College Admission Hoax at TJ (Thomas Jefferson High School)

@2018dad, Yes I know. That is what @novadad99 also published.

TJ class of 2014 attending schools (i’ll list instate schools, “prestigious”, schools with high numbers, and others asked about above):

UVA - 60 (i think, number is blurry and i cant find my hard copy paper)
W&M - 52
VT - 25
Cornell - 23
Carnegie Mellon - 21
MIT - 12
VCU- 11
UIUC - 10
Stanford - 10
CWRU- 9
Princeton - 9
UM - 8
RPI - 7
Mason- 6
UCB - 6
GT - 6
UPitt- 5
Yale- 5
Duke - 5
Rice - 5
UPenn - 4
Brown - 4
Georgetown - 3
Harvard- 3
Columbia- 3
Purdue - 3
Vanderbilt - 2
JHU - 2
UNC - 2
UT - 2

@guineagirl96, what is total number of graduates from TJ class of 2014?

I saw that article and, while reading it, saw the embedded link to this article about the classmate who gained admission to all 8 Ivies + a bunch of other schools:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/education/virginia-student-earns-admission-to-all-eight-ivy-league-schools-and-others/2015/04/10/64e46100-df0d-11e4-a500-1c5bb1d8ff6a_story.html

Perhaps it’s a combined case of parent pressure + unhealthy peer envy on the part of the hoaxer but it’s altogether pitiable. Makes me glad that my D never seemed to know who got accepted where. I thought my D was a bit too uninvolved at the time but I’m very glad for her in hindsight.

@GnocchiB IIRC, the number of graduates from TJ class of 2014 was 455 (at least, that was the size we put on our college apps, idk if that changed by the end of the year).

Where will this girl actually be attending? Another website stated William and Mary. Is that true?

Just plain sad and pathetic.

That’s a pretty high bar. It must cause some stress for the kids who go there.

a way to become famous or is that infamous?

The article said they were not naming the young woman because she has been charged with a crime. So maybe the prison joke was called for. I thought it was funny. I’m not sure what crime has been committed though. She didn’t gain anything from her fraud.

The TJ profile that was linked said “99% of the class of 2014 were admitted to a four year university.” I realize she’s class of 2015 but maybe she’s the 1 percenter of her class. Was her massive plagiarism discovered before the application cycle? Is it possible that her guidance counselor revealed it in her recommendation?

I wonder what she was going to do in August when her classmates were reporting to college.

I think there are some state schools in VA that would admit her without a recommendation. Most of the four year schools I am familiar with have honor codes so I doubt most would welcome her.

If I lived in Fairfax I would be upset with the lack of diversity at the school. 70% Korean does not reflect the population of Fairfax.

Actually, take another look at the link:

“The Washington Post is not identifying the student, because she is a minor who has not been accused of a crime.”

Still, sad story.

Whew…! I was wondering what it was that she did that could possibly be construed as “a crime”, because if lying about such a thing suddenly became a crime, all manner of braggarts would be subject to jail time.

I watch Korean Dramas (ones programed for audiences in South Korea), and have been amazed at the cut-throat nature of academic competition they sometimes depict. The pressures to achieve top scores in testing, and in class rankings are sometimes shown to result in tragic consequences. Some character’s parents are among the scariest I’ve ever seen depicted on television (particular moms), whose own self-validation seem to hinge on how well they can brag about their children’s academic and professional achievements.

Of course, I realize that no television drama accurately depicts all the realities of any given country or culture, but it can at times offer an accurate glimpse into some aspects of that country/culture. From what I’ve read/been told, many Asia cultures have a centuries-long history of using academic excellence, and professional exam proficiency as a means of attaining upward class mobility. I wonder if this TJ student (or her parents) felt the need to compete for bragging rights among their social sphere (some of whom might still reside in S. Korea) in order to maintain social standing. I’d love to have a more complete understanding of what drove her to concoct what most of us could immediately have spotted to be a massive lie.

@OspreyCV22, TJ is not 70% Korean. That would be the total number of Asian-Americans, which includes a very large group of ethnicities.

Why do they celebrate getting into all eight Ivies? That’s kind of stupid, too. If you focus on fit and student’s well being in college, they shouldn’t encourage students to apply to all Ivies much less celebrating.

The Washington Post might not have named her, but her name and picture ( and even some radio interviews) are all over the internet.

If she has deposited at W&M or the other VA universities, I imagine that her admission could well be rescinded at this point. Certainly administrators would look at the situation very carefully. Don’t know if students are considered bound by the honor code before enrolling, but how can an honor code be upheld as a big deal for the class of 2019 this fall if a well-known international liar is sitting in their midst?

It seems possible to me that her parents might bear some responsibility for creating this story, as well as for promoting it. And, of course, for buying into the whole prestigiosity thing to such a nutty degree.

Rescinded for what? For being stupid?

See fairfaxnews.com - This website is for sale! - fairfaxnews Resources and Information.

"The selection process for admittance to TJHSST involves a holistic review of each candidate’s semifinalist-applicant’s essay, teacher recommendations, and student-authored information sheet, as well as consideration of grades and test scores on the admissions examination. "

Tell me again why scoring 2400s on SATs is evidence of intelligence but being so enamored of certain schools and elevating them to godlike status isn’t evidence of stupidity? Being easily impressed and gullible is stupid no matter how good you are at calculus.