BOSTON (WHDH) - Students and parents in Boston are reacting to the announcement of criminal charges against parents accused of paying enormous amounts of money in bribes to get their children into college.
Students say it’s infuriating to think about how hard they studied throughout high school and entrance exams to get into prestigious schools while another student’s parents, in one case, paid $1.2 million to get their child into college.
“It’s actually kind of sad to hear that because I know we worked really hard to get where we are in school,” said Lindsay Haefner, a college student in Boston. “To hear that people are just throwing around their wealth to do that, regardless of your status, it’s completely unacceptable.”
Parents share in students’ disappointment.
“I think they are foolish,” said Linda Casey, whose daughters attended college. “Why not just give the kid that money and start them in a business? Why pay that kind of money just to get him into a school?”
Actresses Felicity Huffman and Lori Loughlin are among the dozens charged. Prosecutors say Huffman paid $15,000 and Loughlin paid $500,000 in the scheme.
“It’s hard for a lot of families to pay for college, let alone to be dropping thousands of dollars on top of that just to get their kids in,” Haefner said. “I think that’s kind of ridiculous, even if it’s from a famous person’s standpoint.”
Prosecutors say fake test scores were submitted to Boston University, Boston College, and Northeastern University.
People are now wondering the impact that this scheme had on deserving students.
“You could have lost a spot because you were not paying as the other students,” Ana Garcia, who is applying to college, said. “I think it affects everyone.”
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