An Elite Consultant’s Take on the College Admissions Scandal | WSJ

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  • Опубліковано 10 вер 2024
  • High-end college consultant Allen Koh was shocked and confused to learn that his colleague and competitor, Rick Singer pleaded guilty to crimes including conspiracy and racketeering. WSJ sat down with Koh for insight into the multimillion-dollar college consulting industry and what is driving parents to such desperate measures. Photo/Video: Jake Nicol/The Wall Street Journal
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КОМЕНТАРІ • 118

  • @Octavus5
    @Octavus5 5 років тому +40

    He "reached out to Singer" asking for his client list. What a weasel. They're all part of the "college problem".

  • @n.waitforit.z7182
    @n.waitforit.z7182 5 років тому +176

    A surprisingly uninformative video. Seems like a 4-minute ad for this guy's firm.

    • @DOKOTV
      @DOKOTV 5 років тому +3

      100%

    • @shmuelb.1460
      @shmuelb.1460 5 років тому +2

      Yes...weird video.

    • @tompaull3214
      @tompaull3214 5 років тому

      Completely agree!!! Oh WSJ how infuriating you can be!!!!

    • @kansasthunderman1
      @kansasthunderman1 5 років тому +3

      This guy is a co-conspirator to this whole scandal.

    • @AS-of1cs
      @AS-of1cs 5 років тому +1

      Yes. I didn't finish it went straight to comments to look for this type of comments.

  • @intelligentcat192
    @intelligentcat192 5 років тому +22

    Allen Koh should be ashamed of himself. Charging $350,000-$1,000,000 for college coaching? That's already rigging the system & making the playing field even more unfair. Of course he wants Singer's clients!

    • @superlifer1732
      @superlifer1732 11 місяців тому +1

      It should be required to disclose consultant help in the application.

  • @kansasthunderman1
    @kansasthunderman1 5 років тому +22

    This guy is another crook and he should also get busted by the FBI. An excellent example of "Birds of a feather flock together".

    • @msvisualize
      @msvisualize 5 років тому

      'Smarts will take you so far.... Luck always runs out. Thelma & Louise film.

  • @honesty5964
    @honesty5964 5 років тому +33

    Regular people like me are angry because we want these wealthy people to be be held accountable like anyone else. They deserve jail time and their children expelled or degrees rescinded. They went to school on lies.
    And, Olivia jade is the epitome of undeserving. She flaunted her status and her shallow behavior to young admiring girls. I hope the person doing her hw for school discloses who they are.
    I hope more comes out and more are punished. Time is up here too.

  • @gmailuser3377
    @gmailuser3377 5 років тому +21

    This guy is soooo smug.

  • @schandler4958
    @schandler4958 5 років тому +49

    This expert comes across as pompous to me. He has a lot of supreme confidence himself - concierge student counseling says it all.

  • @TPerm-hj4sf
    @TPerm-hj4sf 5 років тому +8

    I don’t understand how a college consultant can charge $1m. What? You charge $1000 per hour for 1000 hours of consoling ? I can get into any college by spending that time on studying.

  • @hoangvietho
    @hoangvietho 5 років тому +13

    I'd say it's the fact that he acts like a victim that says he is a culprit too.

  • @sharonsolana
    @sharonsolana 5 років тому +11

    Allen Koh's arrogance, smug attitude, and business model are nauseating.

  • @wjohn9778
    @wjohn9778 5 років тому +46

    I wouldn't trust this guy, as far as i could throw him. Over a million dollars, to get someone into college?!

    • @joshn2342323
      @joshn2342323 5 років тому +6

      Imagine how dumb you have to be to think that is worth it. You might as well just give the kid the million and put it in restricted stock and let the kid live off the dividend payments.

    • @Renegade_rm56
      @Renegade_rm56 5 років тому +5

      Christopher N These are billionaires we are talking about, a million is like nothing to them. How dumb must you be to think they don’t give their kids any money in addition to getting them in elite colleges?

    • @TYUAN2009
      @TYUAN2009 5 років тому +2

      This is even more ridiculous. Why would any billionaires give him a million to just consult. Even though what Singer did was illegal but he was offering guarantee admission. For a million dollar, the parent should just donate to the school. You basically get the same probabilities.. anyway. (not a guarantee ). This guy is a slime. This is a slime industry. This scandal open the whole college consulting industry as a sham. The 4 years within ivory walls really is not as valuable as people thinks.

    • @evegreenification
      @evegreenification 5 років тому

      @@Renegade_rm56 "A million is nothing to them" This is why in only a few generations, that family will be out of money. Living off the dividend payments is 100x more honorable than paying consultants/bribing people. Honor actually means something too.

    • @igod8054
      @igod8054 5 років тому +1

      well if you decide to become a lawyer it can pay off. the smarted guy from my school (middle of nowhere in france) got a scholarship for harvard law school. he graduated last year and his mom told my mom he was offered 300.000 dollars for his first job. I think he specialized in patent law

  • @Neeparr
    @Neeparr 5 років тому +12

    $ 50,000? $ 350,000? For what....tips on how to excel in SAT? I don;t think so....I am sorry, this seems fishy to me.

    • @elifnothing
      @elifnothing 4 роки тому

      @So Who's the Dummy Now? and the low-income kids are ACTUALLY trying to do things but whatever they do doesn't look as good as those kids' so they get rejected. wow. this is awesome!

    • @rogerhonacki5610
      @rogerhonacki5610 4 роки тому +1

      Neeparr For $1 million I’m pretty sure he can guarantee you’ll get in. This is how people like George W. Bush Jr. gett into Harvard in the first place with Poor grades.

  • @xiaoranmo7308
    @xiaoranmo7308 5 років тому +24

    For some reason, this reminds me of Matt Lauer comments on Bill O'Reilly misconduct

  • @rickkrockstar
    @rickkrockstar 5 років тому +40

    So they went to the people who do this for a living, what a hypocritical joke.

  • @ariochiv
    @ariochiv 5 років тому +30

    This guy is every bit as much of a crook as Rick Singer. A million dollars for college admissions counseling?

    • @stoplyingabout
      @stoplyingabout 2 роки тому +1

      He's not a crook. He just offers an expensive service, it's not illegal. Singer is on trial, because what he did was illegal.

  • @Imeraldgyrl
    @Imeraldgyrl 5 років тому +26

    This is slimy. So he can't tell you what you get for the add'l cost?

  • @starcrib
    @starcrib 5 років тому +75

    i wouldn't trust him either. a calm insufferable robotic presence. no -way.

    • @whackamolechamp
      @whackamolechamp 5 років тому +5

      That is the least impressive office. Paperback Books on Ikea shelving. I think I saw one named University Consulting For Dummies.

    • @starcrib
      @starcrib 5 років тому +3

      @@whackamolechamp hahahahahahahah 🦖💨....your so right. "Think and Grow Rich". as well . Hhahahahah

    • @benjaminbierley2074
      @benjaminbierley2074 5 років тому

      ua-cam.com/video/HMIyDf3gBoY/v-deo.html I understand he might keep his nose a bit cleaner, but he can't pretend to be "that" surprised by this, he seemed more surprised at the "creativity" of the methods used then anything else.

    • @charmander777
      @charmander777 5 років тому +2

      @@whackamolechamp thats why i think i would trust him more.... i mean i betcha Singers office is like some law firms and void of any paper back books lol.. plus this Allen Koh guy isnt guaranteeing anything unlike Singer

    • @whackamolechamp
      @whackamolechamp 5 років тому

      @@charmander777 to each his own. To me it looks like a sham office led by a scammer.

  • @user-wh6dn9sx3n
    @user-wh6dn9sx3n Рік тому +2

    none of y'all being mad at Rick Singer

  • @EndorphikaMorphika
    @EndorphikaMorphika 5 років тому +4

    50,000 minimum?? 350,000? A million?! Absolutely insane. I realize people love their children, and if they’ve got the money to blow I guess it doesn’t matter what they blow it on, however, charging anyone that much for entrance counseling is mind boggling. He must have a REALLY high acceptance rate.

    • @evegreenification
      @evegreenification 5 років тому +2

      I think the best that can be said for it is that finally the elites are not only hoarding their wealth, they are sharing it with the scum of the earth. Woo hoo for this awesome development.

    • @philliphead8760
      @philliphead8760 5 років тому

      Endorphika Morphika they think I big numbers. We think in pocket change and deals. A trillion dollars can only give you so much power.

  • @sunwm2003
    @sunwm2003 5 років тому +2

    What does a mil college counseling fee get you without a guaranty? What kind of fool will pay this kind of money for nothing? This guy is as skeptical & dirty as Singer.

  • @vagabondwastrel2361
    @vagabondwastrel2361 5 років тому +20

    I would be shocked if the WSJ didn't funnel some people to this racket.

    • @Garapetsa
      @Garapetsa 5 років тому +1

      That's exactly what I was thinking.

  • @kitsinu1
    @kitsinu1 5 років тому +8

    What shocks me about this is that this was about getting admitted into The University of Southern California instead of an Ivy League college. Why didn't these people simply donate the money to USC with a wink and a nudge to get their children admitted? I half expect that this was prosecuted because USC was upset they didn't get their share of the money.

    • @benjaminbierley2074
      @benjaminbierley2074 5 років тому +3

      This is for the sort of people who can't quite afford the donation route but aren't so poor they have to go in the front door, it's for the middle affluent.

    • @sthao1733
      @sthao1733 5 років тому +1

      usc is a great school, not ivy league/stanford/northwestern/uofchicago level, but a great school nonetheless. my guess is she wanted her daughter to attend a great school in close proximity to home, with great weather (southern california vs cold, snowy east coast or midwest), and possesses a college game day atmosphere (usc football, basketball, etc.). usc were probably requesting a dollar amount they were unwilling to pay.

    • @sabrinadove1883
      @sabrinadove1883 2 роки тому +3

      USC is a T20 school making it very hard to get into irregardless of whether it is an Ivy League school and simply donating doesn’t work in today’s college landscape. As the Netflix documentary on the College Admission Scandal explained, donating 1-4 million isn’t enough anymore when there are families from all over the world willing to pay 14 million. Plus a donation that size makes it obvious the student isn’t there on their own merit and these ‘side door’ families wanted it to appear as their kids got in on their own. Plus many of the schools were well aware of the money coming in as most schools were getting the money through the coaching staff that accepted the bribe and then used part on the sports program they said the kid was being admitted to

  • @eliascastillo1641
    @eliascastillo1641 5 років тому +5

    Sounds like the kettel calling the pot black

  • @dr_IkjyotSinghKohli
    @dr_IkjyotSinghKohli 5 років тому +7

    What is an elite consultant?

    • @wjohn9778
      @wjohn9778 5 років тому +7

      Someone, who knows how to scam people.

  • @deeas6518
    @deeas6518 5 років тому +2

    It's good to know that admission to higher education isn't soley dependent on test scores and academic performance, but that wealth & priviledge play a very important role

  • @rogerhonacki5610
    @rogerhonacki5610 4 роки тому +2

    Went to college and realized he could start a business scamming it for profit!

  • @rogerhonacki5610
    @rogerhonacki5610 4 роки тому +2

    Reached out to his clients... because he knew they were rich and didn’t care how it happens.

  • @alaskaboomer6143
    @alaskaboomer6143 5 років тому +7

    Just the tip of a huge iceberg

    • @evilotto9200
      @evilotto9200 5 років тому +3

      Media is letting USC, UCLA, Yale, Stanford and Georgetown play at being victims. A couple dozen employees will get let loose. No institution will be found at fault.
      Not even outraged. Just kinda wish higher education would just own the whole Pay To Play mentality and not pretend at merit based enrollment.

    • @evegreenification
      @evegreenification 5 років тому

      @@evilotto9200 well said

  • @theshivelyfamily
    @theshivelyfamily 5 років тому +4

    Interesting video. All I can say is: "wow". I had no idea the admissions industry was so large.

  • @Zero_thehero
    @Zero_thehero 5 років тому +10

    This guys guilty AF too

  • @ABOCHITO
    @ABOCHITO 5 років тому +3

    Vultures come in different guises.

  • @wantandlike
    @wantandlike 5 років тому +2

    education is the hottest racket..

  • @malexmartinez4007
    @malexmartinez4007 3 роки тому +1

    Am I the only one who can feel how happy he is?

  • @panmaew
    @panmaew 5 років тому +7

    If an enterprise like this man's is a benefit to a client then the admission system fails.

  • @patrickjma4616
    @patrickjma4616 5 років тому +5

    I feel better about myself now for getting into college by my own means/effort. I never would've imagined that some of these rich kid's lack of intelligence would land them in these type of situations. college is expensive but I'm almost done with paying off the loans I took! Yes!😆😆

    • @sharonenos1370
      @sharonenos1370 5 років тому +2

      Congrats on almost being done with those loans!! You are definitely a winner.

    • @patrickjma4616
      @patrickjma4616 5 років тому

      @@sharonenos1370 thank you! you are a winner 🏆 too ☺👍

  • @passiveinvestor1978
    @passiveinvestor1978 5 років тому +2

    This guy is a snake oil salesman.

  • @blitzthekraken9832
    @blitzthekraken9832 5 років тому +1

    17,000 consultants seems a lot for only a top 10 school ranking?

  • @tishsmiddy71
    @tishsmiddy71 5 років тому +2

    Do you mean the FBI finding out ?

  • @MightyPhaeton
    @MightyPhaeton 5 років тому +2

    It's all about the $$$, who knew?

  • @ruofanyu6699
    @ruofanyu6699 5 років тому +7

    so what exactly did these people do?

    • @jacobs2099
      @jacobs2099 5 років тому +3

      They didn't pay off the universities directly by buying a million dollar library for them. Apparently that's fine

  • @torbjorkette
    @torbjorkette 5 років тому +2

    nice ad

  • @veenans
    @veenans 5 років тому +2

    who pays this robot any dollars to get into university?

  • @andrewszombie
    @andrewszombie 5 років тому +2

    *Fyre Festival has entered the chat*

  • @sct4040
    @sct4040 5 років тому

    If you need to pay that much to apply for college, then perhaps you should apply to CUNY or SUNY.
    How pathetic!
    An education is more important than what "elite " college you attend. Also, be sure to make contacts while attending college, it also who you know and not only what you know. You can be brilliant and still be unemployed.
    My friend received a masters degree from MIT and still can not find a job in his field, very sad.

  • @otk88403
    @otk88403 5 років тому +1

    Looking at some of the comments in here, you guys really have something against Chinese/Asian people... He's obviously American, but you think he's on China's side or the CCP's side...?

    • @sharonsolana
      @sharonsolana 5 років тому

      He is arrogant and smug. His race is not the issue.

    • @philliphead8760
      @philliphead8760 5 років тому

      Joshua N. Americans have a problem with all races and nationalities. They were brought up on conflict and it runs deep in their heart. It’s not just Chinese, it’s all people. That’s why they always ask god to bless America and nowhere else.

  • @cooltu2000
    @cooltu2000 5 років тому

    If ur a rich kid with a law degree not bring a lawyer then ur parent paid for that

  • @박승한-m8z
    @박승한-m8z 5 років тому +1

    The American Sky Castle.

  • @jskstudiosandcreativity.1548
    @jskstudiosandcreativity.1548 2 роки тому

    They both the same to me.

  • @sarbuck355
    @sarbuck355 5 років тому

    Hope he’s not CCP side.

  • @theashpilez
    @theashpilez 5 років тому

    wholesale fabrication....

  • @bassmaster867
    @bassmaster867 5 років тому

    this is so sleazy

  • @thorgodofthunder2713
    @thorgodofthunder2713 5 років тому

    It’s Trumps’ fault.

  • @stanleycheung2348
    @stanleycheung2348 5 років тому +2

    too much fantasy over how far college degrees can really take you in terms of life success

    • @Theoneandonly88able
      @Theoneandonly88able 5 років тому +3

      It depends on what you major in, if its STEM related such as becoming a doctor, nurse, suregeon, and so on then you will need a degree. The true waste is people dont know what they want to do with their lives. They pursue useless non-lucrative majors like arts and humanities. You dont need a degree to be an artist, dancer, cook, filmmaker or any of those things. STEM jobs are more available and have better salary prospects than arts and humanities. Why go into 50k in debt over something that isn't going to give much return value?

    • @stanleycheung2348
      @stanleycheung2348 5 років тому +1

      what can you do with a college degree by buying your way in those well branded universities for hundreds of thousands dollars and then get caught? Meanwhile those mediocre kids have to find someone to work on their papers every semester because they are not up to it and too incompetent. what good does it do to them ? that's all I m saying. these kids would never amount to doctors, lawyers, I don't think coz they will be caught and they have.. now facing admission dismissal, let alone criminal proceedings
      would have been easier to ask ...is it worth paying your way through all these or just fantasy over what they think might work?

    • @gary7275
      @gary7275 5 років тому +3

      Your view-point is limited. The wealthies are already set. Going to schools like Harvard is only for connections, not learning. Those kids most likely cheated in college too: chegg, paying someone to take exams, etc. But so long as they have a degree from schools like Harvard, they can use it. Imagine your dad is the CEO. You get a degree in business from Harvard. Your dad pulls u in by telling HR that you went to Harvard. You get trained, learning the trade that books dont teach.

    • @stanleycheung2348
      @stanleycheung2348 5 років тому +1

      should the parents have made a donation legally ? if I make a donation on a building, would I have a higher chance of getting my child in your university in return ? win win situation ?

    • @Theoneandonly88able
      @Theoneandonly88able 5 років тому +1

      @@stanleycheung2348 Well if donations were enough to get accepted into these institutions. There wouldn't be a point going such lengths to paying someone to do theirs SAT, ACT and other examinations. In addition to creating false extracurriculars to boost overall chances against low admission rates. Jared Kushner was a terrible student who didnt have academic qualifications, but he was one of the lucky few to have his father give a handsome donation to grant him admission acceptance.

  • @cowartdavid9187
    @cowartdavid9187 5 років тому

    Fake news

  • @marymarsella9050
    @marymarsella9050 5 років тому +1

    Y’all are creepy. WSJ - you know that or admire that?

  • @jamesontacadena722
    @jamesontacadena722 5 років тому

    Looks like Elon Musk . But Asian