Why are there no DC families being called out on this college fraud

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If you read the whole affidavit it sure seemed like USC was used to this kind of thing and automatically set aside a few athletic spots for non-athletes whose families were then to make a big donation. I think this system has been around for quite awhile and probably takes place at many schools.

Without a doubt. Freshman athletic rosters are full of rich kids...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I was surprised to see no one in the area called out in the fraud scam. Why is this? I have a few theories:

1) Singer hadn't cracked the DC/east coast market yet
2) People in DC are doing this but it's sneakier so it hasn't been found out yet
3) people in DC would not be interested in this fraud, it's too beyond the pail for even us

what do you think?

I got a letter from Singer and tried to throw it in the garbage pail. I missed, and it ended up beyond the pail.

[Anonymous]

Are you kidding? Why would they need to do that?

There's no such thing as "just not bright enough for a decent college and will end up in trade school" anymore. DMV parents won't accept that. Those kids all get private testing that gives them diagnoses of "ADHD", "low processing speed" (not kidding), "low IQ" (not kidding either), and then they're either put on speed to give them super-human concentration ability and/or get "accommodations" such as not needing to do the entire test, getting extra time, etc. And then they don't graduate from "High School Lite", it's the same transcript as everyone else.

There's no need to pay off anyone - just be forceful enough to get as much testing as you need that says what you want and then be pushy enough to force the accommodations that a kid with those diagnoses is legally entitled to.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I was surprised to see no one in the area called out in the fraud scam. Why is this? I have a few theories:

1) Singer hadn't cracked the DC/east coast market yet
2) People in DC are doing this but it's sneakier so it hasn't been found out yet
3) people in DC would not be interested in this fraud, it's too beyond the pail for even us

what do you think?

It's beyond the pale, not pail. If you can't even proofread a DCUM post, how are you going to write your kid's college essay?

that was autocorrect at work

[Anonymous]

There probably are some DC families involved. We'll just have to wait and see. I'm curious to see the fallout at private high schools if college counselors knew about this kind of deception and fraud going on with specific students and turned a blind eye.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:More old money on the east coast so we know how to play the game the legal way. These people in CA seem clueless. They could have picked up the phone themselves and called the Development Office of the colleges they were interested in and fished for offers of admission with the kind of money they were offering.

This. Or gotten the high school counselors to make the same call.

Totally agree and I wrote the post ... agree the college counselor could/do often make the calls.

This makes me sick. How do you not look at your private high school admin differently?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:More old money on the east coast so we know how to play the game the legal way. These people in CA seem clueless. They could have picked up the phone themselves and called the Development Office of the colleges they were interested in and fished for offers of admission with the kind of money they were offering.

This. Or gotten the high school counselors to make the same call.

Totally agree and I wrote the post ... agree the college counselor could/do often make the calls.

This makes me sick. How do you not look at your private high school admin differently?

Happened at our private - calls were made on behalf of families that made donation to the HS ($500k+) and of course private HS told college that family willing to make $$$$ donation. But these wealthy parents were not asking for USC or Georgetown but HYP, Stanford, Duke

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If you read the whole affidavit it sure seemed like USC was used to this kind of thing and automatically set aside a few athletic spots for non-athletes whose families were then to make a big donation. I think this system has been around for quite awhile and probably takes place at many schools.

That's because it was the Associate Athletic Director, not just a single sport coach, who managed the scheme at USC. She knew which coaches had open recruit slots and would be willing to sell them.

I don't get this...do the coaches not watch the kids play their sport? I mean, my daughter was just a lowly D3 recruit but she had coaches at her games and she sent in video.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My theory is that in general East Coast families are hyper focused on college from an early age and, what pp said, through red shirting, private schools, tutors etc. are gaming the system that way.

They do all that in LA and SF too.

I think it’s just that Singer was a west coast operation. Becoming a client was probably a word of mouth thing.

I bet there are similar schemes on the east coast.

If anyone in DC tried this, their own friends and social circle would turn them in. Rich & powerful people here keep score and keep track of the relative academic and athletic ranking of the kids at their kids schools, the kids from their Country Club friends and the kids of their coworkers. If anyone gets in a school surprisingly above their expectations, people here would ask questions.

how would they know?

only a dummy would brag to friends about bribing an SAT official.

even Trump isn't that stupid.

If an unexceptional kid got into an elite university, and the other parents knew that neither of the kid's parents is a legacy at the university, they haven't funded a building there, and the kid does not have exceptional athletic or other preferential talents, then the other parents would suspect something shady and would pry, either to bust them or to figure out how to do it for their kids. Also, if a student gets into a college that should be out of reach, the teachers, counselors, and other students at the school would immediately be suspicious and would pry.

Counselors, teachers and other parents can pry all they want. What idiot would answer the questions, though? A simple shrug and “college admissions are a roulette wheel!” are all any reasonably bright parent would offer.

Other parents will just assume Larlo got a great rec from the high school because his parents are rich and donated a lot to the high school. And you have to be rich to play this game anyway, so they probably did donate a lot.

Kids talk. Parents talk to each other, to teachers, and to counselors. If no one has a reasonable explanation for why an unexceptional student got into Yale, while exceptional students did not, they don't need a confession or all the evidence to make a phone call.

U don’t seem to understand how the game is played: these wealthy kids go in under the guise of “recruited athlete”. Parents donate to HS; HS counselors make calls on behalf of wealthy family and let college know wealthy family willing to donate 7 figures. Kid at HS taking easy classes. We have kids at our private that did not make academic distinction (lowest tier) that got into Yale, Penn (Wharton), Stanford etc that school is now abolishing publishing kids who achieved highest distinction, high distinction and distinction as it raises too many questions.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I was surprised to see no one in the area called out in the fraud scam. Why is this? I have a few theories:

1) Singer hadn't cracked the DC/east coast market yet
2) People in DC are doing this but it's sneakier so it hasn't been found out yet
3) people in DC would not be interested in this fraud, it's too beyond the pail for even us

what do you think?

Thtere's one from Chevy Chase. This isn't his whole client list. Waiting for the other shoe....

[Anonymous]

https://www.dcurbanmom.com/jforum/posts/list/30/791046.page#14678243

Anonymous wrote:
There was some at my DD’s private that got recruited to play tennis at an ivy, took a gap year, & never even joined the team when she got to campus. I wonder if it was something like this USC crew incident or the Penn basketball scandal right now.


There is a family at my daughter's private who have sent 3 girls to Princeton lacrosse over the last 6 years. Only one of the three actually plays in games consistently, the other two are on the roster but dont get into games. The family is flashy rich (the tacky kind); I wouldnt put them above bribing their way in.

I don't know if the indictments will be brought, but the practice reportedly exists in DMV.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If you read the whole affidavit it sure seemed like USC was used to this kind of thing and automatically set aside a few athletic spots for non-athletes whose families were then to make a big donation. I think this system has been around for quite awhile and probably takes place at many schools.

That's because it was the Associate Athletic Director, not just a single sport coach, who managed the scheme at USC. She knew which coaches had open recruit slots and would be willing to sell them.

I don't get this...do the coaches not watch the kids play their sport? I mean, my daughter was just a lowly D3 recruit but she had coaches at her games and she sent in video.

The unethical coaches prob kept 1 or 2 slots open for the bribery scheme. Or they were rewarded with more recruiting spots for securing donations to their sports programs (USC prime example).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I am sure there is someone doing it here too. But Singer was west coast. Hoping they have someone working DC/NY and they are already know about it. Otherwise all the other groups have been shredding and deleting all day.

The FBI team was based in Mass b/c so much of the scandal was in Mass. that's what they said in the press conference yesterday. I think there's more to come.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I was surprised to see no one in the area called out in the fraud scam. Why is this? I have a few theories:

1) Singer hadn't cracked the DC/east coast market yet
2) People in DC are doing this but it's sneakier so it hasn't been found out yet
3) people in DC would not be interested in this fraud, it's too beyond the pail for even us

what do you think?

Thtere's one from Chevy Chase. This isn't his whole client list. Waiting for the other shoe....

Isn’t that the address for the former Georgetown tennis coach?

[Anonymous]

The DMV witch hunt begins!