Because it involves college?
Random question here, but does being a millionaire constitute having at least a million dollars at one’s disposal, or does it also include an accumulation of wealth over time?
It’s not about the kids and their future. It’s about the parents wanting their kids to attend specific schools because of the misguided notion it confers a certain status to the parents. It’s about being able to brag about where their kids went to college!
It’s about people with the resources needed having their way, and getting what they want in return.
No…
This morning, DH wondered whether an applicant who was first on the wait list, and whose spot went to one of these, presumably, lesser qualified kids, would have grounds for a suit. I wouldn’t sue, but I’d be miffed.
Every college accepts more students (even Harvard) than who will ultimately attend.
They know how many of those who are accepted will attend from historical data - so one person’s acceptance won’t change anyone’s chances of getting in who is on the waitlist.
Waitlists often have thousands of students on them. Very few get in off waitlists and many years none get in off the waitlist - especially at the elite schools.
It’s a nice bone to throw out to applicants. Nothing more.
Also, if a college does go to their waitlist they look for students who fulfill a certain need (like the music Dept needs a Tubist or the Philosophy Dept needs more who will majors in it.
Most schools also only take full pay students off the waitlist as they have used up their FA money for the year,
There is no “first” on waitlists.
Tuition isn’t really the issue at the Ivys. Schools like Yale and Harvard have incredibly generous financial aid packages for those who are accepted.
Getting accepted is the hard part - and that’s where these bribes went.
Exactly.
I think many people also don’t realize how “important” it is to many of the very wealthy that their offspring attend an elite school. It’s all about image.
I know people who force their kids to go to the best school they are accepted into - even if it’s not the kid’s first choice.
When my son was getting his acceptances I would happily share with my sister. When he was finally accepted into the school (which was his reach school) he would choose to attend, her response was, “Now I can be happy.”
She wasn’t happy for him - she didn’t want to have to tell her friends her nephew was going to a lesser school!
That’s also not to say I wasn’t thrilled he got accepted into his first choice - but if he hadn’t he would have gone to another college and I’m sure he wouid have been equally happy with his choice.
Yeah I don’t get that. They could have enrolled at a junior college—which doesn’t reject anyone. An A A or A S is an automatic ticket to any state university.
Some parents are just entitlement minded ■■■■■■ I guess. To Hell with ‘em!
I completely screwed up high school, got involved in drugs, and ended up dropping out 2 classes shy of a diploma. I got my GED, and entered the job market.
10 years later, I went back to school, enrolled in community college, got straight As, traffered to UC Berkeley, graduated with a 3.7, and now I’m at a top-25 law school in DC.
I got a free ride through Cal, and a significant package (80% of tuition) at law school.
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Maybe I don’t wanna get it, good grief, entitlement minded ass clowns really fray my last nerve, but I still don’t get it—“it” being the status thing for the sperm and egg donor.
Some celebrities didn’t attend college. IIRC, Tom Cruise cited dyslexia for not attending. Did Mr. Hannity finish college?
If not, he’s doing great in his life. Supermodel Cindy Crawford, a bright lady, started at Northwestern, but left to pursue modeling instead of law.
There are college graduates who regret attending, citing student loan debts and underemployment, often not in their major fields. Two middle fingers up to these entitlement minded sperm & egg donors!
Props
It doesn’t matter that they might not have gone to college.
I have no doubt that Mr, Hannity’s kids are at or going to go to top colleges. They aren’t going to a CC, nor were they brought up to think that was even an option.
A quick google search shows that his son goes to Wake Forest (ironically one of the schools caught up in this scandal.) He was recruited to play tennis.
His daughter is also being recruited. Looks like she might already have committed to UMichigan to play tennis.
And there is nothing wrong with that. I’m sure his kids have both the stats and the talent to get accepted to those schools.
I’m also sure they have had the best education prior to college and everything else kids from extremely wealthy families are afforded.
“And there is nothing wrong with that.”
No, there isn’t, if they showed academic talent early on & were pushed to succeed from early in life. There’s nothing wrong at all with getting something with one’s proper qualifications.
Huffman and co had to have an idea their kids couldn’t enter based on their own merit as they were paying others to take their S A T’s and finding athletic coaches who would vouch for them.
At least one of these kids, as pointed out earlier, was employed and was content to not attend university. It’s too bad that, unlike nations like Germany, there is no emphasis on trades. It’s obvious some students aren’t college material early in their educational years, so they’re steered towards vocational courses so as not to be left out of meaningful employment once school ends.
Congratulations on your achievements!
Yes, of course they knew their kids couldn’t get accepted based on their own merits. That’s why they committed fraud to get their kids in. They weren’t going to let their kids go to a CC or Podunk U. What wouid the neighbors think?!?!
I know my son, for example, had opportunities that most kids don’t have. I wasn’t crazy about how he was doing in public school, so no biggie, I put him in private school. He got private tutoring for his SAT/ACT @$100 an hour 2 times a week for 8 months. He went to overnight camp for 8 years where he learned to sail and could have been recruited to any number of top colleges. In the end the college he went to only had club sailing, but it still was a great EC to have and no doubt added to his attractiveness as an applicant. He did sail for 4 years there. College sailing is different than most sports in college in that club competes against schools with varsity sailing teams.
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Speaking of tennis and ironic, the Obama’s personal family tennis coach was one caught up in the college scandal.
Inside the world of legal college consulting.
“But in recent years the costs of ensuring special treatment for an application have moved beyond comfortable reach even for the rich. A donation to an Ivy-caliber school would have to be valued at $10 million or more to earn an applicant truly special consideration beyond their merits, according to several experienced college admissions consultants.
Steven Mercer, a private college consultant based in Santa Monica, called $10 million “an entry-level gift that might not even get the attention of the admission office.”
He added, “You have to sometimes go quite a bit higher.”
Mr. Taylor of Ivy Coach agreed that even after a $10 million gift, a student’s application would not be greeted with “no questions asked.”
