How do they know?

International Students
1

<p>Hello all,</p>

<p>I'm a high school graduate from Brazil and I've applied to 7 universities in the US for Fall 2011.</p>

<p>A peculiar doubt about the college admission process has recently come up and I would like you, if possible, to clear it up to me.</p>

<p>When applying to colleges in Brazil, one is supposed to inform a lot of specific numbers that show up in his/her ID. These numbers are the only piece of information that are used to crosscheck data when the applicant enrolls at the school (make sure he/she is the owner of that certain application).</p>

<p>While working on my applications to American schools, however, I noticed that nothing but my own name, birth date and some other simple data built my personal information page.</p>

<p>Basically, my question is: how do colleges make sure I am I when I enroll and when I get to the university [phisically]? If they only look at these simple pieces of information such as name and birth date, how do they make sure that applications will all be prepared by the applicants themselves?</p>

<p>Please notice I'm referring only to international applicants, since I realize domestic applicants have a so-called Social Security Number.</p>

<p>Thank you for your attention so far.</p>

2

<p>Well youll need a passport :slight_smile:
If you make it, you will go through A LONG PROCESS to get the student visa so…afterall its the same, just instead of doing it at the begining they do it after you are in :). So if someone is a liar, that must hurt, getting in and all and then having to turn them down because of id theft.</p>

3

<p>Oh, don’t tell me of long processes :confused: I’ve been recently admitted to my desired school and should get started with that soon. So, after all, the name displayed on my Visa is the only info they will check. Is that right?</p>

4

<p>

There’s no way to make sure that an application was actually prepared by yourself, and not by someone else on your behalf. But as paukid said, your basic identifying information better be correct if you want to get a student visa with the visa documents issued by your school. Furthermore, your college will need to see your passport and visa documents when you physically arrive on campus.</p>

<p>It’s much easier for domestic students to submit a fake application. There are instances of students enrolling under a false identity after submitting an application with a fake name, a fake school report and fake letters of recommendations. Of course the cases that are known are cases where the forgery was eventually discovered. Who knows how many cases go undetected.</p>