What college cheating scandal says about us

Shan Wu is a former federal prosecutor and CNN legal analyst who represents college students. He is a member of the Sarah Lawrence College Board of Trustees. His Twitter handle is @ShanlonWu. The views expressed here are his own and do not reflect those of Sarah Lawrence College. View more opinion on CNN.

In a case that reveals the dark side of our hypercompetitive, brand-driven approach to higher education, the criminal charges just unsealed in Boston, code named by the FBI as"Operation Varsity Blues," allege wealthy parents bribed test administrators, college coaches and possibly college administrators in return for admitting students into prestigious colleges like Yale, Stanford and the University of Southern California.

CNN has reached out to multiple defendants for comment but has not yet heard back. Shan WuYale, Stanford, Wake Forest, UCLA, USC, the University of Texas and Georgetown have released statements, largely presenting themselves as victims of the alleged criminal schemes, and in some cases announcing internal investigations, a suspension and firings .

Actresses Lori Loughlin, Felicity Huffman charged in college cheating scheme 04:26Such deeply abhorrent actions, if proven true, injure the many thousands of incredible students who strive and thrive in the face of their genuine need for accommodations. It also insults the heroic efforts of student athletes, including those with accommodations, who carry full academic loads in addition to spending hours after school and on weekends training and competing.

Opinion and to think some people who really deserved a chance at the same education were unable to bc of this whole thing here smhhh

Opinion Really milking this story huh?

~ we’re fallible… lead us not into satisfying temptation.

Opinion Hollywood and the Dem's are hypocrites and cheaters !

Opinion Some of the logic I’m hearing about the “pay for test results, pay for a college slot” scandals: “Well, they earned that money. Why shouldn’t they be able to pay their kids way in? Just make it honest, if you can pay a premium you buy a slot.”

Opinion It says we shouldn't be looking to Hollywood for moral political and social guidance because they're just as corrupt as anyone else?

Opinion Us

Opinion US?!? NAH YAL!!!

Opinion It says California SUCKS!

Opinion It says that celebrities are democrats and supreme selfish socialist

Opinion CNN knows all about cheating right? Didn’t you piss ants give away debate questions?

Opinion Come on. Is anyone really surprised that anything can be had, for a price?

Opinion Us ? Well it says that amercia was is and will be discrimination the poor and basically enslaving them for the rich . That what we call capitalism the only difference is that now the fake media is talking about it . This is the aftermath of the kavanaugh hearing .

Opinion Is this a form of Affirmative Action for the rich?

Opinion This is like Affirmative Action for the rich.

Opinion Don't lump it into 'us'. It was them.

Opinion Fake it to make it! Just ask Obama who faked his own US citizenship and college entrance forms!

Opinion Can’t say that I agree with the “they were just children under their parents influence” approach. If they desired to apply to said schools they had the capacity to know better as well. Have you considered the pressures teens place on parents to give them what they want?

Opinion It says humans are corrupt, money corrupts, rich people suck. Corruption is rampant in America

Opinion Rich get what they want, no matter what, while most of us suffer.

Opinion rich people use their money to get what they want.

Opinion The report keeps saying 33 parents were involved. You have named 2 with pictures, where are the other 31. Are they being protected because they're too big to name. Please furnish the other 31 now.

Opinion It says Democrats are hypocrites

Opinion You shouldn’t have to pay a small fortune to be educated.

Opinion Us? No that’s them.

Opinion Says about CNN opinion media employees and Liberals leaders. Don’t put “US” in that sentence. It says about you all that evil always loses. Stop bullying and trying to shove ur ideals on others but bottom line stop being fake and crooks.

Opinion People with money want to send their kids to be educated. There should be a more effective way. You know like the VIP table at hell's kitchen.

Opinion Not about us, but about you.

Opinion By By?

Opinion Everybody knows America is a corrupt nation.

Opinion If your privileged enough to be wealthy, anything is possible because everything is for sale.

Opinion That most of America is too lazy to work diligently to attain a legitimate education? Yep, I agree!

Opinion Nick Sandmann will be able to buy his way into any college with the untold millions he will make from CNN. Hell he will be able to buy the colleges if he wants.

Opinion False premise

Opinion 'By By' ?

Opinion

Opinion Why By By? Is Shan Wu fired

Opinion What do you mean 'us'?

Opinion Money power 🤬 rules all

Opinion cheating is normal

Opinion That leftist elites don’t have to be, and have not been, held to the same rules and standards as us plebeians “Rules for thee, not for me”

Opinion It says...... Not everyone plays by the same rules.. It says... people with power/money have a head start over those who don't... You know...... LIFE... Unreal how stupid people are... I knew this shit was going on for 20+ years.. GTFO

Opinion We suck. Still.

Opinion Why is it worse to bribe your way into college than to get in because of your skin color?

Opinion what?

Opinion We were right, rich people don't have smart children.

Opinion Was Obama, Clinton and Romney on that list?

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The Exchange: Out of the desert, into a trade warWeijian Shan spent his youth labouring in the Gobi Desert. Now he runs $30 bln at PAG, after stints at TPG and the World Bank. Shan discusses trade tensions, and the economic risk of historical amnesia with petesweeneypro. Listen to The Exchange:
Source: Breakingviews - 🏆 470. / 51 Read more »

Wealthy parents, actresses, coaches, among those charged in massive college cheating admission scandal, federal prosecutors sayIn what is being called the largest college admissions scam ever prosecuted, wealthy parents, Hollywood actresses, coaches and college prep executives have been accused of carrying out a nationwide fraud to get students into prestigious universities, according to a federal indictment. DrainTheSwamp Will LoriLoughlin And FelicityHuffman Apologize About The Nationwide College Fraud? Money rules America. The haves and the have nots. Tsk tsk.
Source: CNN - 🏆 4. / 95 Read more »

College cheating scandal is the tip of the icebergDavid Perry says we don't need a cheating scandal to know the playing field isn't fair when it comes to college admissions or success. But maybe with this indictment, we'll get just a bit closer to changing that unfair status quo. Opinion SHAME! Opinion Should these people go to jail? Including the students? YES!!! Opinion The Titanic
Source: CNN - 🏆 4. / 95 Read more »

Lori Loughlin's daughter, Olivia Jade, comes under fire online over college-cheating scandalA successful social media influencer with millions of followers across platforms, Olivia Jade appears to have leveraged her status as a college student to attract advertisers. If these are the 'influencers' God have mercy on us.... 'Influencers' = privilege. People who rely on their privileges for everything are human filth. Makes me nostalgic for the gravitas of the Kardashians.
Source: NBCNews - 🏆 10. / 86 Read more »

The Man Behind the Alleged $25 Million College-Admissions Cheating ScandalThe man at the center of what prosecutors allege is a more than $25 million scam to help wealthy families bribe their way into elite colleges is 58-year-old William Rick Singer. ppl may not understand why shit like matters until you hear their president scream out he gotta degree from Harvard and we all know who his daddy was. Who stupid must your kids be to have to pay 500K? Disgusting.
Source: WSJ - 🏆 98. / 63 Read more »

Here are the high-flying financiers charged in the college-admissions cheating scandalAmong the parents involved in the sweeping college admissions scheme are high-flying executives like the former Pimco CEO and wealthy real-estate developers. Americans are more concerned about the establishment elite who should be on that list, after all, it's their kids getting rewarded with lifetime power Gov't jobs! Who paid to get their kids into yale & Harvard law? 🤔🤨
Source: BusinessInsider - 🏆 729. / 51 Read more »

U.S. college admissions scandal sweeps up Felicity Huffman, Lori Loughlin, CEOsJUST IN: Judge orders actor Felicity Huffman released on $250,000 bond and designer Mossimo Giannulli released on $1 million bond in U.S. college fraud scam. More: And these shits have enough money to bail out. Money most people will never earn in their entire lives. Spent to fraudulently get the kids in school and then to bail themselves out when I caught committing fraud that impacted children who were working for their spot in college. Felicity...call me asap. sounds about white
Source: Reuters - 🏆 2. / 97 Read more »

College coaches among 50 indicted in college entrance exam scandalNine current or former college coaches are among the 50 people indicted in a nat... Athletics. Of course they’re at the center. They have no place on university campuses. You don't say?! 🙄🙄
Source: Reuters - 🏆 2. / 97 Read more »

TV actresses among 40 people charged in college exam cheating plotBREAKING: FBI and federal prosecutors say they have uncovered a widespread college entrance exam cheating scheme that got athletes into elite schools, according to unsealed court documents. i bet the Democrats will mark this investigation as Racist kmulvane Maybe they should look into how the Orange Dictator got into Wharton.
Source: NBCNews - 🏆 10. / 86 Read more »