Hopefully this story detours in a healthy direction and sheds light on the decades of scandal that has sent millions of incompetent students to universities they're entirely ill-suited for, simply because they're of a certain minority status or economic strata, and for the sake of diversity (for diversity's sake alone!). Maybe it takes catching a few wealthy cheaters that everybody loves to hate to disinfect the criminal behavior that's infected higher education. Hmmm? Sounds like a certain president of the U.S., doesn't it. :)

"Why are such auctions almost a religion when people use it for getting stuff but declared a crime when applied to getting into schools? "

Because the two faced bastards fraudulently tell you that it is a competitive environment based on ability and it most certainly isn't.

" If the progressives get their way of free education for everyone, that would save the rich a lot of money".

No it won't....it will only fill up the schools with the dregs of society who want to extend their childhood. the rich will have to find other schools so their little darlings wont have to go with the Riffraff. BESIDES....who cares if someone else saves money. That is not a very objectivist viewpoint....to be against something solely because some rich guy will get ahead.

A colleague of mine has designed some huge Malibu homes for some Hollywood moguls. They don't consider global warming in their personal lives...

Cal Poly for me. Fantastic education. Almost impossible to get accepted there anymore. I think grade inflation is a factor as just about everybody there now had a 4.2 gpa in high school, etc...

When I attended Georgia Tech in early '50's tuition was $69 per quarter, books around $100. We all had to take classes in welding, machine shop, moulding,etc. (a legacy from its original genesis as North Avenue Trade Tech. We all had to build an electric motor from scratch) along with math and physics. Classes changed at the sound of a steam whistle.
There was an option to enroll as a co-op student where one could work alternating years at cooperating companies to earn enough to attend school the following year. A lot of veterans attended on then GI Bill following WWII.

Look where it is now. One of the top engineering schools in the world! I like to think we made it that way.

Advise your kids that there are many good state schools with a more credible reputation than the scammers for the high priced institutions. It's been more than fifty years since I graduated from Texas A&M, but even then I was shocked to listen to a recruiter from a leading aerospace company tell me my degree was worth much more than any of the ivy league schools, because it was common knowledge that those schools sold degrees for the children of big alumni contributors.

Apple and Google and others no longer require four year degrees:
https://www.cnbc.com/2018/08/16/15-co...

Indeed -- at my former company of 18 years, three of the most effective software developers had very little formal education. One guy got his degrees online.

Do you have any hard evidence for that? I would be happy if the off-course (sic) collegiate system were bypassed by self-learning and application tests, but I have not seen evidence that this is so.

Jan

The progressive crowd wants free education for everyone. Is that regardless of "merit", i.e. grades achieved in classes and on qualifying tests? If everyone is to get free education, how many students is there room for in any university if no one is to be turned away? Why today are admissions limited to only a certain number of students, chosen by scholastic merit or "social justice" criteria?

Why can you go to eBay and buy what you want if you can outbid others? Why are such auctions almost a religion when people use it for getting stuff but declared a crime when applied to getting into schools? Universities are forever campaigning for endowments by their alumni or anyone else. How is that different from getting money from parents for enrolling their kids?

Paying exorbitant amounts above inflated tuitions should not be called bribery; otherwise everything that is paid for anything in trade and commerce could be defined as a bribe.

A small example: I am an artist and sell at art fairs. Occasionally a potential buyer will ask if "I can do better" on price if he buys more than one item. I explain that I don't bribe customers that way, and that no one gets a better deal.

As for the College Admissions “Scandal”, it is just to feed the envy and hatred of the rich. Pretty ugly spectacle. If the progressives get their way of free education for everyone, that would save the rich a lot of money. Has anyone considered that?

I find it rather interesting at my wife's place of employment. Most of the jobs require at least a 2 or 4 year college degree. What is most interesting in her office is the degrees her employees have are not in any way related to the type of work or business they are in. One guy above my wife does hold a 4 year degree in business finance yet at just 40 years old and single living with his mother he is so deep in debt they repossessed his Range Rover from the lot at work. No, he is not paying off student loans because mom and dad paid that freight. He is a jet setter with the fancy vacations, expensive cars and trophy GFs with very expensive tastes.

I think I learned more from YouTube than most of college

It’s a negative ROI. Who wants a fresh entitled leftist college educated employee..

The government backs the student loans so of course the colleges hike their prices. They also know u can’t bk out of the loans. Crooked. I also wonder seriously if they are worth it

In Harvard's case, if your family income is below $140k or so (I don't remember the exact figure), then tuition is 0.

BTW how much do illegal immigrants pay? IIRC, here in CA, they get in-state tuition rates and in some cases, essentially free (first person in family to go to college, etc....).

When the taxpayers are backing the loans, there is no need for the "provider" to worry about efficiency or ROI.

This site rates Harvard and Yale as best values, at $49,500 and $51,000 per year for tuition alone. Hideous.
http://www.collegecalc.org/colleges/

Very good article. I have to admit - I have a couple kids who will be looking at attending college in the near future. I'm perplexed by the whole thing. I'm familiar with the things mentioned in that article about how financial "need" is calculated as I worked in finance for some time. I got a fantastic bachelors degree in engineering for a total (including gas, housing, food, etc..) of $35k. Now one can pay 1000% more (haha...funny figure). Discount that out to what you need to set aside each month starting when your kid is born and...well, there's the problem.

Add to that the fact that the elite collectivists in this story did what they always do.

Many years ago I worked with a lovely lady who grew up in communist Vietnam. She scored the highest in her village with their pre-college exam. She wanted to study medicine and, per the program, should have gotten to do that. However, her father had been an American sympathizer. So, she wasn't allowed to pursue her dream. At that time her father said something like "F this place" and snuck the family here. Now...where can we go?...

Yes, you might look like a value when you compare yourself to bigger rip-offs, but what is the return on investment compared to other alternatives?

I agree. My own experience was that I could have skipped the first 2 years of college, with the exception of one quarter of calculus that covered more than I had learned in high school. It was a waste of time that could have been used to learn more about my field of study. After the 2nd year I switched to a bachelor of business and took a day job in that area.