I mean WTF Aunt Becky? Remember when you told Uncle Jessie it was wrong to like on the twins preschool application just to get them into a fancypants preschool? What has happened to you Aunt Becky?
Ask we all know by now, Aunt Becky, aka Lori Loughlin is probably going to go to a big, full house. Aunt Becky and her husband Mossimo Giannulli, allegedly paid $500,000 in order to get their two daughters into USC. The scheme was carried out through the USC athletics department. The USC is furiously firing large number of people in their athletic department for accepting bribes to pretend that some students were highly ranked athletes. The scheme involved the two daughters, Bella (20) and Olivia (19) pretending to be superior rowers who were recruited to the USC crew team. Apparently, neither of them have ever even gotten their hair wet outside an upscale hair salon let alone rowed a boat. Both of them remain enrolled in USC.
I Want To See Their Transcripts
After the two brainiacs were admitted, their father copied their mother on an email to the person who orchestrated the fraud. Thanking him/her (that person is now a witness for the FBI. The subject of the email was “Trojan happiness.”
Both parents have been arrested.
Olivia Jade Giannulli was a popular blogger who frequently talked about how she hated school. Upon her acceptance to USC she said she was going to be in Fiji for the first couple of weeks during school “for work,”Then, she would be in NYC “working a lot.” So. she would have to talk to her deans and let them know she just wasn’t going to be there much. She said she was looking forward to the football games and going to parties. She has seen be run off the Internet completely for being stupid as fuck.
BUT WAIT! THERE’S MORE!
Felicity Huffman, aka Lynette Scavo from Desperate Housewives was arrested at the crack of dawn this morning when FBI agents with guns drawn ambushed her house. Huffman, her husband William H. Macy (Shameless) and her two daughters were sleeping when the feds arrived.
Felicity Huffman allegedly paid a bribe in order to have one of the proctors of the SATs the daughter sat for give her extra time. Then, the proctor changed many of her wrong answers to the correct ones. So, she got into USC.
Felicity Huffman intended to repeat the process with her younger daughter. But then, she decided an admission to such a prestigious school would be suspicious to her kid’s teachers and tutors. William H. Macy was not arrested. For now, it seems he was unaware of the situation as were the two daughters in this situation.
Remember how much we loved her in American Crime? #Ironic
BUT WAIT! THERE IS EVEN MORE!
Thirty-three parents in all are accused of paying millions of dollars in bribes to get their kids into top schools. The schools involved in the felony activity included, USC, University of California Los Angeles, Yale, Stanford, Wake Forest, Georgetown and University of Texas at Austin. Of the ten coaches fired from those schools, four of them were from USC. The president of a Texas Tennis Academy was also charged.
In addition, three proctors for the ACT/SAT tests were also arrested. Usually, they are high school teachers who take the job as side income.
Also, three members of a non-profit organization considered to be at the center of this mess were also arrested.
Oh Let’s Look At One More Idiot Family Shall We?
Meet Jane Buckingham. She is a Beverly Hills-based marketing CEO and author. What sort of books does she write? Well, self-help books on being a good mother. Her most recent book “a helpful handbook for surviving headaches, pickles, jams, and everyday emergencies.” I can barely contain myself as I wait for her next book, How to Deal With A Sexually Agressive Cellie.
They needed a writing sample from her son, Jack. Becaus, the person taking the ACT for him would mimic his handwriting as the ACT contains an essay portion. As Jane states, “Good luck with that.” Jack scored a 35 out of a possible 36 on the exam placing him in the 99th percentile of all test takers. Only 0.195% of all test takers score a 36. Jane was thrilled and said she wanted to do the same thing with her idiot daughter when the time came. She didn’t say idiot, but what are the chances of the daughter not swimming in the same genetic cesspool?
Oh and she is good friends with Felicity Huffman.
Stupid Is As Stupid Does
This sort of thing starts out with parents doing their kids homework for them in elementary school. Newflash! If you kid can’t count to potato in my class, he is not going to be able to complete his times tables for homework. You are not fooling anyone.
Then, it progresses right on through to doing complicated science projects for the kids that can’t use an electric outlet without supervision. Next, they write the kids college entrance exams. Eventually, they pay for essays and reports for college. It’s dumb parents making their dumb kids even dumber. They take helicopter parenting to new levels. You can see them in first grade. They are the parents that walk their kid in to homeroom every single day of the year. Not just on the first day or two. Every fucking day. Then, they want to chat with the teacher with 24 first graders to get on task when they arrive.
In the end, I still say we need to sterilize most of the population at birth. I’m not kidding. It’s the only way your grandchildren are going to survive global warming. Eventually, we have got to stop breeding stupid people.
So for those asking? That is what I think.
UPDATE:
I forgot until I went to Twitter again the number of idiots who are saying. OMG! Kyle Richards kid just went to college! And, I bet they paid for her to go! She doesn’t even know you have to clean toilets!
First of all, Farrah went to USC and graduated Magna Cum Laude. She’s very smart. Sophia is at George Washington University another great but not as prestigious school with a higher admission rate. George Washington is not involved in the scandal whatsoever.
So, that is the issue with these sort of scandals. Now, every kid and their parent is subjected to stupid fucks who want to make people prove they were properly admitted. Like I said, they need to be prevented from breeding!
Man my parents would not even fill out their financial information on the FASFA because it was “no ones business” I am at a loss because I can’t even relate to having parents that would go to those lengths. Also, no shade to USC but with all that $) those kids could have gotten tutors and gotten in.
My parents would not fill out the FASFA either. On the bright side I had only a very tiny student loan. lol.
wasn’t it Kelly Dodd that called USC Univerity of Spoiled Children?
It’s also referred as University of Surrounded Caucasions lol
Mine wouldn’t do a FAFSA either! I can’t relate to these parents. I worked my ass off for every little thing I got which, even with UCLA Masters isn’t much. Currently, as an Adjunct Professor I make very little money. The whole system is rigged and it’s sickening. I guarantee there are THOUSANDS more. I remember reading a book that made the rounds years ago, like during the Devil Wears Prada time about how rich kids at elite high schools parents hired tutors to do all their kids homework and the teachers were paid in Rolexes. I can’t remember the name of it but I remember being shocked this was how it was. I really blame the parents, it’s disgusting. I don’t think you can blame coaches because they’re exploited by the institutions and not paid enough. There is no way in hell I believe USC doesn’t know it has a $500,000 donation. yeah right. The institutions are always protected, the celebs will lawyer up, the lowest ranking coaches will be the scapegoats. It’s wrong what they did but it would be hard to turn down $1,00,000. I feel like our society is dog eat dog and king of the hill. This whole thing just sickens me.
*typo one with six zeros $1,000,000
Coaches aren’t paid enough? Doesn’t USC have a high ranking football team?
With all due – the coaches involved are probably greedy bastards who ARE paid a decent wage.
My state’s highest paid state employee? University of Washington’s football coach.
The $500K didn’t go to the school it went to the middle man who ran a “charity” the donations to the charity were deducted from their taxes. That is how the IRS/FBI got involved in the first place. The charity was getting huge sums in donations and not really doing anything charitable. Then it was funneled to certain USC employees.
Oh! Thanks for clarifying. I just find it hard to believe the schools don’t know it’s like the turn a blind eye thing. But I see what you’re saying! I missed that part.
Not just USC
I thought I was the only one who’s parents refused!
Same here, so I had to go to a state school.
I had to slum it at a public state college for freshman year so that I could transfer to the elite private college. Took forever to pay those loans off. I always joked that my parents could give me access to my trust fund early. Dream on.
So these parents have been paving (paying) the way for these brats their whole lives. Are they also paying for their homework to be done? Or do they just pay a flat rate for a grade? Do they maybe hire someone to assume their kids identity and attend classes and take the tests? That would free up time for the brats to continue their YouTube channels and Instagram accounts. I mean if you think about it it’s only fair right?
Well, alrighty then Margaret Sanger, Jr. I cannot imagine anyone being surprised this happens. People with money and/or influence have been getting their kids into things they want them in and out if things they want them out of for time immemorial. I am dying to know who tipped off the FBI. They said it was incidental information garnered from the target of a completely separate investigation.
Just another bunch of people to add to the list of “You can’t trust/like anyone”. These past years have seen the crumbling facade of institution after institution, person after person who have just shown one face and lived another. Can’t with these people anymore. Thank God for my faith in God because ….man oh man.
so true! It’s depressing
They are writing up the screenplay as we speak. They can all play themselves!
My girlfriend’s parents bought her a professorship.
That’s right, they endowed a chair, built a building, and boom, she runs the theater department.
We’ve pulled strings to get one of ours in USC but she had the grades and the legit SAT scores.
It’s pretty bad when you pay to get your kid in college and they are dumb.
Um, ok. If she had the grades and the legit SAT scores, why would you have to “pull strings”?
You should always do what you can if the schooll’s acceptance rate is super low. Pulling strings can be anything from putting in word to a friend that your child is applying and watch for their application to donating a ton of money to a program or for a building.
I respectfully disagree. But what would I know? I’m in Canada. We don’t have this craziness.
I’m not suggesting anything illegal or immoral. I certainly wouldn’t recommend even a phone call for a child who’s transcript and college admissions exams weren’t already exemplary.
Good luck to your daughter. Her future service is so appreciated. On a funny but related note. My husband had a great uncle who was a trustee at UVA. He asked for help getting in. He was told nope, you gotta do it on your own. So there are some that won’t pull strings. My husband was on the low end of acceptance. We laugh about it now. And he ended up where he belonged and loved every minute of his college years. God help me when he finds out someone else is an alum.
Putting a word in a friends year?? That is total bullshit. Why would you want your child to go to school where they do not Belong???? Jesus Christ, My son is a collegiate soccer player and earned his spot with his grades/ test scores and talent. There are a couple pussy boys on the team that don’t belong and frustrates the fuck out of the other players. Guess those are circumstance of your kind of people’s doings. “putting a word in someones ear” Darling, putting a word in someones ear does shit unless there is something to back it up. Disgusting. Like you really think you mean so much to someone that you can “put a word in someones ear” and that does a job. Shame on you! Guess I raised my son well enough to teach him… You want it, you earn it. I bet you are a parent that kiss coaches and teachers asses too:) Yeh, have fun with that shit while parents like me just sit back and watch you make a total ASS out of yourself! Good luck! I bet you still wipe our kids ass too at age of 21
We are friends with someone who works at a highly selective university. My kids think of her as an Aunt. She doesn’t have anything to do with undergrad admissions. My son more than qualifies with his test scores and GPA. I asked for her help with who I should contact to arrange a meeting with for my son during our visit. There’s nothing wrong with that and he’s not getting any special treatment that any other interested students would receive. I will absolutely ask for her to look over his application but again there isn’t anything wrong with that either. In fact, his school advisors said to have as many people as you can to review it as I have reviewed essays for my friends kids. And before you freak out, a kid that doesn’t meet the school’s minimum standard has every right to apply but should absolutely be judged on that and not money or who you are related to.
Wow. Someone is angry over nothing! Pie, you did nothing wrong as I’ve done nothing wrong. Speaking with a Naval Academy alum who was also my late husband’s CO was incredibly helpful. There were simply things that we didn’t know about the process, as it’s very different than just applying to college. Going to a trusted person to learn more was the correct move. I’m also certain that Pie’s son is fully potty trained and “wiping his on ass” as are my daughters. Jeez, I felt crass just quoting that one! Getting advice on how to help your hard working child , well qualified child is normal parental behavior. For the angry person above, I’ve never been a PTO mom, class mom, or anything of the sort. My daughter’s independence, leadership skills, academic awards, dedication to community service, and desire to serve this country are part of who she is, not part of who I am. Perhaps your rage should redirected.
Yes, as long as your child has the grades and extra.curricular activities, do whatever you can do to help them get in. My oldest got into Cal Poly Tech, (public college tight admissions) and I questioned it since several of his friends with better grades, SAT’s were declined. They said it was a point system they use, after school activities, etc.
We used family to get into a certain private high school for our boys. Tight admissions, had to do something. Grandpa called. Boys turned out to be an asset to the school.
Cal Poly is FANTASTIC! Kudos to your son!
Or getting stellar references. That’s pulling strings too,and it works even with jobs. Its legal.
Amanda, thanks. Yes Cal Poly worked out well for him, he had job offers starting the Monday after graduation.
It’s stupid and LAZY kids. Also, another category of parent to watch out for are the PTA diehards. My sister is one of those and I’m convinced it’s so she can work in special treatment for her (I really don’t want to say stupid) troublemaking, not so bright kid.
What!? Rich people buy their kids way into “good” schools!? You don’t say!
Well the old way that people like Jarrod Kucher’s dad did it was to donate a wing to the school. That’s legal. Schools can accept anyone they want to and don’t have to go by the standards they set themselves.
These people committed Federal crimes in the process and will get to go to federal prison,
They truly deserve time in prison. Will it actually happen … Getting off with just a fine would be meaningless.
Please.
There are folks doing real time for just selling weed.
I see community service + some BS interview/apology for these ‘poor error in judgement’ privileged individuals.
No mam. This is the FEDs they will do time.
I hope so. You mentioned it once but it deserves repeating that these people got tax write offs for paying this middle man. They clearly knew he wasn’t running a legit charitable organization. Tax fraud in spades.
Oh I understand the difference in legality. I just don’t understand the shock I’m hearing from some people. And I personally think that if you have to donate a building for your child to get accepted, they don’t deserve it either.
I’m shocked that the FBI is doing something about it. I’m not shocked that it happens.
^^ this ^^
Yes, exactly, it sickens me. Pulling strings is one thing, all out faking frauding your way onto the SAT is a whole other thing. Disgusting!
So distinguishable! Buying your way in with a building or wing, IS NOT THIS. Understand fraud- those taking money tax free to lie, those offering it, and the SAT ACT fraud – unacceptable! These parents and a lot of those shitty kids should rot. Fuck them. My kid is at USDiego (one of the accused schools) she got in the hard way, we’re paying, and most are rich brats with no care in the world. Its an elitist school for sure. But mine has had to work hard to get out in 4 years. e
Anyway – these parents should be jailed. 1 M for acommunications degree at USC? You are retarded to pay that. Good luck with your children.
I’ve sent 4 kids to college, and that’s why we are poor. All early decision with no financial aid. It helps to be able to pay, and we are footing the bill for others.
It’s also not true that dumb athletes with $ can get into top schools, especially IVY and NESCAC. My daughter’s coach had to turn away top athletes who didn’t have the grades.
My husband interviews for his Ivy eague alma mater. Rich kids from prep schools get denied admission all of the time.
Really Kdwagz? You think every athlete has gotten into college based on merit? You think even a decent percentage of them got in based on merit? You are dreaming. Athletes get special treatment ALL THE TIME. Not only at the college level, it begins in high school. Hell, I’ve heard of it starting in middle school!
She said TOP schools. Yes, in general, there are schools with some dumb fuck athletes.
But at the really elite schools? They snap up the scholar athletes. Richard Sherman went to Stanford and he didn’t just earn that on the field.
My daughter had 780s on the old SAT and got into Hamilton as an athlete early. The NESCAC requires that level of scholarship. Student athletes— places like Bowdoin, Williams, Amherst… You don’t get in without the grades. And so, you don’t know shit.
If you read the charges, some parents paid others to take not only the ACT/SAT but classes to boost a GPA. And yes, an athletes grades need to be good, but if the test scores are in the low 20s for an ACT, they aren’t getting into an elite college unless it’s for the big 2, football and basketball.
Kdwagz, you are spot on. We had a son who applied for and received a offer, but his grades were up there. The offer was conditional his grades stayed up during his senior year. Wasnt enough to cover everything and we are still recovering from the boys college costs.
I’m dying to see how this play out. I think there are over 800 people that will be charged. I swear, if one of the OC or Beverly Hills Housewives get indicted we can just cancel Christmas, because it came in March.
Most of the Real Housewives are too cheap to pay the fees. It would not surprise me to find Evolution Media recruiting future Real Housewives for OC and BH outside of arraignment court. Bravo loves a good scandal.
Ha ha. Good point!
HAHAHAHAHAHAHA! This made my day.
Total waste of money. If the kids can’t shine academically at school they will sink like stones at tertiary level.
Or, with a lot of extra money poured in, they may scrape through and embarrass themselves as they fail in jobs they are unable to do competently. So failure is just postponed.
There are always other ways their parents’ money could help them find a niche where they can be genuinely successful and happy. The first step is to let their kids be themselves and take responsibility for their own lives and decisions.
And there was the guy photocopying faces onto pictures of actual athletes.
And the irate USC student who was interviewed who said “like” in every sentence.
Me, I went to Berkeley and got in with legit SAT scores, no cheating, no SAT prep (but our sophomore English teacher did give us killed vocabulary lists, which paid off when we took the National Merit exam. We thanked him for that.
Some of those coaches were making fairly big bucks on these scams.
Our UC system was supposed to be free for Californians. Our parents and grandparents paid to build the system. Otherswere to be admitted AFTER QUALIFIED Calif. residents. Nowadays, a non-resident gets in before because they pay more. And an international student is preferred. So we paid and now our kids can’t get in, even with high scores. The do get in as transfers from our wonderful low-cost community colleges.
God this makes me so angry. I’m not rich; my oldest is a junior who’s got a 33 on her ACT currently. She’s awaiting the results of the February test to see if she’s bumped it up to a 34 or 35. Her life has not been a cakewalk but she’s doing great in school and JROTC, 2nd in command over 180 something students actually but she’s terrified she won’t get into the Naval Academy. She applied for their summer seminar but we haven’t heard anything yet. I understand “pulling strings”, like reaching out to someone you know to give them a heads up that your child has applied and really wants to attend. Paying for totally fake test scores is insane!! That just says that a “generous donation” would not have given their kids’ a chance in hell of getting into whichever college they wanted to attend. I’ve been so angry about this since the story broke. Yale is on my daughter’s list of top schools as well. So far the admissions dept has been very helpful and polite but even if she could get accepted, we have real life problems like how we can afford these visits. These parents could afford anything obviously. And I would love to see these kids’ transcripts along with their real ACT/SAT scores too, TT. Argh!
Good luck to your daughter (and you too!)
You’re not alone, it makes me super angry too. It’s really upsetting. It makes you feel like the whole system is rigged. It just isn’t right. It goes beyond ethics. It speaks to something rotten at the core of it all that is unsettling.
Thanks for the well wishes, sliceo’pie! Kate, I feel you 100%! It’s scary to think of as a regular family who’s child has very lofty, yet achievable goals.
You are modeling the best behavior for your daughter and she is learning valuable skills that will serve her well throughout her life. When she DOES get in, she will EXCELL.
Y’all have made me so happy! My daughter and I are acting like this isn’t super stressful but the waiting is excruciating. One of her Cadets just found out she’s accepted and is going to the first session. My daughter is so proud of her and so am I. I’m going to hug that little nugget so hard the next time I see her!
Great-granddaughter #2 is also Jr ROTC & aiming for Annapolis with her eye on becoming a Naval surgeon. She will be at Summer Seminar & Volleyball Camp (2nd summer for volleyball). Summer before last she did STEM Camp & this January spent several days at the Academy shadowing a couple of midshipmen to classes & other activities, so she really got a good taste of what life there would be like. Unfortunately, our Congressman recently died, so there isn’t a chance of a Congressional Appointment, so her application will have to be accepted on merit, though there is a chance she could come in as a member of the volleyball team. She also attended Leadership Camp last year at The Citadel & came in 2nd in a class of over 200, so will return this summer as Cadre (staff). Busy summer! This is an exciting week for me because her varsity basketball team just set a record as the 3rd year Eastern NC Champions, & Sat. they play for the State Championship. Amanda, good luck to your daughter–be sure to let us know if she is going to Summer Seminar & which session.
Congrats on your granddaughter’s achievements, MizGra! That’s amazing! My daughter has zero sports. She’s always done robotics and other “indoor stuff” but her PT scores are just fine. She’s definitely doing cross country next year though!! Your granddaughter has a great chance as an athlete; I believe 80% of students at the Naval Academy are student athletes. The JROTC percentage is like 8. I’ll definitely let y’all know if she gets into Summer Seminar. ??
She’s in!! First Session!! Yay!! I was teasing her about never checking her email and it was the second one. I’m so proud; we both cried.
We lived in CT from 2007-2015–very small state with LOTS of Yale connections. Our understanding was that Yale’s endowment is so high there is a lot of financial aid available. Make sure she fills out all the financial docs they want. Even upper middle class families (which in Fairfield County CT is a bit of a misnomer) received university financial aid. My son was 2 when we moved there. One of the 1st families we met was Yale BA and MD. They often visited the Yale Club in Manhattan. We always joked we should have gotten a letter of recommendation the first day we met them.
Thanks. There is so much money to give out to deserving students at Yale. She’s under the impression that a regular kid from the gulf coast isn’t going to get any attention from them but they iniated contact. I told her that’s a good thing.
It sounds as if even your daughter’s back up schools will provide her an excellent education. I hope she is able to find the best combination of academics and financial aid that makes her happy.
This scandal aside, I think Yale (as well as several other prestige schools), has really tried to find students from regular families who otherwise would have been unable to attend due to financial reasons. I am guessing that these privileged families knew/had been warned of such policies…
I like to think of admissions to highly selective schools as part crap shoot. Even with the best credentials, there is really just an element of luck in being admitted. My daughter had a 4.0 and a 36 on her ACT, very active in dance and a dedicated volunteer for a charity, plus lots of other things, and was rejected by Stanford. There are just so many high-achieving kids and a limited number of spots — plus all this back door and side door admissions stuff.
My daughter went on to graduate top of her engineering class at a highly ranked state school and have her total choice of schools (including Stanford) for grad school and just earned a prestigious fellowship. I think all kids find their place, and not getting into a highly selective school is not the end of the world.
Couldn’t agree more with your entry, and in particular the last graph. I wrote about that for publication once and got hate mail for weeks. Stupid is as stupid does.
Glad these folks were outed. Also happy to hear that William Macey was unaware. I like him.
I like him too. If Fargo is on, I’m watching it (it never gets old)! 🙂
He was not unaware. The head of the company met with both him and FH at their home, to lay out the plan, which the records show they both agreed to. At another time, both bhe and FH discussed in a phone call with the same man how to scan their 2nd daughter’s SAT score. However, they ultimately decided not to pursue it for the second daughter.
Not ‘scan’…scam.
I am continually amazed at the variety and intelligence of TT’s posters.
I believe they have some evidence on Macey, I guess not enough to charge him.
I find it impossible to believe that all of the children were in the dark as to their parents’ crimes. They were posing for photos doing sports they never took in school. I also can’t imagine how their lives at school are now — with everyone knowing they were fraudulently admitted.
I agree, thill. Look, even little ones playing t-ball, with no score being kept, often know if one team is better than the other.
I wrote an entire post several years about about how much t-ball annoys the fuck out of me.
https://tamaratattles.com/2012/02/05/dance-moms-on-lifetime-why-the-outrage/
I was so freaking happy when I asked my five year old if he wanted to play t ball this year and he told me no because everyone is so loud.
Just read it…you’re right on.
Have to admit it took a second but when I heard his name attached to this my mind went right to What About Shameless???
He was 100% aware. He just wasn’t in the room when the wife said Let’s do it. So he wasn’t charged to date. Recorded conversations have him talking about it for his younger daughter but they didn’t go thru with it for her.
My son worked his but off in high school. He worked 2 part time jobs & took the sat 4 x & the act 2x. He got a 35 on the act. He always talked about going to Univ of Penn. He got in!! I don’t understand how these kids didn’t know what their parents were up to. So if they were mediocre students in high school then got a 1400 on the sats’, you wouldn’t think something was up?? Those kids should be expelled. Those spots should given back to the kids who got waitlisted because these kids took their spots. All the money this guy made should pay for the tuition of the kids. I’ve read aunt Becky’s daughter’s twitter page & she’s a poster child for spoiled brat. How she hasn’t flunked out is beyond me. I wouldn’t be surprised if she wasn’t paying someone to take her exams. Aunt Becky better go to prison for this. This really pissed me off, can u tell??? ? I really feel bad for the kids who got screwed out of admission
USC is saying now that the kids that got in on the scam THAT THEY KNOW OF will be expelled.
That’s great to hear. I know it’s got to be difficult to figure out who knew what but wouldn’t these kids who get into college through their own merit be struggling as students at schools like these?
Glad you added this TT. Last I had seen stated they were still enrolled which pissed me off. It makes me happy to hear they will be expelled. I don’t know that I believe the kids were not in the know, especially Aunt Becky’s as their father had them pose on rowing machines for pics for their fake ass profiles. They should be expelled. It’s just not right that these kids who entered these colleges by illegal methods take a spot from someone who actually worked for it and deserves it. Aunt Becky’s kid (who was run off of the internet) makes my blood boil. She didn’t even appreciate what she had (albeit by ill gotten means) regarding her enrollment. Thanks for the update!
The kids deserve due process. They probably have to do their own investigations before expelling them
Good! They should let in kids who worked hard and deserve it.
I think if the kid’s parents are proven in on it, give them an SAT to take and see how their score compares to the one that got them in. Particularly for the ones who paid to have SAT or ACT scores modified. That is just so wrong.
Post grad 30 plus years- went to UOP, 2nd most expensive school at the time in CA behind USC and Stanford was less. Even then, motto at USC was “pay your fees, get your Bs”. Not much has changed. Its the fraud that makes it unpalatable.
They are reviewing all currently enrolled student and not letting in the current applicants or the ones that were accepted for fall. Not sure if you saw, aunt Becky’s daughter was on spring break with a trustees daughter on his big yacht.
My eyes rolled so far back that I was afraid they’d be stuck forever when I saw that. Yachting in the Bahamas while your mom’s getting picked up by the Feds. Keeping it classy!
Why am I not surprised she’s a yacht girl?
Not sure it is that same concept. Or at least I hope it isn’t. Especially since it’s with his daughter and she’s got her own business as well. The trustee is a billionaire developer who donated to USC because they actually helped his daughter with her deafness.
I know, right. They really have no clue. What’s wrong with taking a flight back. She really is giving a new meaning to walking a plank.
Aunt Becky’s daughters are rumored to be dropping out of usc. They are afraid of being bullied. Glad they finally decided to do the right thing. But now, they will need a degree as they are toxic.
and yet the professors and trustees who KNEW Olivia Jade wasn’t going to class and couldn’t spell any word over 6 letters still have their jobs….
The professors can’t throw dumb kids out of class.They paid for the course, we teach whoever shows up.
Her natural face was great. Her husbands face is the best. Why would she do that to herself.
TT, I’m so glad you brought this up. Were any of us surprised that this happened? I doubt it. The difference here is that instead of building a wing, or endowments which actually helps the schools, these sleazy, desperate, pathetic people lied about their ignorant kids grades, athletic abilities, superimposed their heads on actual athletes etc. etc. and then paid huge amounts of $ (and took tax deductions off it) to someone who then paid off someone who then paid off someone else and on and on and on. I doubt the hollywood ones will spend one second in jail since God forbid (I’d LOVE to see it happen tho) but their reputations are shot. Huffman’s instagram account is/was full of all these sayings about women and power and truth (what a crock) and Loughlin already deleted hers. The kids should be pulled out of the schools, the families should pay back every cent to the university and that’s what should be done, but again, I doubt it will happen. For the ones accused of RICO, they will be going to the clink tho. And this is just the tip of the iceberg. Can’t wait to see who else gets hammered. What makes me sick to my stomach are the deserving kids who couldn’t get in due to the cheating scumbags. Thanks for letting us vent TT.
Really, What’s the difference? It’s still buying your child’s way in to university and still a bribe. You’re right that’s its not surprising and I can only speak for LA, this is how it’s done for some of the wealthy and famous. There are lunches and meetings planned, donors give money and these donations or endowments get kids admitted and off probation when attending etc. The universities also like the publicity that comes with a famous persons off spring attending the school. I’m not talking aunt Becky famous but more famous and wealthy, like how many buildings are named Hilton on campuses in LA.
This will not put a stop to any of it in my opinion. And if the child is getting good grades in the school, why should the child be kicked out to be honest? It was the parents mistake and especially if the child was a minor and 17 at the time. As TT writes in some situations the children were completely unaware.
Federal laws. That is the difference. It’s not against the law to donate to a college. It is against the law to “donate” to a fraudster, take false tax deductions (NEVER FUCK WITH THE IRS), participate in elablorate schemes to defraud…. etc, etc,
Why should the “child” ROFLMAO be kicked out? BECAUSE SHE DOESN’T MEET THE REQUIREMENT OF ADMISSION, blocked seats from those who do, and is dumb as a brick.
It’s still paying for entrance. The students I know of firsthand bought way in, endowment equals entrance irregardless of GPA. And I know if a student with a family building taht was on probation at an affluent university and lunch was organized, money given and off probation. I just don’t see the difference ETHICALLY. I should have made taht point clear. Legally there may be differences.
And yes why hold a MINOR responisble for a crime the parent committed? That’s my opinion and you can agree or laugh. But as a mom, that’s my opinion. Things don’t happen in vacccums. Who’s to say if the child would have been admitted without parent involvement (assumption is yes, but parent stripped them off chance of applying or applying to other universities. I just don’t see it as black and white as you or others.
Maybe it’s also my exposure to knowing in LA how much this is done that I’m just not as much put off by it as it’s how Ive known things to be done.
You need to read the indictment. These kids would never get in. For many, GPA and real test scores aren’t anywhere near the average. They amount of money they used to bribe was not going to get them in. And, many aren’t minors, while 18 is young, they signed the application. Even at 17, they signed it with there parents. Some actively participated in the scam. Posing for pictures, writing fake essays about sports, getting answers from the Proctor. Examples need to be made and kids are getting hurt but that’s what happens when cheating happens. I feel no pity for any of these kids. They and their parents stole spots illegally for status and they now know it. They can and should do the right thing and drop out.
I forgot to mention, the parents “donated” to a fake charity and took tax deductions for many of the bribes. Tax fraud is a serious crime. No gray area for that.
Real E, did you see the writing sample of the idiot male child of the woman who wrote books about being a great mom?
He couldn’t get into a private middle school. I am not exaggerating.
This is lawnmower parenting, which is beyond helicopter parenting (hard to believe something is beyond that).
I had no clue there was a step above helicopter parenting. Lol. These are adults with lives. Why can’t they just let their children deal with real life?? Like a poster said below, they’re only postponing their childrens’ failures. Failure is also very important! Young people need to learn how to get up after they fall. The ppl whom I admire most in my life have had some ginormous fuckups, I mean that literally, and they’re all successful happy adults. I seriously doubt any of them would have decent lives now if someone cleaned up all of their past messes.
Updated to address idiots on social media.
GW costs around 67K to attend. They let in people who can pay, especially if they apply early. Sophia is no dummy. She’ll do just fine.
So while all of you seem to be pissed about “rich” people who can pay for college and they get an advantage, just remember that those scholarships for needy students come from somewhere. It infuriates me that my daughter’s roommate received almost a full ride for financial need and her mom (who lives on the beach) pulled up to the dorm in a Porsche. This is a less expensive school at 64K. Sigh. Life isn’t fair. People scam and dissolve assets before filling out a FAFSA. Get over it.
67K per year.
Nobody’s talking about scam filling out FAFSA’s they HIRED PEOPLE TO CHEAT on SATs and ACTS and lied about playing sports and BRIBED administrators.
Get over it.
I do feel badly for celebrity rich kids right now – they will be getting the same scrutiny and comments that a lot of students of color have had to endure over the years (You just got in through affirmative action – you stole someone’s place. No, they TOOK the place they EARNED)
Besides, if Kyle was paying to get her kid into a prestigious school, she would have picked a California one not one clear across the country!
I can’t believe anyone actually bought the story that Aunt Becky’s bobbleheaded dolts actually were on a rowing team.
Giggle
And the only reason they got busted was because of the fraud of the charity donations thru Singer’s foundations. But Hollywood types are notorious for thinking the IRS doesn’t pay attention
I just hope they get the same treatment in the criminal justice system black and brown parents get for sending their kids to the PUBLIC school outside their area for a quality education
Yes! I totally agree with your last paragraph! I hope I live long enough to see that happen.
Disclaimer- my kid is a Freshman at a good state school here in N.C. It’s not nearly as competitive as USC.
The middle 50% of kids accepted to USC last year had unweighted gpa of 3.7 to 3.97….
There are 25% kids that are lower than 3.7 gpa, but how much lower?
This whole thing really is a shame. If kids did earn it and were on the bubble (could go either way for acceptance, but got in) but their family happens to be wealthy, then there’s a cloud on them. And that’s not fair.
Can we have a garden thread soon? This warm weather…
Not warm here yet. Ah, garden, smell of grass. I survived February back from Cali in the cold, can’t wait for spring!
500k for your kid to be on the row team? What’s wrong with community college? It’s a great starting place for kids that aren’t sure about college or need a little extra help in the beginning. That’s my plan for the kids as of now.
Community College lol, then how can they brag about their little genius kids at their cocktail parties? Their little previous ones cannot speak or sit next to the peasants!! Or God Forbid, room with one!!!
*precious ones
Lol @peasants!
It’s a great place to start and a few close friends and family members went from junior college to PhD’s. Highly underrated in my opinion.
So true! Hope your daughter gets in the Academy. I saw your note above, I’m a local and we love our plebes!
Thanks!! The few months I spent in the Bethesda showed me how much the entire area loves those kids. That love and respect stuck with my daughter too.
She was accepted into the first session of the Academy’s Summer Seminars! We just read the email. So maybe we’re like 1/3 of the way to admission next year. Lol
So happy for her.
Thanks Pie! She’s so excited. She really didn’t expect this; she was afraid to get her hopes up.
I agree! Number one, cost.
2. Some kids aren’t ready for complete away from home “College experience” but should still be in school.
3. I know here in AZ all CC’s credits transfer to all other colleges here in state (which loops back to #1) You can transfer and graduate from chosen university with initial credits from CC.
That said, a driven, hard working, exceptional student with a dream and goals deserves her spot at the Academy before some fake, insane lawnmower parent’s child with too much money!
Good job Amanda (Momma, it’s hard watching on the sidelines knowing about life but letting her do her). Her hard work will pay off, I believe that. Keep us posted! I’m excited for you both!
Thanks Kipper!
As for prestige…it doesn’t matter where you START as much as where you finish. Community college is a great way to get your solids out of the way, alleviate some “4-year tension” and explore some classes because they seem interesting. You can learn about jobs related to your interests. The professors often have connections in the fields they teach. Good way to see what you really want to do without paying for “mis-steps.”
You said it, as so many of you all are able to correctly write in response (far better) what I’m thinking. My SAT wasn’t low, I was a accepted into colleges I couldn’t afford.
Life is about lessons. Hope to keep learning everyday. So far? So good.
We have four girls and we have gone down the CC route as well. A part of me would love for them to have the entire college experience that I did. Move away, join a sorority if you want too. Go to parties and football games. But college has become so expensive. And as my “other half” always says “It doesn’t matter where you start, just where you finish”. So far we have had great success. There just isn’t any reason in this day and time to pay that much money for basic classes that will transfer to a “Big” university. Unless you are filthy rich.
I work at a community college and my oldest is a freshman there. Since he is looking at needing at least a masters degree for his chosen field, we felt like it was a no-brainer to have free schooling for the first two years.
Shit… My parents wouldn’t even give me a ride to take my SAT. Had to carpool with a friend and walk my ass down to my uncle’s restaurant afterward to *GASP* work as a waitress. (Insert crying Lori Loughlin here)
Right? I took myself to take my SAT, it’s wierd how I remember the room and even the bathroom from that day, I remember thinking I was fat too. Did we have FAFSA in 1979? I didn’t do it, had a small student loan thank God! I worked in the dorm cafeteria, wow, memories are flooding back.
I was a car pool to the ACT kid as well. My parents had one vehicle and my dad had to work each time I took it.
Your blog is hilarious and the truth. This must have been going on for generations so these diplomas have questionable prestige. Lori Laughlin’s brat puts the ? on top with her childish attitude towards learnin’.
My son is working full time to pay for his college so he won’t graduate with thousands in debt. When I asked him what about the ap classes you took in high school he you don’t get credit unless you paid for the final. He knew I didn’t have the money so he never asked. As a single parent since he was 3 he grew up you work for what you want.the one and only time a teacher called concern Dr that he was failing his class for not turning I work. I told him fail him,it’s called consequences. The teacher couldn’t believe I said it. I said better be fail and find out how cause I’m not going to college with him
Some schools have a fund to pay for things like AP tests if you can’t afford them. I wish he had had that option! (But AP classes are some of the best to prep for college. I had college classes that were easier than my AP ones!
Deaths come in 3’s so maybe scams do too?? There was Jussie, now this college thing, please Feds bring down Scientology next!!!
Yes, please please please take away their tax exempt status!!!!!
With you both!
These are the same people and colleges that pretend to be enlightened and preach to the rest of America how stupid and unjust we are. In our fly over states. Kiss it folks, my friends have more integrity in their little finger then you could dream of.
I refused to fill out a FAFSA because my parents had set up a college fund for my son plus college is very inexpensive here comparatively, so I wasn’t going to fill out any financially invasive form that wasn’t necessary.
I actually took early retirement from teaching because I could not take the helicopter parents anymore. During our big parents night the kids had to bring their science projects they made at home and of course there were prizes given. After all the parents left for the night, we hung and waited for the science teacher to award his trophy of “Best Project Actually Made By A Parent Award.” SMH.
@hereforthetea:
“I actually took early retirement from teaching because I could not take the helicopter parents anymore.”
I have a lot of friends who are teachers and are very frustrated. They have helicopter parents, parents who blame them for everything their precious child gets disciplined for or doesn’t get a high enough grade, and sadly, parents who are drug addicted and can’t be bothered to send their child to school, let along bathe, feed, and make sure they’re dressed for the weather. It sounds like madness.
Some of my friends are also helicopter parents. I love them to death but sometimes it is hard listening to how the coach and teachers are picking on their child. They put that ish on facebook even. I would be embarrassed for them but I’m in the minority. There are so many who are outraged by the injustice of it, pray for them, and/or identify with them because, you know, their child was treated unfairly too.
And, lastly, I’ve stopped going to their ball games. I got to my nephews and nieces games and that is it. The way these parents yell at the refs is so unsettling. I’ve watched people get kicked out because they can’t behave while watching their child’s game (mostly at the HS level but some at the MS level). This season it escalated to a PARENT getting charged for harassing a child after a basketball game. Later the kid also got charged. It this happening everywhere??
I live in a somewhat wealthy community — too many spoiled and entitled people I guess. I love them but sometimes I don’t understand how they can justify their behavior.
The articles I’m seeing are saying that USC will not admit any students connected with the scandal and will review the students that have already been admitted. And, there’s an op ed out there in which the author, a USC alum, thanks the scandal for putting USC on the same level as Yale! That’s looking at the bright side.
Why is everyone so shocked? Money can buy admission to college, political office, modeling careers, internet makeup lines, Hollywood stardom, restaurant empires, and even reality TV careers. Guess there is a legal path and an illegal path. These guys got caught. Others have also got caught, served time and/or community service and continue to prosper. What a sad reflection on our times. And we continue to make them relevant. Mea culpa.
where the hell have you been? I haven’t seen you in YEARS! Welcome back! 🙂
You can view the actual criminal complaint in a wall St journal document. It quotes all the taped calls, they are all screwed.
After years of working in various fields with people who have degrees from prestigious schools and must have had a hard time with 8the grade, (i am NOT talking about the people who EARNED their degree), I believe you can cheat, buy, or blow your way though any school.
I guess you can cheat, buy, or blow your way IN to any school too.
This is pretty telling. “We” as a group of TT followers, walk in many different shoes and walks of life yet have pretty comfortably come together in agreement. I want to thank TT for this and also the ability to have open conversations about our frustrations and opinions, this particular subject as ugly as it is, needs to be completely exposed.
Yes this thanks TT
Kipper, great comment.
Hmmmm. I got a 33 on my ACT with no help or test prep. Guess that I should skipped law school Nd just started taking it for others.?
TT, as you know from teaching and I know from coaching: it’s never the kids, it’s the parents. My daughter filled out her own paperwork, got her undergrad and her masters. Buying a house. There were 4 girls and 3 boys in my family growing up and we were told flat out-“We don’t have the $ for the girls, if you want to go to college-do it. My sister did. My 3 brothers did but by the time the youngest 2 were in college my dad was very sick. I am proud of the way they raised me-What are these people teaching their children? If we had a problem with a teacher it was assumed that the teacher was right and 99% of the time they were. I loved my kids teachers-angels on earth mostly.
The “old way”? Evidently this is the “new way”! It’s not really very different How do you think these Ivy League Schools were created? The only surprise is that the dolts who paid the fees are being crucified and not the schools! Can’t wait to see what happens!!!
I wonder which parents were stupid enough to actually deduct their “charitable” contribution on their tax returns? That would be tax fraud, correct? I hope we get to hear all about it.
All of them.
Ha!!!
I smell a new reality TV family coming to your TV sets soon… with mom & dad possibly in prison for a bit.
I am so glad that I have an outlet. My husband and kids are getting tired of hearing about this. More will be coming out. This is going to get even uglier. And yes, the kids need to be allowed to finish the semester and apply elsewhere unless they wrote lies on essays. I find it hard for the kids to be completely in the dark. Going from 23 to 35 on an ACT is impossible. Kids talk to each other, these kids had to know something didn’t add up. My son’s a sophomore whose done with college testing. He did his over last summer. As I was telling him some of the stories, he looked confused on how any students could think that testing environment was normal
PLEASE make my day and tell me that Teresa Giudice had Singer’s “help” to get Gia in to a good college!
So Lori Laughlin’s daughters are withdrawing from USC because they’re afraid of being “viciously bullied”. Poor victims.
Can’t help but think, it’s a “you can’t fire me, I quit.”
Did any of these parents write off their “charity donations” on their tax returns?
Yes. all of them. That’s what they will do the most time for.
This has been going on for years and years. Allegedly George W. Bush, Trump, Kushner, etc. all got into prestigious schools without the credentials, but with HELP either by large donations or whatever.
Teddy Kennedy got caught cheating on exams and got kicked out, makes you wonder how he was admitted in the first place? The list goes on and on.
What I don’t understand is why the parents would pay all that money for a kid who isn’t bright enough in the first place? Do the parents think all of a sudden their kid is going to become Einstein? Obviously, the kid isn’t going to do well – unless further cheating is going to happen.
Further cheating is going to happen. For most of these kids “that’s just the way it has always been” because they start this nonsense very early even at preschool levels. I’m all for getting your kid in the best school possible and schmoozing whoever you need to at parties, but if they don’t have the grades and intellect to perform well, it is very detrimental to the student is so many ways.
micmac, after experiencing public blue collar school and then a (uppity parents not the Brothers) Catholic private H.S. then having my oldest sons acceptance into Cal Poly SLO questioned, I’ve learned a few things. I think it is about themselves as parents. They need say to others, “See what our child is doing, we produced and raised a superior child, we are such superior people” It is about image.
H.S. Story, Sitting in the stands at a football game, a mom turned to me and asked, who are you to have both of your boys 1st string starters?
The way she asked that question had several women actually grasp. I looked right at her and replied, its not about who we are, its about talent and GPA.
Lori and her husband seem to me to be of that thinking, they are somebody and rules don’t apply to them. .
Best thing I ever heard from my older brother:
“Any idiot can get a college education”
My opinion is different. I think Laurie should have let Olivia Jade do her own thing instead of foisting college on her, when she didnt want to go and didnt like school. Now all her deals are ruined as a beauty influencer. Was this all about impressing other people, living her dream, than whats best for her child? I think its a new economy, and not everyone is suited for college as it is. It doesnt mean the person is dumb, and if theyre making it and happy who cares? These schools are not for average and most of us dont qualify and theres no shame in that. My son went to community college and transfered and it was so much easier that way and less pressure. I highly recomend that route if your child is a poor test taker, unsure of what they want to do, immature or adhd.