<p>Pebbles, I agree, this is clearly an MIT issue though it also has larger ramifications.</p>
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It's fortunate that it's unusual; admitting people to MIT on the basis of athletics is crazy. It's an engineering school! If she had really wanted admissions to be less stressful, she should have made sure it was done as objectively as possible. It's the 'tell us how you feel' stuff that makes admissions so stressful. I expect the current admissions regime will be quickly ousted. Their policies are part of the reason why other schools like Caltech and Stanford are gaining ground on MIT.
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<p>You do realize that MIT maintains a HUGE athletics department, one of the largest in the nation? Something like 34 varsity sports, last time I checked. So they have to place some emphasis on athletic ability and being "well-rounded" to fill all those roster slots (with amazingly smart kids, nonetheless).</p>
<p>Momindant - so you're saying that Marilee was the SOLE decision maker in tens of thousands of decisions over a decade, that had she not been there, that tens of thousands would have been accepted to MIT?</p>
<p>Think of anyone you know who has actually EARNED a Ph.D. How hard they toiled for the degree, the endless time and energy spent. What sacrifices they (and their loved ones) made in the process. Then to have finally succeeded in the end -- THAT was an accomplishment!</p>
<p>Marilee Jones falsely claimed the Ph.D. title as Dean of Admissions at MIT? You MUST be joking. Talk about an "abuse of power."</p>
<p>Thusly she was paid for her credentials......will MIT go softly into the night and let her keep that pay earned by fraud....the pension at same level? I wonder what the real options are.</p>
<p>Stu Schmil as interim director is a graduate of MIT - those should be easy credentials to check...</p>
<p>I think the suggestion that this somehow invalidates every admissions decision made over the last 10 years, is rediculous</p>
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Momindant - so you're saying that Marilee was the SOLE decision maker in tens of thousands of decisions over a decade, that had she not been there, that tens of thousands would have been accepted to MIT?
[/quote]
It's hard to argue that her values and objectives for admissions did not affect how applications were viewed; she set the tone for that office, and one that was significantly different than her predecessor's. There certainly would have been differences in acceptances for some of the applicants if she had never been the dean of admissions.</p>
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Think of how many individuals were rejected/accepted under reign: 10 years at 10-12 thousand per year, or more. Each and every one of them deserves a personal apology from MIT.
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<p>Why?</p>
<p>Acceptances and rejections are not decided by just one person…not even the dean of admissions has that kind of power. </p>
<p>Any major change in policy regarding the admission’s process had to have the blessing of MIT’s President(s). It also seems as if MIT’s faculty are/were happy with the students (9 classes) Jones' admissions team accepted during her tenure.</p>
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Oh, I doubt pay will be a problem. Just look at Michele Hernandez; she gets paid $10,000 per person for doing a weekend workshop.</p>
<p>Somebody called this in? What is common public knowledge about rejected candidates and faculty satisfaction would be hard to say. Satisfaction with accepteds is more likely than dissatisfaction with rejected candidates perhaps known to faculty.</p>
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**Oh, I doubt pay will be a problem. Just look at Michele Hernandez; she gets paid $10k per person for doing a weekend workshop.
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** How does introducing that comparison remedy the fraud that funds paid as reward? What I think is that person who commit fraud should not be rewarded with the pay that results. I mean they confiscate money and property from other perpetrators of crime.</p>
<p>First of all, since she resigned, MIT may be buying out her contract or she will receive some pension. It is unlikely that MIT wants to keep this in the news to recover a small portion of their massive endowment, so don't expect a lawsuit, civil or criminal.
Second, although she has now been exposed as a hypocrite and a liar, MIT's rep is based on their academics, not their admissions, and it will suffer very little.
Finally, I think she must have known that the truth was going to come out eventually, which perhaps explains her obvious passion. Maybe she was actually trying to stop other students from making the same mistake (or crime, or flat-out lie, or whatever you want to call it).</p>
<p>Disclosure: I was admitted to MIT this year, and I sent their reply card back as soon as I received it, because by that time, I was absolutely sure it was not for me.</p>
<p>Yes. I would call it a lie. Several lies, in fact (three degrees never received).</p>
<p>NYT~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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** According to M.I.T. officials, the college received information questioning Ms. Joness academic background about 10 days ago, and, after spending a few days checking it out, asked for her resignation on Monday.
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**</p>
<p>Something isn't ringing quite true about all of this. I am finding it hard to believe that a complete stranger for whatever reason got mad at her, decided to go digging, uncovered the first lie, encouraged, went further, dug deeper, etc., and then just picked up the phone and called it in.</p>
<p>There's no way to have hidden from close and somewhat close family members that one did NOT go to school x three degrees. I speculate that a very small group of persons close to her has known this for years and years, and, perhaps there was a personal argument or falling out, perhaps it was even something like a romantic relationship of significant duration that didn't end well but that ended recently, and, the person became angry and decided to hurt back, hard. </p>
<p>The timing is weird too. At the very end of the "admissions season", just at about the time when everyone's commitment to matriculate is due?</p>
<p>In any case, I bet this has roots in some other issue. And I bet there's more to be uncovered.</p>
<p>Gee, maybe if D had included a couple of minor paragraphs about how she'd discovered the cure for cancer, it would have got her accepted at MIT after all?</p>
<p>The publisher of her book, the American Academy of Pediatrics, has a bio of Ms. Jones. In it, they indicate that she is "a scientist with degrees from RPI and the Albany Medical College" but, interestingly, there are no letters (BA, BS, MA, MS, whatever) after her name as there are with her co-author.</p>
<p>From all reports still has the husband and only child off at college........hmmm. Bring on the ethics police and investigators. Spurned lover opine doesnt make it from my point of view.</p>
<p>Here's my daughter's response when I inquired her thoughts about today's event at dinner: "It's unfortunate and shocking, but doesn't mean MIT's admissions process is cxxp. And no, I will not change my commitment to attending MIT."</p>
<p>I guess MIT is bigger than Marilee Jones and not the other way around.</p>