VOA常速英语:家长走后门让孩子上大学 好莱坞明星赫然在列

USC is just one of the eight institutions targeted in the scheme. Prosecutors say wealthy parents paid an independent consultant who bribed testing officials and college coaches who endorsed some applicants as athletes. A communication student from Hong Kong says if the charges are true, the scam hurts other students. Maybe they work hard but someone else just paid their way to get into a university. I think that’s a bit unfair to those who didn’t get in.

And it hurts the students admitted through the scheme, says a first-year law student. I mean might as well spend that money on like a prep course to get in rather than just bribery. How do people think they’ll get away with that? I mean, everything leaves a trail nowadays. The scandal stretches from the Ivy League and Texas to Southern California. Some of my friends almost feel honored that people wanna to try and cheat to get into this school. Among the parents named in the indictment were Hollywood actresses Lori Loughlin and Felicity Huffman. The Chinese lawyer Zili Zou here to study US entertainment law was impressed by the prompt response by USC’s president who said the school itself was a victim. But she says there’s not enough oversight when a single coach can recommend a student for admission.
That’s a mistake. You cannot just rely on only one. That’s too easy for bribery, to be honest. Student Nathan Wong said US standards are generally fair, but there is always room for corruption. It’s probably not only in here, but maybe in other countries, so it’s still a bit shocking because it’s a big scale of scandals. The students say it hurts the student body and reputation of the universities.
Michael Sullivan, VOA News, Los Angeles.