A girl in my class lied on her resume. She said that she is the president of two clubs at our school and that she founded one of them. I know for a fact this isn’t true because one club is inactive and the other doesn’t exist in school files (I actually considered founding that club). She applied to over 30 schools using those fake leadership positions and I don’t know if I should turn her in or even how to. It feels wrong for her to lie while I and many other people worked very hard and earned our roles.
What the girl in your class did was wrong; however, I don’t believe that it is your job to turn her in. It’s quite unfortunate that people will do anything to get into a college, but if the girl is as unprincipled as you say she is, I’m pretty sure that she will not last very long even if she ends up at a prestigious university.
If the lie was truly major, then the college would probably know about it already. Admissions officers know more than you may think, and if something odd stands out in a person’s application, I’m sure that the officers would contact the student’s guidance counselor to find out the truth. If they do find out, your classmate may lose her acceptance to not only the college that found out about her lies, but to the many others she applied to as well.
Until I joined this forum, I had no idea that so many kids “found” a club in the hopes of beefing up a weak resume.
But if I’ve realized it, I imagine that any adcom worth his salt has realized it as well. As a result, I can’t imagine they give any credence at all to claims of starting an activity.
In my school, a kid can make a proposal to start an activity. But then it goes to administration, who has to approve the idea, find a moderator, and get funding. The kid who had the idea is only that: a kid who had an idea. I can’t imagine that it would count at all in whether or not that kid gets into a college.
It’s not curing cancer, it’s finding something for kids to do after school.
Don’t worry about anyone else’s application, or what they claim they put on it.
Bingo. Worry about your own application - nobody else’s.
Ok, thank you for your input.
@bjkmom @azwu331 @skieurope
I guess it’s more lax because of some administrative changes. I founded a club my freshman year and it took two months (one of the reasons I was suspicious). I don’t think I will intervene. We are applying to some of the same schools but even with those false extracurriculars I don’t think she will have any advantage
@musaliya135 Majority of applicants are at clubs and have leadership positions at them. It is very common and not something that will have any impact on admission.
If someone was going to turn her in, they wouldn’t do anything now. They would wait until around May/June and notify the school she selected.
Let it go, one or two additional ECs won’t get someone into a college that he/she is not otherwise qualified for. Just let it go. In the meantime you can sleep well at night while the other girl might stat awake worried about someone turning false activities in. You are better off.
Well, if you do report her remember that she might get blacklisted from colleges and rejected instantly. Should you report her? Up to you but make sure to do it anonymously.
Honestly I can understand embellishing ECs but…saying that you are president of 2 clubs is pushing it. That is a leadership position which many others usually do not have. She might have an advantage over other students with similar stats of hers.
I give absolutely no credence to anything that’s done anonymously.
If it’s important enough to you to report, then own it. Otherwise you come off as a coward, looking to pull yourself up by pushing other people down.