<p>Providing that this somehow actually happened, the best thing that can happen now for him is that MIT and Yale somehow never find out and he heads off to Cornell in the fall (as he’s ED-bound there, the possibilility of Cornell not noticing his non-attendance is 0%). What’s most likely to happen is that one of the three colleges will find out (most likely Yale or Cornell), demand to know what the heck’s going on, call his guidance counselor, let the other two colleges know, and rescind all three acceptances or (if the kid’s a skilled beggar/actor/magician) reluctantly let him attend one of the schools. The fundamental problem is obviously his applying to Yale SCEA - there was nothing illegal about applying to and being accepted at both MIT EA and Cornell ED (I actually did the same thing); however, by applying ANYWHERE ELSE (with limited state-school exceptions) while applying to Yale SCEA, he broke the rules (which non-Yale colleges will also definitely not appreciate). However, since this is such a rare occurence (that an applicant so blatantly and foolishly disobeys the rules), there IS the most remote possibility that if he follows through with Cornell, none of the colleges may find out (very, very remote, but given how busy college admissions are, just slightly possible) - of course, if he doesn’t do everything he’s supposed to for Cornell, he’s screwed seven ways to Sunday. The colleges will also probably let the other top colleges know, so he’ll also be screwed over for Harvard/Princeton/whatever. They do circulate ED lists, so when his name shows up on Cornell’s, I doubt his applications will go any further. </p>
<p>If this is a real story, then pray for your friend’s sake that the rule “God watches over drunks and little children” also extends to morons. I personally hope that he gets caught - I don’t want him at Cornell.</p>