<p>How often do colleges experience fraudulent documents and credentials? I find it extremely disheartening that others would lie, especially as I compete with others as I apply to college. Do colleges call and check up on stuff, or do they just normally believe the applicant? The reason I am asking is because a group of kids were talkings around me recently about writing their own teacher rec's, and just sealing the envelope. Also, they were talking about a girl who got a rec, and was unhappy with the part where the teacher did the checklist thing, so she went back and forged it. But apparently, it looks kinda fake. So, I am just really nervous that someone could actually get away with this. I mean, why aren't colleges more careful? O well.</p>
<p>It may not be that common, but it certainly is not uncommon. People just don't become Enron goons overnight.</p>
<p>I hope whoever does that gets caught</p>
<p>Masha: LOL. I love your location.</p>
<p>what I'm concerned with is people making up EC's and putting them down. Colleges really don't check EC's, and kids are tempted to simply say that they were part of things they were not. it's annoying to me because it makes me feel like I have to be dishonest too, though I won't do it.</p>
<p>Well, the thing is the only EC's worth putting down are ones where you have leadership positions, ones that you have a passion for. And if you have a passion for a certain area, that should certainly come out in other parts of your application (like the teacher recommendation, awards won, school guidance report) or else it'll look phony. Then the kid would have to forge the ENTIRE application and do you know how difficult it is to pretend to take the voice of a zillion different people? Sure, I'd guess it happens, but less than you'd think.</p>
<p>at my school the club leaders and the teacher advisor has to pprove if you actually were a part of their club or not. which is a good ida in my opinion, becuase too many people make up ECs.</p>
<p>how do they have to prove it? do you have to get their signatures or something?</p>
<p>Do colleges get fake rec's often?</p>
<p>before the college advisor can allow you to put it in they need to approve it. i think theres actually a whole chart where they fill in how often you went (like frequently, not so frquently, etc.) so is basically impossible to cheat.</p>
<p>How often it happens is a great unknown because a little fraud is very difficult to discover. Colleges are easy victims because for the most part they don't attempt to verify and are relying on your honesty; they have thousands of apps to go through in a short time and simply do not have the time or resources to check the veracity of every app. If a reviewer believes something is really suspicious, the college might check but it takes something that looks obviously wrong to cause that to happen. Consider the Blair Horstine plagiarism issue. But for the fact that her father decided to make a national case out of her not being the only valedictorian, no one would have ever had an incentive to check.</p>
<p>Well, there's definitely no fraud about my app.. esp. the ECs.. sent a pic of me in uniform from ROTC so that definitely verifies that.. hahaha..</p>
<p>But yeah.. fraud is really hard to detect.. so that's what makes it so bad..</p>
<p>If you lied about a big important EC, such as Intel Finalist or something, the fraud would be easy to detect. But if you lied about something minor, like saying you founded a Simpsons Fan Club at your high school, then fraud would be harder to catch. But it also wouldn't be that important, because a minor EC is well, minor. It won't help you much in admissions.</p>
<p>I know a school where they ask their students to write their own counselor's recommendation, and then they just need to get the signature of the counselor..</p>
<p>^^^ then a college probably wouldnt take the rec as seriously.</p>
<p>I know a school where they ask their students to write their own counselor's recommendation, and then they just need to get the signature of the counselor..</p>
<p>I really find that hard to believe and if it is true, the counselor needs to be fired quick fast and in a hurry because they are compromising not only their own credibility but hte credibility of each student that passes through that school as recs are an important part of a the application they are putting every single admission in jeopardy. So why would any student in their right mind place so much at risk with someone who lacks professionalism?</p>
<p>I don't think many kids have the stones to put on things they legitamtely didn't do. However, I think that exagerration is common. I know people who say they were on the yearbook both junior and senior year while alls they did in junior year was go to one meeting about the senior year yearbook at the end of the year. Or others who might say they work more than they really do.</p>
<p>Colleges probably know about the exagerration thing though.</p>
<p>I always had the idea of applying as jesus christ or something. . .or napoleon. . .or not. . .tough crowd tonight.</p>
<p>tap tap... this thing on?</p>
<p>A lot of kids are tempted to put down fake ECs at my school, but usually the GC or teachers will tell them "Saying you were on yearbook won't get you in, but it could get you out." And that usually scares off most of them.</p>