I Made A Big Mistake

<p>recently, i early decisioned to a very selective college. disappointed that my friends had several great awards and honors and i had few, i made up a few awards. for example, an award for my school for those achieving a high gpa get an award called a spartan scholar, so i made up an award called spartan athletic award, which do not exist. im not sure if they sound totally made up, but if they do think its a fake, would it decide if i not get in the college or not? i do have good ec's, gpa, sat's, recs, etc. but i just made a few awards. and i also have an interview in a few weeks so idk what to do if they ask me questions about it. i feel really bad and i removed the fake awards from all my other applications. thanks</p>

<p>Wow, I really don't know how to respond to this. If you feel very guilty then I think the only thing to do is call the admissions office and tell them what you did. </p>

<p>You can't compare yourselves to others, you can really only be yourself. I'm amazed you got sucked into the admissions game so much that you made up awards. However, it's a great thing you took them off the other apps and that you feel bad.</p>

<p>Good luck I suppose.</p>

<p>I can tell you feel guilty and I don't want to make anything worse, but if the university you have applied to traditionally has many applicants from your school, they will obviously not recognize the awards you made up. Chances are they will call your school to verify them. I know that in the past, Harvard has rescinded acceptances upon discovering that someone lied on their application. I'm sure other universities have too.. that's the whole point of the signature on the application, to verify that everything on the app is true.</p>

<p>It's good you took the fake awards off of your other applications.. but you're right, you made a big mistake. I guess you have three options: tell your guidance counselor (who will probably then call your ED school), call the admissions office and tell them what you did, or do nothing. I don't think it's my place to tell you what you should do.</p>

<p>It's obvious you feel guilty, and remorseful. I wish I could say there's an easy fix to this, but you know and I know there's not. Whichever path you take, telling someone, or keeping quiet, there are bound to be negative consequences. Telling the adcoms, which could lead to them thinking why would we want someone who would lie at our school? Telling your GC which could get people involved who it shouldn't have to, and keeping it to yourself, where your application could be rescinded (though truthfully I dont think this is likely) and you will feel very guilty about a big life decision. I think that telling the GC is a bad idea, at least until after you've decided to tell them. But, on the other hand, if you don't tell, then you might feel guilty, but you'll probably not have such an obvious consequence to the outside.</p>

<p>well, i dotn think adding the awards wouldve made me or break me. they werent that significant of awards. but what can i do now...i heard colleges dont even check criminal records if you say you didnt doanything, they just believe waht you say. and im sure a lot of ppl bs on their college apps</p>

<p>yea im sorry baout that, but how woudl u feel if u got into the school? I would die of guilt. U hsould confess and just to get it off ur chest. Also, I know someone at my school got into University of Michigan and said that he was the captain of the swimteam. he was a huge swimmer, but was never officailly captain, and the university called my school and checkedd with the coach who answered completly truthful, no was not captain the year he said he was. The university then told him he was no longer accepted. good luck.</p>

<p>My suggestion would be that you withdraw your ED application.</p>

<p>It's great that you did not lie on your other apps. If you get into those schools, you'll know that you got in because you really deserved to get in. If you got into your ED school with lies on your transcript, you'd always feel guilty about lying and you'd wonder if your admission and even your degree might be rescinded.</p>

<p>Your saying that you hear a lot of people b.s. on their apps doesn't excuse what you did. A lot of people murder, use crack and torture animals. Does that mean that it's OK for you to do those things?</p>

<p>they were very small honors. i never said iwas captain of a team. i just said i got an award for teamwork. and i was on the varsity team for that sport. it wouldnt have mattered either way. the school im applying to has around 5000 students and about 10,000 applicants but i dont kno how many early decision applicants, do you really think they will call the school and ask if i got an award for teamwork?</p>

<p>anybody kno of ppl who something like this happened to?</p>

<p>Screwedup,
All sorts of coincidences happen that are unexpected. For instance, I've caught 3 students in lies as I interviewed for my alma mater.</p>

<p>One inflated their role in an organization that my S happened to be a top officer in.</p>

<p>Another falsely claimed to have read an obscure book that I was familiar with because I had met the author and editor.</p>

<p>Another lied about their parents and then contradicted themselves during the interview. Their lie was about something that they clearly should have known.</p>

<p>I know someone whose kid was interviewing at a college and was asked by the adcom about another kid from their school who had falsely claimed to have a club office that the kid in the interview actually had.</p>

<p>You can cross your fingers, but your lies may still catch up to you.</p>

<p>My experience, too, is that MOST PEOPLE DO NOT LIE ON THEIR APPLICATIONS! Cheaters and their friends lie. That doesn't mean that everyone does.</p>

<p>If you're posting hoping that we'll say everything is OK, you're very wrong.</p>

<p>the thing is though, i did not make up a big lie. i never said i volunteered for an organization i wasnt part of or particiapted in a club that didnt know my name. i just made up a small award.</p>

<p>All i'm gonna say is...if the college does find out...expect a immediate deny...and if your already in...expect a immediate rescind...</p>

<p>edit: and it doesnt matter if your lie was "small"...its still a lie...think of it this way...the college has tons of applicants every year...theres prob someone out there w/ the same stats as you...do you think theyll pick a lier or someone who is just as good but didn't lie?</p>

<p>if i got in or dindt get in, the award i mad eup wouldnt have mattered.</p>

<p>it still would matter...colleges sometimes find these things out after acceptances go out...and then they still have the ability to kick you out</p>

<p>Then why did you lie about it? Stop kidding yourself. Unless you thought it would help you, you wouldn't have lied about it. You are wasting our time by asking questions when it's clear that you don't want honest answers: You want people to pat you on the back and tell you that what you did was OK. It wasn't OK. If you thought it was OK, you wouldn't post about it.</p>

<p>i know its not ok. im very upset i did it, but theres nothing i could do now. my friend one day was just telling me one day how his sister lied a lot on her resume and got in to all the colleges she applied to. i didnt need to lie, because i do have some pretty good ec's, but i did. there werent big lies, but they were still lies. i dont want a pat on the back and someone to tell me everythign will be ok but i just wnat to know if theres a big chance that the college will call my school and ask questions. thats all, nothing else i could do now but wait. and if i get accepted, then im not sure wat my decision will be.</p>

<p>I think you should take Northstarmom's suggestion and withdraw your application from your ED schools. I mean, you're cheating. You can go around it all you want, but you're cheating. Giving yourself an unfair advantage.</p>

<p>i heard that they can take away your degree after you've graduated....</p>

<p>for your question about chances that the college will follow up...the answer is...noone knows...</p>

<p>its completely random how they find things out...maybe they'll be talking to your councelor and find out that there is no award there...maybe they'll be interviewing a student and that student will be a top athlete and not have this award...and theyll ask why...and he/she will say that it doesnt exist...</p>

<p>see how random it can be...its possible that you may get "lucky" and theyll never have a clue like for your friends sister...but from what ive heard on the forums...its amazing the things that adcoms can find out....</p>

<p>
[quote]
i heard that they can take away your degree after you've graduated....

[/quote]

yes but who is going to check an application after 4 years on a minor award</p>

<p>to the OP: if you are truly morally burdened by this situation, you should withdraw your application. However, it doesnt look like you are. I could be wrong, but it looks to me like you are just afraid that this will cost you a seat at the college.</p>