<p>Do colleges ask for proof of the ECs and volunteer hours you put on your applications?</p>
<p>I was surprised to see the common application did not ask for proof of EC activities, or naything of that sort.</p>
<p>This intrigues me…</p>
<p>I recently heard a parent tell me that his child doesn’t have many ECs, so they are making some up, exaggerating others, and putting them down on the apps. He said that no one checks. This was shocking to me.</p>
<p>The UCs (University of California) may ask for verification after receiving your application.</p>
<p>UCs randomly check 10%.</p>
<p>This has been a frequent topic on CC. Basically, the opinion is that </p>
<ol>
<li>Yes, lying happens.</li>
<li>No, lying will not boost your chances of admission.</li>
<li>No, you will probably not be caught.</li>
<li>Yes, if you are caught, it is a huge deal. Your degree may even be rescinded if they EVER find out.</li>
<li>No, it’s not worth it.</li>
<li>Try to ignore that other people lie. Don’t sink to their level, especially when you don’t have to (see #2)</li>
</ol>
<p>UCs randomly check 10%.</p>
<p>This has been a frequent topic on CC. Basically, the opinion is that </p>
<ol>
<li>Yes, lying happens.</li>
<li>No, lying will not boost your chances of admission.</li>
<li>No, you will probably not be caught.</li>
<li>Yes, if you are caught, it is a huge deal. Your degree may even be rescinded if they EVER find out.</li>
<li>No, it’s not worth it.</li>
<li>Try to ignore that other people lie. Don’t sink to their level, especially when you don’t have to (see #2)</li>
</ol>
<p>Re: comment #2: Hmmmm…what are we telling our kids when we encourage them to ‘embellish’ the truth. Personal opinion: A (very) bad idea. And PBush pretty much covers it.</p>
<p>There are schools that do verify. They even ask for a contact person or URL to get more information if something looks suspicious. And, there is no telling when a school will begin a policy like this. According to rumor, a neighbor kid was dismissed from school for exaggerating his EC’s - gave himself extra years and a leadership position on a sports team.
If you want a school to know that your EC’s are verifiable, include a contact name or a relevant webpage.</p>
<p>Most colleges don’t care about ECs for admission. So lie or not, it doesn’t matter.</p>
<p>For those that do care about ECs, the kind you can lie about and get away with aren’t going to get you admitted anyway. Promoting yourself from member to officer of some club, rounding up volunteer hours, etc. – these aren’t the activities that very selective schools care about anyway. The ECs that are meaningful in admission are pretty easily checked.</p>