WashPost story on the aftermath of the college admissions scandal...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Hi there,

My name is Ellen McCarthy and I'm a reporter for The Washington Post. A colleague and I are reporting a story about the reaction to the college admissions scandal. Here are the questions we're thinking about:

--Has this prompted conversations among parents/counselors/administrators about the emphasis on admissions to elite colleges?

--Are schools communicating with parents/students on this issue? If so, what are they saying?

--Has it prompted any soul searching about the pressure on kids to get into top schools? Does it make students/parents more anxious about the admissions process?

--Are there any forums planned to address these issues? (Ie, we know of a mindful parenting session happening in the California district where many of the accused families live to help parents/students talk about ways to navigate the admissions process healthfully. Anything like that going on in the DC area?)


We're looking to talk to parents, college counselors and administrators who have insights. Happy to talk on the record or on background. We'd also love to sit down with a handful of current high school juniors to get their reactions. Are they more nervous now? Or somehow happy that this stuff is coming to light? If you have any thoughtful, articulate juniors in your orbit who might be willing to talk about these things, we'd love to connect with them.

Feel free to call or email: 202-334-7272; [e-mail]

I would look at the impact to student with actual disabilities and how hard will be for them to get what they need now. Itis similar to the emotional support animals on air planes. Abusers ruin it for the folk who need it. I know in my online communities, this is what is being discussed.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The athletic route w $$ is a well know route in my kids private school - they have since graduated. This is the formula :
1. Get accommodations for kids
2. Kid play a sport - not football, basketball, cross country, track or crew but more sports they can play at their country club or private clubs - tennis/squash/lacrosse/sailing/ski
3. Donate $$$ to HS in junior year
4. Private HS college counselor calls college on behalf of family and also indicate family willing to donate $$$ to college development officer
5. Kid gets in - usually HYP/Stanford/Duke/top 10 privae

you are delusional.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The athletic route w $$ is a well know route in my kids private school - they have since graduated. This is the formula :
1. Get accommodations for kids
2. Kid play a sport - not football, basketball, cross country, track or crew but more sports they can play at their country club or private clubs - tennis/squash/lacrosse/sailing/ski
3. Donate $$$ to HS in junior year
4. Private HS college counselor calls college on behalf of family and also indicate family willing to donate $$$ to college development officer
5. Kid gets in - usually HYP/Stanford/Duke/top 10 privae

Are these students considered athletic recruits to their elite college?

Yes. Some are development kids. What these bribery parents didn’t realize esp the ones who paid over $500k was there is a “legal” route through the private school college counselor. Rich kids bottom of class going to Duke. Look at the Sony emails that were leaked - $1M dollar donation to Brown and kid accepted the following year.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The athletic route w $$ is a well know route in my kids private school - they have since graduated. This is the formula :
1. Get accommodations for kids
2. Kid play a sport - not football, basketball, cross country, track or crew but more sports they can play at their country club or private clubs - tennis/squash/lacrosse/sailing/ski
3. Donate $$$ to HS in junior year
4. Private HS college counselor calls college on behalf of family and also indicate family willing to donate $$$ to college development officer
5. Kid gets in - usually HYP/Stanford/Duke/top 10 privae

you are delusional.

Nope, it is how the wealthy rolls and unless you are in this circle, you have no idea. Our private has over 25%-30% to ivies every single year and that is not including other schools in the top 20.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am so tired of this fake LD to get accomodations thread. A professional has to document the diagnosis. If some of them can be bought, that is a different problem.

Just because peer do not SEE a disability, does not mean it does not exist. Learning disabilities by definition go with hi IQ often. The child is not performing up to their IQ OR has to work an inexplicable amount of time to get mediocre grades. Those are red flags. THEN someone educated on diagnosing LD gives a battery of tests. Yes, these diagnoses are more common in certain areas, because the tests are expensive and not everyone has access. You don't just get extra time because you ask for it.

I know- this entire scandal has been so hurtful to kids/families where there are special needs. My DS has the test accommodation that he takes a test in a non-distracting environment. We don't ask for extra time, even though his doctor recommended it-- but I don't begrudge parents who do. I know exactly why my kid would benefit in a fair way from extra time and I know why other kids with his profile would as well. I think parents worry that if my son with an LD is given a test accommodation that his score will compete their child's score. When it comes down to it, they believe he is less deserving to go to a good college because he couldn't have made that score without an accommodation.

+1 The issue is not that some kids have documented learning disabilities and need accommodations to function. It's that a set of wealthy privileged parents were paying other people to provide answers or even take tests on kids behalf.

Singer also encouraged parents to acquire false LD accommodation by faking performance during diagnostics.

I agree that that for some that is the issue, but if you read the thread on accommodations for the SAT/ACT, the line gets pretty blurred between parents who lied and game the system vs. those whose children genuinely need the accommodations. I'm with you on the lying and fraud.

[Anonymous]

From this wsj story from May:
More than a decade ago, the College Board, which administers the SAT and PSAT among other tests, stopped alerting colleges when students received extra time, and the numbers who requested it began to increase. From 2010-11 to last year, the number of accommodations requests jumped 171%, while the number of people taking the exams increased 22%. Last year, 94% of those requests were approved

Basically if your kid has test anxiety or poor performer in times tests, if u don’t try to get them extra time accommodations, your kid will be at a disadvantage compared esp to the wealthy kids who are getting extended time accommodations

[Anonymous]

Those people getting accomodations for testing aren't scoring in the 99%ile, they're just doing a little better. chill out. it's not moving the needle in the big picture.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Those people getting accomodations for testing aren't scoring in the 99%ile, they're just doing a little better. chill out. it's not moving the needle in the big picture.

Together with the aforementioned tactics, it is.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Those people getting accomodations for testing aren't scoring in the 99%ile, they're just doing a little better. chill out. it's not moving the needle in the big picture.

And that is how ignorant you are. We are talking about the wealthy kids who managed to get extended time accommodations - do you know how much that helps in the ACT, the math portion of the SAT, SAT subject tests in math and science? There is also a calculator accomodation. You have really no idea how abused the system is in the private schools among the rich.

[Anonymous]

This story makes me want to opt out of this college rat race scheme even more. College should only be for the doctors and engineers. Anything else can be learned with the modern technology.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This story makes me want to opt out of this college rat race scheme even more. College should only be for the doctors and engineers. Anything else can be learned with the modern technology.

That's exactly where I am now.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Those people getting accomodations for testing aren't scoring in the 99%ile, they're just doing a little better. chill out. it's not moving the needle in the big picture.

And that is how ignorant you are. We are talking about the wealthy kids who managed to get extended time accommodations - do you know how much that helps in the ACT, the math portion of the SAT, SAT subject tests in math and science? There is also a calculator accomodation. You have really no idea how abused the system is in the private schools among the rich.

Don't worry, even if you take away accommodations for the learning disabled, your rich kid can still join the crew team and get in over a kid who has never been on a boat in his life.

[Anonymous]

I think the Onion piece on this scandal was perfect. Basically makes fun of all the obnoxious folks who point to this scandal as the reason for why they (or their kids) got rejected from a fancy school. The Onion jokes was basically sure, go ahead and claim you would have a Columbia degree were it not for the Full House mom...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think the Onion piece on this scandal was perfect. Basically makes fun of all the obnoxious folks who point to this scandal as the reason for why they (or their kids) got rejected from a fancy school. The Onion jokes was basically sure, go ahead and claim you would have a Columbia degree were it not for the Full House mom...

^ that's dumb. When there is voter fraud it calls into question the legitimacy of the election and its outcome. When a juror engages in misconduct it will result in a mistrial lest there be a miscarriage of justice or perception thereof. If the dealer is caught dealing from the bottom of the deck there is a misdeal. Things need to be done properly so the participants in the process have confidence in its legitimacy of the outcome.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The athletic route w $$ is a well know route in my kids private school - they have since graduated. This is the formula :
1. Get accommodations for kids
2. Kid play a sport - not football, basketball, cross country, track or crew but more sports they can play at their country club or private clubs - tennis/squash/lacrosse/sailing/ski
3. Donate $$$ to HS in junior year
4. Private HS college counselor calls college on behalf of family and also indicate family willing to donate $$$ to college development officer
5. Kid gets in - usually HYP/Stanford/Duke/top 10 privae

you are delusional.

Nope, it is how the wealthy rolls and unless you are in this circle, you have no idea. Our private has over 25%-30% to ivies every single year and that is not including other schools in the top 20.

People put it in their family budget years in advance, very common and openly discussed if you are in the circle