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FBI accuses wealthy parents in college-entrance bribery scheme

washingtonpost.com

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Re: FBI accuses wealthy parents in college-entrance bribery scheme

#261

Post by jka »

Balgair wrote: post #171

Oh dear God. Reading into the indictments, it seems that a lot of the kids never had a clue that they were complicit in the schemes: >... and it was like, the kids though, and it was funny 'cause the kids will call me and say, "Maybe I should do that again. I did pretty well and if I took it again, I'll do better even" Right? And they just have no idea that they didn't even get the score that they thought they got. C…

Makes you wonder how those kids managed in these top-tier schools - just fine, most likely, even if completely unaware.

And then you wonder if the people behind these fraudulent entrance schemes might have considered it worthwhile to leverage their position further by holding it over the parents/students in future.

Would they stoop so low?

[edit: s/Ivy-league/top-tier]

Re: FBI accuses wealthy parents in college-entrance bribery scheme

#262

Post by usujdjuf »

bonestamp2 wrote: post #251
austincheney wrote: post #234

Earlier quoted context omitted.

No empathy. The entire system is pay to play for the social connections. If they were actually interested in education the scenario would have been completely different. I saw similar fabrications growing up as I attended one of the wealthiest high schools in the country. The top 10 of my graduating class got complete scholarships the most expensive schools in the country and the parents were willing to do anything t…

> If they were actually interested in education the scenario would have been completely different. Seriously, I was staying at the Trump hotel in Chicago (before Trump ran for president -- before I ever gave much thought about Donald Trump). Anyway, there was a looping video on the TV and she was inviting guests to stay at any one of their other Trump hotels around "North America and Canada." It was at that moment I…

As opposed to South America?

You are dumb as rocks.

Re: FBI accuses wealthy parents in college-entrance bribery scheme

#263

Post by sizzle »

oh_sigh wrote: post #259
Balgair wrote: post #171

Oh dear God. Reading into the indictments, it seems that a lot of the kids never had a clue that they were complicit in the schemes: >... and it was like, the kids though, and it was funny 'cause the kids will call me and say, "Maybe I should do that again. I did pretty well and if I took it again, I'll do better even" Right? And they just have no idea that they didn't even get the score that they thought they got. C…

Wouldn't some of the kids had to have been on it? They posed for picture of sports they didn't even play, and must have referenced it on their application

Great point, would love an answer to this...

Re: FBI accuses wealthy parents in college-entrance bribery scheme

#264

Post by alasdair_ »

bonestamp2 wrote: post #251
austincheney wrote: post #234

Earlier quoted context omitted.

No empathy. The entire system is pay to play for the social connections. If they were actually interested in education the scenario would have been completely different. I saw similar fabrications growing up as I attended one of the wealthiest high schools in the country. The top 10 of my graduating class got complete scholarships the most expensive schools in the country and the parents were willing to do anything t…

> If they were actually interested in education the scenario would have been completely different. Seriously, I was staying at the Trump hotel in Chicago (before Trump ran for president -- before I ever gave much thought about Donald Trump). Anyway, there was a looping video on the TV and she was inviting guests to stay at any one of their other Trump hotels around "North America and Canada." It was at that moment I…

>Seriously, I was staying at the Trump hotel in Chicago (before Trump ran for president -- before I ever gave much thought about Donald Trump). Anyway, there was a looping video on the TV and she was inviting guests to stay at any one of their other Trump hotels around "North America and Canada." It was at that moment I realized that she thought North America was some kind of Northern area of America. I no longer wonder how she got into Wharton.

Who is "she"?

Re: FBI accuses wealthy parents in college-entrance bribery scheme

#265

Post by alasdair_ »

bachmeier wrote: post #232
logfromblammo wrote: post #132

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I never quite understood why people donate to colleges in such a way that it is the legal entity of the university that benefits. They provide a service, and they charge money for it. The university operates as a business. I don't donate to Wal-Mart, so why would I donate to University X? Why wouldn't you instead endow a scholarship for students of your favorite college? Instead of giving cash to Wal-Mart, buy prepai…

> Why wouldn't you instead endow a scholarship for students of your favorite college? Many people do. They also give money to improve football facilities, bring speakers to campus, and endow a chaired professor position. > I don't donate to Wal-Mart, so why would I donate to University X? Because a university is a nonprofit that exists only for the purpose of improving the world. (Not necessarily the employees, who w…

>Because a university is a nonprofit that exists only for the purpose of improving the world. (Not necessarily the employees, who work there as a job, but it's why universities exist.)

For something like fifteen years of my life I owed well over a hundred thousand dollars of non-bankruptable debt because of the fees this "non-profit" charged.

A "non-profit" university exists for many, many reasons. Giving the dean a million dollar salary is one of those reasons. Student education is likely third or fourth on the list.

Re: FBI accuses wealthy parents in college-entrance bribery scheme

#266

Post by winningcontinue »

MBCook wrote: post #34

A tweet from Yashar Ali: US Attorney re the Huffman/Loughlin (among others) college scam: "We're not talking about donating a building...we're talking about fraud." https://twitter.com/yashar/status/1105493852578697217 Says quite a lot, doesn’t it.

yup, most striking sentence to me as well. If you donate an entire building, it's fine and legal. Smaller payments in the form of money, is fraud.

Re: FBI accuses wealthy parents in college-entrance bribery scheme

#267

Post by hurr_durr »

bsanr wrote: post #237
Balgair wrote: post #171

Oh dear God. Reading into the indictments, it seems that a lot of the kids never had a clue that they were complicit in the schemes: >... and it was like, the kids though, and it was funny 'cause the kids will call me and say, "Maybe I should do that again. I did pretty well and if I took it again, I'll do better even" Right? And they just have no idea that they didn't even get the score that they thought they got. C…

>One day you are a USC/Harvard/Stanford grad. The next day you are a fraud. And not only that, you are revealed to the entire world to be dumb as a box of rocks, just totally naked and shamed. And you had no clue. Your closest family members spent tens of thousands of dollars fooling you, committing very serious crimes on your behalf, and all the while, lying to you about your intelligence and work ethic. It's not re…

Apparently making a comment like this gets downvotes...this site is like a poor man's reddit.

Also, totally agree.

Re: FBI accuses wealthy parents in college-entrance bribery scheme

#268

Post by [deleted] »

alasdair_ wrote: post #264
bonestamp2 wrote: post #251

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> If they were actually interested in education the scenario would have been completely different. Seriously, I was staying at the Trump hotel in Chicago (before Trump ran for president -- before I ever gave much thought about Donald Trump). Anyway, there was a looping video on the TV and she was inviting guests to stay at any one of their other Trump hotels around "North America and Canada." It was at that moment I…

>Seriously, I was staying at the Trump hotel in Chicago (before Trump ran for president -- before I ever gave much thought about Donald Trump). Anyway, there was a looping video on the TV and she was inviting guests to stay at any one of their other Trump hotels around "North America and Canada." It was at that moment I realized that she thought North America was some kind of Northern area of America. I no longer won…

[deleted]

Re: FBI accuses wealthy parents in college-entrance bribery scheme

#269

Post by lwhsiao »

smallgovt wrote: post #195
Balgair wrote: post #175

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Like, they tried so hard on your behalf. They spent so much money on you. They really did it out of the goodness of their hearts and in love of their child, in their own twisted way. And now? I mean, it all blew up in their faces. All their best intentions made everything just so much more horrible for their children. They'll never wash this off. My lord, not even Aristophanes himself could write a tragedy on this sc…

>> They'll never wash this off. I wouldn't go that far. If I ever interacted with these unaware children, I would go out of my way to not hold it against them. They did nothing wrong.

I think the "They'll" was referring to the parents.

Re: FBI accuses wealthy parents in college-entrance bribery scheme

#270

Post by edoo »

alasdair_ wrote: post #265
bachmeier wrote: post #232

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Why wouldn't you instead endow a scholarship for students of your favorite college? Many people do. They also give money to improve football facilities, bring speakers to campus, and endow a chaired professor position. > I don't donate to Wal-Mart, so why would I donate to University X? Because a university is a nonprofit that exists only for the purpose of improving the world. (Not necessarily the employees, who w…

>Because a university is a nonprofit that exists only for the purpose of improving the world. (Not necessarily the employees, who work there as a job, but it's why universities exist.) For something like fifteen years of my life I owed well over a hundred thousand dollars of non-bankruptable debt because of the fees this "non-profit" charged. A "non-profit" university exists for many, many reasons. Giving the dean a…

"Non-profit" is literally no more than a corporate tax status. That actual charitable causes happen to be non-profit is a coincidence.
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