Have you all seen the stories about the SAT cheating scandal?
Caitlin: ACT, too. About 20 kids, at least, in Long Island. And there are others that that they can’t prosecute because of the statute of limitations.
Who’s the victim?
Huh?
Who do you think suffers when something like this happens?
Justin: What do you mean? I’m the victim – and Ashley, Caitlin and Brad. All of us. This kid gets a score he didn’t earn. He might get into a school he doesn’t belong in. And steal a space from someone – maybe MY SPOT!
Which means he might get into a school he’s not academically qualified for. Which increases his chance of dropping out. Or, at best, just having a miserable college experience. And beyond. But, we don’t even know that the score would be higher than what the student would have gotten. And – if it is – we don’t know that it would change any admissions decisions.
And he PAID for this. He paid for something that will either have no effect or place him in a school at which he’s more likely to fail. Plus, he’s run the risk of a criminal record, ridicule and embarrassment.
Ashley: You’re making it sound like the kid who paid for this is the victim.
Absolutely I am. Of course, he volunteered to be. He paid for someone to impersonate him because he didn’t think he was good enough. He paid for someone to be him because he didn’t respect himself enough to play his own role in life.
But he – and everyone else involved in this nonsense – also showed that they have absolutely NO IDEA how college admissions works. By paying someone to increase his scores, he may have DECREASED his chance of admission.
Brad: Huh?
When I reviewed candidates and I saw an SAT or ACT score that seemed out-of-line with the grades and HS curriculum, it raised a red flag that otherwise wasn’t there. It suggests someone not working to their potential. It suggests trouble. A “B” student with an average (non-honors) college prep curriculum and a 1050 Reading and Math score on the SAT or 23 on the ACT makes sense. The same student with a 1400 on the SAT Reading+Math or 32 on the ACT can raise questions – what’s going on here, why hasn’t he performed up to his ability?
Caitlin: The SAT and ACT are just one part of a bigger picture.
Ashley: And they should help tell the story of who you are, not add a chapter that makes no sense.
Brad: Or you might end up at a school that isn’t right for you.
Justin: And your enrollment there might last as long there as a Kardashian marriage.
You’ve been waiting a long time to throw that line in, haven’t you, Justin?
Justin: Hey, I’m not the one writing this blog…
As always, I welcome your comments and questions. Please feel free to email me at info@cc4therestofus.com, call or text me at 908-403-3819, join me on Facebook on “College Counseling for the Rest of Us” and join me on Twitter at @MichaelCCR. And now on YouTube at http://www.youtube.com/user/CCRMichael?feature=mhee.
College Counseling for the Rest of Us 
Nov 27, 2011 @ 11:26:10
Excellent article. Thanks for developing the theme beyond “cheating is bad.”
I’m not a fan of the victim mentality, but it does seem that once again adults have set up a system that makes young people victims (like the student loan scandal). This is the result of reinforcing, “college at any cost.” This idea didn’t come from students. It comes from university PR, teachers and parents–none of which are reliable sources about the best ways to successfully transition from school to work.
Nov 27, 2011 @ 11:43:12
Carol:
Thank you for your comments and kind words!
My mindset is that, in this case, the victim and the accused are one and the same. I do not feel sorry for them, but I do not feel they stole from anyone else but themselves. And I do agree – they were responding to an environment created for them by external sources that simply wasn’t in their best interest.
Nov 27, 2011 @ 21:05:39
I agree with Carol. The SAT and ACT are not good indicators of future success in life. However, most colleges require one or the other. Unfortunately for these students, no college will want to touch them now. Had they taken the time to rent the ’90’s classic “The Perfect Score”, they might have learned that even if you can cheat, it doesn’t mean you should. All the characters in that movie had their own reasons to want a perfect SAT score but in the end, they realized that it really wasn’t that important.
Nov 27, 2011 @ 21:13:12
Thank you, Dori! I’ve always been partial to “How I Got Into College”, with Phil Hartmann and Nora Dunn as the Test Prep Instructors. But you’ve added a new movie to my list.
Nov 28, 2011 @ 09:20:50
Great insights. This is why we’re here.