Feds uncover admissions test cheating plot

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/feds-uncover-massive-college-entrance-exam-cheating-plot-n982136

Looks like some kids are about to get rescinded…

12 indictments including some college coaches. Schools named as targets of the cheaters include Georgetown University, Stanford University, UCLA, the University of San Diego, USC, University of Texas, Wake Forest, and Yale.

This looks like it might not be your run-of-the-mill SAT cheating ring: http://abcnews.go.com/US/actresses-ceos-arrested-nationwide-college-admissions-cheating-scam/story?id=61627873

D’oh! I am hoping for karma to be thorough.

sounds like bribes from celebrities/ceos to get their kids in?

Can’t wait to learn the details. The alleged perps could have endowed a faculty spot, paid for a building and/or naming rights and been totally legal.

Yeah, it seems odd. If you’ve got $6 million for a bribe, why not push admission through the old fashioned way via development?

It says in most cases the students didn’t know their admissions were based on bribes. I feel bad for those kids.

I hope this event helps keep admissions policies under the microscope and hopefully results in a bit more transparency.

^ I wouldn’t be so sure about that just yet. We’ll see. Not a lot of details in either article.

WaPo - https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/fbi-accuses-wealthy-parents-including-celebrities-in-college-entrance-bribery-scheme/2019/03/12/d91c9942-44d1-11e9-8aab-95b8d80a1e4f_story.html?utm_term=.a92ab4a4a2e3

Did the indictment really state: “University of Southern California–Los Angeles” ?

Much more info in that link. Thanks. There is no way at least some these kids couldn’t have known. A smarter kid is taking the entrance exam FOR you? Come on!

I am aware of instances involving one of the named schools seeking large donations in return for admissions. I believe that it was done in a legal but unethical fashion. These instances occurred before the time period covered by this indictment, but not by much. Usually, I share just that School X likes money if an occasion involves discussion of that particular school. Also a frequent practice at one Ivy not named in the indictment, but for a very low amount of money. (That scheme was publicly revealed about 8 years ago, admitted & deemed neither to be illegal or, in the university’s opinion, unethical.)

Right, the kids whose tests were taken by someone else or who were recruited for sports they didn’t play had to have known. Felicity Huffman’s daughter didn’t necessarily know her mom bribed someone to change her score/answers (I forget which the last article said). It depends on the fraudulent activity whether the student may have known. The ABC article said most of the kids didn’t know.

I am still trying to process a kid taking the SAT and a “3rd party” changing answers after the fact.

When I was in high school, everyone took the SAT at their own high school, so it would have been basically impossible to have an impostor take the exam for you. Now, you can take the SAT or ACT in a different state if you want. I have long suspected that this type of cheating goes on every year. How how hard can it be to come up with a fake HS ID? I also suspect that there are wealthy parents out there who hire people to expertly craft their children’s essays and supplements.

I am curious about which coaches are being charged. Not many details so far.

And at $15K, some might feel it’s a bargain to get their child into an elite university.

One of the earlier cited articles suggests involvement from a very famous sports academy in Bradenton, Florida.