The college admissions scandal bell tolls for thee, Harvard

[Anonymous]

You pay to play. It's so wrong that Jared Kushner's entry is legitimate because his dad paid Harvard directly while Zhao will be investigated because he paid the fencing coach (by buying his house above market value). Both were buying entry into Harvard. It shows how corrupt the American system is once you scratch below the surface.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Fallout from the Boston Globe report on a Maryland businessman who appears to be part of a college admission scandal: Zhao was also on an advisory board to Maryland Governor Larry Hogan, and he has resigned.

If he was innocent, why would he do that?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:lol.. buyer said it was an "investment" but then sold it at a loss of over $300K.

I think this type of thing (side door) has been going on for decades and is a lot bigger than anyone realizes.

makes sense

I never thought about it but in retrospect, I'm sure tons of coaches and even admissions folk have been selling spots. They're underpaid and they have something of immense value to other people to sell. So why wouldn't they?

[Anonymous]

Great point. I would bet that as selective schools investigate, they find more problems -- including admissions office problems.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Fallout from the Boston Globe report on a Maryland businessman who appears to be part of a college admission scandal: Zhao was also on an advisory board to Maryland Governor Larry Hogan, and he has resigned.

If he was innocent, why would he do that?

Because it is an embarrassing scandal. "Innocent" isn't the issue. He admits he did this. The questions is, was it illegal or otherwise wrong? I think it was; the advisory board seems to agree; he doesn't seem to think so.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Last three paragraphs are incredible!

A couple that looked at the house when it was for sale a few years ago looked up the previous buyer and seller and said to themselves “I bet this was a Harvard admissions scheme.”

Fast forward to 2019 and the FBI breaks huge scandal. They recall that thought from a few years ago and tip the address to the Boston Globe. So good.

I literally just finished reading it and thought the same thing. Wow.

Yep, thinking people have noticed these things for years, now they have outlets that will be very interested in their stories, should be many more to come.

Also crazy that dad flew up to "look the reporter in the eye." Fleshes out the story better than the charging documents.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The dad was bragging about his kids’ “perfect SAT scores” yet neither boy was a PSAT national merit semi- nor finalist? Interesting...

Dad's been buying things for a long time.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You pay to play. It's so wrong that Jared Kushner's entry is legitimate because his dad paid Harvard directly while Zhao will be investigated because he paid the fencing coach (by buying his house above market value). Both were buying entry into Harvard. It shows how corrupt the American system is once you scratch below the surface.

Are you really stupid enough to equate these two scenarios?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You pay to play. It's so wrong that Jared Kushner's entry is legitimate because his dad paid Harvard directly while Zhao will be investigated because he paid the fencing coach (by buying his house above market value). Both were buying entry into Harvard. It shows how corrupt the American system is once you scratch below the surface.

Are you really stupid enough to equate these two scenarios?

NP. I don’t think it’s stupid to draw a parallel. Both are morally corrupt. It’s just that one scenario is legal.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:lol.. buyer said it was an "investment" but then sold it at a loss of over $300K.

I think this type of thing (side door) has been going on for decades and is a lot bigger than anyone realizes.

makes sense

I never thought about it but in retrospect, I'm sure tons of coaches and even admissions folk have been selling spots. They're underpaid and they have something of immense value to other people to sell. So why wouldn't they?

Because it’s wrong? If I’m underpaid I don’t sell my employer’s paper clips and color paper.

[Anonymous]

*copier

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The dad was bragging about his kids’ “perfect SAT scores” yet neither boy was a PSAT national merit semi- nor finalist? Interesting...

Dad's been buying things for a long time.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The dad was bragging about his kids’ “perfect SAT scores” yet neither boy was a PSAT national merit semi- nor finalist? Interesting...

Dad's been buying things for a long time.

The PSAT and the SAT are totally different things. You have shot at NMSQT, whereas you can retake the SAT as many times as you want.

[Anonymous]

^^^one shot at the NMSQT

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You pay to play. It's so wrong that Jared Kushner's entry is legitimate because his dad paid Harvard directly while Zhao will be investigated because he paid the fencing coach (by buying his house above market value). Both were buying entry into Harvard. It shows how corrupt the American system is once you scratch below the surface.

Are you really stupid enough to equate these two scenarios?

NP. I don’t think it’s stupid to draw a parallel. Both are morally corrupt. It’s just that one scenario is legal.

Don't like either scenario but his is how I see it. Donations like those made by Kushner's family typically benefit the university as a whole - perhaps a new building, expensive new science equipment, an endowed chair for a professor, etc. Perhaps it frees up money that the university was going to spend regardless on those things and that money can now go to a scholarship or renovating another building or something else. The only people that benefited from buying the house over market price were the fencing coach and perhaps the son.