These Parents Are Willing to Pay Up to $15,000 to Get Their Kids Into High School

You're correct that not everyone can afford this, but that money isn’t going to the schools. It’s going to consultants who help with applications, essays, interviews, and all the rest. The schools don’t see that money at all.
Regardless, the end result is what I describe. Mediocrity is promoted beyond its level of competence by corruption and bribery in effect.
 
It was competitive enough to prevent three out of four from going to this private school.

That was a few decades ago, it's probably much more competitive now, WWW.
The public school was the best funded school district in Texas. We had a. Phd. teaching our Chemistry classes. We had a Phd. Teaching Biology also. He said our equipment was better than the Chemistry lab at Rice. Our town had 4 or 5 major Petrochemical plants in our school district.
 
Regardless, the end result is what I describe. Mediocrity is promoted beyond its level of competence by corruption and bribery in effect.
I’m not saying you can’t hold that view, but to me it’s very cynical. You can go to jail for bribing people. This is about paying for help to navigate the process.

One can say it's like SAT courses, private sports lessons and other things people with money do to help their kids and that it's not fair some have more money than others. At the same time, most of these people competing for admissions to these uber expensive elite schools have money.
 
I’m not saying you can’t hold that view, but to me it’s very cynical. You can go to jail for bribing people. This is about paying for help to navigate the process.

One can say it's like SAT courses, private sports lessons and other things people with money do to help their kids and that it's not fair some have more money than others. At the same time, most of these people competing for admissions to these uber expensive elite schools have money.
Rich celebrities have gone to jail for doing this.



Celebrities and the Rich were paying colleges to do things like give their kids admission to sports programs they never participated in, had others taking SAT tests for the kids to get the appropriate scores, and the like. They weren't simply rich and doing things like having their kids tutored and such, but actively seeking fraudulent means and bribery to get their kids in.
 
Rich celebrities have gone to jail for doing this.



Celebrities and the Rich were paying colleges to do things like give their kids admission to sports programs they never participated in, had others taking SAT tests for the kids to get the appropriate scores, and the like. They weren't simply rich and doing things like having their kids tutored and such, but actively seeking fraudulent means and bribery to get their kids in.
The “Varsity Blues” cases were outright fraud and bribery. People were falsifying records, faking athletic credentials, and paying off school officials. That was also about college, not high school.

What we’re talking about here is totally different. Hiring a consultant to help with high school applications is legal and not totally uncommon in a small number of cities.
 
I’m sure you can find someone who donated an athletic field to get their kid into a high school, but that’s rare. This is about hiring consultants to help you through the process. I suppose it’s not that different from people who pay for SAT prep courses.

You can’t hire a consultant to get you into a country club, and a lot of clubs tell people who try to skip the waiting list with a big payment to pound sand.
Nothing personal, but I don’t know “cawacko,” I know I’m cynical, but you seem incredibly naive
 
Rich celebrities have gone to jail for doing this.



Celebrities and the Rich were paying colleges to do things like give their kids admission to sports programs they never participated in, had others taking SAT tests for the kids to get the appropriate scores, and the like. They weren't simply rich and doing things like having their kids tutored and such, but actively seeking fraudulent means and bribery to get their kids in.
You’re in the Phoenix area, right? I was looking up top private schools.

Phoenix Country Day is $35K, Brophy Prep is $18K, Xavier Prep is $23K, Arizona Cultural Academy is $13K, Bella Vista is $18K, Rancho Solano is $26K, and Paradise Valley is $16K.

No wonder so many Californians move there. I’m guessing there isn’t much of a market for consultants at those prices. You usually see that when schools cost much more.
 
Nothing personal, but I don’t know “cawacko,” I know I’m cynical, but you seem incredibly naive
Naive how? You’re essentially arguing the whole private school ecosystem in these major cities is corrupt and consultants like the folks in the article are just openly flaunting the law.
 
While you are at it, you can pay $6k to coach your daughter into a sorority.

Regardless, the end result is what I describe. Mediocrity is promoted beyond its level of competence by corruption and bribery in effect.
The ability to pay tuition promotes what you call mediocrity. A reminder, almost none of these students have earned their tuition payments. It was just given to them. Because the schools give preferential treatment to students who can pay their tuition. that is a major leg up... No corruption or bribery needed.

And there is a logical reason for it. These schools are looking to educate the next generation of successful people. Being successful is partly being smart, but it also having family connections. These schools want a mix of the smartest people, and the best family connections.

The reality is as I describe it. Not everyone can simply plunk down a $15,000+ "donation" to some school to grease the skids and get their kid in even though they couldn't get in on merit alone.
You are not getting what is going on. The $15k is not going to the school, or anyone in the school. It is going to advise the parents on how to convince the school to accept their children. The tuition going to the school is $10k to $100k a year. Donations made to the school should probably be done before your child is born.

You are paying the consultant to explain all this to you. That is where the $15k is going.

He said our equipment was better than the Chemistry lab at Rice.
What a sad statement on Texas. Rice is a university with graduate students in chemistry and chemical engineering. And according to you, high schools have better equipment than these graduate students are given access to.
 
No consultants here... If you want your girls to go here , you can get in... No.
Idea why though when you've got one of the top ranked schools in Ohio less than a mile away....;) Absurd tuition.... But they do get to eat lunch on china and regular silverware...lol Tuition & Tuition Assistance - Columbus School for Girls | A Premier all-girls school https://share.google/Q4I3OCOrVfmOkPJUO
 
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