While I'm glad to see that Stanford's involvement seems limited so far, even before today's revelation (of a currently-enrolled student who had a fake sailing profile), I had expected that we'd eventually learn of cases where Stanford was fooled, or worse, compromised.
Weren't the parents who were charged just the *current* clients who could be caught by wiretap? Apparently, Singer warned certain clients face-to-face that their phone calls would be recorded, so presumably some big fish got away. (Which may explain why the people who were caught were small-to-medium-sized fish).
Singer has been in operation for more than a decade and has boasted he's helped thousands of clients. I imagine there's a treasure trove of evidence in his emails, text messages, and bank records. People familiar with these processes -- will these lists ever be made public?
And beyond this case, there have got to be countless Singers out there. All the consultants may might not be laundering and bribing, but the NYTimes has reported about an SAT-taking ring in NYC, and that, in the past, consultants have helped parents orchestrate "spiritual awakening" trips resulting in sham non-profits. (though, to be clear, I'm not saying all college consultants engage in dishonest behavior, or that all their clients accepted dishonest services).
I have noticed in recent years that very few students from my old high school, a small, Catholic school in the Midwest, seem to get admitted to Top-15 universities any more, despite often producing a substantial number of National Merit Semi-Finalists, and having sport, art, and volunteer work requirements.
I am beginning to wonder whether college consultant fraud (if you count things like re-written essays) is so rampant that I underestimated how difficult it is to get in now for someone who tries to get admitted through the old-fashioned, honest front door, especially when they lack any "hooks" (including legacy connections).
If and when Singers's full client list becomes public, and as other Singers are caught, I would be pleasantly surprised if it turns out Stanford hasn't been fooled many times in the past. I hope this case results in more people becoming exposed (and facing consequences), and in stronger procedures to reduce future fraud (like many good suggestions already in this thread).
Weren't the parents who were charged just the *current* clients who could be caught by wiretap? Apparently, Singer warned certain clients face-to-face that their phone calls would be recorded, so presumably some big fish got away. (Which may explain why the people who were caught were small-to-medium-sized fish).
Singer has been in operation for more than a decade and has boasted he's helped thousands of clients. I imagine there's a treasure trove of evidence in his emails, text messages, and bank records. People familiar with these processes -- will these lists ever be made public?
And beyond this case, there have got to be countless Singers out there. All the consultants may might not be laundering and bribing, but the NYTimes has reported about an SAT-taking ring in NYC, and that, in the past, consultants have helped parents orchestrate "spiritual awakening" trips resulting in sham non-profits. (though, to be clear, I'm not saying all college consultants engage in dishonest behavior, or that all their clients accepted dishonest services).
I have noticed in recent years that very few students from my old high school, a small, Catholic school in the Midwest, seem to get admitted to Top-15 universities any more, despite often producing a substantial number of National Merit Semi-Finalists, and having sport, art, and volunteer work requirements.
I am beginning to wonder whether college consultant fraud (if you count things like re-written essays) is so rampant that I underestimated how difficult it is to get in now for someone who tries to get admitted through the old-fashioned, honest front door, especially when they lack any "hooks" (including legacy connections).
If and when Singers's full client list becomes public, and as other Singers are caught, I would be pleasantly surprised if it turns out Stanford hasn't been fooled many times in the past. I hope this case results in more people becoming exposed (and facing consequences), and in stronger procedures to reduce future fraud (like many good suggestions already in this thread).