Would you offer a bribe to get your DC into a better uni. ?

[justasking111]

American police have arrested 50 people including Hollywood actresses and chief executives of companies in connection to a scheme to fraudulently get their children into Ivy League universities, according to media reports.

Felicity Huffman, star of Desperate Housewives, is currently in custody, TMZ reported.

Actress Lori Loughlin, who appears in ABC sitcom Full House and 90210, is also among those facing charges, according to ABC News.

The 50 people are accused of paying bribes of up for $6 million (£4.6m) to secure places for their children at elite universities, including Yale, Stanford, Georgetown and University of Southern California (USC).

Twelve people are believed to be facing charges.

www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2019/03/12/desperate-housewives-actress-felicity-huffman-among-50-people/

50 people and they pick out the Hollywood parents. There are a number of business people on the list as well.

So if you could would you bribe a college to get your DC into a certain college.

Yes.

Digging deeper it seems the top colleges are involved.

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?noredirect=on&utm_term=.476c4a26f9c5

In America, yes. Placement for top college places is an absurd popularity contest that must be played from 1st grade.

When I first read the title I thought you were meaning bribing the child as motivation to get into a better uni. In which case, yes I would if I thought they weren't quite working their potential.
However, should I come across all the money in the world, I absolutely would not bribe a uni. If my child was unable to get in on their own merit, then I'd not want them to go there.
It's similar to private schooling concept. Being able to pay for a supposedly better education. I'm of the Ming though where even with the funds, I'd send my children to main stream school or a grammar school.
My older 3 children have so far done really well through comprehensive schools and I couldn't be more proud or feel more positive for their futures. Money can't buy that in my opinion.

I bet this happens a lot more than we know about in other countries, including the UK.

I wonder how a young person would cope in that hot house environment, unless a lot of them are there under false grades.

Apparently it’s obvious, they struggle to keep up.

The FBI affadavit. eek...

www.washingtonpost.com/college-admissions-bribery-scheme-affidavit/d216435e-e073-41f6-b6fa-33ed835d053d_note.html?questionId=c2ba5e52-6a22-42ed-a0c9-05c83ee5f83d&utm_term=.2af465b54312

I probably would if they were "nearly" there. I'd like to think it wouldn't even cross my mind if they were utterly unsuitable for it either due to academic prowess or other reasons.

They wiretapped the conversations. I really cannot imagine that happening here.

I wouldn’t want to teach my child/young adult that all they need in life is money to use as power. I would worry about their self esteem too, if they get onto a course they aren’t capable of or are so far behind all their peers

No.

1. It sends a clear message that they're above the law, rules don't apply to them
2. If theyre not clever enough to get in on their own merit they'll struggle with keeping up.
3. I would feel guilty for taking a place of someone who deserved to be there on merit.

Jaw-dropping stuff.

I also thought that the promoters of that new play about university admissions must think all their Christmases have come at once. Room for great tie-in publicity with a big news story.

No and I think it's disgusting that people do. Rich privilege at its finest.

As somebody who didn't go to university I would be proud of my DS whatever he chooses to do. The snobbery of some people about university is astounding.

The FBI are not going after the students, it seems they did not know in the main.

I could never understand why someone in the USA who excelled at a sport would want to be educated at a top uni. because the academic side would be so difficult for them.

Mind you I think I read on here rumours of arts undergraduates bribing mathematicians to take investment bank online aptitude tests for them.

Reading through the affadavit, someone else took the sats for them. Huffmans daughters score for her second fiddled attempt was 1420 400 points higher than her legit attempt.

The thing about this I don't get :

Did they DEFINITELY know they were Breaking The Actual Law as opposed to believing they were "playing the game" in the way wealthy parents have since time immemorial?

I thought institutions like Harvard and Yale were above such shenanigans. What do I know.

Ah, cross posted they were definitely committing a fraud.

Those poor DDs who thought they got in legitimately and now will probably lose their place if not their degree because it was obtained via a fraud.

This will effect them permanently and their relationship with their mothers

Harvard and Yale as institutions haven’t been accused of doing anything wrong: they just set tests which people cheated on. But at least one Ivy League sports coach is accused of faking a sports qualification.

@justasking111

RE Sport

It's the other way round

College Sports are big business and being in a lot of money to the university

So they go out of their way to get good athletes and support them academically

bring

I didn't realise it was illegal

I'm actually shocked at the number of people who said yes. I'm in the US. Children of families with this kind of money already have an incredible leg-up. Private schools, internships, tutoring for the SATs, people who know people in the colleges who look out for them on the tours etc. All legit if unfair. Actual bribery and fraud is a step into the dark zone. Especially when there are loads of ways to legitimately continue the leg-up. A sizeable donation to a college would have been a much better investment