<p>Do colleges even know? Because gosh darn it, I'm getting sick and tired of ppl getting into colleges at my school when they LIE about extra curriculars and work. or is that not what colleges refer to when they say fraudulent materials? Are they only talking about essays and the like?</p>
<p>well, generally if you can lie about it and get away with it, it won’t help you that much. Suppose you say you were a member of the chess club when you weren’t. So what? Colleges won’t care that much. On the other hand, if you claim to have won/placed in a major contest when you didn’t, something that would have a decent impact on your app, colleges are able to and will verify it.</p>
<p>The simple fact is that most colleges do not do any checking of EC’s claimed unless it is something they read that really sounds incredible. Some such as the UCs do a random sample of applicants and require verification of ECs for them (and thus anyone could be caught but they have to be put in the random sample first). So to lie about ECs is a misrepresentation for which you can be denied admission (or have it withdrawn later if discovered later) but the chances of being caught are low. </p>
<p>In any event, the thought that “I should lie because others do” is not a path of honor. Deciding to fight back by doing what scumbags do only makes you one.</p>
<p>psh, I don’t need to lie about my EC’s to get into college.</p>