College entrance cheating scandal

What I love about this story is that BOTH FoxNews and CNN are reporting on it, and they are both saying just about the same stuff. No spin. No political sides to take in the matter.

My favorite is the kid who was accepted to college for lacrosse and his high school doesn't even have a lacrosse team. OOPS.


I also love the person who is quoted as saying, "How do I explain what we are doing to my kid when he takes the SAT? He's not stupid." - Of course he's stupid. Otherwise you wouldn't have to bribe someone to let him cheat on the SAT to get into college.

This is proof that some people have just never been told "No" before. And they should be.
 
Last edited:
UTfball68 said:
Here’s the thing though...I’m a firm believer a college degree is very expensive piece of paper you can wipe your ass with. But it does one very important thing, shows employees you can stick with a long term project. From there, I can’t remember the last time I used anything I learned in college...and what’s the stat, something like 80% of people are in a profession that doesn’t tie to their degree anyway. And even if you do need something you learned in school, the days of closed book tests are gone...in your job you have reference materials, other coworkers and even google. Now, to your point, that fancy school only matters for that first job...kinda true. The network and quality of that first job from a USC or Yale is probably considerably better than a UNCC (no disrespect to any 49ers out there). Assuming that Yale/USC grad doesn’t completely bomb the opportunity or wises up and actually becomes successful, that resume just keeps getting padded and chances are good the career trajectory is exponentially better than that UNCC grad. Not that it’s impossible for the UNCC grad to be successful, just probably won’t have the same doors opened. Now let’s say that Yale/USC grad does bomb their first job, it’ll probably be a much longer decline to the bottom than the UNCC grad for the similar reasoning, the higher you start, the longer the fall.
Click to expand...
As a UNCC grad, I agree fully with this. UNCC has a better engineering program than NCSU, (I went to both), but NCSU has more prestige so that potentially gets you a better job right out the gate. In the real world, it sorts out pretty quickly after that and no one cares, but the point still stands because everything that follows is based on where you came in at (title and pay).
 
rockcity said:
You think the child of the person who’s name is on buildings at a university isn’t going to get some special treatment? Their nmes aren’t on the buildings for free...
Click to expand...

Worked for Thornton Melon and the "Thornton Melon School of Business"

gradend.jpg



I'm with Lou though, initially I thought it was just "paying to play" until they dug deeper and reported stuff like; William H Macy paying to have his daughters SAT bumped 400 points to a 1420 by a proctor. And the photochopped faces on true athletes.

And here I've been spending my talent on putting my face on these damn cat lovers pictures for free :kaioken:
 
These kids are going to these schools not for grades, because they can't get in anyways.

It's all about the Social Status and Networking that comes with graduation. There is a distinct advantage to having Such-N-Such school degree on your resume, even if your GPA was a paltry 1.5. How many interviewers are going to ask you what your GPA was? You got into XXX School! That alone mean's your brilliant and capable!

Then there is the networking, the ability to name drop, the influential people you've met or 'studied' under.

With the power of the degree, many more doors and opportunities are available.
 
Last edited:
When you are uber wealthy like these kids..its JUST a status symbol. They will never need a job in their life
 
UTfball68 said:
Here’s the thing though...I’m a firm believer a college degree is a very expensive piece of paper you can wipe your ass with. But it does one very important thing, shows employers you can stick with a long term project. From there, I can’t remember the last time I used anything I learned in college...and what’s the stat, something like 80% of people are in a profession that doesn’t tie to their degree anyway. And even if you do need something you learned in school, the days of closed book tests are gone...in your job you have reference materials, other coworkers and even google. Now, to your point, that fancy school only matters for that first job...kinda true. The network and quality of that first job from a USC or Yale is probably considerably better than a UNCC (no disrespect to any 49ers out there). Assuming that Yale/USC grad doesn’t completely bomb the opportunity or wises up and actually becomes successful, that resume just keeps getting padded and chances are good the career trajectory is exponentially better than that UNCC grad. Not that it’s impossible for the UNCC grad to be successful, just probably won’t have the same doors opened. Now let’s say that Yale/USC grad does bomb their first job, it’ll probably be a much longer decline to the bottom than the UNCC grad for the similar reasoning, the higher you start, the longer the fall.
Click to expand...
They've bribed their way in, but that doesn't mean they'll get a degree.
But, of course, who knows, they'd probably bribe the right people to get the grades changed too.

In my world, even for fresh-out-of-schoolers, we give much less of a shit where your degree is from than what the GPA is. but even more than that, what else you've done in addition to the degree. Actually, FYI the GSA has set guidelines for setting salary for hiring that are literally based on what your GPA is. So that 2.5 from Stanford will literally net you less $$ than a 3.8 from UNCG.
But as mentioned, what matters to us here (the only thing, really) is what else you did that shows you have actually worked on something real-world-y and completed some kind of project outside of what was required, and that you take initiative to do stuff on your own.
I would, and have, accepted internship applications from a local community college student with mediocre grades who has taken the time to be a lab tech or TA a class etc over a high-GPA UPenn student who has only done class-required projects.
 
RatLabGuy said:
They've bribed their way in, but that doesn't mean they'll get a degree.
But, of course, who knows, they'd probably bribe the right people to get the grades changed too.

In my world, even for fresh-out-of-schoolers, we give much less of a shit where your degree is from than what the GPA is. but even more than that, what else you've done in addition to the degree. Actually, FYI the GSA has set guidelines for setting salary for hiring that are literally based on what your GPA is. So that 2.5 from Stanford will literally net you less $$ than a 3.8 from UNCG.
But as mentioned, what matters to us here (the only thing, really) is what else you did that shows you have actually worked on something real-world-y and completed some kind of project outside of what was required, and that you take initiative to do stuff on your own.
I would, and have, accepted internship applications from a local community college student with mediocre grades who has taken the time to be a lab tech or TA a class etc over a high-GPA UPenn student who has only done class-required projects.
Click to expand...

My response was in regards to what I quoted, not so much the thread topic.

Beyond that...
1) whole heartedly agree on the extra-curriculars/experience...that’s a factor most places. To your point, GPA typically just means you’re good at taking notes and remembering what the book said
2) no disrespect, but as you pointed out, your pay scale is kinda fubar’d. You get a kid that endured a significantly tougher program, probably knows more and could be a bigger asset, but because they got a couple extra C’s down a tougher path, they start behind the 8 ball. I’d bet that’s a great recruiting mechanism for top talent...’work harder, take a tougher path, make less’. Not to mention, kids that go to top tier programs, usually don’t shoot for government pay if decent private sector options are on the table
3) Id also be willing to bet, if all things are equal (or even semi-close), GPA and real world-y type stuff, you’d have a hard time justifying that community college candidate over a UPenn candidate.
4) My perspective isn’t 100% guaranteed, but more often than not, right out of school, pedigree will get some consideration somewhere along the line...whether it’s where they recruit, similar candidates, network, etc etc.
 
Last edited:
Apparently her daughter also posted a while back that she was only going to college for game days and partying and wasn't planning on doing much studying. She was in Fiji two days after the semester started last fall.
 
I LOVE that every news outlet has ran that clip of her daughter saying she was only going to school for the games and parties. My daughters both HATE that Olivia Jade girl. They both call her "extra" (teenage girl speak for over-the-top tawtwaffle who thinks way too highly of themselves.....dang, I know a couple of folks here that......N/M) and are thrilled at seeing her being raked across the coals like this
 
UTfball68 said:
To your point, GPA typically just means you’re good at taking notes and remembering what the book said
Click to expand...

Depends on what your degree program is... It is true for the most part for the liberal arts classes I had to take though. Some classes had test review sessions that were basically spoonfeeding what would be on the test, and people would still skip the review session and not have done the work and fail the test. Made me mad, because it was easiest grades I ever got and people threw it away because they didn't care.
 
drkelly said:
Apparently her daughter also posted a while back that she was only going to college for game days and partying and wasn't planning on doing much studying. She was in Fiji two days after the semester started last fall.
Click to expand...
To be followed by a video of her crying and saying she's the victim in all this.
 
1-tonmudder said:
To be followed by a video of her crying and saying she's the victim in all this.
Click to expand...

Shhhhhh

You're spoiling it for the rest of them who HAVEN'T seen how these entitled buttplugs have operated for the last......well since the beginning of feeling entitled (see also Cain and Abel)
 
RatLabGuy said:
They've bribed their way in, but that doesn't mean they'll get a degree.
But, of course, who knows, they'd probably bribe the right people to get the grades changed too.

In my world, even for fresh-out-of-schoolers, we give much less of a shit where your degree is from than what the GPA is. but even more than that, what else you've done in addition to the degree. Actually, FYI the GSA has set guidelines for setting salary for hiring that are literally based on what your GPA is. So that 2.5 from Stanford will literally net you less $$ than a 3.8 from UNCG.
But as mentioned, what matters to us here (the only thing, really) is what else you did that shows you have actually worked on something real-world-y and completed some kind of project outside of what was required, and that you take initiative to do stuff on your own.
I would, and have, accepted internship applications from a local community college student with mediocre grades who has taken the time to be a lab tech or TA a class etc over a high-GPA UPenn student who has only done class-required projects.
Click to expand...


I went to a college prep school that had a 90+% college acceptance rate. Another 5% went military - mostly ROTC. I was in the remaining 5%. My girlfriend (now ex-wife) was a year older than me, but went to public school. I met her when I was a Junior in high school and she was a senior. She was in the top 2% of her class, not far off grade-wise from the salutatorian. As a junior, I had taken a lot of the stuff she was studying as a senior in public school, so I would actually help her out with her stuff. When I graduated, I didn't get accepted to Michigan State right out of high school because of my 2.8 GPA (which was mostly because of struggling with unweighted Honors courses that I would get C's in. When I finally figured out halfway through sophomore year that they were killing my GPA, I switched to non-honors classes and did well. But a half year of 3.5 GPA couldn't outweigh 2 years of a 2.0 GPA. I started in Community College taking classes when I was still a senior in high school. I took english classes that would transfer into MSU. Often times I'd turn in the same paper in community college as I would in high school. I'd get a C on it in high school, but an A in community college. That's when I discovered how much of a farce community college was. Anyway, it allowed me to transfer into MSU as a sophomore, but because one was on a semester system and the other a trimester, they would not transfer in my grades, only pass/fail - so everything transferred in as 2.0 GPA.

Since my dad "made too much money" for me to get financial aid, and I didn't want to take out student loans (I saw the problems my brother who was the smart one had with them), I paid for all my tuition by working anywhere I could, starting my own business and selling spring break trips for a travel company. I hawked Dominos Pizza at football games for $1 a pizza and I moved pianos at a local music store. I knew that with a year of school transferring in as a 2.0 GPA, even if I aced the rest, I still probably wouldn't make the dean's list, so my goal was just graduate as quick as I can and get a good job as soon as possible. I graduated high school in 1990 and college in 1993. At MSU, a 4 year degree usually took 5. Graduating in 4 was pretty rare. Graduating in 3 was rarer still. I went all year round just to get that paper.

The sad thing is that since mine was an Advertising degree, in order to get a good job at a firm, you needed to do an internship during college at one of these firms. These were UNPAID internships. I remember telling my guidance counselor, "So let me get this straight..... in order to get a good job with one of these firms, I need to pay tuition for the internship credits, then work at the internship for 8 hours a day for free?" His answer...... "Yeah, financial aid pays the University and then we refer you to one of the firms and they give us feedback." Nice. Except if you don't qualify for financial aid. His suggestion was to work a year and save up the tuition money to do the internship the following year. Or just get a student loan. I chose door number three. No advertising job, but also no debt - and I started out at $30k a year in my first job out of college at 22.
 
Nothing to add here, except...

e6cf6f536c344b6260bb2a11d49ccb58.jpg


Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk
 
Last edited:
Back
Top