SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Anissa Torres is a high school senior who's applied to 17 colleges.
Right now is the waiting period.
"For as long as I can remember, I've been wanting to go to Stanford," Torres said. "So that one is my number one school."
According to AP, roughly 50 people were charged in documents released Tuesday that describe a scheme to cheat the admissions process at eight sought-after schools, including Standorf. The parents bribed college coaches and other insiders to get their children into selective schools, authorities said.
"You're seeing students and you're comparing yourself to everybody," Torres said. "Not even just your friends, not just people at your school. You're comparing yourself to people on the internet."
Torres heard about the scandal at school the day charges were announced, and said students were talking about it.
"We were saying how it was really unfair because some of us are not in those financial situations where we could pay off someone to get that perfect SAT score. We worked for our grade," Torres said.
Her father, Marcos Torres, said it's disappointing.
"I'm not here to judge," Marcos said. "I understand what they were trying to do. It's not right, especially for us. The majority that don't have that kind of wealth to put their kids into that situation."
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Anissa's parents are looking at every acceptance letter and their financial package closely.
"Student loans are sweet and sour," Marcos said. "It's a blessing cause they allow you to go to school, but after you're paying them for the rest of your life. My daughter has the opportunity to go to school in some places where she doesn't have to pay out of pocket, so that's definitely factoring big on her, and we're trying to give her the financial education that maybe I didn't have when I went to school."
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