One can feel sorry for these children while simultaneously feeling sorry for poor children of color who have seen their parents arrested. Blessedly, our sympathies don't have to be rationed among only those that we believe deserve it most.
20
“I was mad,” he said, “and then it kind of transformed into me feeling sorry for him.”
Wait, why are you sorry for your father? Did his attorney tell you to say that? Your father didn't think you could be admitted into the college on your own and thought paying someone would be the only way.
11
My son cried so hard when he was rejected from his top college choice. As a parent it broke my heart to see him so upset. I never considered paying his way into a school! My husband and I told our son all through high school that he needed to work hard to get into the college he wanted to attend. These kids didn't have to cry over not getting into the schools that didn't choose them because they were not worthy. I don't feel bad that these kids cried over what their parents did for them and were shunned. Peel back the onion and I am sure there is more that their parents did for them. These are the bulldozer parents who remove all obstacles from their children's path. These kids need to learn that life sometimes gives you lemons and you need to learn what to do with it.
31
I, like many of my fellow boomers, appreciated the cheap affordable public higher education of the 1970's. I attended college and law school on minimum wage jobs with no debt and pursued a successful career. I tell young lawyers success requires some combination of luck, hard work and intelligence - with hard work the only thing you can control. These privileged kids still have luck on their side cause their parents wealth will provide a soft landing. I doubt hard work will be a factor.
24
How about doing a story on the deserving students without deep pockets who did not get in because of these people? We run stories about how it was for one actress doing 14 days of Hard time. We ask how is jail for Harvey Weinstein while we don't ask how is life for his victims. Do we report the panic attacks of the victims of Stop and Frisk? Do we report how the kids fare of people of color who parents are incarcerated? I am sorry but I just can't get my handkerchief out for the children of privilege being welcome to the real world.Poor children learn early don't do the crime if you can't do the time. Do a story on the kids who deserved to get into these schools but didn't because the privileged greased the way for their children.This awe and love of celebrity is becoming sickening.
64
When parents--adults--cheat the way these parents have, assuredly there are other areas they have cheated in, and will likely continue to cheat in some fashion, as long as they are not caught. For the children of such adults, the experience is traumatic, whether or not they were aware of the cheating. Where are the counselors and the group processes to help these victims of their own folly understand they can put their skills to personal and public good? Or has our culture of double standards won the day?
5
No one should be shamed or isolated for the mistakes of others. That is wrong. At the same time these children (who are actually mostly adults) losing their spots in prestigious schools seems appropriate. Not only are there plenty of other good options that the rest of us make use of cheerfully, but it is a fair consequence that their parents should feel the burden of. They disadvantaged others and they hurt their kids. This is part of the fallout. I hope the rest of us can resolve to be charitable and accepting to those who are caught in the middle but did nothing wrong.
6
The only relevant question is: "Did the kids know they were cheating or not?"
That's it
12
In Mr. Janavs letter he recounted how the F.B.I. handcuffed his two daughters as his wife was taken away in cuffs. I'm sure this was a traumatic experience for the young girls, and I wouldn't be surprised to learn of their need for counseling.
However, I couldn't help thinking of the picture of a sobbing six year old black girl, hands cuffed behind her, being taken out of school and placed in the back of a police car by a burly policeman. Her crime? She had a tantrum in class. Neither she nor her parents broke any law, but the result was the same.
We let accused criminals walk free in their own recognizance while awaiting trial, but handcuff distressed children. What kind of society are we degenerating into?
51
I have to assume that the leadership of Donald Trump has had some effect. Lying is now a featured quality of our national leader. Let them be led.
13
I apologize if I sound crass but these kids should dry their tears with their parents' money. Fact of the matter is, they're part of the wealthy class that dominates our society. None of these kids will want for anything for the rest of their lives, and probably their children's lives.
14
Might be the best lesson of their lives. A true education in the human condition, both weakness and strength. An opportunity to be courageous, without the baggage of being one of the chosen beautiful people, being lied to by the admiring and transient.
8
If these parents aren't already Trump supporters, they certainly are now. And, bonus, Trump pardons are a safer investment than college bribes.
2
The best solution I’ve heard...keep the parents in jail until their child actually equals the scores of the tainted tests.
5
The most damaging college cheating scandals aren't really about getting in, it's really about what happens after you get accepted and face fairness in grading. What a joke. There is no fairness. A is the rubber stamp grade almost all students get or the professor suffers bad evaluations and is fired. It's the hundreds of thousands of dear students who are extorting the faculty that's the scandal not this tempest in a teapot of tossing parents in jail for doing what parents have done for hundreds of years. Somewhere a parent of a community college student flunking English 101 is threatening the Dean this very day and absolutely gets rewarded for their trouble. Are we going to throw those parents in jail too? We should! Of course we'd have to build more jails. From community colleges to state universities to private colleges, every college is under attack from students who pay their money and want their degrees and don't want education to get in the way. I don't get concerned about how they get in but I know that at graduation most college degrees don't mean the recipient is educated.
13
I find it very difficult to believe that these students (most of them, anyway) weren't aware of what was going on. How blind can they be? Willingly, perhaps, but that's on them.
These kids have benefited from their parents' fame and fortune. It's not the end of the world if they also share in the misfortune. And it's not like they have to go to the local community college now. The kids will be fine. Save your sympathies for someone else, imo.
17
My own experience, now at age 83, is that we all have our own path in life. As a parent, most of us do as much as we can to see our children have a good start in life to help launch them into a career hopefully of their choosing. I personally wouldn't bribe the educational system, but I can understand why some parents try it.
When I was a student at Georgetown University in D.C. many years ago studying chemistry, I joined the musician's union to earn my way through school by playing piano in big bands, small bands, and as a society pianist for senators, congressmen, and cabinet members in their homes. During the summers I interned at the CIA for several summers during the day and played music in the evening. It was an amazing time full of meeting the rich and famous. But...one of the things I learned is that I didn't like working for rich people. I wasn't impressed by wealth or status and in my junior year I left Washington and became a commercial fisherman during summers in Maine and transferred to Duke U. against my parent's wishes for the rest of my undergraduate days.
I mention this story because each one of us has to do life our own way. I found it more challenging and thrilling to forge my own path whether it was successful or not. To learn from our mistakes is a key to success.
37
As my child, a junior at an elite prep school, gears up for college applications, I am struck by how much of the process inherently favors the wealthy. In addition to hiring tutors to help write college essays, parents at my child's school almost unilaterally pay exorbitant fees to engage tutors for the ACT and SAT tests, who help kids, in essence, "game the system." I view this behavior as existing on the same continuum as the illegal activity of parents who overtly buy false scores and bribe college admissions. Either way, we are attempting to buy our children's way into a better position than they would arrive at on their own. If colleges and universities really care about a level playing field, they should seek to abolish practices that lend such an unfair advantage to those willing or able to pay, or else stop using the tests (which anyway have not been shown to be good predictors of performance). By continuing to require these tests, schools are helping perpetuate an essentially classist, racist system.
26
Kids shouldn't bear the blame for actions of their parents, but it really is hard to believe many of these kids had no idea what was going on. I mean, you know if you're actually qualified to get into an elite school or not and you certainly know whether you're a real athlete or not.
But even for those who didn't know, I have a hard time being sympathetic. I mean, none of thee kids even needs to go to college. They are all already fantastically rich anyway. Just retire already, that's what the rest of us work our whole lives for anyway.
And the panic attacks? Welcome to the real world. It's not as bad out here as you think.
14
Tough, but a valuable lesson in life, for them and their parents. Karma doesn't always catch up the wealthy, but sometimes it does.
11
First, I consider anyone 17 or 18 and above, a young adult. They could be signing up for the military at this age, so I cringe when they are referred to as children. There are children at the border who have been in cages, lost to their parents, and in facilities all over the U.S. The article is about elite young adults.
I find it difficult to believe that these young adults did not have a clue to what was going on; getting in a school for a sport you do not play? I think young adults pretty well know their academic standings, and know how you score on tests.
Would all these young adults be willing to testify in court they knew nothing? One of the young Loughlin adults lost a "lucrative social media influencer " career.
Someone else had to go to a community college? My goodness, with all the suffering going on in the world, this article is about elite problems. There is a healthy sense of shame when, one has committed a crime, as well as being complicit to the benefits.
21
Clearly these young people ought to be able to reboot and prove themselves on their own merits. It will be a longer, tougher road —for example community college, intense outside supervision, proof of a serious commitment to learning, and perhaps even declining parental financial support. But to create permanent outcasts so that others can have whipping boys and girls is unworthy of us as a society.
4
What on earth gives you the idea that these kids will have declining parental support? They are the kids of extremely wealthy parents. They won’t be going to their — or, their parents’ — dream school. Gosh, that’s a heavy burden, huh? But they have lots of other resources, A-list connections into plum internships and jobs... so I have to think they’ll eventually be able to get over their current embarrassment and disappointment.
6
Few are mentioning the real victims: the kids denied admission because the frauds
prevailed.
32
Income inequality has gotten much worse in the past generation, making a mockery of our "American Dream" bootstrap mythology. Somehow, I think these wealthy, privileged kids will eventually recover from the trauma of having their parents attempt to pull strings on their behalf.
Time -- plus lots and lots of money -- is on their side.
4
Of course, the kids were clueless. Clearly, we are not dealing with the most perspicacious young scholars. It is a testament to their immense privilege that they were blind to their own immense mediocrity.
21
"Matteo Sloane told The Wall Street Journal that it was hard to find out that his father had intervened in the admissions process."
Is this supposed to mean that it was painful to find out, or that this was information difficult to determine?
2
Painful to find out. not really hard to find out your dad did something illegal when everyone is talking about it
1
So let me get this straight, get into a college or university based on a sport that you supposedly play but have no idea on the scheme to get you into that school, the children should also be charged
8
Too bad for the kids, but I will lose no sleep over their fate.
6
There is no mention in this article about the parents and children who didn't get into the schools of their choice because there were parents out there willing to cheat the system to get their child in. Where is the sympathy for the child who got the rejection letter because the school of their choice had their position filled by a student who either knowingly or unknowingly cheated the system.
The parents did it because they didn't think they would get caught and didn't think of the consequences. They didn't care about the children of the other families who got rejected because the position was filled (or was going to be filled by their child). Again, why the focus on the children of cheaters and not the families of those who didn't get in because of cheaters?
8
Shouldn't individuals find themselves publicly shamed for greed and bad parenting? By extension, bad parenthood. Isn't public shame the foundation of almost every civilization in history? If you are incapable of guilt and remorse, what good is the justice system?
The opposite is also true. Do we not venerate the descendants of honorable persons? Are we not still talking to the descendants of Kennedys and Kings?
I'm willing to forgive children the wrongdoing of their parents. However, that doesn't mean their parents' actions don't come with consequences as well as benefits.
We punish our peers who cheat. I've never known a childhood game where fairness was not brutally enforced. "Lord of the Flies" comes to mind as a teachable example.
College is no different. Blame your parents. Take it up with your therapist when you're older. That's how the rest of society gets by.
2
They should face consequences.
2
Good.
Now when are the bankers and Wall Street thieves going to jail?
7
This is sympathy for the Devil. There are many normal young people without advantages, much less parents willing to bribe their way into some university, who have to live with failure and difficulties or success based on their own merits. Anguishing over “rich” kids who for the most part have lost the opportunity to attend colleges from which they would otherwise be rejected is just plain foolish.
7
One thing that keeps getting looked over with some of the children, yes they are their parents' children but they are submitting an application to a college as an adult, even if they are underage they are considered the primary contact and are confirming that their records are theirs and truthful. A hard lesson in responsibility but one that is needed.
13
So how were these kids doing academically? Is this an exposure of the test score system?
2
Every day I read about people who are not rich or celebrities being arrested. I have yet to read anything in the Times or any other newspaper about the effect those arrests have on the arrestees’ families and children. Why are we reading about the scions of wealth and privilege? Are we to think these kids won’t continue to have a roof over their heads or food on the table because a parent went to jail for breaking the law?
These kids are the beneficiaries of the “lucky sperm club,” and will continue to be just fine, thank you. Let’s focus on the effect our hyper-active penal system has on the under-privileged.
17
Our daughter didn't have any of these problems when she applied to Trump University.
22
It’s difficult not to have some sympathy for the kids caught up in this mess, who actually didn’t know what a dismal opinion that their own parents had of them.
My sympathy stops when I see the behavior of Lori Laughlin, or any other participants in this racket, who seem not to understand the degree to which they are effectively sabotaging American society for years to come.
I anxiously await Aunt Becky trying to act her way out of being sentenced to a couple of years at Club Fed.
“This is the best I can do, and I want to move on with my life.”
Olivia Jade is clearly not a sympathetic figure.
8
Olivia Jade posted on her blog that she wasn't interested in coursework, but only wanted to attend college "to build her brand." Not a good reason to keep a real rower off the crew team.
36
"She also has acknowledged agreeing to pay $200,000 so that her older daughter would be admitted to U.S.C. as a recruit in women’s beach volleyball"
Beach volleyball recruiting? Now I've heard it all.
17
Cheaters are going to cheat, liars, lie and haters gonna hate. Winning under whatever umbrella is what is rewarded in the general eye of life, until the real truth comes out. Should we feel bad for the Houston Astros players? If the students did not know, it is on the parents, but as stated elsewhere how could you not know what is on YOUR college application?... Because mommy & daddy take care of all the tough stuff? Oh yea, I forgot you are rich (have little accountability) and therefore believe the rules are different for you..... not only here but in our broken political system as well.
3
I have absolutely no sympathy for these kids...not true I am sorry that they have idiots for parents.
As a father of three daughters one still in HS. One accepted to American University and the other accepted to The Pratt Institute. I am extremely proud they did it based upon their own hard work, not because I paid someone off.
I am thankful I can allow them to continue their education without having to accumulate huge amounts of debt.
9
NO ONE should benefit from a corrupt, immoral fraud. That includes the those poor, innocent spawn.
2
"...an heiress to the Hot Pockets fortune..."
Reads like a bit of Mike Myers dialogue.
8
@LMT Or "Mean Girls"--I thought of the Toaster Strudel heiress immediately.
7
The parents were infected with the disease of "Affluenza". Which is described as "a social condition that arises from the desire to be more wealthy or successful. It can also be defined as the inability for an individual to understand the consequences of their actions because of their social status and/or financial privilege." - Investopedia.
Maybe other "helicopter" parents will learn from this event.
4
The parents put this kids in a horrible situation, but I find it difficult to believe that these kids had no idea that something wasn't right. At some point these kids took the PSAT or a practice SAT or ACT and received a score that caused their parents to panic. The response wasn't just some test prep, I've read that some got waivers to take the tests untimed or flew across country to take the tests at a friendly site.
The standardized tests are just one piece of the puzzle, high school grades are another. How many B's, C's and D's do you think the Sage Hill School hands out? Especially if your parents are on the school board.
16
So the Times notes Olivia Jane's regrets, which are basically that she misses filming her YouTube influencer videos, but doesn't mention her earlier video where she said the only reason she wanted to go to college at all were the parties?
Sorry, but all I see in her claims is that she's mourning the loss of her influencer status. She could have made a general statement of sorrow at the situation without saying more (as she noted, she is legally enjoined otherwise).
And I also find it hard to believe that those enrolled under a sports scholarship somehow didn't find that odd when they didn't play that sport. Something should have been clear to them at that point.
I feel far more leniency towards those in high school at the time, and several of the students quoted here took action to establish their independent qualifications and expressed regret, which is the right thing to do.
But, based on these quotes, I truly wonder if Olivia Jane has learned anything.
11
What these kids have been through is not much compared to what countless young people endure each day who have little or no support system. These rich kids we are supposed to feel badly for are all from families of extreme means and will be fine. Maybe they will actually learn something. Additionally, most of them no doubt knew what was being done for them. Some didn't, but most did, whether they admit it or not. Hard to feel too badly for them, honestly. That said, some younger siblings are being treated as guilty by association, which is not right.
3
These are not victimless crimes, in fact - these are far reaching crimes.
It is possible some of the involved children did not know what was happening on their behalf. However, a teen who was never in need of special academic help would know that they are receiving a 'special' testing environment when separated from others and, in some cases, getting answer help.
A young adult is responsible for the content of their admissions packet, period. Our children needed to write compelling essays and seek recommendation letters plus ensure those had been correctly posted as defined by each application. With these cases, the essays contained fraudulent content - the students had to be aware that they did not achieve those things.
More jail time is not needed for the parents but huge fines have been/are warranted. Life changing fines. They obviously don't know how to handle their wealth. Fines should be imposed with proceeds provided to education. These parents may say they were under stress from the application process, selfishness and mean spirit are more likely.
Ideally, there should be compensation for those who legitimately applied to these schools but were dropped from consideration. In addition to the application fees, there is time and effort needed for each of these specialized apps which undercuts the time available to pursue other work.
6
I do feel sorry for the kids. However my empathy is limited. These kids are still healthy beautiful young people with promising lives ahead. They won't have to worry about rent, or choosing between food or healthcare. Yes, there will be a few years of shame, for themselves and their family and maybe some of them will have longer-term emotional issues, because this may have been the most traumatic event to happen in their obviously sheltered lives. Hopefully, they will learn from it and become better humans.
2
I'm not sure how the elite college admissions process works, but are substantial contributions a requirement for the super-wealthy to gain admission? Are they expected to open their wallets for their kids to be accepted? I just read that USC has a no-cost policy towards financially needy students. What about the top end - are they expected to enrich the school with gifts and endowments before their kids are accepted? I'm deeply suspicious of the college's unwritten requirements.
5
Maybe one or two, but I don't believe for a minute that all of these privileged kids didn't know that they were receiving some type of advantage to get into these schools. Many, if not all of them, enjoyed that privilege all of their lives. They know it, they count on it, and they flaunt it.
11
Hard to feel sorry for these kids. No matter how it all turns out for the families, they will all still have one thing in common: they're rich. They will all certainly continue to have access to opportunities that are routinely denied to the types of kids whose spots they took.
6
I find some of the parents' statements that their children were completely unaware just laughable. Were the children not tipped off when they were asked to pose for photos engaging in sports they did not play, at least competitively? Or when the schools' sports departments reached out to them about orientation or training practices? Or why they had to take the SAT from home, or were given more time to finish, or had to give their parents samples of their writing? Yes, they should not be held responsible for the crimes of their parents, but they were not innocent victims but rather willing accomplices.
9
Lots of commenters have directed vitriol at the kids, claiming they ALL surely knew what was going on. Some even have misread the article, claiming that it quoted privileged parents falsely excusing their children.
However, let's look closely at what was stated:
“No students were criminally charged, and prosecutors have said that many of them were unaware of the actions their parents had taken to try to get them admitted to top schools.”
Let me repeat and highlight a key part of the sentence.
“prosecutors have said that *many* of them were *unaware* of the actions their parents had taken”
I go with the prosecutors, not the commenters. Plus, the article has compelling descriptions of the anger and dismay the kids felt on *discovering* their parents' misdeeds.
By the way, the reporters missed the boat. They did NOT investigate whether the schools and universities handled things properly — and whether those punished were complicit or not.
Was the Sag Hill School, e.g., justified in its harsh treatment of the two girls? Were friends and teachers justified in shunning them? Did they, indeed, shun them? If the girls were good students at the school, what business of the school is it if the girls' mother made huge donations to boost their admissions chances?
Seems like an attempt to scapegoat the kids or sweep the problem under the rug by sending the kids to Coventry and banning them from the campus!
The unanswered question is: WHY, with all the financial resources to pay six-figure bribes, didn't these parents actually invest in their children's education legally and realistically when they were young? They could have hired tutors, as my well-to-do friends have done to help kids struggling with schoolwork. They could have sent them to after-school tutors -- there is a whole sector of the education economy devoted to such supports. They could have used their money to make use of the enormous resources available to help their kids learn. But no. They clearly don't actually value education. They only value the prestige that comes from attending an elite university, not the work required to get there. If they knew that their kids were so substandard academically that they had to lie, cheat, bribe, and commit fraud to get them into "the right schools," then they clearly already knew they didn't belong in those schools in the first place.
19
If the kids filled out the college application themselves - as they are supposed to do - there is no way they would not know there was cheating going on. If they didn't fill out the application and signed it anyway without looking at what it said, then they are guilty of fraud. Hard lesson to learn, but I'm not shedding any tears.
11
1. If anything will serve as a deterrent for other adults contemplating such corruption, it's the burden unfairly placed on their children.
2. On the one hand, no one should suffer for the misdeeds of a parent; on the other, any speck of compassion I might have for these young people is extinguished when I think about the millions of poor American children who will never have a shot at a decent public K-12 education that could help them move beyond the dismal grind of poverty and the violence they experience daily -- and the lousiness of their schools is directly related to the "Only I matter -- the social good doesn't" that underlies these crimes.
A woman who cleaned my mother's house for years talked about positioning the beds in her home so that her daughter and grandkids would be less likely to be injured should a stray bullet enter while they were sleeping -- something that the middle class and above never have to think about.
The children of this scandal will recover because money buys them access to therapists, physicians, some kind of higher education somewhere, an entry-level job at some connected relative's workplace, and -- should all else fail -- a lifelong stipend to keep them housed and fed. The children in poor neighborhoods -- not so much.
11
How does having your college admission rescinded constitute punishment when that admission was based on falsified information?
15
I am impressed with the responses from some of the young adults who were unaware of their parents' actions. They were angry, indignified and upset. They preferred to make it on their own and did that. They deserve credit for their values and decisions. I think they are remarkable because we so often know the apple doesn't fall far from the tree.
While generations have always had a few characters playing the influence game, I sense an unusual expansion of unethical behaviors and actions in parents who are in their 50's and 40's. Not sure why this is but recall attending a few conferences in the 70's which suggested this would be happening.
4
I wonder how Heidelberg University in Germany recruits future doctors and nurses for their soccer team? Trick question! They don’t have one!
I very much love the U.S. collegiate system to a large extent; I grew up in it, but I wonder if it wouldn’t be better to have zero recruiting allowed based upon sports teams.
In essence, a student shouldn’t get a sports scholarship at all. Universities should just have to work with what they have—young people trying out and rolling the dice to see if they’re good enough to play—after they get accepted to the university!
University should be a low cost way to promote promising people getting to the next level in life, not big business for the benefit of national television.
36
So what, the kids learned an important lesson: When you lie down with dogs, you get up with fleas. They have the money to start over someplace else. No Boo Hoo from me!
9
Clearly some of these kids were innocent & some not, but as a general observation I find it amazing that in our so-called “Christian “ nation there is surprisingly little Christian charity, empathy & humility in our collective hearts, especially for innocent children.
6
The public outcry over the admissions scandal, in my opinion, is naive and overblown. I am pretty sure Trump didn’t get into or through college by being a “genius”. President Bush, Yale? Harvard? seriously. We are punishing too harshly a select group of cheaters instead of a system that enables and encourages cheaters.
10
@Richard Spencer Bush, the elder, was the son of a prominent senator and a bona-fide war hero. He became a board member at Yale, so Bush, the younger, may have been a bit of informal compensation to his dad. He does seem to have expected to go to the University of Texas (which I should have applied to; in 1968 it was cheaper out of state than Penn State was in-state and certainly attracted more affluent students).
One can only wonder how much fixing of the
SAT/ACT/Athletic Admissions
and Friends of the President of the College goes on.
Instead of sending the parents to jail
why not fine them and use the money to help
Socio/Economicly disadvantaged students
via tutoring for the Exams ?
5
@John Brown Or just send them to prison AND fine them an enormous amoutn of money.
5
More evidence that taxes on the rich need to be greatly increased. My taciturn father from Maine, who struggled mightily to put himself through college and graduate, used to say in his thick New England accent: "Pay people too much money and they start to think they are worth it and are therefore so much better everyone else."
This cheating scandal is another indication of affluenza plaguing the spoiled rich and shutting down their moral reasoning and responsible behavior. After all, they have plenty of money and even teams of fine lawyers to get them out of trouble.
Not unlike our very special, self-absorbed wealthy President, these parents too think that rules, ethics, and laws are for the little people, and that they are entitled to "do what it takes" to assure the success of what they seem to be assuming are their very mediocre children.
16
This story is confusing. Don't rich parents donate money directly to the school with the promise of more to come in order to gain admittance for their mediocre children? Is a quarter of a million not enough to buy admittance? Surely many of these parents could have ponied up more if necessary. Deserving students get aced out by kids with rich parents all the time. The outrage seems to come from the way the money was distributed; the schools were aced out this time, while individuals profited. Hopefully the IRS is on this as well.
15
"an heiress to the Hot Pockets fortune"
12
Panic attacks and other sequelae have befallen these young people. Yet, everyday, everywhere, children see horrifying events on the streets of American cities likely leaving them with some kind of anxiety residual too. Their anxiety and adjustment difficulty after witnessing an assault, a shooting or worse doesn't raise questions about what happens to them afterward in the daily press; they aren't heard from at all. Publishing what happens to these young people in the college scandal is part of the special status they've always had, are accustomed to. It's also all the more reason to encourage them to go on with their lives but nothing more.
366
@blgreenie YES
9
@blgreenie Spot on.
5
I wish someone would do a story on what the acceptance letters looked like. Was there acknowledgement that based upon their outstanding achievements in the related sport, their acceptance received special recognition? Did no one interview these candidates? Did no one follow-up with a phone call to verify the credentials? What about the coach of that sport? Were they not involved in the decision to accept these athletes? If not, shame on the universities that know how difficult admissions into these schools is, yet are swayed by “donations” from important people. All it does is confirm that the process is rigged for the majority of applicants.
5
The shock of having to play by the rules! Very few of them seem to have any thought of the person they displaced, who actually earned that spot. What became of them?
Also, I'm wondering if the kids have feelings of shame, knowing that their own parents who are supposed to love and accept them as unique individuals, are basically stating that they knew their kids weren't smart enough so they had to cheat so they could pretend to be proud of their child. Clearly the parents are disappointed and want someone better.
11
The lives of these kids will not be shattered in the ways lives of ordinary kids whose parents have committed atrocities would be shattered. These kids will still have special connections and favoritism to help them out. As worst, they are admitted on the basis of their actual merit.
8
"“There have been too many days during the past eleven months during which I held both of my daughters in my arms as they cried out of a broad combination of emotions including anger at their mother, sorrow and great anxiety about her fate.”"
Great anxiety at their fate? Maybe a community college and then transfer to a state school, everything paid for by mommy and daddy? That's not a bad fate. Many, many, people would kill for that fate.
12
I feel for the kids who had no idea what their parents were up to. I also feel for the kids who knew. You trust your parents and the children shouldn't be the ones demanding they do the ethical things. When someone is arrested for a crime, their family members always suffer, many times unjustly. I don't think these kids should be mocked or harassed or shunned from society. However, rescinding unearned college admissions isn't punishment, it's simply the right thing to do. Sometimes doing the right thing results in discomfort. They should seek and obtain admissions based on their own merits. Why should they continue to benefit from their parent's illegal scheme? Would you leave the proceeds of a Ponzi scheme in the hands of the defendant's child in the name of not punishing the kid?
4
@Gail
I don't think these kids should be mocked or harassed or shunned from society.
That is EXACTLY what should happen. These privileged brats need to learn what their privileged bratty parents refused to teach them.
2
Further evidence, if needed, the most important decision a child makes is selecting the right parents. Not snarky, true. I wonder, how conflicted were they at the Porsche dealer on their driver-age birthday?
5
Why focus on these privileged young adults that will most likely study at another prestigious school or inherit family money? We need to hear more about homeless students, students with DACA status, students in places like Puerto Rico where due in part to the President's racism do not have access to FEMA funds to repair universities and elementary schools, some of the latter have been closed as they are too dangerous.
8
We just went through the admissions process in our family but my role was supportive. I provided support and advice, but it was my son who signed up for the SAT and prepared for it, ultimately chose which schools to apply to, and submitted the applications. If these students truly had no idea that someone was intervening on their behalf, isn't that part of the problem?
10
Get out the tiny, tinny violins and the sad trombones. The silk handkerchief for blotting our Crocodile Tears is embellished with the finest lace.
Criminals get prosecuted for their crimes. Committing crimes harms their family. Shrug.
Many of the cheating scandal kids were falsely admitted to schools as athletes. They knew perfectly well they were not athletes. At that point, they were complicit, not merely their parents' unknowing victims.
I am hoping for longer jail sentences for the parents who plead not guilty, since they apparently have no remorse, no shame about their criminal actions.
Here's the thing that continues to surprise me: why did people cheat so their child could attend USC?? Georgetown, Stanford, Juilliard, Yale, sure: degrees from those institutions will really help a child build their lives. But USC?
Do they serve Hot Pockets in the slammer?
238
Why USC? Because it’s Las Angeles!
2
@Happy Witch Anyone who would invent hot pockets should be punished for that alone.
62
@Happy Witch
I'd prefer more bigly asset forfeiture(s) than longer prison terms, though coupled I'd be okay with them as these folks can afford to prepay the tuition, so to speak.
11
I realize that this is not the primary point this piece was intended to make, but I just have to say that it truly disgusts me that the parents seem to be begging the courts for lighter sentences in order to spare their children (many of whom, let's just be real here, must have known about the cheating that was going on) from further social shame. Perhaps those parents should have thought about these potential downstream consequences when they decided to cheat honest, deserving students out of their rightful college acceptances. Or maybe the parents don't actually care, but are now simply using their children for their own benefit to limit the legal consequences of their bad acts. Either way, I have a modicum of empathy for children who truly were unaware of their parents' actions, but (a) I'm sure they will all be fine, their parents are still rich and people will quickly forget about this particular scandal, and (b) it should not have any bearing on the sentencing. This behavior was despicable, and the only thing that might potentially discourage others from engaging in the same is the threat of severe penalties.
13
Bribery for college admissions definitely crosses the ethics line. However, prison is a grossly heavy handed response for parents who were trying to help their child. Instead of prison, use financial punishment in the form of scholarship funds. Allow this financial restitution to alleviate some college debt for many more students. Make this outcome positive for many students instead of just negative for the few who were denied admissions.
5
@Fawcett Parents who were trying to help their child? I tried to help my child with tutoring and support, not with cheating. Great lesson they are teaching their kids.
6
@Fawcett These individuals are so wealthy that financial punishment wouldn't really be any punishment at all.
7
@Fawcett
Prison sends a message to the next knucklehead of the consequences of their actions. A fine to a multimillionaire is simply the cost of doing business.
3
I don't have sympathy for the parents or kids. These spots in the most prestigious schools have many qualified people trying to get in and the idea of a kid getting a scholarship for Rowing or Track and Field and not being able to Row or Run is ridiculous. The idea of a non athlete taking such a deal removes all sense of innocence from the child as well. Sad story which i think most will admit is just the tip of the Iceberg. I don't believe this is a new idea, these folks just got caught.
9
Eigh... I feel nothing for these kids or the families... cheating is cheating. The kids should be removed from the schools to make a place for someone who earned their spot meritocratically. If they want to re-apply without their parents involvement AT ALL they should have an opportunity to... at full college tuition paid by them not the parents.
10
Maybe my age is showing, but didn’t these kids have to sign their applications? Wouldn’t they have known their scores were wrong or that they were not athletes in the sport that was listed on their app? I think they should take some responsibility in all of this.
15
@kathleen kenney Of course they should. But apparently childhood now extends until your are 27 and criminal actions shouldn't have inconvenient negative consequences.
9
Punish the corruption, don't punish the kids, who are as much the victim of corruption as the rest of the kids who lost opportunities because of this corruption.
The problem is we live in an era with a digital fallback to good old medieval trial by shame and public opinion. No wonder revenge by public opinion is getting enforced too. Most of us do not have the means to have ourselves or our kids gain this kind of unfair privilege. So we do not relate, feel envy at these kids who did nothing wrong on their own, and applaud revenge on children who had little or no control on the actions of their parents. For example, look at how children of the Trump family, the ones who are NOT involved in politics, still get treated. This tit-for-tat mindset is ingrained in our primate brains, and social media enforces it. Do you think the children we shame today will grow up to be sane adults and responsible citizens? And don't forget their inherited privilege , however stained, will likely put (some of) them in positions of power/visibility.
32
@Midwestvoter Sorry but with the exception of Tiffany all of the Trump children are involved in politics. Tweeting and stumping for their father. And Matteo Sloane, whose father admitted to paying $250,000 to secure his admission as a water polo recruit, is still enrolled at U.S.C. is he paying tuition now? No the children shouldn't be shunned, but they were willing reap the rewards of their parents crimes. So either the children were oblivious of the fact they were getting accepted into schools with sports scholarships in sports they did not excel in or they all of a sudden became a lot better at testing. More to the point, they were taking the place of a more deserving student who didn't get into the school of their choice.
63
@Midwestvoter It is difficult to argue that the "kids" were unaware of these schemes if they got admitted on an athletic scholarship without prior credentials or experience in this sport. If nothing else, this is academic dishonesty just like cheating on an exam. We don't condone that either. Teenagers should be well aware that this is not acceptable.
61
@Midwestvoter The beneficiaries of the crime shouldn't have to atone for anything? Kids who knew they were not rowers posing in crew uniforms to get into college are guilt free? Really!
52
The most disturbing part of this story is that we live in a country where the phrase "Hot Pockets fortune" is possible.
29
@Blair Yes, along with 'social media influencer.'
17
My two boys got into UCLA and Yale on their own.
5
Hard for me to feel sorry for them . . . .
4
Poor Michelle Janavs. I am crying big wet tears for you, and I do not like Hot Pockets. "She called us from the airport in hysterics. " wrote William Macy Poor Sophia. This is all too much and Donald Trump is our president.
9
Cry me a river. These parents (and at least some of their children) are criminals. Crimes have consequences. My sympathy is reserved for the meritorious kids who had their opportunities for quality higher education stolen from them by these vile, entitled thieves.
18
The kids all knew. Grant Janavas who she wasn’t even charged with was by no means a Georgetown tennis player. Yet there he is , accepted as one. Michelle never earned a dime . She inherited it. Why are we all shocked she couldn’t handle the pressure?
12
Children unfortunately pay the consequences for their parents' bad behavior all the time. The only reason anything in this story is noteworthy is because it's happening to kids whose family privilege usually shields them from such things. There are plenty of children who aren't getting enough to eat or don't have a stable living environment at least in part because their parents have made poor choices (but also because our society chooses not to have a safety net to ensure basic needs for some of our most vulnerable members). I know plenty of poor kids who have seen parents arrested, and guess what? They have strong emotions about it too. I'm truly sorry that the children in this article have suffered in any way, but there's only an article about it because they're rich.
11
I have three teenagers and we are deep on the college hunt. My kids are incredibly aware of where they have a chance of gaining admission, which schools are long shots and which will schools they should not even bother applying. Likewise, they know what sports and activities they have participated in and can honestly list on their applications. And despite saving for college since birth, we are having night sweats thinking about how to pay for three tuitions that will overlap. While these parents might be the perpetrators, their kids surely knew favors were being done on their behalf. My guess is they all enjoyed good laughs and smug satisfaction in it prior to being caught. Sorry, my sympathies go to hard working students who would flourish in college but have no way to pay for it except taking on insurmountable debt.
27
@Michelle Well said.
4
It's part of being elite. If your family is elite, your parents have cut some corners for you long before you apply for college. Money helps. Contacts help. Sheer energy from your parents to make your image one that pleases them and brings esteem to your family helps a lot. Usually what's done isn't grossly illegal but those with sharp elbows don't hesitate to push the limits of what is legal. No, these kids didn't ask to be born into these families and weren't aware (we are told) of the illegal behavior but it's hard to muster sympathy for them either. Maybe, for their sake, that's a good thing.
4
It just shows that the parents were not so much concerned for their children’s success or wellbeing as they were for their own reputations.
Too bad the children had to suffer along with the parents who were convicted.
3
The American college admissions system is rife with corruption and inequity. This scandal obscures the real underlying issues in American higher education today.
8
"The younger daughter, Olivia Jade, who had a lucrative career as a social media influencer before the scandal broke..."
Social media influencer ???
Geez... What did she even need college for? Sounds like she was already on the path to easy street.
But seriously, I feel sorry for none of these people. Most of them haven't done an honest days work in their entire lives. Hopefully, when these kids have kids, they'll look back on this episode in their lives and ensure they do things in a more ethical manner, unlike their morally bankrupt parents.
9
I feel no sympathy for these children. Every single one of them has a net worth infinitely higher than my own. I'm sure they will find a way to pick up the pieces
13
Kids in elite private schools, and STILL their parents resort to cheating. How much privilege can the 1% buy?--or rather steal from those students without rich parents who didn't get in. (BTW, how does any student not know what their actual SAT score was?)
16
I don't feel sorry for a single one of them. It's about time the ultra wealthy start getting their comeuppance for their bad behavior.
11
Now let's re-examine this issue please: Wealthy parents buying their, perhaps not exactly stellar, offspring places in elite colleges is nothing new. The forms of payment have changed, undergoing a form of, shall we say, inflation.
But, I refuse to feel sorry for the kids as well. Why? I would think that a high school senior would have, even in their subconscious, a correct idea of their intelligence and preparatory work. Did it ever occur to ask: "He mom/dad/anybody, I know I'm a C student so how did I get into, name a school?" Add that to my disbelief that parents kept their children completely in the dark about what went on behind the scenes. If these future elite scholars really gave no thought about how they got into a given school, for, say, sports they did not even practice or marginally at best, they're too dumb or too immature for any college.
Please, let's stop crying for them and award the deserving with places in the sun.
12
These and many parents were/are far to invested in their children’s lives and futures. Many of them cannot bear the thought that their daughter might attend a community college, that their son might pursue a trade or attend a public college.
Let this be a lesson. Your money will not protect you, and many of you will loose relationships with your children.
While I’m glad that some of these adults will spend time incarcerated, I’d really like to see them paroled to work with students without the resources that they have, to write essays, pay the application fees, etc. and gain some perspective on what ordinary life is for the student like the that they displaced.
8
As a parent and community college instructor: Do the parents of these children believe their children will thrive in a competitive environment? Do they feel that the association with a "highly selective" college will give the students an edge not justified by their ability?
4
For kids whose parents lied about sports activities to get them admitted, didn't the issue come up during college interviews? If so, they could not have been unaware. If not, the overall admissions system needs careful examining.
8
@SDG, I worked in college admissions for a long time at a small college and a large university. It is possible for student athletes to be admitted - without an interview - on the basis of “scouting reports” and recommendation (from legitimate or illegitimate coaches). It should not happen this way, but it can. And does.
4
@NB what about their essays?
Sad, sad, story. And frustrating knowing that this is only the tip of the iceberg in terms of what money buys in this country. Just look at what money has done for our current corrupt president. Is there any doubt that his 'achievements' were anything but the use of large sums of money to buy his way into power, despite obvious moral and intellectual failings?
We shouldn't be surprised at examples such as this one when we have a system that so encourages and rewards the acquisition of wealth as the main route to power and influence.
11
As a court-recognized expert who has analyzed hundreds of ethics-related complaints and lawsuits, I am qualified to pass on this suggestion to help guide readers who must make decisions when subterfuge and illegality are factors to be considered.
Ask yourself two questions.
1. "What is the potential fallout, the worst that can happen?"
2. "If I'm caught, what will I say to the jury?"
8
I can not get over how short sighted the supporting adults around the children of this scandal are. How can Teachers and Schools allow these kids (who had no idea it was going on and did not actively participate) to be "shunned by friends and classmates" and then expel them too! Talk about punishing the wrong people here. These kids (with idiot parents) ought to be supported and helped to see that life does not end here rather than throwing them out with the bathwater. Shame on Teachers and Headmasters for doing this to the innocent.
97
@Giulia
are they always innocent. If I have my picture taken participating in a sport that i actually have no skills in to gain a scholarship I am a willing participant and not innocent.
80
@Giulia why do you think these are the wrong people to punish? The majority of this fraud took the form of payments to consultants and coaches such that students could gain admission as recruited athletes despite the fact they did not play competitively. It is impossible to get admitted to a school as a water polo player while you have never excelled at water polo and not understand that your parents are corrupting and defrauding others on your behalf.
65
@Giulia The kids knew, they are not completely stupid.
52
Wow. the kids in cages have nothing to complain about
13
The schools were certainly participants in these cases. Will the parents be reimbursed for the hundreds of thousands they paid to the school? Are the schools guilty of breach of contract for not following through on their part of the agreement?
@bigpalooka You do know that the people at the schools have been caught and prosecuted. Also, I don't think a crooked or illegal contract can be breached.
2
Many years ago, my family arranged for me to receive a congressional appointment (among the limited number allowed from my state) to a military academy. This was something I did not want, and I grieved about the unfortunate appointment hopeful elsewhere in my state who lost the opportunity. Further, my family filled out all applications and somehow gained access to my SAT scores. And voila! I was accepted. I immediately declined, and I was accepted on my own merits at two reputable colleges.
The idea that a member of congress can be persuaded to arrange for an appointment at the expense of a truly hopeful resident, followed by family shenanigans in the application process, angered me to this day.
Needless to say, I remained estranged from my family and can sleep soundly at night - having earned a good career on my own efforts. P.S. I was proud of my EARNED SAT results.
388
@Peter Thanks for sharing it. My take away is that obviously these kids clearly knew - there is no way around not knowing it.
61
@Peter Bravo for knowing your strength and weaknesses and preferences at a young age and acting on them.
The irony is of course that you were, despite Congressional interference, so very qualified. Through your own logical thinking processes, you would have perhaps become the military/political leader our nation needs so desperately. Or perhaps you are, only in a different realm.
I do hope however that you, at some point, reconcile with your family. All the best to you.
63
@Peter
Time to get over your massive family trauma.
Who knows how much longer your parents will
live...
Time to forgive and forget.
30
Hey here's a thought, let's take a look at the lives of those kids who were not allowed into these institutions because their place was used for these kids who's parents cheated to get them in. Although it can be traumatic to see someone's parent arrested, this happens frequently to over two million other people being held in our justice system today. To think that these children were oblivious to the actions of their parents is somewhat of a stretch, as they either worked hard and studied for their scores are they didn't.
27
Are we supposed to feel sorry for any of these people? They consciously lied. The students must have known, especially the ones who were admitted based on sports they didn't play.
The unfortunate thing is, these people will do the small amount of time required and continue with their wealthy lives. The kids won't be penalized because their wealthy parents can use their connections to help them succeed.
Can you imagine if you or I were charged with money laundering or any of the other charges? They would throw the book at us...our lives would truly be ruined. These people deserve every bit of suffering they brought on themselves.
40
@M.E.
"The students must have known, especially the ones who were admitted based on sports they didn't play."
It is not necessary that all students knew, and it is very possible that many didn't know. Why would their parents tell them anyway? That would increase the risk of it becoming public and it would make the parents look bad. If a parent paid to get an SAT exam corrected after it was submitted (one of the ways cheating was done), the student would not know.
2
I feel zero sympathy for any of these "victims". My sympathies are reserved for the children of the poor, many of whom have no doors held open to them, except prison doors.
41
Why should I care about these kids? They'll be fine.
27
@Jaleh
No is asking you to care (same goes for most other articles), and they will be probably be fine. That is, if they can get away from the bad press (all it takes is to Google their name when they apply for a job) and the bad memories/stress of being kicked out of college/high school.
People are curious about what the outcome was for students who got unfair admission. The article is mentioning how many of them suffered even if the students were not aware and did nothing wrong.
Please.
Didn't know? Unaware?
Panic attacks now?
Hey, get in line with everyone else.
37
Beach volleyball recruit, really? I thought water polo was absurd, but what will be next, Pickleball??
Zero sympathy for these kids. Panic attacks? Over what, that their parents have been captured by ICE or that mom died of an opioid overdose, or are they triggered by the growing awareness that, wait, Oh &h!t, I may have to actually work for something - earn it, eww, how awful.
Community college or the LPHS might teach them a lesson in humility and might force them to reckon with the "debilitating" level of privilege from which they "suffer."
Trump will likely have the sentences thrown out anyway.
38
@anna
What is wrong with Pickleball? I was hoping to use my Pickleball skills to enhance my request to attend classes at a local university. At 70, I need all the help I can get.
8
Imagine a news story detailing the woes of a poor family after a parent is jailed. In America, white crime pays.
31
"It kind of takes the value away of the work I did to get there in the first place,” he said."
Exactly. This is what thousands of kids whose parents didn't try to game the system feel.
38
@Tim
Your comment is the most insightful message on this whole debacle. Well said.
2
I have often had a hard time drawing a hard line for myself and others between culpability of parenting and individual responsibility. At what age does the lessons you are taught explicitly and implicitly over your life become your responsibility to change? And what if you are never given the tools to recognize and enact that change? It is likely true that these kids won't face any consequences that meaningfully impact their lives because of their wealth. I still pity them for having parents with a moral deficit. I still pity them for not being given the tools to stand on their accomplishments. I pity the rest of the world that children of affluence aren't taught better how to leverage their privilege.
9
As they should be. I'm hard pressed to believe anyone wouldn't be aware of a grossly fabricated resume or a "photo" of a sports team of which they were not a member, all of which was done for their benefit.
25
At least some of the parents were humble and apologized to try and act remorseful. Lori Laughlin doesn’t seem to accept the blame at all. Now she is trying to postpone her trial and stop her kids from testifying against her. Sad group of people. I don’t feel sorry for any of them. Cheating is cheating.
19
@Anitakey,
Yup. I can see how a kid might not be aware that her SAT score was manipulated (if she hadn’t first got the real results) but to gain admission to a competitive sport you don’t play? Or only dabble in? Please. “Hey Mom, USC wants me to play crew. Is that the one where they, like, sit in row boats?” Shhh ......
3
There is no rationalization excusing what the parents did. But, I want to send a vote of support to the families where the parent(s) pleaded guilty, and served their sentence.
For the parents who pleaded not guilty, I only have feelings of contempt. They are entitled, wealthy, status obsessed parents who won’t admit when they are caught, only to try to cover it up with high priced lawyers. For them, I have a feeling the judges, or juries, will be merciless.
12
The blessing for any student kicked out of a prestigious university and now enrolled in a community college will be the priceless opportunity of succeeding by their own efforts. Good luck.
13
Illegal behaviors have consequences? Who knew?
It's better that these kids, innocent or not learn these lessons from their parents' mistakes when they are young, deal with the fall out as a family then become better human beings than their parents versus being sheltered from it and learn nothing or worst, do the same thing when they are older.
That's life! Live and learn.
9
A more appropriate punishment for the parents would be paying for the complete education costs of an actual scholar. Jail time just increases the cost to the rest of us.
32
A fitting show of remorse for these wealthy, entitled parents would be to pay off the college debt for some students who truly deserved their education at the institutions which accepted them.
20
Is someone taking a good hard look at the COLLEGES and UNIVERSITIES that also aided and abetted these bribes? I someone feel these cases were just the tip of the iceburg.
17
I know, leave these kids alone. They are kids. Have some common decency.
3
To the parents and children who were aware of the bribery, fake photos, lies and cheating..
Was it worth it?
I would bet that some would say no, it was not, only because they were exposed.
Others are probably grateful that their participation in still uncovered schemes has not (yet) been revealed.
Ivy or bust is not a good message to give your kids.
9
They will go on to be great members of the army of minions who lie and support our corporate overlords. Lying and dishonesty are the keys to success in the US.
3
It's interesting that no one has noticed the parallel between these kids and the kids known as "dreamers," both of whom are the subjects of illegal actions taken by their parents. The left appears to have diametrically opposed views of these two groups.
When you never rowed, but you get Crew scholarship - she or he clearly knew. When you don't go to the SAT test, but got scores - they clearly knew. When you are White but checked African American on the application - they clearly knew. Many of these kids have actively and willingly participated.
31
No one has sympathy for them.
10
"The older daughter, who had been conditionally accepted to U.S.C. as an athlete, had that acceptance rescinded and was barred from applying again, the lawyers said. She is now enrolled in a community college, the lawyers said, while Ms. Janavs’s younger daughter has enrolled in a public high school."
Probably the best thing to happen to these two girls. Chances are they not only be better people for joining the real world but they may really like it.
301
@NKM Orange County has some fine community colleges, where freshmen and sophomores can develop great college skills and grades before transferring to a four-year. Being saved from the vapid atmosphere of USC was probably a blessing in disguise.
39
@NKM Too bad, the spoiled, privileged kids have to join the rest of us in lowly "public high school" and, yuck, a "community college". These are all sick people and these "elite" colleges are worse.
17
In a way I feel sorry for the kids but honestly, if the parents were rich enough to buy their child's admissions, their child has probably went through a tremendous amount of privilege. I bet that they will survive and can only hope they become BETTER adults than their parents because of that trauma. They need to learn that you can't just buy your way through life.
15
Whom among us think that the colleges involved had no idea that parents were buying their children's enrollment? It's okay if a parent donates a building to the college of their choice, right? College's welcome the donations with open arms. Cheating has been going on for a very long time with the college's approval and cash rich pocket book.
Yes, parents should be held accountable, but so should the colleges. The only way to stop the crime is to hold the college's feet to the fire for the crimes committed.
As far as the children go, I do believe they had knowledge of what their parents were doing to secure their place in enrollment. However, I don't feel any need to punish the children for their parent's actions. Children are children regardless of their financial status.
21
This is a tremendously difficult situation for the children in this. Even if they were aware of what was going on, they are/were children that are dealing with the actions of their parents. That being said, I can't remember the last time I read an article in the NYT, or for that matter nearly any other news outlet, about the panic attacks of the children of parents who are arrested for other crimes. Particularly those children who come from poor families. I am pretty sure those kids have panic attacks, and deal with all types of social issues. At the very least these families have safety nets for these children to fall back on. At the end of the day, even after their parents do jail time, they still will be wealthy with a greater chance of success than most.
84
There have been several NY Times articles about the traumatic effects of deportations on the children of undocumented immigrants both those caught at the border and parents seized in ICE raids. I think in this case because the crimes were committed on behalf of the children the effects on the children are a legitimate subject.
3
There is a simple axiom to remember in all of this, that is, it doesn't matter where you go to school. If one goes to the State College in you home State, or the rich private school in your home State. What matters is how you apply yourself. If you go to a State College and really apply yourself, you can receive an outstanding education. If you go to the rich private University, and party all the time, well you have just wasted four years and a lot of money. Being committed and applying yourself is the key to success in secondary education.
45
@DPK you are right and wrong. Doing well in a top tier school and doing well a state college is not the same. NOT AT ALL. While commitment and application are all thats needed for success –for some, consider the opportunities that are in inherited with going to an ivy league, along with the social collateral that comes with.
10
@DPK
Yeah, but it really helps your career prospects to have a degree from Harvard then say the University of Toledo.
12
You’re half right. Being committed is critical and you can succeed coming from State U but being committed AND graduating from Chicago or Yale does give you, at a minimum, a bigger head start. Notice any Supreme Court justices from Liberty Law (even with a Republican senate) for example? Just saying.
9
I find it hard to believe the kids didn't know, even in the more passive cases. If your SAT or ACT score jumps dramatically and you haven't studied like a demon or you're an average student, what would you think was the reason?
81
Most of these kids would have studied at least a little bit. And I think it would be pretty unusual for them to have jumped to the conclusion that their parents bribed someone to get the scores higher.
1
@Lifelong Reader Or how about if you've never been an athlete and suddenly you're on the rowing or volleyball team?
10
@C
I didn't include that group of students because a number of them posed with equipment; that was active participation.
8
I think the public has a hard time believing that at least some of these kids didn't know what their parents were up to. It's sad that they are punished for the actions of their parents, but it's a little hard to feel pity for kids that have the resources and ability to bounce back pretty well. My guess is that none of these kids will be permanently harmed by this. They'll go on to get into other colleges and pursue careers and still have bright futures. Not going to Yale or Stanford isn't the worst thing that anyone's ever had to face.
414
@Ms. Pea You are darn right they knew.
16
Although these kids seemed to have every advantage based on their wealth, criminally dishonest parents turns out to be a disadvantage. Welcome to reality, kids. All of us face advantages and challenges in life based on our accidents of birth. I have a hard time mustering too much sympathy for this small number of overly-advantaged kids suddenly confronted with this reality, when millions of American kids don't have health insurance or enough to eat.
103
Everybody knows the fight was fixed
The poor stay poor, the rich get rich
That's how it goes
Everybody knows.
- Leonard Cohen
113
@Mark B
'Nostalgia, that's what we want...the good ol' days...
When we gave'em Hell
When the buck stopped somewhere and you could still buy something with it
To a time when movies were in black and white ...
And so was everything else'
~Gil Scott-Heron
9
Nothing here suggests the parents accept their own responsibility for the effect their actions have had on their children. Wonder what they see when they look in the mirror?
23
@ccMongoose A wealthy person to whom the rules do not apply. That "social media influencer" is even a thing shows how society has enabled these people, imo.
9
@ccMongoose I agree and am a little confused by the article. I found myself wondering if it was suggesting that the consequences were unfair. While I have sympathy, the actions require consequences. It's going to suck to face them, but what is the alternative? It is possible that some of these kids are 'innocent' but regardless, their suffering is caused by their parents' actions.
2
@ccMongoose I agree and am a little confused by the article. I found myself wondering if it was suggesting that the consequences were unfair. While I have sympathy, the actions require consequences. It's going to suck to face them, but what is the alternative? It is possible that some of these kids are 'innocent' but regardless, their suffering is caused by their parents' actions.
The entitlement is breathtaking.
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When will these parents stop using their children as a means to their ends?
They cheated on admissions metrics so they can brag about their kids getting into a great university. Now they use their children's anguish to gain sympathy.
Disgusting.
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I would like to read just one expression of remorse from any of these young people about stealing the University acceptance from someone who actually worked and deserved it, unwittingly or not.
No, instead they are having panic attacks at the realization that money cannot buy them everything they desire and seeing themselves as the victims.
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@Southlandish "[Jack Buckingham] sent a statement last March to The Hollywood Reporter, saying in part: 'I know there are millions of kids out there both wealthy and less fortunate who grind their ass off just to have a shot at the college of their dreams. I am upset that I was unknowingly involved in a large scheme that helps give kids who may not work as hard as others an advantage over those who truly deserve those spots.'"
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Rich people's problems that they brought upon themselves. In contrast are the Central American and Mexican children in American detention centers who have been forcibly separated from their parents or the Syrian children dying of hypothermia in refugee camps. It puts it in perspective.
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My kid earned her way into GW honors program in DC and graduated phi beta capa.
I raised both my kids to be gritty and resilient...my son is a Marine.
I find it extremely hard to believe the kids who benefited from their parents cheating were unaware. My daughter took the lead in applications, letters, tests to enroll in colleges. By that age most kids are acting like young adults and can largely apply to colleges on their own.
I feel these kids were all aware they were getting special help but when you grown up with obscene and unfettered privilege you might not even realize it’s wrong.
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If the children were unaware of their parents actions, I feel sorry for them. But you can't help but wonder if the prospective student is asked about their non-existent
volleyball career, how would they respond? With a "Huh?"
And as for the trauma of seeing their parents arrested, there is no one to blame but the parents.
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This scandal represents our society and its ills. The uber-wealthy create their own rules and operate in a world separate from the rest of us.
Their actions and their "rules," however, contradict the American Declaration of Independence: All are created equal.
Acts that undermine individual diligence to achieve success deserve prosecution. These acts prevent the best of America from rising to the top.
America is better than the bubble created by the uber-wealthy. For the good of our nation, it can not be allowed to fester and to infect.
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Incredibly rich kids have to pivot and get into alternative universities. Not their first picks. I just don’t how they or I will get over the life-changing devastation! Just think if they had to be thrust into the life of a low income kid struggling to get into a college at all.
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oh no they'll have to prove themselves and their abilities for real like everyone else
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I can't beyond thinking of Gretchen Wieners, whose father invented the Toaster Strudel, when I read how the Janavs family made their fortune.
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Thanks for this article. I’m writing an email to rescind my son’s application to Sage Hill school. Unethical, amoral, absolute trash.
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The mastermind of this scheme bragged that he had helped something like 800 kids get admitted. Where are all the other convictions?
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I am sorry for the innocent children who are suffering from the consequences of their parents' crimes. But most of these suffering children are poor, those whose parents' sins are related to their poverty. I cannot bring myself to have greater sorrow for the children of the rich college admission cheaters.
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"her older daughter would be admitted to U.S.C. as a recruit in women’s beach volleyball"
I think the bigger question here is why USC is giving away positions for beach volleyball.
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@alocksley
Beach volleyball is an Olympic sport so I don't see why not. I don't see why American universities give so much importance to sports but that's another conversation entirely.
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Hi NYTimes. It would be great to see articles (and follow-up articles) about the impact on the children of low profile criminals whose parents are dragged out of the house in handcuffs.
This article is truly the "low hanging fruit" of the news. Is this really FRONT PAGE news?
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It’s an admissions scandal involving universities in this country whose institutions are essentially kingmakers. The benefits of having had these schools as your place of higher education when you go out into the world is hard to overstate.
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@X Hadn't thought of that.
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Boo hoo
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“I know there are millions of kids out there both wealthy and less fortunate who grind their ass off just to have a shot at the college of their dreams. I am upset that I was unknowingly involved in a large scheme that helps give kids who may not work as hard as others an advantage over those who truly deserve those spots.”
If you were truly unaware, then I thank you, Jack Buckingham, for being one of the few adults in the room.
I feel bad for the student's whose parents corrupted their college careers without their consent of knowledge. For those students who cooperated with their parents' corruption of the higher-education admissions system, I don't feel bad at all. I do feel bad for those students who have panic attacks as they work diligently and honestly to get admitted into their dream college.
For the parents who did these deeds without their children's knowledge or consent, they should be prosecuted separately for child abuse!
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I sympathize with the children of these parents. Whether the children knew what their parents were doing or not, children, even teenagers, tend to acquiesce to their parents desires and, therefore, they are victims of their parents criminal acts.
However, as I was reading the stories of their traumas, which are real, the image of children being removed from their parents custody at the border came to mind. Their trauma is also real and long lasting and they will not have the benefit of a roof over their heads, good, healthy food to eat, or professional counseling to help them overcome their traumatic experiences. Even worse, the children caged at the border have no loving relative to soothe their fears and anxieties.
So, I am sorry these children of wealthy, over-zealous parents are going through a difficult time. But they will most likely rebound and will have the opportunity to live good, healthy, and productive lives. The children at the border have greater struggles ahead of them with few if any of the resources to overcome their trauma.
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@vasiliki My thoughts exactly.
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@vasiliki My thoughts, as well.
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The real story is how wealth replicates and enriches itself immorally throughout society, whether explicitly through illegal actions or through actions that should be illegal. This is all a sideshow, Jared Kushner's father donated over a million dollars to Harvard, Jared the nullity went to Harvard, "legally". The US needs to properly tax wealth and these stories will become a curious and cautionary historical lesson, an exemplar of the corruption of democracy when a capitalist free fire zone is accepted as the norm.
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@Rickibobbi -- Donald Trump has donated over $1.4 million to Penn, and guess what? Three of his children have gone there. But, donations aren't considered bribes. If these parents had just done it the old fashioned way and donated their hundreds of thousands their kids would have gotten in, no problem.
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Too bad, so sad....elephant tears it is....
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Special kids, like those that have their positions bought for them by their families, deserve special treatment. There is a bridge in Brooklyn I'd like to sell you, if you believe these kids were not complicit. They knew or should have known.
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They deserve what they are getting. The rich cheat. Go on, have a few panic attacks while you consider the shocking notion that actions have consequences. That's justice.
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Bad parenting is detrimental to the kids. What’s unusual about that? At least these kids have a nice place to live while they navigate the consequences.
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Poor little rich kids...Macy describes the experience of his daughter’s rejected invitation to Juilliard as “devastating.” I’m sure it was but she hasn’t a clue...her daddy needs to “buy” her some anti-devastating medicine.
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Not one spec of sympathy. Did these kids not know that they were not good at or did not play volleyball or whatever sport got them in? They had free, incredibly easy rides their whole lives. They did not NEED these college educations. They were set. And they could have, if they were interested in higher education, gone to a school they were qualified for. Instead, they took spots away from others whose parents could not use their $$ to get them in. Crocodile tears.
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Not sure why the Universities not cancelled their admission and ask them to re-apply with genuine resume and transcripts.
It seems that the Universities themselves like such people and the money (and other influence) such candidates bring with them.
Role of parental wealth and connections ("networking") is a very well documented reality in US higher education for last many decades now. It actually started around early 1980s with Reagan as our President. That's the same time when quality of American higher education & research started its steady decline. It coincides with rise of finance and management in corporate America with a far worse consequences. More "talented" students got interested in wealth management than wealth creation.
Gradually higher education became a very lucrative industry, now worthing about $2.1 trillion. Quality of output and working condition in most of them is simply pathetic, particularly in academic research. Very poor quality and desperate students, mainly from corrupt and rich families from developing countries are flocking into the US to provide cheap labor force for the faculties to exploit and then Univ to recruit.
6
I struggle, as I am sure many others do, to feel much sympathy. Many children in the Latino and Black communities have seen their fathers in handcuffs. Does the NYT reporter worry about their panic attacks? Few children I know are devastated that they can no longer ape a hyper-consumerist life on YouTube while pretending to attend USC. Their concerns are others
My nephews played football like it was a job since they were seven, had panic attacks if they got an A minus on a test, and worked their summers and breaks to afford SAT prep classes. They worked hard and did well at USC, only to graduate under crushing debt and none of the financial opportunities these children will have thanks to their rich parents —even if these kids end up at second tier private colleges or can’t attend graduation at their posh private prep school.
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Empathy is not a limited commodity.
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@R Rhett, I also think of the children in public school who watch some of their own classmates being marched out of the classroom by a uniformed 'school resource officer' or handcuffed for minor offenses. Just recently 2 six year old children were put in handcuffs (zip ties) and arrested for throwing a temper tantrum at school.
While I feel badly for the children of those caught up in this admission scandal, I really ache for the kids who are caught up in the nonsense of being arrested for basically nothing. Maybe these privileged kids should be made to read about and talk to them about their trauma
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@A New Yorker I think @R Rhett ‘s critique of the NYT reporting choices is justified. We regularly read news stories that sensationalize the loss of white lives, particularly young white women, while ignoring the persistent violent loss of the lives of young people of color. This continuing story is just another example of the ways in which the media treat some struggles as more worthy of examination than others. The story we all need to hear more of is why we are a society that no longer rewards those who play by the rules. These privileged parents are not outliers. We live in a country that celebrates getting ahead by any means. Witness our current President, for example. Sixty-five million people signed on to his divisive, win by any means program.
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So now that rich children’s parents are being arrested we’re supposed to be concerned about the long-term effects of the arrests on the children?
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@Shorty such a good point! Let's see an article about the trauma suffered by poor children when their parents are arrested and jailed for minor non-violent drug offenses that the rich get away with. Those children do not have the financial or societal resources to buy their way to better mental health.
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@Shorty It's like a Dave Chapelle sketch that came to life.
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Cheaters never prosper.
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@Becky Wilkes Would that your words were true. Unfortunately, look at our Cheater in Chief.
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@Becky Wilkes
Would that it were true...
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@Becky Wilkes Yep. Every once in a while, someone gets caught. The rest prosper.
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I don’t think the origin of the scandal is parenting; it all ego driven, the status game and the arrogance of the rich. No pity for them at all.
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The comments from these families portray that they are stunned that they are having to face consequences for their actions.
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I have a hard time believing that none of the kids involved in these schemes had any idea what was being done on their behalf. Some posed for pictures, and many/most/all had to be aware of what was involved with SATs and the application process, if not directly then through friends going through the college entrance process.
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@Jimal How can anyone claim to not know they applied as an athletic recruit? Apparently none of them wrote their own applications. Apparently none of them even read their own applications!
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@jbi But they must have all signed their own applications, as that is a requirement for a completed application. Which surely must make them complicit in the fraud.
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@Jimal
I recall reading that one of the students who was interviewed at USC told them that there was a mistake since he didn't play that sport... and the conspirators freaked out.. afraid he would unwittingly reveal the scheme.
So definitely not all of the kids knew.. but some did.
6
I find it hard to muster a lot of sympathy for some of these these kids and families. I truly do.
I noticed the one mom said her daughter retook the SAT and is a "great college". You would think she would want to be able to say "a college where she is happy" or "a college where she is thriving". But no..."great'....meaning there is still only certain colleges that are acceptable.
In the end, I don't think this is causing any changes in college admissions process....which remains inequitable and broken.
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Rich people compete amongst themselves...it’s not a matter of their children being “ happy.” When you have enough to buy anything that makes you happy you need to raise the bar to the next level and that is to have more or bigger than the next guy.
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Tough consequences for those young people to endure. Other young people, who actually qualified for the scholarships and met the competitive admission standards to the colleges and universities, lost their opportunity to attend because of this scandal.
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I would like to know what the colleges involved in the scandal are doing, if anything, to help those students who were NEXT in line behind those whose parents cheated to get them in. Don't those students who didn't cheat deserve a chance to attend the elite schools where money and cheating overshadowed true talent?
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Unfortunately children often pay for the sins of their parents--and these are some very unsympathetic parents.
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@Olive H: High school children who wan to go to college know very well what their admission chances are. These children knew that they parents were using bribery and cheating to get them into those colleges. They grew up in that kind of environment and see themselves as victims of the colleges and not as victims of their parents. They grew up with an enormous sense of being elites and entitled to whatever they wanted.
5
All of these kids were used to a life of privilege from their parents money and for them this was their regular life. They should have been prosecuted and jailed for FRAUD just like the parents. All disgraceful and depriving hard working students of opportunities.
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Maybe the exact same privilege that enabled these parents to buy their children's admissions to college will get them pardons. The American legal system is being twisted to assist those who believe the laws don't apply to them.
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That’s because the laws don’t apply to them.
11
How can the school be held responsible for their role in this scandal? Should their admissions be so laxed in regard to possible abuses?
7
I find it hard to believe that none of these kids knew nothing of the parents actions. These kids had to know that they were not qualified for the colleges they were applying to.
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@Steve I have a feeling that being rich was the only qualification they believe mattered.
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Thats o.k. These kids were / are being raised to be exactly like the parents. No loss here.
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"She also has acknowledged agreeing to pay $200,000 so that her older daughter would be admitted to U.S.C. as a recruit in women’s beach volleyball, a sport she did not play competitively."
On the other end of the spectrum, my Hispanic neighbor's high-performing daughter is desperately trying to figure out how she can pay her own way through college without taking on crippling debt.
MAGA!
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@Miss Anne Thrope Make sure your neighbor's daughter knows that many of the best colleges have need-blind admissions--if she gets in and applies for financial aid on time, she'll be able to go with minimal debt or no debt.
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@Boggle So you can get into USC by being an "athlete in beach volleyball"? What on earth does beach volleyball have to do with ANY college education? Oh, silly me, THAT's why the cost of the education is so exorbitant. No wonder the ability to read, write, do math, and learn scientific and critical thinking have been dropped from standard evaluations of college level educations.
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I love your name. Molierish.
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I rarely quote the bible but seems the line about sins of the fathers, etc is applicable. And you can’t tell me these kids were clueless! Had they been so entitled in their lives that they truly had no idea of the many privileges from which they benefitted?
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Parents need to understand there are consequences when you do these things to your children—consequences to your children. It’s terrible the children have to suffer—but what they are suffering from is the consequences of bad parenting. I see this all the time as a college professor. Bad parenting, especially through criminal overinvolvement like this and less criminal snowplow parenting, is hurting children, the next generation. But there are other kinds too—neglect, abuse, parents own neediness (on the rise from what I see). I wish there was a way to promote good and good enough parenting in this country. Our children desperately need it.
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The rich cheat. It's the American way.
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Why we tolerate it is what I find so unexplainable.
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@flyfysher That's it in a nutshell. Then, on the off chance they get caught, they're all BOO HOO feel sorry for me!
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Well, the American way is that everyone cheats except for a tiny minority (aka losers). PaulN (a member of the latter tribe)
3
Wow, talk about the sins of the fathers (and mothers)...
Are we really going to punish and shame these children, especially if they didn't know what mom and dad were up to? I would hope we are better than this.
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@MomT
The kid who doesn't know how to row knows he doesn't know how to row.
The kid who knows she's not cutting the mustard on her SAT/ACT's knows they're not cutting the mustard.
Zero sympathy.
Finally, the cheaters, students included, got caught.
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@MomT: There is no college bound 18 year old, who , by the way, are legal adults who doesn't know it their parents have bought, cheated a or bribed their way into a college. hey are not victims but co-conspirators.
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@MomT So how do you think it played out? Hey daughter, why don't you pretend you are a rower and I'll take pictures of you? Oh and don't look at your college application, I'll fill it out (and lie).
Or....Mom I know I bombed the PSAT and I didn't work hard on the SAT and only got 1100 on practice but I just scored a 1520!
Yeah no sympathy.
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Just don’t handcuff children.
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@rp True. This happens all the time in less privileged communities—but that doesn’t make it any better. Not handcuffing children is a good baseline to start from.
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@rp
It's probably a safety precaution. They don't know the offspring -- these were teenagers, not little kids -- will react. They might try to destroy evidence or worse, try to harm the officers executing the warrants.
As someone else wrote, it happens in poorer communities.
Just don't cheat.
9
Yup, this is what happens when you are a wayward parent: your children suffer. I think we are supposed to know that. I recommend family therapy.
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Outrageous and preening prosecutorial overreach, twisting federal statute to provide criminal sentencing for what are minor white collar infractions.
Embarrass and humiliate them? Sure. Force them to pay huge restitution? Of course. But jail time? Give me a break.
There will be a massive, and largely invisible, backlash to this insanity.
5
@Skinny J What backlash? If anything these arrests may be the FBI's most popular actions in years
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@Skinny J Perhaps this will be a life lesson for these entitled offspring. Maybe they will attempt to use their advantages for something beneficial to others instead of narcissistic, spoiled child YouTube bits.
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@Skinny J Many of these parents have committed Wire Fraud. A serious federal crime. Yes, jail time is appropriate.
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