<p>I'm just wondering how colleges know that you did extracurricular activities. For example, I'm planning on starting a fundraiser. However, is it enough if I just wrote "I participated in a fundraiser" on my Common App? This applies for other extracurriculars too: joining a sports team, doing volunteer work, doing independent research, etc.
Don't they need some verification? How do they know you're not lying?</p>
<p>For a school activity, if they are suspicious, they can call your GC and find out. Or they could randomly spot check. I don’t know how many (if any) schools actually do this.</p>
<p>College admissions basically runs on an honors system. They expect that you are honest. If by one way or another they find out you were dishonest, however, there are serious consequences.</p>
<p>they don’t know.</p>
<p>Usually your GC letter reinforces it.</p>
<p>I know many instances when schools have contacted GCs to confirm. Yes, there is a chance you might get away with lying but there is also a chance that you might get caught and rightly have consideration of your app yanked away from you.</p>
<p>The GCs at our schools typically go over the Common App with us after we’ve completed it. If there was something that raised their suspicion, they’d typically discuss it with us.</p>
<p>Call the GCs.</p>
<p>But even if you are accepted and they decide to verify your ECs afterward, they can always rescind you. Even while in college, they can kick you out. Even after earning a degree, they can rescind it.</p>
<p>Is it likely to happen at all? No. Will there be a cloud of fear hanging over you for the rest of your life? Yes.</p>
<p>Also, ECs which are not easily verified probably won’t help you much. Big ones like regional head of a club can probably be Googled.</p>
<p>Your application becomes more credible when the activities and interests you mentioned are reinforced in the teachers/GC letter of recommendations.</p>