The author of Getting In: Gaining Admission to the College of your Choice was charged with racketeering, money laundering, conspiracy, and obstruction of justice, according to a criminal complaint.
Bribes to Get Into Yale and Stanford? What Else Is New?
Its a galling exposé of widespread cheating by families who are already well-to-do and well connected, but its not really a surprising one. Anyone who knows anything about the cutthroat competition for precious spots at top-tier schools realizes how ugly and unfair it can be: how many corners are cut, how many schemes are hatched, how big a role money plays, how many advantages privilege can buy.
The Jared Kushner story was uncovered more than a decade ago by Daniel Golden, who showcased it in his 2006 book, The Price of Admission, a definitive account of the strings pulled by rich families like Kushners. Jared did get into Harvard, despite grades and test scores that were, according to Goldens reporting, well below what Harvard typically wants.
I spoke with Golden just after the Justice Department detailed the bribery and fraud scam, which he characterized as an extreme outgrowth of what I wrote about.
I spoke with Golden just after the Justice Department detailed the bribery and fraud scam, which he characterized as an extreme outgrowth of what I wrote about.
When struggling Americans seethe at the elite, they mean parents who exploit their station to try to guarantee it for their kids. They mean the self-regarding colleges that allow that to happen.
When they say that the system is rigged, they have this kind of wrongdoing - and the widely accepted and entirely legal shenanigans that are none too far from it - in mind. Our countrys best schools are supposed to be engines of social mobility and the gateways to dreams. Sometimes theyre just another sour deal.
When they say that the system is rigged, they have this kind of wrongdoing - and the widely accepted and entirely legal shenanigans that are none too far from it - in mind. Our countrys best schools are supposed to be engines of social mobility and the gateways to dreams. Sometimes theyre just another sour deal.