Dozens Charged In Massive College Cheating Admission Scandal
Start writing a post
Entertainment

Dozens Charged In Massive College Cheating Admission Scandal

The largest nationwide college admissions scam ever.

55
Dozens Charged In Massive College Cheating Admission Scandal

A massive nationwide college entrance exam cheating plot was exposed Tuesday, resulting in charges for at least 40 people — including Full House actor Lori Loughlin and Felicity Huffman of Desperate Housewives — have been charged in a massive college admissions scandal. Yikes. It seems the favorite TV moms have found themselves the stars of real-life Hollywood plot.

Now, your first response might be what the hell is going on these days?! This is some messed up shit. Then again, life isn't fair and the world is fucked up.

Nonetheless, the plot, code-named "Operation Varsity Blues" by the FBI, was revolved around getting students admitted to elite colleges universities, including Georgetown University, Stanford University, UCLA, the University of San Diego, USC, University of Texas, Wake Forest, and Yale.

According to BuzzFeed News, "Among those charged are three accused of organizing the scheme, two ACT/SAT administrators, an exam proctor, one college administrator, nine coaches from elite schools, and 33 parents, US Attorney for Massachusetts Andrew Lelling said Tuesday."

According to Vulture, the scam was allegedly run by William Singer, the founder of a college preparatory and counseling business nicknamed "The Key." The business would accept payments from parents and direct their money to an SAT/ACT administrator or a college athletic coach in exchange for a particular service. Such services include exam administrators taking the test on behalf of students or to correct their answers, coaches admitting the students, regardless of their abilities, into college as recruited athletes, and defendants creating fake athletic profiles for students to make them appear to be successful athletes according to CNN.

These services are next level fucked up. But in this day and age, this level of cheating is not surprising. If anything, people were waiting for something like to happen as it felt inevitable. Nowadays, families become consumed with the painfully hard, complicated, and often confusing college process driven by their desire and ambition to make sure their kids' dreams come true. That said, 'regular' parents will go at great lengths via tutors, SAT/ACT classes, internships, extracurriculars, etc. to help their kids into elite universities. It can't be startling then that wealthy parents, including celebrities, would go beyond that as they have more money and connections. It was bound to happen.

According to NPR, such payments ranged from $200,000 to $6.5 million. The alleged scheme was revealed after Lelling's office got a lead from someone who "was a target of an entirely separate investigation, who gave us a tip that this activity might be going on."

According to The New York Times, many of the students were not aware that their parents were falsifying their SAT/ACT scores and lying to get them into an elite university. Therefore, no students or universities have been charged with wrongdoing.

That still doesn't mean though that these students or universities haven't been harmed in the process. This scheme arguably makes such elite universities mentioned above look bad, despite not being involved. In addition, the scam arguably diminishes the students and could have a lasting impact on their lives as people know they didn't properly earn their spot in school, despite not knowing what their parents were doing.

I guess money can't buy everything.

Report this Content
This article has not been reviewed by Odyssey HQ and solely reflects the ideas and opinions of the creator.
Being Invisible The Best Super Power

The best superpower ever? Being invisible of course. Imagine just being able to go from seen to unseen on a dime. Who wouldn't want to have the opportunity to be invisible? Superman and Batman have nothing on being invisible with their superhero abilities. Here are some things that you could do while being invisible, because being invisible can benefit your social life too.

Keep Reading...Show less
houses under green sky
Photo by Alev Takil on Unsplash

Small towns certainly have their pros and cons. Many people who grow up in small towns find themselves counting the days until they get to escape their roots and plant new ones in bigger, "better" places. And that's fine. I'd be lying if I said I hadn't thought those same thoughts before too. We all have, but they say it's important to remember where you came from. When I think about where I come from, I can't help having an overwhelming feeling of gratitude for my roots. Being from a small town has taught me so many important lessons that I will carry with me for the rest of my life.

Keep Reading...Show less
​a woman sitting at a table having a coffee
nappy.co

I can't say "thank you" enough to express how grateful I am for you coming into my life. You have made such a huge impact on my life. I would not be the person I am today without you and I know that you will keep inspiring me to become an even better version of myself.

Keep Reading...Show less
Student Life

Waitlisted for a College Class? Here's What to Do!

Dealing with the inevitable realities of college life.

92801
college students waiting in a long line in the hallway
StableDiffusion

Course registration at college can be a big hassle and is almost never talked about. Classes you want to take fill up before you get a chance to register. You might change your mind about a class you want to take and must struggle to find another class to fit in the same time period. You also have to make sure no classes clash by time. Like I said, it's a big hassle.

This semester, I was waitlisted for two classes. Most people in this situation, especially first years, freak out because they don't know what to do. Here is what you should do when this happens.

Keep Reading...Show less
a man and a woman sitting on the beach in front of the sunset

Whether you met your new love interest online, through mutual friends, or another way entirely, you'll definitely want to know what you're getting into. I mean, really, what's the point in entering a relationship with someone if you don't know whether or not you're compatible on a very basic level?

Consider these 21 questions to ask in the talking stage when getting to know that new guy or girl you just started talking to:

Keep Reading...Show less

Subscribe to Our Newsletter

Facebook Comments