year-olds to already be accomplished individuals in every aspect of their life. Standardized testing has never been an easy feat for me, I have struggled with running out of time, severe ADHD and answering questions that are supposed to measure my level of intelligence. Thankfully, my family has the ability to pay for an ACT tutor. If anyone was wondering what market is booming right now its standardized testing tutors. Once a week, one hour and 30 minutes $186 dollars. Some students are lucky and these tests come easy, without tutoring and minimal studying, others like myself this is not the case. I have been studying for the ACT since September of 2017 and will go through until the July ACT. The students and families who have been able to buy their way through this process represent the social class in America. Money equals power and these affluent members of society have all reaffirmed this idea.
As a junior in high school in the middle of the college process, hearing about cases like this is extremely disturbing as well as discouraging to the hard-working students in the midst of the process. The majority of my peers have been working tirelessly ever since middle school to apply to the schools they decided were the places they wanted to continue a higher education and spend a large quantity of money to attend. Seeing that these hardworking students' work is so undermined by these prestigious universities, the places students work the hardest to go, by a large sum of money is absurd. Corruption in the American college system is evident and needs to be resolved, this is but one example. One of the most stressful times during a person's formative years is applying to college, the place that, for so many years, we have heard about and worked toward.
The people who should be held accountable are anyone who has knowledge of the operation. All parents, admissions board, and the man who tied them all together. I think the students should be removed from the school but should be able to reapply to the college or any other place but determined only by their own abilities.
This process is highly competitive. The fact that people are spending hundreds of thousands to upwards of over a million dollars shows this process needs reform and change.
I don't find it shocking that elite, wealthy parents paid thousands, if not millions of dollars to get their kids into elite schools. I entirely blame the parents and those who took the bribes, and I feel bad for the kids who didn't know their parents were doing this. Even if the kid did know, I find it difficult to entirely blame the kid. As a 16 or 17 year old, you don't have full control over your parents' actions, and you probably don't have the authority to tell them not to do something. I mostly feel bad for the kids who didn't gain admission to these elite schools even if they were fully qualified because some rich kid's parents bought his way in. The kids who worked hard in high school, did extra curriculars, and got good SAT scores shouldn't be the ones who are punished for the selfish actions of a wealthy parent.
Even as the rich are getting richer, and their privilege skyrockets, 50 SAT/ACT prep coaches, parents, and test administrators felt the need to ensure their child’s spot in Ivy League schools such as Harvard and Yale. Imagine the mediocrity: rich, mostly white, most likely christian students with all of the privileges they need to be successful needing to cheat to get into a good college. We are fed lies that affirmative action takes away the right of hard working Americans to get into college, that financial aid and other such programs that help the poor and disadvantaged people of our country are taking away that right from Americans to get into college. However, as it has almost always been, the rich are feeding these lies to the poor to keep them poor, while the rich prosper, the rich get into good colleges, and the rich live lives full of advantages.
I believe that students should he accepted into college for their work ethic, grades, leadership, etc, not for how wealthy they are. College is supposed to be an opportunity for everyone to get the education they need to succeed in their career and this scandal has scared many people because it’s showing how easy the acceptance system can be played.
In the article, Bruni claims how the college admissions process is rigged to help the wealthy. I agree with this statement because every person that was involved in the scandal was a wealthy family paying for their child to get accepted. This is a problem because the people that are not wealthy will have a very low chance of being accepted. This isn’t a fair opportunity like the school board claims it is.
This scandal sends a bad image to the youth saying that money can get you anything in life. Students should learn that hard work is what pays off in the end and gets you places. I feel bad for the people that work the hardest but are less fortunate when it comes to money. They won’t get the college opportunity they deserve, while the wealthy and lazy people get whatever they want, with no work put in.
Imagine working hard, studying, focusing, and excelling just to be replaced by a rich kid. That would be horrible. How do most famous and rich kids get into the most prestigious colleges? Money. Colleges now just becoming bribed by money. The people who are bribing the colleges and the person who is being bribed should both be charged. These parents are teaching their children that working hard doesn't matter and all you need is money to get what you want. People say the children are our future. That's terrifying. Stuck up, rich, privileged millennials running our country is not going to be pretty. I start to wonder if the best schools is America aren't actually that prestigious anymore. The college admissions is unfair in general, but now, it's even more unfair with rich parents paying for their children so their family can look good. No one who is are good and focused student should stand there watch their education be taken from a rich kid.
I believe that the parents and the colleges should ashamed of themselves by taking money to get unqualified students taking the places of students who’ve done hard work to get into those colleges. What I find that is most shocking that many famous actors and business owners would buy spots that deserve qualified students and not rich students. I'm not really surprised because, with the way things have been lately with rich people, something like this was bound to happen at some point in time.
I think it's obvious that the colleges and the student’s parents should be held responsible for these crimes. The punishment should be that the students are sent out of the colleges and replaced with qualified students.
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I'm not at all surprised by this, for one people have been paying and bribing to get to the top without thinking what it would cost others. The part that I found most interesting is that this happens all the time and the only reason this scandal was uncovered was because some celebrities were caught up in it. I think that the parents and the people who were bribed by the parents should be held accountable. The parents knew that their kid(s) weren't going to make it and they didn't care who it effected, all they cared about was that their kids made it to the top. People lost out on pursuing their dream at those collages because the other parents paid for a spot with all of their millions of dollars, and this just goes to show that money is power. Because these families had money that pretty much guaranteed their kids a spot in a very prestigious collage. This Scandal sends a very bad message to high school kids because they might want to go to collage and they either have rich parents that will pay any amount of money to get their kids in to that collage or they might genuinely try to get into the collage and get bumped out of their place because the next person had money and payed to secure a place in that collage. Now as far as the kids who didn't know that their parents payed large sums of money to get them into the collage... if they are doing well in their classes and the genuinely care they should get to prove that they should stay and the others should be kicked out.
This is a crime! there are people that actually work for things but don't get in to special collages. These people who fake it are just saying how money talks and nothing else. Just because you have money does not mean you can just get into any collage you want. Who is even taking this money? what will you even use it for? Maybe in the future bribery will be illegal,I feel bad that the kids have to go to school knowing they don't belong there. How would you feel if you were them? Not very good knowing I don't belong and someone deserving would be better in my spot at university. You can never get the easy way out of life, there is going to be something that will get you back for that, mostly the parents or whoever paid the money and encouraged this. I hope these kids find a better way, and that their life won't be ruined by thins, and the kids who did deserve it. Paying for the test answers, and the collage, is crazy because what's the point of being there if you don't learn anything! I understand getting a job will be easier but how will you know how to do the job? exactly. I don't want to type too much because nobody is really going to read this over everyone else's comment, but my point is, "If you can't succeed, don't even try getting to collage and cheat your way out of it."
My opinion on this scandal is this is definitely not fair for all the students that have worked and studied all their lives to get into a good university, and now other students are being accepted just because their parents are wealthy and have enough money to pay off the enrollment at a prestigious university. Even though I understand that the parents involved in the scandal want the best for their children, it is not the right way to do it. Students these days need to understand that hard work will take them where they want to be, but sometimes because of these situations is very hard for students to believe in going to college because there's not a big change for them to get in. My reactions to this scandal is that I'm not very surprised, because families in the US have a lot of money to spend and they would want to spend it securing the lives of their children.
I think this scandal is terrible. A student that has tried really hard to get a place in a really nice college vs students parents that pay for a spot really isn't fair. I think that the parents should be held accountable for these crimes because they really did the crime. Not any other college, student, or teacher, but the parents. I also agree to “The charges also underscored how college admissions have become so cutthroat and competitive that some have sought to break the rules.” because it is true. High ranking colleges really don't accept a lot of kids because of how the acceptance is set up. I think this is telling us that nowadays, it doesn't matter whether you are smart, very high ranking, or very low ranking. All people will be thought of as the same because it is a competition for them. I do think Bruni's claim is to favor the wealthy. I do not think it is fair, because kids have worked hard to get into these colleges when the rich kids' parents are just assuring them a spot by bribing with millions of dollars. I think it is telling them to go to a lesser-known college as opposed to a university because rich kids parents that want their kids to go to these big fancy schools just assure them a spot. They don't fill out applications like normal people. I think the biggest takeaway is that normal people have a lesser chance of going to a college that they want to go to.
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I do not agree with what these people have done. However, I am not very surprised. It seems to me that wealthy people think they have power over everyone else. They think that since they have money, they should get special advantages. With these people paying or bribing people to get their children into school, that is robbing a person who well deserved to go to one of those elite schools. Some kids have worked so hard to get there, but they weren't able to because someone whose parent payed their way in took their spot. Money shouldn't always be able to buy you everything, that just isn't fair.
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think that this a very stupid thing to do for your kids because if their not qualified to get into the school then what are you going to do once they are in the school and aren't smart enough to do the work that is required.
The parents, coaches, and people that were payed.
I think that this is a terrible thing that is happening and that maybe schools visit the kids they are accepting before they are accepted.
I don't think people should be doing this because it is unfair to the people who have worked so hard on everything to get into this college. Just because some people have more money than others doesn't mean they can just get right in. This also isn't teaching your kids that you have to work for what you want. Not everything will be able to be at your service everyday just so you can have money. So many students work so hard for this. This scandal should be put to an end before every rich family starts to do this and think they can get away with it. The college directors or whoever enrolls people into a college should look back at that student's record on what he or she has done and see if this person has done what they need to do to get in college for a valid reason. Just because someone is going to give you more money than what they may owe just so a kid that has no clue how to do any of these things that the college may offer does not mean you should say no to a kid who is actually going to work for this.
Yes I do understand the college wants more money but they are going to miss out on a student who loves what the college has to offer and you shouldn't bribe anyone. People should be arressted for bribing college directors to get their kid into a college where they don't nessarilly need to get into this college or even don't belong.
I don't believe it is right to pay your way in to get to one of the top colleges, even if you have a lot of money. There are so many other people trying to get in to these schools just being who they are. I'm not that surprised with what they did. Many people in this world try to impersonate or pay their way through life. Money can't always get you anywhere.
I am not surprised at all. People who have got a lot of money will do anything they can with money. But bribing people to let their kids into college. I mean seriously, it is not that surprising. Even a five year old who watches a l of television could have figured it out. Famous, rich people who have kids want their kids to be known. They will do anything they can. Nobody will think of it because they are popular. But it is a serious offense which should not be allowed nor tolerated.
My reaction when I first hear about the college admission cheating scandal was that it was unjust for the rest of the student that actually work hard. What shocked me the most in this article was the price that the parents were paying to just get their children into that college. Why would any parent pay $1.2 million to get their child into Yale. If in the first place they could not get in by applying like everyone one else did. If they did not work hard before are they going to start working hard when they are at that college or university? The person that I think should be help responsible for these crimes are the parents, in first place they were the ones that paid for it and used their money. Also they were the ones that probably wanted their child to go to that college. I think that the child should get kicked out of the college or university because they cheated their way into the school. So they don't deserve to be there. It will give a chance to the students who tried to get in without paying anything. They worked hard their whole entire life to play a sport or get into the college.
I feel like that if you did not try all your life to get into your dream college, you should not be able to get into it. So for these people to pay this "crew coach" to get into this college, there has to be something wrong with them.
I think that the college cheating scandal was really unfair for other people. I think the most shocking thing was the fact that people paid millions of dollars to get their children into college instead of just helping their children get good grades and give them SAT prep when they were in high school. I think the coaches and the people who accepted the money should be held responsible because just because they were bribed doesn't mean they had to go through with something like that. No I just think that some parents and their children feel that their entitled to go to a certain college so they paid people to get in instead of working hard like everyone else. No I don't think college admission processes are rigged for the wealthy because I'm sure there are hundreds of children in good colleges who don't have millions of dollars to waste. I think the scandal sends the message to high school students that their will always be someone out there to try and do something the wrong or easy way. The biggest take away is that you need to do things that right or they may be severe consequences.
Heart-wrenching human indecency -- absolute disregard for the law or for the students of America-- utter disrespect for themselves and their children -- all accurate ways to describe the parents, administrators, and coaches that were active participants in the college entry fraud scandal.
Bribery is one of the most basic concepts of American wealth. And usually the financial happenings of America's richest are none of my business--however, with these recent college entry scandals, it has been made personal. It's not just my business to understand what is going on, but every student in America should be afforded that right. These parents stole opportunities from students who were deserving of better, and frankly, I am appalled to say that I'm not surprised in the slightest.
In today's America, the stress put on students regarding college is maddening. Students spend the first twelve years preparing themselves for a single test. A single test that will determine the starting point of their future: the definition of insanity.
In terms of the crimes themselves I expect to see every parent, and coach and administrator held responsible to the fullest extent of the law because to students like myself it is so incredibly disheartening to see all of the hard work, all of the late nights studying, all of the extra circulars and service hours be traded in for nothing. That we weren't good enough because we were outbid on our education and opportunity for the future.
This collage admissions scam is a terrible thing to do, well first it is not okay to false a learning disability because children all around the world go through a hard life with actually struggling with things of that nature. I think someone has some nerve to let go of a student who has been training their whole life to be a player on this specific sports team and for them just to loose a scholarship because another student who has no experience in that sport just has money, is terrible. Just because you have money does not mean you can one up everybody in something, and I hope one day people will see that!
I think that the more upperclassmen schools are more in favor for the wealthy. This is because in Yale, just a room would be $9,400 and and the activity fees is like $125. So lets say there was a really smart person in this world, which there are a lot, and they or there parents don't have enough to afford the fees of a really good collage(and if your wondering, no they didn't get a scholarship). What would they have to do, go to a lower class collage, NO. A really smart person should deserve to go to a really good school. And that is my opinion.
I have not heard about this scandal until I read this article, and I am in shock. It’s so weird how people think it’s fair for someone to buy their way into a college, while others are working their butts off to get into a good school. These people spend long hours of working and studying, instead of long conversations of bribery. I don’t only blame the students, but I blame the faculty that were allowing these actions to be put out just because they want to earn some cash. Forget about the money, shouldn’t they know that what they are doing is wrong? Besides that, people that are photoshopping their children or themselves onto pictures of other people just to “prove” that they are presentable for a certain sport or job is completely wrong. I mean, what! But, what am I going to expect. This country revolves around money and wealth, and people will do anything with it, and to get it. And that’s where the problems starts. If we actually don’t try to do something to change this, this world is just going to come up with different ways of doing things that are wrong, because of money. I just feel bad for the students that are actually trying their best. Some people don’t even have the opportunity for education, and our country is taking advantage of that. I just hope that our people can learn from this. Doing this, maybe the government can make stricter laws infringing from these types of acts. So if we want to change something, it must start with us first.
— Who do you think should be held responsible for these crimes and how so?
The people who should be held responsible are anyone who took the money knowing the whole situation, they should be punished by paying back all the money and some jail time.
No, I don't think that this is fair if the girls, guys get to pay there way out of college and get into things that you want to do just because of money I feel like everyone has a fair shot but not when this is happening. This has been happening for a very long time but since a celebrity did it the spotlight shined a lot brighter on the people that do this, 2019 when you hear this what do you think about? Well i'll tell you I think about crime just like this, there were some people that did this and got into major trouble
The idea of the rich taking advantage of the poor is nothing new in society. This, however, has taken the economic status rift to a new level. It pushes those who weren't born to a rich family down. No matter how much they work for their well deserved spot on a sports team or class in college they will be overthrown by people's desire for money. If a person has worked their entire life to get into this college than that should should be far more noteable than some money. This scheme shouldn't be something that we tolorate. It hurts everyone but the family whose child got in to the college. Allowing people to bribe their way into college is an awful tactic and should be abolished.
The college admissions scandal is saying that people's parents pay for their child to be accepted when they possibly might not deserve the right to be there. The girl who suddenly became a soccer star shouldn't of been there. She only got in because her parents wanted to pay the money. What about the people who play soccer? Don't they deserve a spot because of their real talent. This scam shows how wrong the American system can be.
This whole scandal has given me an angry reaction. It is so sickening that all of these parents are spending thousands, up to over a million dollars, just to get their child into college. The sad thing is that the coaches and staff allowing this to happen, and them and the parents need to be held accountable. I have heard about Lori Loughlin paying money for her daughter, and I think it is just crazy how she did such a terrible action, and tried to get away with it! I used to watch her on Full House and I know she didn’t murder anybody, but she is taking away someone’s spot and I don’t know if I can look at her the same. She is a celebrity and this will stick with her for a while. And all of the other people who are committing the same fraud are taking so many people’s spots in college away, and it is really sad to think of all of the people who were put onto the waitlist, or even rejected, because of this action. Now that the parents who took part in the scandal are being charged, it still doesn’t make me feel better that their children still may go to the school, and it is so unfair. Some people have thought about going to their dream college since a very young age, and it can be just taken away due to some person who has a lot of money, just paying for their child to go to a school where they didn’t earn their way in.
I think that this college admission scam is very unfair to the bpoeple have made it their goal and deserve to get in to the colleges. because when someone pays to get in that is taking up spots for people that wanted to get in their and have worked very hard to try and be the best they can for what ever they are doing at that school. It also is very unproffecianal for the people in charge at those colleges to allow people to pay to come to those colleges instead of doing it the right way and filling out applications. another thing is that it is very cruel to be doing this possibly knowing that it will not allow the people that would love and enjoy their life being there becaue they would be doing what they like to do there. i also think it is bad for the poeple who actually did pay to think that it was ok and that it was right for them to get a charged lots of money.
I feel that the people who were doing the acceptance process should be held responsible because even though the parents were the ones bribing, the schools should teach the people not to accept bribes and to possibly even report those people. I feel that they should be charged with a fine of the amount that they accepted in bribes and should kick out the kids who were accepted because of bribe because there is a mass amount of students who did not get in because of the rigged acceptance process. They should also suffer at least some jail time.
I think the parents who are paying the money should be held accountable for this scandal. There are so many people in this country who show up to school to make sure they are prepared for their futures. I don't think it fair that people with more money can just pay there way into things. The kids of these people are taking spots in schools that other kids worked hard to try and get. I think the parents are not teaching there kids anything but if you have money you can get what you want. They are also teaching there kids that they don't need to work for what they want.
This is pathetic, Rich people getting there spoiled bratty children into ivy league schools, really? People with money think their intitled to do whatever they want and don't think twice about it. But there thing that makes me really mad is the fact that people who work thier whole life for oportunities like this aren't getting them because other snoby partyers and drinkers have thier richy rich parents buy them a spot. Some people think they can get away with anything but one day thier gonna be slapped in the face with a whole bunch of reality.
I was surprised when I heard that people were actually paying schools to accept there children into the school.I feel that people paying to get into a school is not acceptable especially when some of the kids don’t even know and think that they actually got accepted through their hard work.So the people who are paying and the people getting paid are not only trampling on the hard work of others who deserved to get in but also trampling on the hard work of the children that they are paying for.
The people that payed coaches and teachers to lie about their children getting into college should be have to pay a big fine or do jail time.I think that if my parents made me fake my way through college I would want them to pay a fine or some jail time for lieing about what they did.Just think someone who could of deserved that spot at Yale but instead so parents wanted to make sure that their child got in to a name school.
My reaction is the college admissions scandal is I can't believe that people would take away spots from kids who actually want to go to a college and then parents are spending all of the money to get them in when they don't deserve it.
I think that if you want to get into a really good college or something you should, hm...idk, STUDY, it's not that hard if you actually want to get into the college. My reaction at first was that I actually felt bad for the kids that studied really hard and were completely qualified but didn't get in because of some people who think they're to good to study. I just think that the people who pay for the college or whatever should be the ones responsible.
@Jackson I. You bring up a good point this comment. I just want to add one more thing to your comment: The parents could've saved even more money by either hiring a tutor to help the kid study or just help the kid study themselves and let the kid get in on their own intelligence, not on borrowed intelligence.
This scandal is so outrageous. I can’t believe that these wealthy parents bribed their way for their kids to attend elite colleges and universities. It’s unacceptable and so unfair to the hard working and talented students who actually deserve a spot at these colleges. There’s a reason that colleges like Yale and Harvard only pick the best of the best; because that’s who their classes are designed for. In my opinion, this scheme doesn’t benefit the student, because going through a “side door” in the admission process doesn’t mean that they will be able to keep up with the rigors of a prestigious university. I’m just saying, if you’re paying $1.2 billion in bribes, what does that say about your child’s academic abilities? Why not put that money into good tutors instead?
What angers me the most is the thought that hard working students didn’t get to go to the college of their choice because less qualified students got in the college instead. If I knew that I got cheated out of a spot at the college of my dreams, I would be extremely upset. I think you could call it stealing someone’s future. I also wouldn’t be able to live with myself if I knew that my parents were going to use bribes to get me into this great college that I don’t deserve. I’m also not surprised that this happened in the U.S. The college admissions process can be extremely competitive, leading wealthy parents with disposable income to find illegal means.
As a high school student soon applying to college, I find it baffling that teenagers are being accepted into a school because their parents “paid” their way in. I believe that this is not only unfair that the student falsely got in, but also to the many students who deserved the spots, and were rejected. Although donations will always be accepted at universities and colleges, bribing officials to recruit your child, or give them special testing privileges, is morally wrong.
A student should be accepted into a college because he or she is a good fit for that school; he might have great grades, high test scores, or superb athletic abilities. However, a student should not be accepted because his or her parents are wealthy. As the article says, “The authorities say the parents of some of the nation’s wealthiest and most privileged students sought to buy spots for their children at top universities, not only cheating the system, but potentially cheating other hard-working students out of a chance at a college education.” I agree with this statement, as this is unfair to students in less fortunate situations, and to students who truly deserve a spot.
It is evident that, in many of these cases, the teenager had nothing to do with their parents’ actions. If I were in one of these students’ places, I would be both humiliated, and infuriated at my parents for putting me in this situation. Money laundering is currently a huge problem in our world, and it needs to be put to a stop.
I am absolutely shocked and angered to learn that this pure corruption can occur in the college admissions process. Those responsible for this ludicrous scandal do not understand the point of college at all. College or university is an opportunity earned through an impartial process. Most of the time, these colleges have limited space and strict guidelines for enrollment, which means that those who strive to be accepted will need to work harder. Their work will pay off by their earning a spot in the school.
When those who decide to cheat their way into the school use bribery and other corrupt actions to ensure a spot, their success comes at an immeasurable cost. They are neglecting the entirety of the college admissions process. They are gaining an unfair and immoral advantage to receive a position they should never have gotten in the first place. They are taking the spots of completely qualified students without as much money.
I am a current high school student; though I am an upcoming junior, college admissions are just around the corner. With this scandal in mind, I am determined to show those who cheat that only a truthful, reasonable application can earn a worthy spot. These actions are intolerable and should be eliminated of at once.
Our country has come to the point were wealthy parents now feel the need to buy their child a place in College. In this scandal the students of the parents did not know what their parents were doing. If it was me and I found out that my parents did that I would not only be mad, but hurt that they thought I couldn’t get into college on my own. Not only did these parents break the law by alternating scores and having fake photos up, but while guaranteeing this spot for their child they kicked out students with a proper application.
I feel that this is one of the many prime examples of how much pull money has on people. From Jared Kushner to Lori Loughlin's daughter, they have donated money only to improve their social status.
What is even more strange is that kids with no athletic ability are now star recruits. That to me, as an athlete, is so upsetting. People are grinding everyday academically and/or athletically for it only to be taken away by privileged students.
In some instances, I feel bad for the kids due to them actually working hard, and still getting in trouble due to their parents wrongdoing.
In Frank Bruni's article, he talks about his thoughts on this scandal, and to be completely honest, I agree with him on most things.
In all honesty, I wasn’t very surprised when I found out about the college admissions cheating scandal. It was always obvious that the affluent have an advantage in life, and most people already knew that there was definitely some sort of cheating happening in the process of college admissions; there was just no evidence to prove this fact, that is, until today of course. To me, I am just disappointed in what has occured. Our world is slowly dilapidating into shambles as everyday passes by. Life has turn into a fight to stay alive driven by the need for money; a survival of the fittest where the poor get poorer and the rich richer. Then again, wasn’t this always the case? Many people act like our society has never been corrupted like this, but wasn’t this fact prevalent throughout mankind’s whole history already? Life has always been driven by money whether you like it or not, and it still is today. Maybe this is just the dirty side of capitalism, a hierarchy ranked based upon one’s wealth as some would say. However, communism is no better at all too; it’s impossible for everyone to be equal, and no matter what, someone will have too much power. This is our reality. To conclude, I wasn’t very surprised about the college admissions cheating scandal; it was just another example to prove how harsh reality is.
I never thought I'd see the day where men and women with lots of money finally got in legal trouble for abusing their power. One of the things that really intrigued me about the situation was how Lori Loughlin's daughter, Olivia Jade, didn't even want to go to college in the first place. The only part of college she wished to experience were game days and parties. The fact that even after that public statement, her parents paid for her to get into college really leaves me angry.
The parents and authority figures who paid and accepted the money should be held responsible. Leave the children out of it. Their parents were the ones who did this, not them. Many of them were unaware of the situation beforehand.
The admissions process for a good college is very difficult. The only way to get into a top school is to have perfect grades and a mile long list of achievements and extracurricular activities. I really do think many aspects of admissions favors the wealthy. Those who have the money can afford amazing tutors, mission trips for resumes, and even someone to coach them from the admissions process.
One of the messages it sends is that money isn't everything. You can try and buy your way through life but it won't last very long.
@Abigail Billings
you are so right- whether hard working kids get into "elite" schools or not, THEY are the ones who will be successful. The kids who get advantages without working for them will have very short-lived success. These kids whose parents bribed coaches and proctors will never get far unless they learn to work for it. So, all the kids that work hard and feel cheated, should know that they will go far because they put in the effort and have experienced disappointment while bouncing back and continuing to push forward.
On Tuesday night the news was swarmed, partially by NFL trade deals, but more prominently with scandal. One of the biggest college admission scandals the country has ever seen. 50 parents have been charged including Hollywood actresses, business leaders, and many other wealthy parents. One case: a young girl framed as a star soccer recruit at Yale, cost to her parents: $1.2 million. Another: High School boy fakes learning disability so he could take his standardized test with a proctor who made sure he got the right score, cost to his parents: over $50,000. Although these particular scandals are being heavily broadcasted, it seems that the idea of using wealth as a shortcut isn't necessarily a rarity in our county. Whether it be ¨donations¨ given to a university just prior to acceptance, or paying someone to ¨polish¨ a college essay. There's always a way to get ahead when cash is concerned.
College admission are cutthroat for a reason. Only the best and brightest should be admitted into the elite of schools; however, it seems that in many cases, wealth, power, and status are prioritized. This unfair and unfortunate precedent is sending a message to the students of America. A message about the competitive and money driven world we live in. A world in which hard word doesn't always pay off, and there is no guarantee of success, especially when up against wealth. Is this the message we want to be sending to the students of our future?
We always knew that some of the best colleges in the nation played favorites for the wealthy and famous, even though these applicants may be less qualified and less motivated than middle class and financially poor students. But now the clear evidence of bribery and cheating enabling less qualified students to "steal" places in prestigious universities. Now the more cynical and skeptical will wonder if a Harvard or Stanford student or graduate is the real thing or a fake. It really hurts those students who worked hard their whole academic lives to gain admission, then worked hard while in competitive schools, then incurred heavy student debt -- only to have people wonder if they are cheaters. What really bothers me is why the administrators at top colleges involved in the cheating scandal haven't spotted the unqualified and questioned their admission. I might advise my grandson to apply to good city schools, including CUNY -- if he does well, he won't be suspected of cheating his way into and through college.
Maybe the college cheating scandal is a symbol of the corruption of democracy in America. Democracy won't mean much if we allow the GOP to make sure the super rich and powerful to control our nation and prevent most Americans to even get close to the American dream.
It's not at all about illegal immigrants; it's about average American workers not having a chance in hell of competing in a system fixed by the super rich.
“Money Can’t Buy Happiness (But it Can Buy Admission to College)”
This just in: a college admissions scandal has unveiled itself. The ones behind this act---rich, white parents--thought they were safe, thought they wouldn’t have to face the consequences, thought they did what needed to be done to cover their tracks, but they were wrong. They were accused, condemned for, arraigned for their wrong doings. And what that don’t notice is that this is doing harm not only to them, but other teenagers embarking on the college trek.
With an abuse of money, power, fame, people (like Hollywood actors) used this to their advantage to get the picture perfect future for their children. How did they do this? They weaseled their way in throught the only way they are familiar with--money. What message does this send their kids? Other kids wanting to continue their education? It teaches them that money is power and power is money. But they’re incorrect. Money is just a tangible item with no value in this situation. The item with value? An education. By buying their children’s way into a continued education on a higher level, it befogs the minds of the young. It shows them that their GPA, their activities, their time, their commitment doesn’t really matter. What matters: money.
Americans are so consumed with money that it is now reflecting in areas where it shouldn’t. Money trumps everything and nothing can live up to it in society today. Not even the truth, honesty, sincerity.
The college admissions scandal is peak white privilege. These white parents have all the money and opportunities in the world and still choose to cheat their children into college. No one is to blame here other than the parents, especially if most children are not aware of the scandals their parents are committing. Take Lori Loughlin for example. Her daughter, popular Youtuber Olivia Jade, was admitted into USC. Olivia posted videos a plethora of times stating her carelessness for school, and even admitted in a video that she was simply going to USC to get the experience of tailgates and parties, seeing how her ‘work’ would prevent her from being there often. Yes, college admissions may be competitive and cutthroat, but that is what colleges want. If a student sees that it may be hard to get into school, they should be motivated to try their hardest to be accepted into that college. They should not think that their parents will just scam them into college. The admissions are not rigged to favor the wealthy just because it is competitive, the wealthy can just easily get through the competition by ‘donating’ a few million dollars. It is not fair that some can afford to cheat their way into college when some who actually tried and worked their butts off cannot even afford to go to the college because of tuition prices. This scandal simply shows high school students that your GPA does not matter as long as Daddy has a few million dollars in the bank.
When I first heard about this scandal I was shocked, all that was going through my head was 'I couldn't believe someone would do that. Although after considering all the factors that went into it, thought about the scenario rationaly. I know from different family members experience that getting into college is just as hard as college itself. You have good scores, good, grades, and good behavior to be admitted. At this point, people who didn't do well in school have no choice of going anywhere so their parents step in to give them an extra boost wherever they need it. Though, I am not surprised that this happened in America. The USA is a very progressive country that wants to be number one in everything, that is why when comes to college teens have so much pressure put on them to succeed because they don't want to b left behind. This is why parents help their children out a little because it is their natural instinct. However, this excuse does not justify their actions and for the crimes of fraud, I believe that they should be punished.
This just adds to the list of examples demonstrating how the wealthy have more opportunity than everyone else. It is teaching kids to buy their way into things without even having to work for it. This is not what students need to be witnessing because everyone deserves an equal opportunity, and they can choose to rise to the top by working harder than the rest. This is completely unfair to those who worked so hard for this their whole lives, imagining themselves attending the college of their dreams. Well, I guess those dreams are getting crushed, all thanks to the parents who pay extensive amounts to please themselves, knowing their kid is attending a prestigious school.
I learned that some of the students who's parents did this, weren't even aware of it. That leads me to believe that the parents did this for themselves. Andrew Lelling writes, “The parents are the prime movers of this fraud." They want to fit that "perfect image," with their child enrolled at one of the top colleges, making themselves look like exceptional parents. I still think that the students are guilty too, because they know their own capability and whether or not they have the potential to be accepted.
I feel sorry for everyone in this situation. The parents, because they feel as if this is the only way to create happiness for their children, the students because some had no idea, and especially those students who worked so hard and got pushed out by those with more money to spare.
My reaction to the college administration cheating scandal is honestly not that surprised. I had already heard that rich parents bribe schools into letting their child get in, but I never looked into the details about these claims. I didn’t know about the lengths students and parents took to get what they want. The story that most surprised me was a high school boy eager to enrol at the University of Southern California was falsely deemed to have a learning disability so he could take his standardized test with a proctor who would make sure he got the right score. This cost his parents at least $50,000.
I’m definitely not surprised the United States is the place this is happening because overall the U.S. has many bad people who would do anything, even break rules to get what they want and a lot of people living here are money crazy. The parents should clearly be held responsible for these crimes along with the students and colleges. Nowadays you can buy anything if you have enough money; I never thought that would be true. “The real victims, in this case, are the hardworking students” who were displaced in the admissions process by “far less qualified students and their families who simply bought their way in,” I’d hate that when I want to apply for colleges I may not even be able to go there because the school are filled up with rich spoiled brats whose parents paid for them to get there and did no work whatsoever to get to the position they're at.
I am absolutely shocked by this. How could people be so blinded by money? These parents think just because they're rich, they have the authority to do whatever they like. According to the article, the actual children of these people aren't even aware of their parent’s scams to get them into a high-ranking college. Do they really think this is what will lead to success for their children? Cheating their way in with money? They are pushing their own children to live a lie that could eventually backfire and fail them later in life. The worst part is that they are damaging the future of not only their own children, but the high schoolers who actually work hard everyday and deserve to go to these universities. Because of the people cheating their way to success, highschoolers who deserve to be accepted into these universities aren't given a chance. Though parents are the major promoters of this fraudulence, colleges should also be held responsible. They need to buld a stronger stytem so student's dreams can stop being crushed.
Parents buying their kids slots in college is entirely wrong and makes me feel disgusted. As a student who does a lot of after school activities including dance and cello, if someone I knew was buying their way into college, I would be furious.
One paragraph of the article says, “The authorities say the parents of some of the nation’s wealthiest and most privileged students sought to buy spots for their children at top universities, not only cheating the system, but potentially cheating other hard-working students out of a chance at a college education.” I am a very hard-working person and I try my hardest with whatever I do in school. I don’t think that it is fair at all that some parents can rig the system so that their students can make it into prestigious schools while other people, who worked hard, did not.
The article says, “The charges also underscored how college admissions have become so cutthroat and competitive that some have sought to break the rules.” Everyone is pressured to get perfect grades and perfect test scores and perfect transcripts. Even though there is a lot of pressure, if you want to get into a school such as Harvard or Georgetown, you should be willing to put in the work that it takes to actually get in for yourself. No one should be allowed to do anything like this, but I don’t think that the students should be punished for the adults actions.
Recently we have heard reports of parents paying big money to cheat the system and get their kids into elite schools--but does this come as a surprise? Unfortunately this scandal is not surprising to most people; it is not uncommon to hear about families making large donations to schools before their child applies for that college. But, these parents have taken it a step further.
Parents are paying a lot of money to get their children's test scores changed and to make them appear as more well rounded students. The most shocking and saddening thing though, is that most of the kids are unaware that is this even happening, meaning now that it has come out they are most likely extremely upset, hurt, and disappointed by the fact that what they thought of as a huge accomplishment in their life turned out to be a complete lie.
There are people who dedicate all of their time working and putting all of their energy into trying to get into these schools but are unfairly turned away because of lies and bribes. It is awful realizing how many lives a lie can hurt and effect, those who really deserve something may never get the chance because other kids got their spots based on a mountain of lies.
The fact that parents are willing to pay millions in order to falsely get their children accepted into these schools is a sad and disheartening act, not only to their children but to those who deserve to be in these schools!
It seems like an ongoing concept- the wealthy get the advantage in most everything, now even including college acceptance. When I first learned about what had happened, I couldn't quite grasp it. I had to go back and read an article which depicted all of the known details, thus far.
It truly seems like parents are willing to settle for their kids laziness and in turn, pay hundreds of thousands of dollars to make up for it. In a way they are simply paying people to do things that are "normal" for high school students to do- SAT, ACT and college applications.
Other students who's parents are not as fortunate work multiple jobs and balance school in hopes to be able to make it to college, and then to be picked secondary to students who's parents paid people must feel like total betrayal.
This is people we know and look up to that are doing this. Lori Laughlin, or Aunt Becky as most may know her, is seemingly sweet and innocent on television but then is caught in this scandal due to her acts of payment for her two daughters.
This scandal truly shows how corrupt and ignorant some people in this country are and it also shows the public that this can happen anywhere and to anyone.
Personally, I am almost completely unfazed by this admissions scandal. I think that the reason for my unperturbedness is that I have realized by this point in life that humanity, on the whole, is corrupt and backstabbing. I have noticed that humans have the tendency to choose a select few to look after and then take actions that have negative effects on a person or people that are not included in those chosen ones. In this case, The parents of these students were looking out for their children (the select few I was talking about), but at the same time, these students were taking a position that could have been given to a hard working and deserving student. The thing that probably surprised me the most (at all) was that the students whose parents were paying them into school had no idea what was going on. I find this surprising and honestly hard to believe because if someone suddenly became a prodigy at a sports someone would mention it. One would imagine that a coach might start to wonder what happened if a person who had gone to college because of sports never played. I also find this hard to believe simply because I believe that there is corruption in each and every one of us. All in all, the only thing that surprised me about the admission scandal is that the students didn’t know that they had been paid into school.
We always knew that some of the best colleges in the nation played favorites for the wealthy and famous, even though these applicants may be less qualified and less motivated than middle class and financially poor students. But now the clear evidence of bribery and cheating enabling less qualified students to "steal" places in prestigious universities. Now the more cynical and skeptical will wonder if a Harvard or Stanford student or graduate is the real thing or a fake. It really hurts those students who worked hard their whole academic lives to gain admission, then worked hard while in competitive schools, then incurred heavy student debt -- only to have people wonder if they are cheaters. What really bothers me is why the administrators at top colleges involved in the cheating scandal haven't spotted the unqualified and questioned their admission. I might advise my grandson to apply to good city schools, including CUNY -- if he does well, he won't be suspected of cheating his way into and through college.
When I heard about the college admissions cheating scandal, it was a shock to me, at first, to find out the parents will find any way to make their kids be the best. However, the way that they went about it was completely wrong. If these parents wanted their kids to get into ivy league schools, they should have prepared them, throughout their lives. Considering that the parents had enough money to pay people to get their kids into these schools, then they surely had enough money to make sure that their kids had a proper education or better. Many of the kids of these parents were unaware of all of this. For me, if I was one of the kids I will feel betrayed, to find out that my parent didn't believe that I will be able to get into a good school. By the parents doing this, they are taking away a chance for a kid that worked hard, to get that spot.
From voting to competitions, and now college admissions—America’s most frequent scandals all belong to a downward spiral track record of bribery and unfair advantages. She was a land once known as “an equal opportunity for all,” but does it deserve such an honoring title anymore? March 5th, 50 people were charged with bribing spots in the hard-to-open doors of big name schools. There’s no real victim in this situation except the countless number of students robbed of legitimate opportunities for education. The parents who initiated the bribery, the colleges and universities who accepted such, the “accepted” students who found no abnormality with being clearly under performance—all are a part of one whole scheme that is downgrading the legitimacy of American ethics and morals. Without any consequences on all 3 sides, nothing will be fixed. This incident gives a message to upcoming college applicants that the schools they once looked up to share no passion in broadening the education of its students, only in the name of its appearance and successful alumni. Ironic enough, this incident will only taint the names and legacies of such, as well as the American soil they lay on. With the increasing level of difficulty that admissions has come to be, those who use their privilege for corruption highlight this. There’s privilege used for those who know how to build off of the knowledge they acquire, but once privilege is used to outcast nearly 100% of the population—that’s sickening.
A recent headline in the news was about top colleges accepting bribes and other cash relates payments to insure that students had a spot at their collage. The people who have been accused of paying these birbes are the wealth elite of the world and when push came to shove in the cutthroat American college system their children got shoved, so the rich found loopholes. The scandal, addition to being very illegal, cheated out hard working students from their rightful spots in these colleges that accepted bribes. This is extremely unfair because the rich already have the advantage of money.
The rich already have a lot of advantages when it comes to collage emissions. One way they have an advantage is that they can go to better schools, which can better prepare them for collage. Two they can afford to get tourers for big test like the SAT and ACT. Or if they are really struggling the rich can be,” falsely deemed to have a learning disability so he could take his standardized test with a complicit proctor who would make sure he got the right score.” This kind of help cost 50,000 dollars according to the NYT. in fairness not all wealthy students cheat or bribe schools, however when scandles, such as this one, are committed it hurts students who work hard, and people how actually have learning disabilities.
In all the scandal was a bad and unfair process and it was very selfish of those who were involved in the scandal.
I really am not surprised that some of the rich are cheating to get their kids into college. I completely agree with the article’s point that a when people who don't actually deserve it get into these colleges, it takes a spot away from someone who does. Yale, one of the schools mentioned in the article for accepting bribes, only accepts 2200 students each year. With spots being so precious, it’s terrible to think that a hardworking, deserving individual could miss out because of someone else cheating.
This just goes to show that money can buy just about anything, even people, and I hardly blame the middle-class athletics recruiters for accepting bribes. The average athletic recruiter makes about 49,000 dollars each year. A million dollar bonus would sound pretty hard to pass up. I also don’t entirely blame the students. The article quotes Mr. Singer, (the man facilitating the cheating) saying that the kids would have no idea that their scores and records were faked. I imagine that the children whose parents paid bribes feel terrible and guilty right about now. In their mind, they did great and got into the college of their dreams. Now they have to live with the fact that their undeserved success came at the cost of someone else not getting to the school that really should have. The real blame lies squarely at the parents for misusing the resources that they are fortunate enough to have. It is incredibly misguided and selfish, and I have no sympathy for them.
There is immense pressure on students now to get into college, because in today’s society without college, job choices are pretty limited. As a sophomore in high school I am already concerned about going to college, and so are many of my friends who are doing lots of extracurriculars to put on their transcripts.
This whole scandal is not only unfair but according to the article it “robbed more hardworking kids of their spots.” This also puts into perspective that the rich can just “buy their way” into anything. Since news of this scandal surfaced the new question that is being asked, is “can I just buy my way into college?” The days of hard work and the long hours of studying just go down the drain, as long as “ mom and dad” can “buy” my college acceptance or fake my test scores.
My parents would never do this, I was always taught to work hard for myself now so in the future I can be rewarded. It says in the article that “In many of the cases ... the students were not aware that their parents were doctoring their test scores.” I believe that the parents were only hurting their children because they believed that they were the ones who got an awesome score or got accepted. This hurts the kids because if they didn’t pass high school then what makes the parents think that they will pass college. I would like to be able to work hard and be rewarded by getting accepted into colleges, but now I’m put at a disadvantage compared to the wealthier kids also trying to get accepted.
This whole scam is quite stupid as people in America have access to many schools, some of which they might like or not. Just because you want to get into a good school that you like, that doesn't mean you should lie and be unprepared for how your lie is going to put you in a sort of box where the reason you get into the school you like is because of something you don't know at all. You as a person have to earn your education just like everyone else. People carrying out scams such as where you bribe a person to take your own tests for you to get good scores for you. Also to bribe the proctors of your test to make sure you get good grades is a great low for millionaires to take. Really this is a very stupid idea to cheat, people are taught as children that lying and cheating is wrong, so for these people to think and to be so entitled as to literally buy your child's way into school is really terrible. Such scams must be stopped and people should learn that no person should be entitled to have anything no matter what class you are and how you fit into the societal structure.
Considering America is a place with limitless goals (if you can reach them), cheating your way through school definitely won't teach you to live in the real world. I was dumbfounded when I heard that many people are getting their dreams crushed because someone had to cheat you out so that they could get in. If I got rejected of my dream school because someone bribed the administrators, I'd be pissed. However, since some people are caught (around 50), a chain of events could happen to get all the cheaters charged. That way people would have their righteous positions and that I would be satisfied.
This college admission scandal was honestly very hard to grasp at first. I was simultaneously shocked, appalled and yet, intrigued. I couldn’t believe such a large scandal went on for so long, involving so many people. The most shocking part was how the parents could do this without their children knowing. In this situation I particularly feel for the kids. This is because they now know that their parents thought they weren’t capable of getting where they needed to be without extra help, as if they were not good enough. If I found out my parents had bribed coaches and college admissions councils to get me into a certain college or club, I would be furious and frankly, sad. Every child should earn their spot in an elite college. I mean, where does the bribery end? You can pay someone to fake college admission exams or to fudge past athletic records, but you can’t hire someone to live your child’s life for them. In class and during sports games they are going to have to do the work for themselves so the bribery money all goes to waste.
When sending students through the rigor of high school and getting into a good college, there is no perfect way of making it fair for everybody. The privileged will seemingly always get what they want, and there is no fixing it--right? In recent scandals involving parents paying their kids ways to a prestigious college, it is shown how today’s admission process is deeply flawed--change is needed.
Students work their hardest all throughout high school to get into the college of their choice--but for what? Just to let some rich kid take their spot; to let some rich parent cheat the system and do what they think is best for their kid--even when they do not deserve it. The recent scandals speak volumes to how the college admissions process has favored those of privilege. How do we fix this?
There is no definite answer. But we cannot stay the same. In the admissions process you are nothing but a number in a large mass of people. People that may or may not have the right numbers to get into college. If your test scores are no good, neither are you. Your last choice will end up becoming where you go, and there is nothing you can do about it.
Fixing this issue is a long process that may start with our public education system. This may just be one small step, but at least it will get us in the right direction, and maybe one day the college admission process will not be so systematically bias toward those in privileged positions.
After reading the article and thinking about it, it doesn't even surprise me very much. In this time of money and power, some people will do anything to give their child a winning future in life. Even if those methods include using lots of your own money and even if it includes cheating. That this is happening in the U.S., isn’t even that surprising. If the parents were really the ones who masterminded and pulled off the entire scandal, and if the students did not know anything about it, of course the students would be innocent. The parents, and only the parents and not the kids, should be punished. I also think that the teachers who accepted the bribes could also be to blame since they shouldn't have done that in the first place, and they should be punished too, maybe by being fired from being a teacher. I understand that teachers get paid very little and $25 million does sound great, but if they were the people that started this entire scandal, they ruin everyone’s trust in teachers and schools, and for this, they should also be punished.
Heart-wrenching human indecency -- absolute disregard for the law or for the students of America-- utter disrespect for themselves and their children -- all accurate ways to describe the parents, administrators, and coaches that were active participants in the college entry fraud scandal.
Bribery is one of the most basic concepts of American wealth. And usually the financial happenings of America's richest are none of my business--however, with these recent college entry scandals, it has been made personal. It's not just my business to understand what is going on, but every student in America should be afforded that right. These parents stole opportunities from students who were deserving of better, and frankly, I am appalled to say that I'm not surprised in the slightest.
In today's America, the stress put on students regarding college is maddening. Students spend the first twelve years preparing themselves for a single test. A single test that will determine the starting point of their future: the definition of insanity.
In terms of the crimes themselves I expect to see every parent, and coach and administrator held responsible to the fullest extent of the law because to students like myself it is so incredibly disheartening to see all of the hard work, all of the late nights studying, all of the extra circulars and service hours be traded in for nothing. That we weren't good enough because we were outbid on our education and opportunity for the future.
I’m not very surprised about what happened. A lot of pressure is put on students to get into a good college, make good connections, get a good job. Also, wealthy people are always going to get the edge. Money can buy pretty much anyone influence. What makes me mad though is that nobody acknowledges it, especially in a country that says hard work can help you push past the advantages of the wealthy. What’s even worse are that these are the people that probably get mad at minorities that get into schools because of Affirmative Action.
The parent who pretended her son had a learning disability especially infuriates me. I never have energy and I have a terrible time finding the motivation to do my work in school because of depression. I spend hours looking at a blank screen, not being able to start my essay. However, I choose not to get special treatment. I don’t get extended time on tests or projects, and I do my work with all the effort I can give. I do it because I don’t want to be treated differently. I do it because when I do well in school and in extracurriculars I know that I’m achieving my goals with determination, despite the obstacles I face. I do it because I enjoy knowing succeeded with hard work, a feeling that the kids of these parents are deprived of. No matter what they’ll always feel like their success is because of their parent's wealth. Even though they have the upper hand, I truly pity them.
When I first heard about this scandal, early in the morning, I could feel my face burning. I wasn't necessarily astounded by the news, but enraged and frustrated. I always knew in the back of my mind that the wealthy had an advantage when it came to getting into college. However, I was extremely upset to hear that someone would go as far as pretending to have a disability to receive help on tests. It’s hard to say what is fair and what isn’t because everyone has different circumstances, but I believe that paying people immense amounts of money to lie about participation in sports or falsifying a disability to cheat on tests or in some way cheat into getting into “big name colleges” is completely and utterly unfair. It’s unfair to those who have real disabilities and see this person mock them. It’s unfair to those students who worked every day nonstop to get deservely accepted into a college but was declined because a fraud got accepted instead. It’s unfair to students like myself that are about to go into the college application process and are now discouraged and worried they might be replaced by someone who bought their way in instead of working for it. I believe that getting into college is way more difficult than it should be. Standards are set too high and the cost is, for some, unbearable. However, its unacceptable for someone to believe that because of their status theses rules don’t apply to them because they absolutely do.
Are we really that surprised?
In a culture that persistently propagates the idea that elite college admissions are the only key to success, in a culture that ascribes immense status to traditional centers of academic achievement, in a culture that has always supported the wealthy attending selective schools, no, we shouldn’t be surprised.
Ivy League acceptance rates were once well over 50%, and with numbers now approaching less than one tenth of that previous mark, it is apparent that something must have changed. (Certainly a rising number of applicants has contributed to this phenomenon, but this alone does not account for the disparity.) In decades past it was only the wealthy who were able to send their children to the elite private high schools that nearly guaranteed admittance to Ivy League caliber institutions. It should come as no surprise that this same mentality is now in conflict with modern holistic admissions.
However, these ideas about status and education are not just the result of rich parents who want the best for their children; their actions are motivated by a culture that irrationally overvalues specific schools. Consider the Supreme Court, on which every single justice has attended at some point either Harvard Law or Yale Law (or both).
Perhaps in redressing this scandal, it is important not just to consider appropriate penalties for parents or students, but also what values that we support that compelled them to sidestep new barriers to admission.
I think that all of the parents that were involved were in the wrong because they violated laws and rights to get their child into a good college. This horrible decision had an effect on others as well. A different child that was actually smart could have gotten into the school based off of SAT and ACT scores instead of money. I find the money the parents paid the most shocking in the article because who would pay that large of a sum to get their child into college. I am not surprised that something like this happened in the U.S. because people here, take advantage of their power and fame and do malicious things. Most immigrants migrate to the U.S. because of education. These people could be at some of the top colleges in the U.S. but instead, these spots are taken by cheaters and liars. College should be about learning and having a great time, not cheating and lying to get in. People should earn their way into college just like any other form of school or activity. It really bothers me to see that anyone can go to some of the best colleges by just paying a large sum. I expect to work hard to get into my desired college and pay the requested amount.
Money can’t buy you everything — but those swimming in it always seem to find a way.
The celebrity persona is one which overshadows our youth’s concepts of the successful American dream: work hard and you will achieve what you deserve. Wrong. Money and prestige have created an unlevel playing field, one which enables children from wealthy backgrounds to steal the spotlight from those who are not. The indictments of multiple parents on the charges of racketeering and bribery of college administrators, coaches, and standardized test proctors to guarantee the admission of their children has raised the question: do fame and fortune manipulate the rich’s morals?
Wealthy parents unfairly abuse their status in order to give their children opportunities — opportunities which wound the chances of students who fall short during admissions, solely because their pockets aren’t as deep. Those children who justly competed for one of the limited spots into big-name schools have been victimized, solely because they weren’t born into a life of ease and opulence. The participation of those parents who willingly paid thousands, near millions of dollars for a simple shortcut has sent a message to students across the nation that only the esteemed will succeed, and that the financially impaired are not deserving of the same opportunities.
Those parents who offer their children a lifetime of ease are only hurting their ability to succeed in a life ridden with twists and turns and...well, reality.
Cheating Through Life
Gaining acceptance into a top college, a “dream school,” constantly preoccupies the minds of every high school junior and senior--and their parents. It is not at all surprising that wealthy parents use money to increase their child’s chances of acceptance into a competitive university. We see parents pay and bribe and cheat for their children to be on certain sports teams, in musical groups, in special pre-schools. Why are we surprised that this dishonesty and manipulation is present at the college level?
Money is power, even when we wish it wasn’t. Students from wealthy families will always have some advantage over students without access to millions of dollars--but bribing coaches and test proctors with hundreds of thousands of dollars is blatant cheating and dishonesty. Perhaps college admissions are highly competitive. Perhaps excessive stress and pressure is put on high school students applying to college. Perhaps applying to college has become a “cutthroat” process. But that doesn’t change that lying and cheating and faking high test scores and high GPAs is incredibly unfair. Applying to college is hard. College is harder. The parents of cheating students are the masterminds behind the operation--the ones who should end up behind bars and the ones who are doing their children a disservice. The parents, and coaches and proctors who accepted bribes, are responsible for this destruction of fairness.
“Abuse of Wealth Comes As No Surprise”
Why are we surprised? This scandal is old news. Of course the rich are favored in college admissions. They’re favored in everything. The rich are the ones with the money to donate to prestigious universities. They are the ones with the money to provide their children with tutors and overseas trips. They are the ones who went to Ivy League schools; now their children are legacy students. Why are we surprised?
Journalist Anand Giridharadas tweeted: “[Rich Americans] want extra, private, bottle-service, bespoke rigging, over and above the unfair advantages they're forced to share with other rich people.” The rich have grown so used to life being easy for them that they find a way out the second they have to work for something, even if it’s illegal. Because guess what? They can buy themselves out of illegal situations too. Who cares about punishments you can pay your way around and scandals that blow over in a week?
Why are we fighting this hard for an education? Is it not a right? The notion that schools don’t really care about my abilities has been solidified. If I am selected due to what I’m capable of, schools are still counting on my success to make them money through my donations as an alumnus or achievements as a student. Many students involved didn’t even know what their parents were doing. Their parents had such little faith in their abilities that they used illegal measures to get them into school. How do those students feel?
I am absolutely disgusted at this college scandal that involved the bribery of coaches of elite colleges and SAT administrators by wealthy parents. I was shocked by the ways some of these parents managed to get their child to cheat their way into a good college, especially the one about the pretend learning disability and the bribed SAT administrator. I never expected this to happen in America, after all, I expected Americans to be honest when it came to college. I believe that the bribed people are to blame since they were to ones who had the power to either accept or decline the bribes. Actions like this prove that the pressure to get into good colleges are severe that some people are even willing to break the rules.
We live in a sadistic and capitalistic society in which people believe it is morally just to buy their way into what they want. These people value social status over others who work hard. Dedicated, persevering, well-rounded students get tossed to the side when applying to college for those who have more money in their bank accounts. The case of the recent college admissions cheating scandal brought to light what wealthy people have been doing for years: bribing schools to accept their children into the college of their dreams. This scandal sends a message to students all around the nation that money, status, and other advantages can get you farther in life than merely possessing the qualities of hard work and dedication. It is easy to understand that parents want the best for their children but lying and cheating is not the way to provide the best opportunities for them. Look at Olivia Jade, a famous youtube star whose life will never be the same after her mother bribed the University of Southern California $500,000 to accept her. Jade’s youtube channel, with almost two million subscribers, is centered around her life as a college student at USC. Her life and career are going to change dramatically based on these events. While her mother, known for playing Aunt Becky on the show “Full House,” thought she was providing the best opportunities for her child, instead, may have ruined her career.
I think it is unfair to have someone less qualified be able to steal your opportunity to go to a great college just because they have the money to bribe their way in. To me, it is crazy that a parent would go through so much trouble to get their child into a good college. To me, it just shows that the parents want their kids to look well brought up and smart, making people believe the parents are amazing when they are not. The people I believe are at fault are the parents paying, and the people accepting the money. Why would you accept the money? Yes, it is a lot, but wouldn’t you know almost immediately that you would get caught. Once someone sees that your grades are much lower than everyone else’s you would be suspicious and question if they should be in this school. Personally, I am not surprised. I mean humans are really good at doing dumb things and really good at making bad decisions. I do understand that getting into colleges is a tough competition, and it can be really hard to get into a top college, but don’t cheat.
"The system is rigged." I could be talking about anything with that sentence: the government, the workplace, sporting leagues, or even Ivy-League colleges. Everything seems to have an agenda, and in this case rich, white students with famous parents were getting accepted into their dream school because of their money. This is an awful precedent that has been put in place in the world of college admissions, and it is about time that these parents face the consequences for their illegal behavior. I do not want these kids to be the main focus of our sympathy and attention because they were blind to the awful transactions between their parents and college admissions officers or sports coaches. Out thoughts should be with the policies in place; these schools need to rethink their policies that allowed this deceit to take place in front of them, while their are students who are much more qualified, but don't have the money to pay $1,500 for SAT prep or can't be the soccer captain because they need to work to support their families. The underprivileged & underrepresented students suffer the most: they were the stellar crew members who didn't get a spot on the team because Lori Loughlin paid $250,000 to Photoshop her daughters into a team picture, the kids with 4.0 GPAs and were members of sports teams and arts clubs, but were denied because Felicity Huffman paid for her child's SAT score. These students have lost spots at prestigious universities, and they are the true victims.
Not only am I mad, but I am also sympathetic.
Going through life without obstacles is gonna come back to bite…hard.
Hearing about this scandal really opened my eyes to how easy it is for people to basically buy life, and that’s not even the part that ticked me off.
What really got to me was the fact that hard working students who deserved spots at these amazing schools got laid off by a bunch of rich, privileged kids whose mommy and daddy obviously buy their way through life.
Meanwhile these students spend hours on homework, months on their applications, and the only support they get from mom and dad is probably a “you’re doing great sweetie” because you know what? They are doing great!
They are prepared for obstacles and hardships, unlike the girl whose parents paid 200,000 dollars for a spot on a rowing team, or the boy whose parents paid 50,000 to make sure he passed his tests.
So how do I feel sympathy for such people? Look at the facts. The fact is they don’t know how to handle any hardship because any glimpse of one is quickly paid with Mr. Ben Franklin, and once Franklin stops working for them they are going to have the biggest reality check of their privileged lives.
Meanwhile the students who were laid off are probably out their changing the world because they could handle that hardship.
I was disgusted when I first heard about this scandal. The fact that some parent with enough money could bribe their unqualified child into a top tier school is horrible. I don’t know how someone could even stomach doing that, and taking the spot away from someone who actually worked hard for it. I am not surprised that this would happen though, especially in the U.S. The top 1% already has so much power and influence just by manipulating people with the promise of large sums of money. It was only a matter of time until they found out how to manipulate for their kids. I strongly believe that the parents of these children should have the blame placed upon them. It the majority of the scenarios the children didn’t know what was happening, and the parents were most likely the ones who went to these different college officials and bribed them. However, I do think that Mr. Brunei does make a very valid point. College admissions are definitely rigged giving those who have the ability to make generous donations, hire college coaches, etc. I believe that this is totally unfair. College should be about your own academic skills and knowledge, not the money in your pockets.
Yes, some colleges are competitive. That’s what makes them unique: their high standards and rigorous curriculum, which is specialized for students who can handle that challenge. Competitive colleges aren’t meant for kids who can afford to go there and only want to for the hype without actually meeting the requirements; they’re for the hardworking students that live up to the schools’ academic standards, whether they’re rich or not. To me, being rich enough doesn’t sound like an excuse to cheat your way into college. Either those kids should apply for schools more on their level, or they should be willing to put in the effort, but cheating isn't an option.
I bet that there are thousands of kids out there who are incredibly hard workers, who are dedicated to learning and to their passions, but who also just can’t afford things like an expensive education. These people work hard and still might not be able to achieve their dreams, while there are kids who are barely working towards college, if not at all, who get accepted. In the article, it lists the names of some people who were charged, and there is one common thing between them; they have money. I believe that even if somebody is rich, they’re still human like the rest of us, and they deserve just as big of a punishment as any other average person would get. The entitlement both these parents and their kids have is shocking to me.
My first thoughts on the scandal was how I could not believe that people would do such a thing. The worst part is that they are unqualified, and is taking the spot for someone who is more qualified. Bribing schools and lying about talent (such as soccer or rowing skills) is such a low thing to do. Cheating is not okay, and I am glad that the FBI is doing something about it.
The part that stood out to me the most is that a parent faked their child having a learning disability to get help on the SAT’s. There are children out there that are disabled and actually need help learning and are trying to get a good life. This student is basically using someone else’s weakness to benefit which is a terrible thing to do.
I think the college admission process is not rigged, but can be rigged very easily. If to get into college, all you had to do was pay more money, many poor and less wealthy people will not get a shot at having a better life. The rich will go on to make more money and the poor will just continue to get poorer.
When I first heard about the college admission scandals I was astounded. Many students work very hard to get into these excellent colleges while students from wealthy families are buying their way in. I think that it is extremely unfair to all the other applicants who have lost spots in the schools and sports teams because of the people who cheated to get into the colleges. Families travel to the United States in hope for better opportunities for them and their children, students work hard long, hours to bring up their grades and prepare for tests, yet many of these students don’t get into the schools of their choice. It is horrible to think that these innocent people lost their chance to someone who didn’t get into the school fairly. Although it was the children who went to the schools, they were often not aware of what was going on so I feel it is a good thing that the prosecutors are not pressing any charges against them. While the students didn’t do anything wrong, the parents and coaches most definitely did and I think that they should receive some form of punishment to make both them and others understand that cheating is never okay.
- When I read the article, I was astonished by how these parents and coaches cheated their way either into a good college or they accepted this bribe. I think that all of these people should be ashamed of themselves for putting other people’s education at risk. Their children do not even have the skills to be accepted, without their parents paying hundreds to millions of dollars, just on the acceptance. Also, the fact that the coaches even accepted it, I just can't believe it. The coach should want people who can actually play, on their sports team. Honestly, the children should not have even let their parents do this because they most likely knew about this.
- I am not really surprised that something like this happened in the United States because nowadays, everything is about money. I think that there are just too many people who think that they can use their excessive amount of money to buy themselves out of a situation, like their child being sent to a good school or not. They just think that since they have enough money to pay for an Ivy League school, while still being able to pay millions of dollars for the acceptance, they feel as though they should, just so that their child can go to a good school. If their child goes to school, where they did not actually get in, then they will probably fail out, because obviously their parents did not have enough faith in them to actually get accepted, so they will never actually be successful in their later life.
As someone who is preparing to apply to college soon, this is extremely disheartening to say the least. It can make me feel worse about my chances of getting into a college I would like to. It is discouraging knowing there have been many people in our country to cheat the system of applying to college and making it in when they do not deserve it but they can get it based off of family wealth.
This is just another example of how in America we are told our country is based for the working class family, when is actually not true. There will always be loop holes for the rich to get what they want regardless if they even deserve it, proving that our countries college application process is corrupt.
The most important part of the article written by Jennifer Medina, Katie Benner, and Kate Taylor is that in most of these scenarios the kids applying for college did not know of any of this corruption going on, "In many of the cases, prosecutors said, the students were not aware that their parents were doctoring their test scores and lying to get them into school." Kids applying for these colleges were not even trying to cheat. Their own parents behind their backs were cutting deals with Universities to get their kids into college.
I am the type of person where every grade I receive makes me think of how it will affect my chances at getting into a good college. Seeing this scandal that went on makes me question if my hard work going into impressing colleges will even matter.
As much as one tries to make this a rich vs everyone else issue, the obvious fact is that the way the admissions process is setup at most universities allows for influence peddlers to infiltrate the system. Whether it’s based on recommendations, economic conditions, race, nationality, gender, athletes, et al. Standards are too murky. In addition, China is a known hotbed of cheating and yet there’s no way universities can verify who actually took the exams or wrote the essays in English.
- Somebody cheating on a test is something that happens all the times in schools. But, cheating on an SAT or paying people to get you in a top college is insane. I mean this really shows how wealthier people have an advantage over those who are less wealthy. Since the beginning of the separation between wealthy and poor, this has happened. I could not say that I am surprised someone would do this. Also, now that the divide between the “rich” and the “poor” is getting bigger with there being less of a middle class, there are fewer opportunities for the people on the bottom half. Some people who are less fortunate, work so much for so little. If there is a less-wealthy but brilliant person and a wealthy person who is not the brightest, and is buying their way into college, who then beats the smarter but less fortunate student, really breaks my heart.
- I think everybody involved including the students should be charged for this crime. I mean, the students really got away this time. There is no way they did not think anything was suspicious when they got a scholarship for a sport they did not even play. The student would have had to know. But, the people who should be facing the biggest charges are the parents. I love to ask these parents two questions. What is the point of buying someone to do all of your child's work? How will your child be able to work in the real world? These parents are not looking out for their child, they are just treating them like a baby.
I heard about the college admission scandal recently and how students were getting into top tier schools even though they don't belong there. This wasn't fair because it took the opportunity of an excellent education from more qualified students and gave these spots to less qualified students whose parents cheated the system and bought their child's way into excellent schools. I'm annoyed because if I knew I was a student that worked hard and was not accepted because another student was accepted since their family bought their way in, I would be extremely irritated. I just feel bad for those students this actually happened to since they probably worked so hard. I am startled by many things in this scandal, mostly by how much money parents are using. The parents of a teenage girl who did not play soccer, and became a soccer star recruit, was accepted into Yale which cost her parents $1.2 million. Another student, who had no background in rowing, won a spot on the U.S.C crew team after a photo of someone else in a boat was submitted as evidence for her expertise. $200,000 was wired by her parents to a special account. I was shocked by the amount of money parents spend and what parents would do to ensure their kids get a spot in top tier schools. I am not surprised something like this is happening in the US because every parent probably wants their kid to go to a good school and there are some people with large sums of money that will use that money for things they shouldn't.
This is unacceptable. How could people let this go unnoticed? Anyways, I’m not surprised this happened. If anything, I knew this was bound that this was going to happen one day. People always don’t care about the hard working people, they just care about money. Especially in the US, this country runs on money. If you have money, then you are in. If you are poor, then people are like, screw you. I think the people that should be responsible for this is definitely the colleges. I the colleges stayed true and didn’t accept the bribes, then none of this would happen. The colleges should pay the fines along with the parents.
My reaction to the college admissions cheating scandal is that I am shocked and disgusted. I am shocked because I didn’t even think this was possible. I am also shocked because of the fact that it was the parents who cheated their children into college. It also shocks me that the parents cheated their children into college without the kids knowing it. It is so atrocious how these parents can do this. Another thing that comes to my mind is the parents’ careers. One of the parents who was charged for the cheating scandal is Lori Loughlin, as tv star on Full(er) House. This could possibly ruin her career. I am disgusted that these parents resorted to cheating their children into college. They just could not accept the fact that their children didn't qualify to a certain college. Basically, they couldn’t accept that their children aren’t good enough for certain colleges. I also think that a college cheating scandal is unfair. These parents are paying to get their children into a college when other hard-working kids who actually deserve to go to the colleges, but there is not enough space because of these newly paid “talented” students are taking there spots. This also ruins many peoples lives which is just not fair.
This scandal shows that people will do anything for money. The rich have so many more options that the poor just because they have money. You could be poor and super smart but you might not get into a good college because rich parents will bribe collage officials to get a spot for their child. Also what happens when you're not smart and get into a challenging college. What if you bribe your way onto a sports team but you suck at it? You will be found. No one is at school to do tests for you, no one is a practice or games to play for you. This is very wrong. And remember, the people being accused are only the ones that they've caught.
I think that buying your way into a good college is like cheating on a test. There are those who will study for days and get an A on that test, fair and square, then there are people who will ask people what's on the test and cheat on it, without studying at all. When someone who cheats their way I to the college should not be allowed into that college because they did not earn a spot in that college. People who worked hard to get into that college deserve and have earned a spot in that college. If you cheat your way into a college, you are depriving other people who actually deserve a spot in that college that might be under privileged of receiving a good education, that they will be for making a living. The same and cheat their way into colleges probably have money so that they are able to “get into” that college. I think that people cheating their way into a college is Berry wrong because they are depriving people who bed a good education of getting one.
what surprised me most after reading this article was that parents were actually paying people to help their children succeed. This just shows people think that you don't need to work hard to get what you want. What is so horrible about this situation is that hundreds of qualified hard-working kids who deserved to get in were denied because others cheated there way in.
This incident didn’t shock me at all. I already knew that many wealthy and famous families already paid money to ensure their child's acceptance. To be honest, I knew it happened often, so I didn’t think twice about it being illegal. I guess I was mainly shocked to see that the government was only just now figuring out about it. I am not surprised at all that this is going on in the United States. In this country, all businesses, even very wealthy ones, are always looking for money. The rich citizens will do anything it takes to maintain their reputation and status. In order to keep their reputation, they believe their kids need to go to a University with a reputation as good as theirs. I understand why someone very rich would do this. Like I recently explained, Their kid’s academic status plays a role in the family’s social status. The family needs to portray a classy, educated image. But buying your way into life isn’t very classy.
This college admissions scam shows how corrupt the American public can be. These parents are teaching their kids that they can get anything they want but not by the typical hard work and perseverance but through money. Other people in the comments left on the article, said that they felt bad for the kids, and that the parents are to blame. The parents definitely are part of the guilty party but the kids are just as much. The students were aware of what was happening, they knew they were cheating the system. The students who were denied admittance to the colleges who studied for their SATs and ACTs and actually took them themselves, and the ones who trained for countless hours to be the best athlete they could, and the students who have pushed themselves through AP classes, are the ones that are wronged. I think that this type of scandal tells current high school students that rich snobs with money will win out over someone without and discourages them.
America is a nation where things almost always come easier to the rich, which is why it is no surprise that certain wealthy individuals have been able to place their undeserving, underachieving children in institutions of education and learning where they do not belong. None of this is surprising or disappointing to me. Frankly, I figured this was common practice in our country, and it’s a shame that I’m right, but it’s a good thing someone is doing something about it.
This does show the world how competitive American schools are, but as of right now I’m not convinced competitive colleges are a negative. It shouldn’t be easy to get into college. Granted, it should be easier to get a job without a college degree, but that’s another can of worms. What this vindicates is the cries of often-mocked American socialists who claim that the rich in this country have not earned their wealth. How can these youth have earned wealth in their future, when they have no earned higher education in their present?
What this scandal has done for the nations high schoolers is shown them the cold reality that it really matters very little how hard you try or how bad you want something--someone richer than you will always be poised to take it from your hands, and it’ll mean much less to them that it would’ve been to you. This incident is another in a chain of mishaps that adds to the sense of futility regarding education and the future in general that I and many of my peers feel.
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@Jack Wynn cheating is not just a rich persons prerogative. All walks of life cheat to get into the best schools. That should be the reality that gets communicated.
It should be of no surprise to anyone that the wealthy are advantaged in our society; we live in a time of Citizens United, of Super PACs, of tax breaks for the one percent. What is stopping this trend from continuing into higher education? Yes, the college admissions process is unfairly balanced in favor of the wealthy, but it’s not these mass conspiracies that constitute the bulk of this corruption; the majority of these cases are what some would consider standard, banal methods of helping build your college application. Simple things such as taking the SAT thrice or taking an ACT preparation course is elucidatory of the inherent advantages that the wealthy have over their less advantaged counterparts. Experience is the best teacher; the best way to practice a standardized test is to take that same test over and over and over; the price tag is ensured, guaranteed to be high. If your family is unable to whether this financial storm, you are innately disadvantaged. Let us not also ignore the indirect advantages of the wealthy in college admissions. Prestigious high schools, international study, extensive extracurriculars—advantages held by the best looking, most attractive applicants; advantages held by the wealthiest applicants. The advantages of the wealthy are systemic; the college admissions process is no longer meritocratic; it is plutocratic; it is absurd to assert that they can be distilled down to the high profile cases with which we have recently become so familiar.
When news broke yesterday detailing what the media is calling "The Largest College Admissions Scandal," I can’t say that I was shocked. Celebrities and public figures will do what is necessary to maintain their status, even if that involves bribing collegiate coaches and SAT proctors to let their kids into a big name school. What’s more shocking is how long it took for the infringement to come to light. As a high school student that will be facing college applications this year, I am discouraged by the idea that unfair college acceptances happen more frequently than we realize. Picture this: the very best student and a good student at a high school both apply to a prestigious college. The good student gets in and the best student doesn’t. Why? It’s because the good student is wealthier than the best student. This is a common occurrence that happens right under our noses because it’s not technically illegal. A scandal such as this makes me wonder: how many people are out there that cheated into school? How many deserving, truthful applicants were turned down in favor of someone who pays $500,000 or lies their way into a rowing scholarship? Not only should degrees obtained under falsehood be immediately ripped from the receiver’s grasp, but the entire secondary education system needs to re-examine their philosophies on wealth and their security against fraud. Not one more deserving student should be denied from an education because of someone that had to scam their way in.
I think that since the wealthy can just donate money to the school and the school will most likely accept their kid. then the admission process is rigged. Some other people are saying that the kids won't be able to survive in the real world if their parents buy their way into college but these kids probably won't have to try to survive in the real world because their parent will probably just buy them everything that they need to "survive". I don't think that it's fair because people who have worked hard for these spots at the universities might not get in because of some rich kid whose parents bought their way in. I'm not that surprised that something like this happened in the United States because a lot of stuff revolves around money. I don't think that the kids whose parents paid should be held entirely responsible. Even if they knew what their parents were doing they still shouldn't be responsible for all of it. It's their parents who paid the money and it's the coaches who accepted the money. The students were wrong to let their parents do it but they might not have had a choice. The kids who cheated their way in should be taken out of these schools. Their parents can probably afford a private school for them anyway if they could afford to pay over a million dollars to cheat. Some students or parents might be really worried if they or their kid don't get into a good school, but they can't lie about being an athlete and it's especially bad to be lying about a disability.
There are many immigrants in the United States. Actually, more than 43.7 million people in the U.S are immigrants. All of those people worked hard to be here because they were all coming for one main thing: a better life. You would expect that these people would continue working hard in order to get a good education and have a decent job. This incident clearly shows that not everyone is willing to work hard their entire life. Maybe they worked hard in order to get so much money but that is in no way an excuse for cheating their kids way into amazing colleges. Colleges that the average person works so hard and dreams of getting into. I could never imagine myself cheating on an average school test, but cheating your way into the college of many people’s dreams. Now that is just absurd. This just proves that people value money over themselves. Monay- pieces if paper that human beings FIGHT for, destroy each other for. And for what? To cheat their ways into huge colleges.
I have heard about the college acceptance scandal. I was surprised to hear that an actress who played a large role in my childhood too part in this. Her daughter, Olivia Jade Giannulli, who’s videos are incredibly entertaining on a social media platform called YouTube was recently admitted to the University of South Carolina (USC), but not in the same way as any other student. It was through a five hundred thousand dollar bribe. I was shocked when I read that parents were getting their children photoshopped onto athletes’ bodies to prove that their child played the sport and that they were paying coaches good money to accept a student into a school using sports they either don’t play or aren’t very good at. I’m honestly not shocked that this is happening in the United States, as it is already primarily controlled by the wealthy and Big Pharma. People with money can sometimes get away with nearly everything they want. They sadly ruined their lives, however, and are facing the consequences. I believe that the parents, exam proctors, and coaches should be very responsible and face whatever they are served, as they did a very bad deed which they cannot undo. This is basically telling high school students who don’t have much money that they won’t be able to make it to the University of their choosing if they’re not rich, which is one of the worst messages to send to poorer families stressing out and already losing hope.
After reading the article, I felt disgusted with the fact that these people were using their money as an advantage to them. They were sabotaging other students for their own benefit, and they were cheating their way through. And the crazy part? Not only did these insanely wealthy people have enough money to pay for all four years of their children going to the elite university, but they also had MORE than enough money to also pay thousands and millions of dollars for their child to just simply get enrolled! However, I am not that surprised that people are doing these things, since nowadays if someone has money, people will practically be forced to BOW DOWN because of the fact.
Other people who deserve to be in Yale, Harvard, and other outstanding universities are getting robbed of their opportunity just because of the rich people that happen to have unqualified children, but also a little bit of extra money. In the article, for me, the most shocking part was when it said, “Parents paid Mr. Singer about $25 million from 2011 until February 2019 to bribe coaches and university administrators to designate their children as recruited athletes, which effectively ensured their admission, according to the indictment.” It just shocked me that people are willing to pay that high a price JUST so that their unqualified child could simply display their presence in an elite university building. This is not right. This should not be tolerated.
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I don’t think that the college admission process is rigged to favor the wealthy however if you are wealthy you have a better chance of being accepted. Especially now there's even proof that wealthy parents generous donations toward a college or having the SAT scores be tampered with which will increase the likelihood of their child’s acceptance. I understand why they do it and I know most parents want the best for their children so I’m not surprised. However, I do not think it fair that a child who studies hard and focuses on grades to be the best or close to the best should be overshadowed by another person who isn't as dedicated just because their parents could buy them a perfect or close to perfect score. I think this might send the message that in the long run honesty and effort are your best bet. What I took away from this is that that the truth no matter how hard you may try to hide it will be uncovered( most likely). Now we see that when the parents are caught they have to answer for their crimes which if you think about it its almost as if they paid for getting in trouble.
I think that this cheating scandal is outrageous, who would ever do this with the risk of getting caught. No matter what, people will still be in contact with their friends and the students should have gotten more help if they really needed it. Honestly, I am not that surprised that it would happen in America, there are a bunch of scandals here anyway so why wouldn’t this happen in America. I think the people that are responsible are the parents, the school administrators, and whoever took the money. The children could have known, but there is not evidence to show this so I do not think that it was their fault. I do agree, people may try their hardest to get into certain schools, and nothing comes out of it. The college admissions process seems harder now and it is more strict with the people that they let in. I believe that it might be rigged in some cases. Some schools will be harder to get into than others and this is because some schools do favor the wealthy. If they are poor, they will accept any bribe that they want and it will have a positive impact on the school, the students, and the parents. This is not fair at all, people stay up for hours on end trying to get into the colleges that they want and they receive nothing in return. To me, this shows that students should work harder to get into schools instead of being lazy and allowing their parents to pay for their education.
After hearing on the news about this college admission scandal, I think that everyone who participated in the act of finding different ways to get these children into top ranking schools should be ashamed. Not only, is this not benefiting hardworking students who put in blood, sweat, tears, and years of work, but it is not helping the children who were accepted into these colleges through college admission scandals. They may not be able to keep up with the standards of these colleges, and what good does that do for anyone? If they were talented enough to get accepted through honest terms, then their parents would not have to pay thousands or millions of dollars to bribe coaches to get them in. What also surprises me is that a parent should be a good role model for their children. I know most parents are all for their children, but cheating to get them into a college is absurd. This is like letting your child take the easy road while others have to slug through the dirt to get where they are heading. The parents, coaches, and everyone that was involved in this mess are probably crying now because they weren’t sorry until they got caught.
I personally hate cheating in any way. What these parents this shook me to the bone. However, the first thing I thought of was the poor kids who deserved to get in but whose dreams they could have had now laid shattered at their feet. How could these parents live with themselves? As it said in the article, these parents probably believed in and taught their kids that everyone should get an even playing field, an equal opportunity to do anything; including getting into college. This goes to show how money talks. Therefore, the system is rigged to help the rich. It is just sad to me that America’s best schools let this happen.
I am not up to date with the news so reading the New York Times article came as a shock. This event just shows the divide between those who are wealthy and those who do not have as much money. The wealthier people have more opportunity and can buy their way into things instead of working for it. In this case, parents with loads of cash to spend bribed coaches, proctors, teachers, and many others to get their children into an excellent college. My sympathy goes out to not only the people who were denied a spot because others bought their way in, but also the children of the rich parents. According to court documents, the children had no clue that they did not earn their way into an outstanding college. If this information remains true, they have to deal with the fact that they did not earn a place at their college through hard work but rather had their parents pay ridiculous amounts of money to secure a spot. On top of that, a lot of the guardians who cheated their way to their child’s admission were arrested so that adds onto the trauma. However, there are lower income families with bright children who were rejected because there was an overflow of wealthy people. These are the true victims. Middle class-poor families who have a higher intelligence level and put more effort into education but are not able to get the same opportunities to advance their knowledge because they are setback by money. It's a wrong use of power and wealth
I am in complete shock because I can’t believe people would pay 1 million dollars for a college. Even paying 100,000 dollars is bad because why would you put your son or daughter in a spot like that. Even if they want to go to that great school, what if they start to struggle and they fail every class. You pretty much just wasted 1 million dollars on nothing. I also think that the students whose parents pay this money do know whats going on. It just seems impossible for them to not find out how they got into a good college. If I wasn’t intelligent and had horrible grades and somehow got into a collaege I would be very suspicious, things just don’t work like that. I’m pretty sure I would know it was my parents that helped me get in. This crime should be blamed for parents and schools because the schools know what they are doing wrong but are still accepting the money. Of course the parents should be blamed for the crime too because they are the ones with the not so smart idea that are paying thousands of dollars for a school. Look at all the people that had worked their way to becoming a very smart student and not getting in, let's say Harvard, because of some random rich parents that pay for their kid to get in. It’s just not right.
College Admissions Scandal
We work so hard for scholarships, to get into college, to get at least something to help us pay for the long road ahead of us. But how does it feel, knowing that while you and your parents work endlessly for your education, other parents bribe for their child’s education? It’s something that should enrage us all.
These parents are the reason as to why this is happening, not the child, but the parents. Some children of those parents have not a single idea that their parents were doing this. And the fact that colleges let this happen, knowing that it’s wrong, that there are so many more families out there that do whatever they absolutely can to send their children to college, to live a better life than what they had to live.
This scandal shows the message that the college emissions process sends to others that want to go to college: “We only care about money.” Colleges don’t care about what levels these families had to go through to send their child here, they only care about the money they give to them. This scandal shows how divided the country is financially and how privileged the rich are in this country.
It isn’t surprising that this is going on, the United States has always been like this. But it’s time that we call an end to this, that everyone gets a fair shot at going to college and doing what they love, instead of having parents of others steal that from us. It makes me feel so enraged, along with many others. It's time it stops.
I was in the car around 5:00 on Monday and most news stations were talking about this college admissions conspiracy. As I read the article, it bothered me because people have the guts to pay people to cheat their way into elite schools. Plenty of people work their butts off to get into colleges like Yale and Stanford, but their well-deserved spots get given to the wealthy upper-class. Last October, there was this theory that Harvard held Asian-Americans on a higher level than other races. But really, it's the fortunate rich who are buying their children into good colleges and taking other students spots. The other students are most likely much more qualified than the students obtaining an unmerited place in the elite schools. The most shocking part of the article was the vast amount of money that the parents spent. A single family paid around $1.2 million to get their daughter in, the daughter never played soccer, yet she's a star in Yale's freshman class. I'm honestly not surprised that this is happening in America. Society today is so corrupted and unjust, that the parents probably could've gotten away with it. Jared Kushner, for example, is Senior Advisor to the president, yet his father donated $2.5 million to Harvard, just as Kushner was applying. Government figures shouldn't be looked up to in times like these, because they might be as depraved as the rest of civilization.
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Everyday, the gap between the upper class and lower class grows. High-cost technologies, inflating housing prices, and ever increasing food prices are just a few problems that low and middle class individuals experience. What’s the new (or seemingly new) way that rich people have an advantage? COLLEGE BRIBERY. The days that the only way you could get into college was by hard work and dedication are gone. Now all you need to get into a prestigious college is money and bribery skills; fame couldn’t hurt either.
“In many of the cases ... the students were not aware that their parents were doctoring their test scores and lying to get them into school.” I know for a fact that my parents would never do this. My parents have always taught me to work hard for what I want, but in 2019 this now puts me at a disadvantage compared to the wealthy kids competing for the same spots in the freshman classes of my desired colleges.
I had not heard of this story before this article but I believe that this is an atrocious abuse of power by both the parents and the administrators. I am not surprised that this happened in the United States because of the competitive spirit of getting into colleges that only the U.S. has.
I understand why the parents did this though, in America especially, getting into college means more than whether you are smart or not but rather if you will be able to have a future in your career as an adult. That said, this abuse of power is terrible and it may as well be theft because you are robbing some hard-working students of their future. Those same hard-working students will now have a much harder time getting through life and becoming successful because of these parents who stole that opportunity from them.
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When reading this article I feel disappointed, going to a school like Julia R Masterman the next step is an ivy college. So seeing some people such as I, working very hard to get the best grades we can, and others to pay their way into these amazing colleges hurts. However, I am not surprised, there are people in my school supposedly one of the best in the country that you can’t believe are smart enough to be in. We have seen this happening in movies where there is a basic party girl seeking no education, and whose dad is rich. What I wonder the most about is how these kids and their parents are just ruining their lives. What do the parents do when their kids are in the school, the kids obviously must be struggling in some sort of way. Is it just another cycle of bribing their children to succeed with money.
I was unsure of this event until I read this article. I can’t seem to comprehend that someone could be able to rob a hardworking student of a college degree just because they are rich. Honestly, I can’t say I’m all that surprised. The US seems to be all about money and money seems to solve everything. People are so greedy, and they would take someone’s future life away from them just because they are rich. That whole idea is incomprehensible. Why someone could do that in their right mind and still have a clear conscience is just sad. A hardworking student that gets good grades living in a middle-class income household versus a rich, lazy jock that probably doesn’t even care. If you were in that situation, who would you choose? I don’t mean to say that everyone that is born into a richer household possesses those traits, but it seems to me they are more common than in lesser wealthy homes. I just can’t wrap my head around it. If you were in the situation that you had to pick between $2.5 million and a person that doesn’t care, or $1,000 and a person that cares and could go on to make the world a better place, then who would you pick?
@Nicolas Dorazio
"The US seems to be all about money and money seems to solve everything."
To be fair, you could say that about literally any country in the world. In poorer countries we see a lot of corrupt governments. These corrupt government are usually about money, and whether you like it or not, money motivates us to live; it's just reality. Money though doesn't solve everything, and life is not about money. I do indeed agree with you when you state that "money seems to solve everything", but I feel like it's unfair to specifically target the U.S. when really the rest of the world is exactly the same.
Recently, a large scandal involving college admissions to some of the country’s most prestigious universities has been uncovered, showing that 50 or more people have been involved. My first reaction is just, wow. At first I could not believe that people were actually doing this, and I felt bad for the individuals who had worked their tails off just to get in to the school, only for their hopes to be shot down by the child of a wealthy family who bribed the school out. It pains me to see this, it is extremely unjust for people to be accepted into schools that they might not be able to hold their own in just because their parents paid. I am also disappointed with those on the side of the university, who accepted the bribe, helped students cheat on the SAT’s, or recruited them as athletes though some had never even played the sport in question. Universities such as Harvard are some of the oldest organizations in the country, and seeing them lose their integrity for some money truly pains me as a student. In conclusion, those are my thoughts on the recently uncovered college admissions scandal.
Seeing this isn’t really shocking to me. I’ve known this was reality for a super long time. How is it that all the President’s children get into these high ranking schools, when in reality there’s nothing really special about them? Money. Money has been the driving force for all of these schools, and it’s sort of pitiful to see how these already privileged kids are going to live their entire lives in luxury, not having to work for a minute, and not actually knowing what determination feels like. Why? Because with the help of daddy or mommy’s money, they can get anything. Since I have a sibling who is applying to colleges right now, and who really wants to get into one of these top ranking school, it’s quite obvious how skewed and bias the system really is. It’s not just based on smarts and resume, it’s also based on gender, race, and how much money your parents have donated to their school. I know I’m going to have to work SUPER hard to have a chance to get into any of these colleges, and it’s truly heart-wrenching to see all these “athletes” and legacies get into these amazing places, purely based on the connections they have. I wish this weren’t the case, but whatever will happen, will happen, and all I can do is try my best and put my right foot forward. If these places are too blinded by money to see the hard work of thousands of kids around the country, who are practically dying to get into their school, that they deny them acceptance, it’s their loss, not mine.
I believe that this is a way a lot of paremts currently get their kids into amazing colleges like these, and the celeberties are the exact people to do it. The fact that they just think they can do whatever they want because they have money isn't the right thing to do, and as their kids' role models, they should no better than to set this bad of an example for them.
On another comment, someone said that “somebody that’s rich should be able to buy whatever they want for their kids and although it was wrong to bribe, they shouldn’t get jail time, just house arrest”. Seriously? Yes..they should get jail time . They need to be humbled! House arrest? Yes, let them stay in their luxury accommodations... Sheesh!
I think it is disgusting that wealthy people are buying their way into an education that is close to worthless for their children and taking the spots of more deserving students. The 2 main reason for going to a good college is to get a good job and to get a good education. The families that attempt to buy their way into an elite university have no need of a good job from a financial perspective and they could get a great education without breaking the law. They families that do this are doing it purely for the prestige of having a child in an ivy league school. I believe that is perfectly acceptable, although completely useless, until it takes away chances for more qualified students who not only need the education more, but would also probably do more with what they have learned after graduation.
I worked hard to get into Yale and to see kids who are getting in by cheating disgusts me. Personally the parents paying for the kids to get in is hindering there ability to be able to make their wealth on their own. The real world is unforgiving and you cannot pay off your boss at work or when your working the stocks. The moral values of some people is questionable and has been in decline ever since the 20's leading to corruption. I hope these parents understand what there doing to everyone else who is just trying to make it on their own. The parents lack of concern in their kids education cost them millions to get a quick fix when tutors could have done the same and have worked their way into a elite college. The search for the american dream is astonishing when even some of the hardest working and wealthiest can never obtain it. These parents set there kids up for a shallow empty life lacking of achievement. Shame on those parents who should know better.
Today people are more afraid of failing than going against their morals.The cheating scandal shows that cheating your way through a class in order to get that "perfect score" is more important than putting the work in the class to earn the grade yourself.
When it comes to college, money and family should not play a role in the administration what so ever. The accomplishments of a student and what they were able to do in high school is the only factor colleges should look at. If wealthy families are able to bribe their kids into the top college the economic gap will grow even wider, causing an even bigger problem.
While grades and test scores are important, they shouldn't define you. High schools, especially, should put an emphasis on working hard and efficiently in class instead of just trying to get an "A" on the next quiz or test. This way students will realize hard work done right will result in success, rather than cheating.
When I began reading the article I was floored. College is hard to get into-yes, but there is no reason why kids of wealthy parents should get in, while middle class kids are struggling to be noticed.
Applying for colleges is a daunting task. There's the recommendations, the choices, the financial aid, the forms, the never ending questions, and the pressure of parents. College isn't an easy feat for anyone, but there is absolutely no need to cheat to get in.
“The real victims in this case are the hardworking students” who were displaced in the admissions process by “far less qualified students and their families who simply bought their way in.”
The part of this article that really bothered me was when it opened up with examples of how wealthy parents have tilted the scales with cash to get their kids into well-known colleges. The "soccer player", the boy with the "learning disability", and the girl who "row's". The fact that they can get into these well known colleges because of their parents money is awful.
They aren't having to go through half of the excruciating process most kids have to. They're skipping the waiting lines like one does when they are in Disneyland. You can use "fast passes" to skip lines for popular rides like popular colleges. These students did not have to go through the struggles of waiting in line like everyone else.
Unfortunately, I was not at all surprised when I saw this scandal in the news yesterday. The wealthy have been paying their way to the top for ages, and it is not any different when it comes to their children. As the article states, there were parents “willing to pay between $15,000 and $75,000 per test, which went to college entrance exam administrators who helped their children cheat on them by giving them answers, correcting their work or even letting third parties falsely pose as their children and take the tests in their stead, according to the indictment.” The question is whether this way of cheating is as bad as the method of parents making a donation to the school as an incentive for them to accept their child when they don’t deserve it, and I think that making a donation is the better option.
Don’t get me wrong, I think what these parents did is extremely wrong and very unfair to the students who worked hard to get in and didn’t get accepted because these privileged kids took their spots, but I doubt that the wealthy will ever stop using their money to cheat the system, so because of that, I think it’s better for the parents to make a donation to the school as an incentive rather than pay a third party to forge the kid’s qualifications. When a donation is made, at least the university is getting extra funding to help the whole school, whereas when it’s paid to a third party, the money is going to one person who doesn’t deserve it.
The scandal is sad and infuriating, but not surprising at all. The fact that those parents did what they did knowing that more deserving students would lose admission demonstrates how the 1% tends to be ignorant of those around them. The parents are just as faulty as those who were bribed. The fact that so much money was involved just comes to show how comfortable both sides were with corruption. I'm sure this is not the first time this level of cheating has occurred, which saddens me even more. As an international student with a scholarship in college, I have seen how money can take people far in life. We live in a society where the amount of zeros in a check are more important than a student who has the capability to actually make a change.
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I feel that money should have nothing to do with whether someone gets a spot or is offered a spot in the freshman class of any college. The only people it is affecting is the hard working students that are trying so hard to get into the best colleges, and it is sad that coaches and other people making decisions on who gets into colleges are taking bribes from wealthy parents so their child can go to said college. As a high school student, it makes me worry; what if I apply to a university and the only reason I did not get in was that someone who's parents paid money to get their child in, that would make anyone very upset since, they worked hard to get into a good school and they had someone get in their spot because there was dirty money involved. I believe the justice system needs to be better at catching things like this, because I can guarantee there are more parents then just the 50 parents that got caught, pouring money into Universities to get their children in, and the more that is caught the less likely in is to happen again.
This scandal is surprising, but at the same time not. What do you expect for the spoiling parents to do when they have given their children all that they want in life but can't get them in the college that they want? The parents would do whatever they can, all the money in the world they would give to give their children what they want without their children putting any effort in. Bribes have been given to people for years and this is just another shortcut through it. "mo money mo problems"-biggie smalls
The college admissions cheating scandal was truly shocking to me. Seeing the ways the parents cheated and bribed coaches and proctors of the exams made me feel disgusted. I am so glad that the people who bribed were caught and given a punishment. Seeing how much money and effort the parents put to get their children into college makes me upset because now it looks like anyone would do anything to get into a good college. What surprised me most in the article was that “a teenage girl who did not play soccer magically became a star soccer recruit at Yale. Cost to her parents: $1.2 million.” For the kids who worked hard for a spot loose a seat at the college, but kids who have rich parents get in easily with money. Many high school students are competitive when it comes to college admissions. It is easy to hire someone to write all the child’s essays and make it beautiful, but at a certain point your identity will be shown and you will get in serious trouble. The message this scandal send to high school students who intend to go to college is do not bribe yourself to get a seat, earn a seat at a college because you deserve it. My biggest take away is to study hard and do well in high school instead of bribing colleges with money and getting caught.
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I believe that having someone "lie" and pay your way to get into college isn't fair for the people that actually try to get accepted into these elite colleges. The students that have been a part of this scandal should not be able to attend whatever school they applied for, and if they have been at the school before everyone found out, then their scholarships should be taken or they should be kicked out.
My reaction to the college admissions cheating scandal is entirely surprised that something like this went on. The fact that undeserving kids took the spots of kids who worked hard and dreamed of going to schools like Yale and Harvard. However I am not shocked that it happened here in the united states. Everything we do is surrounded and promoted by money. I do see how this showed how cutthroat and competitive the fact that parents paid up to a million dollars just to get their child into a good college clearly supports the idea. I just want to know what is going to happen to these kids, the ones currently in the colleges their parents bought them in to and all the actual star athletes and hard working students that were cheated out of their dream school. Hopefully every child caught up in this mess will get the school and the education they deserve.
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@Mariska
"Everything we do is surrounded and promoted by money."
To be fair, you could literally be talking about any country in the world. In fact, this is even more applicable to poorer countries, because money is even more crucial there. In poorer countries you see a lot of corruption in the government that is motivated and promoted by none other than money.
This reminds me of a story. A kid was caught cheating on a test, using a watch. He had gutted it and made it so that instead or the time, there was a paper underneath the glass listing information. He had spent more effort cheating than he would have spent actually studying. But here's the fact, in the end, cheating doesn't pay off. There are people who won't accept bribes, and others who will get suspicious. It also means that when it comes a time you cannot bend the rules, you will be completely helpless. Cheating means you are incapable of success on your own, and that will come back to bite you just like it did these parents. It seems these people are forgetting the point of college is to prepare yourself for the future, to become capable. The reason some colleges are better is because they offer education suited to people with who are better. If you get into a college that cannot help you, all the money and effort you spent making your way in is wasted. The parents who lied and bribed are not actually helping their children, or else their children would have known about it in the first place. They are just making their children into flower vases. Pretty and attractive on the outside, hollow on the inside. In order to truly make their children succeed in life, maybe they should actually help them learn.
Wealth is not everything in our day to day current society. It has its advantages but wealth should be achieved through hard work. So using money to assure your child's future in a prestigious university isn't really helping them, it impairs them in society. An assumed soccer player won't be able to learn how to play soccer well enough to pass off as an elite athlete with a million dollars. They'll fail and make a fool of themselves possibly getting kicked out. A college applicant with faked scores from bribed S.A.T. or A.C.T. administrators shows that they were not capable of those scores to get into a well known university or college, that their parents have little faith in them, and that their parents believe that they need assistance at all times. How will they get through the vigorous work and assignments that they will have to accomplish within that college without the assistance they've received unknowingly. Their child's confidence is based on a scam to try and ensure their future. Won't people start realizing that the quality of work differs, their physical or academic status was altered, and that those achievements they have were bought by their parents. How will they survive in society doing the work that others have done for them?
I think this scandal is a huge issue, especially coming from a high school student who is looking to apply to college soon. Money should not be able buy anyone into college where others have to compete to get in. Especially with how much effort high schools students put into their perfect Résumés.
The children that the parents are bribing into big name colleges were mostly unaware. One example that the article uses to describe the bribery is when a set of parents paid the SAT and ACT proctors to correct their students score so they can get a better score. The article continues that this made the students more confident, but what really matters is whether they be able to perform well at the college or not if they couldn’t achieve a sufficient score on their own.
Another problem that is caused by this issue is students having their spot taken by students being bribed in. A quote from Andrew Lelling, a Massachusetts attorney, states, ”The real victims in this case are the hardworking students who were displaced in the admissions process by ‘far less qualified students.’”
The problem with money and bribery is becoming too prevalent in our society. It even shows in our political election races with sponsors and our government with lobbying money. So this problem is not only about the issues of the college admissions, but also the bribery through money.
I expected to hear about how students were bribing administrators and cheating on the SAT or the ACT. It was shocking to hear that the parents were the ones behind this! It’s outrageous for parents to force you into something that you may or may not want to do. Though, I’m not surprised that it happened in the U.S. Lately, college administration is more like a competition. Some parents are bragging: “Oh! My child got into this college” and “Oh! Did I tell you about how my child got into THIS college?” This puts pressure on a lot of students. Now we’re taking in the fact that some rich people have it easier!
The parents should definitely be charged for these crimes as well as the adults and administrators involved. Maybe the children should be charged, too if they knew about it. Hard working people were wait-listed or rejected just because the spot was guaranteed for someone with a lot of money. It’s not fair. We should all have the same chance of getting into a certain college as someone else. Some people worked so hard; they started with nothing. They were so close to grasping the light until money stole it.
@Jessica H. I never looked at it from the student's perspective.
When my parents introduced me to this scandal, I thought that it was just fully corrupt and so dishonorable. Just thinking about how some hard working and deserving students were cheated out of a good college because other families had enough money to pay for their children to go to college, makes me sick. This scenario shows that the college admissions process really need to be more secure and colleges need better teachers and faculty, who aren't easily bribed. I also felt tremendous sorrow for the athletes, artists, musicians and more who had the talent and skill to make it into these big name schools but were unfairly wait-listed or not accepted because the wealthier parents spoil their children so much that they can just pay their way out of any situation. The way that some parents took it to the limit by faking a learning disability so that their child could go to a nice fancy school disgusts me so much because in actuality there are people who actually do have these learning disabilities, which make it much harder for them to process or retain information than a normal person does, and to see people use it as a benefit to themselves really hurts me.
I am kind of still in shock from what happened. I can not believe that people would do this. I am scared about what our world is becoming. When people think they can’t make it just because of pure talent they have to go off and bribe somebody.Sadly, i am not surprised, we are already ruining the earth, now we have to corrupt the people? We caused global warming, we caused the release of to much carbon dioxide, we caused the environment to change, isn’t that enough? Do we need to corrupt it more, why can’t we just try to make it better? This incident is not helping the case, if you are going to corrupt the earth might as well corrupt the people right? These poor kids did not even know of their parents actions and now they have to see the get prosecuted. The parents are supposed to be the ones that protect the child from harm and from bad things, but how can they protect the child from themselves. There is no way out of this,the parents did this to themselves. So what if your child doesn’t get into a prestigious college, you shouldn’t be going to these measures to make sure it happens. Maybe it has to do with their image, maybe they think that they will be looked down upon since their child didn’t go to Harvard or Yale. Let your child's image be their own image and not yours.
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The competitiveness and selection process to get into college is absolutely ridiculous and unreal. We should be able to get a decent college without practically fighting in the hunger games environment these colleges are creating... seriously. i mean, how surprised can people be about this cheating scandal. Like hellooooo, the selection process has become so unfair and competitive this is beginning to be kids only option if they want a decent college education. It is literally impossible to get into college and it is no surprise that this is the largest recorded cheating scandal in a scenario like this. Im not justifying the cheating because it is wrong of course, but the stress these colleges are costing kids is unreal and the competitiveness level is too high, an education should not be something we have to fight for.
This is just the tip of the iceberg in a deep problem facing American Universities both public and private.
As mentioned there is also the issue of ghost writers overseas and at home for the SAT and ACT. But furthermore accredited private high school courses or simply indivualized prerequisite ones where you pay the firm and magically a B or C student is straight As.
I also believe schools are much more keen to these issues than they publicly display. Many undergraduate and graduate level colleges and universities enables students to cheat using past tests and other mechanisms so that their students place into top programs in law, medicine, dentistry, specializations and the corporate suite thus boosting ranks and drawing power for the school.
It is a problem of greed and image over actual academic substance and merit.
The students who pay the price are the hardworking honest ones, whoever they may be.
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The college admissions scandal does not shock me in the least. Personally, I do not think there is a very large difference between pledging 2.5 million dollars to ensure your son’s admission and spending 1.2 million dollars to bribe coaches to gain admission. Although it is legal for families of applicants to prestigious colleges to pledge large sums of money to help sway admissions officers, it does not make it morally correct.
One major difference between the two is whether the student is aware. In the first article I read, it detailed how the students were the innocent party, allegedly unaware that their families, not their accomplishments, are the reason they are getting into prestigious colleges. In the second article, the students seem more like active participants. They seem more aware that their entitlement, not their accomplishments, are paving their way through college.
The college admissions process is corrupt. Illegal or not, students are being accepted to prestigious colleges based on how much money their parents are willing to donate. I think there is one solution to this problem worth considering- not using names. Students should be accepted by admissions officers who have information on the students accomplishments, writing samples, and grades, etc. Student’s families should not be the deciding factor in whether or not they are accepted.
In all honesty, at this point in society I'm shocked but not surprised. There are many a wealthy person who think that just because they have money they have the world when in fact that isn't the case. A lot of these kinds of people think that money is the end all be all and that everything else (effort, intelligence, drive) is just a bonus or even unimportant. It's nice to see that not only do they have all this money to just throw around on stupid stuff they don't need but they can also throw around a few thousand dollars and dash someone's dreams in the process. Someone who worked extremely hard and maybe is not able to afford their rightful spot at a school would be instantly disposed of over a rich snob whose parents fight their battles for them because their kids are stupid (or slackers because they can be smart and not apply themselves). Some kids, like myself, have to think about college not only through the lens of what we are looking to get out of the college, but also through a financial lens as to not put us in an even tougher spot later. At this point things are getting extremely discouraging and I wonder why some people even try anymore. Because just because you have everything a school wants (or a job) and work for the necessary qualifications, if someone waltzes in with a comically large check for $100,000 for your spot, you're immediately out of luck. This is a good talking point, but that's all it will ever be, because corruption will always find a way.
I think these scandals send a bad message to teenagers applying. On the surface it tells us that people without immense amounts of money, who cannot pay their influence on colleges, have less of a chance to get into schools. However it also harms teenagers self-image, and makes light of the students WITH disabilities and those who work hard to become athletes and do well in school. To lie about a disability or any part of yourself compromises making moral decisions in name for getting into a high level college. Regardless if many see this, it presents to teenagers that your self-identity is not good enough. Your own accomplishments, your own achievements, and passions-- they don't matter. By forging identities where students have these unlikely qualifications not only does it become a crime, but it becomes detrimental to the student. Yes there will always be an academic and athletic advantage to students who HAVE them and are looking to apply for rigorous schools. However by lying about yourself or lying to pretend to have higher athletic/academic abilities, you are discounting your own uniqueness and saying that is simply doesn't matter as much to you, your parents, and your future.
As a student who is looking to apply to college within the next year, hearing about wealthy parents paying thousands for their kids to get into prestigious colleges is infuriating. This unfortunately showcases yet another way the rich in this country have an advantage because of their money. Why should their children get into good colleges other hardworking students strive for? It's unfair that kids who have genuinely worked hard to get a good SAT or high GPA through their studies may have not been accepted into a school in favor of someone who faked their way in through bribery. This sends a devastating message to those students: you can try as hard as you want, but money will always prevail. Students should be getting into college on the quality of their person and the merit of their grades, not the size of a parent's wallet.
Machiavelli once said that "The ends justify the means." I think that this statement holds true in every aspect of life. I think that in this ever evolving and increasingly more competitive world people need to do whatever they can to get ahead. If you can cheat without getting caught by all means do it. When you have loads of money take advantage of your opportunity and bribe people. Pay people off. Corrupt whoever you can so that you benefit. America was built off of people who used their resources and made a better life for themselves. You may argue that their are others who worked harder and didn't cheat but let me ask you this. Did they really work harder? If they aren't doing anything they can to succeed did they really even try?
The college admission cheating scandal is the largest college prosecution, including 50 people. But, the scandal is not just talking about your ordinary parents trying to sneak their child into a top school. These parents are well known celebrities, who act as role models for their audiences. It is a disappointment to see these adults use their great deals of money to dishonestly get their child into college. On top of that, were talking about schools such as Yale, Stanford, and other big name schools! It is the utter most challenge to get accepted into of of these colleges on a normal basis, which is why these parents abused their gift of wealth and dug their child's path right on in!
Not only is this scheme a disappointment of the families half, but it is now viewed as a disappointment to all the students who did not get accepted into these schools. The students who WORKED day and night, STUDYING for these exams. The students who WERE star athletes. The students who WERE on the honor roll and had high averages. It is crazy to think that their spot was snatched because undeserving families with loads of cash decided to scheme their way in. It is an awful sight to see that people of high standards are now taking advantage of what they have; money.
The wealthy bribing colleges to accept their kids is nothing the world hasn't seen before, but something I thought was in the past. After reading this article, it seems that not only has paying loads of money for an unqualified student to take their place at a school remained an issue, but instead of just paying money, parents are finding ways to cheat so that their students are accepted. One of the biggest lessons I've learned in my life is that hard work can take you a long way. Apparently, people with money don't need to teach their children that lesson. What about the students who worked with every bone in their body to even have a chance at getting into an elite university? The fact that some kids might have lost the spot they deserved at a college because other kids have parents who didn't see what was wrong about bribing a college to accept their kids makes me lose a lot of respect for these celebrities and upper class families. It's unacceptable, and makes me wonder, have colleges turned a blind eye to this corrupt scheme? Have they really let these parents and students get away with their unjust actions? It shows that maybe colleges don't care if ineligible students get accepted, as long as they have the money to cover it up.