“A look at what the federal government has alleged and why the indictment raises questions about the extreme advantage athletes receive in getting in to academically elite colleges.” …
This probably belongs on the Penn board, but if you’re looking for an amusing example of the power of the athletic recruiting hook at elite colleges, here you go: https://www.insidehighered.com/admissions/article/2018/07/23/indictment-charges-coach-was-bribed-get-applicant-penn
A father apparently bribed a Penn basketball coach to put his son on the recruit list, knowing that would make the son a “slam dunk” (sorry) to be admitted.
Interesting article. Apparently the father needs instruction on how to properly bribe a university–through the development office, not an athletic coach.
^^ I agree. What the revealed data disprove is that legacies are so strong that they would have gotten without a special preference. They may be wonderful but they’re not 5 times more wonderful. Until the legacy preference is abolished all legacies must wear a scarlet, er, crimson L.
Of course, as @DeepBlue86 suggests, they can choose to wear it with pride.
The indignant response here is amusing.
It’s OK to build a stadium, endow a chair, fund a building drive. Is the offense here that his place was bought for so little, only $74K and only to the coach, not the university as a whole?
^I thought it was brilliant of the father to figure out the $74k golden ticket through the assistant/recruiting coach vs the million $+ university route, lol.
The whole legacy issue is a difficult one and most people’s opinion may very well depend on their personal situation (kid gets in or not, legacy or not). I remember when my brother was rejected from Yale, I was pretty incensed. He had comparable stat’s and was a student leader in a way that I was not (President of his class and a couple of other student organizations). At the time, I felt there were certainly many legacy classmates that were not as well qualified as my classmates who were unhooked. Indeed, during that period (late 70’s to early 80’s), legacies made up 20-25% of each class. It is down to 12% today.
When it was time for my kids to apply, we were not going to not make use of the advantage. I am also not going to apologize for the fact that they grew up in a stable loving family that valued education and that we had the means through my wife’s and my hard work to afford educational enriching trips, test prep, sports teams, etc… One reason why so many of us work hard and sacrifice is to provide a better life and more opportunities for our kids. As for my kids, they worked their butts off academically and athletically. Both were well qualified, but only 1 got in. I have many classmates/friends whose kids did not get in with amazing qualifications. Who knows the strengths of their LoR’s or essays, but these were kids that were 2200+ SAT’s and top 5% of their classes in competitive HS’s. If someone can prove that legacies who got in as a whole are less qualified academically than the rest of the student body, I would agree that that is a problem – in fact my understanding (at least from Yale’s AO) is that legacy admits are actually slightly stronger in academic stat’s. If what is happening is that their status is what helps them over the top against comparable applicants, then I don’t see that as a problem as the university is trying to account for a legitimate interest in keeping alums engaged and supportive. Also as times goes on, the legacy advantage does not also act as an advantage for white students as minority students have been steadily gaining admissions share. Twelve to 14% legacy admits, as long as they are equally qualified, doesn’t strike me as being excessive.
Yes, but only as long as you don’t get caught.
It turns out that neither the college nor the government likes it when papal indulgences are sold at a 95% discount.
For several years it cost $10,000 & an ED app to be admitted to Penn for those who attended a summer program for high school students at the school. This made headlines about 5 years ago, the school was aware & said the practice of hiring an educational consulting firm made up of Penn Wharton MBA administrators was okay. They got clients by speaking to summer school attendees at the end of each session.
I often smile when posters state in an authoritative fashion that attending a school’s summer program for rising high school seniors does not help with admissions. Maybe things have changed in the last few years, but ….
The students were probably qualified, but even well qualified students get denied admission to Penn.
In our experience, summer programs were a chance to experience a school & a chance for the school to get to know the student.
- Jerome Allen wasn't an assistant coach when this happened, he was the head coach. He is also, or was, pretty much Mr. Penn Basketball -- probably the best player ever to have played at Penn, taking into account skill changes over time. He made it to the NBA (if not for so long) and had a successful professional career in strong European leagues. He was not so successful a head coach -- for one, his recruiting was not first rate -- but he was still pretty beloved around Penn. And he's not without skills. Working as an assistant coach for one of the top teams in the NBA isn't something to sneer at.
- I, too, was struck by what a bargain the guy got. $74,000? That's not a 95% discount. It's probably more like a 98% discount to what it would cost to buy your way in to Penn for a qualified but not academic superstar legacy.
- Reading carefully, I'm not so certain that Allen pocketed any of this money personally. Or much of it. The $74,000 includes "a recruiting trip to Florida" and private jet rides in two years, as well as cash. If those jet rides were connected to the recruiting trip, or other recruiting trips, and depending on the number of flights, it's entirely possible that the university got benefit out of most if not all of the, um, contribution.
- But this is a development that is going to spark a lot of criticism. The kid was admitted to Penn, and I believe just graduated, or maybe he's about to be a senior there.
The indictment says that Esformes gave $74,000 in cash, plus additional perks such as limo services and rides in private jets, to a basketball coach who then placed Esformes’s son on the list of "recruited basketball players,
Never heard of this, happen to have a link?
Just google it. Recent announcement was that the practice was stopped because it suggested impropriety even though the school maintained that it was not.
The son is going into his senior year at Wharton. https://www.miamiherald.com/news/local/article215246120.html
Dad certainly sunk a lot of money into his son’s basketball career. https://247sports.com/mlb/blue-jays/Video/Morris-Esformes-Guard-Class-of-2015-8519271/?View=Full