Hi. I am an international student applying to US colleges for fall 2015. A few other students from my HS also applied to US colleges this year as well. I know that at least two of them sent fake copies of their transcripts to the schools they applied to. They got official copies from the academic advisor and by using photshop and other editors these students made their GPA’s almost perfect, which will obviously improve their chances of being admitted. I know that they will be asked to submit official copies of these transcripts when accepted. but the thing is, my high school mails official copies instead of submitting them online through any systems. The academic advisor at my high school gives you an official copy and stamped envelope and asks you to mail it by yourself. It is only a matter of putting a fake transcript inside instead to make it seem “official”. Do you guys think the schools these students applied to will somehow be able to recognize that these copies are not actually official? It just doesn’t seem fair to me that they may take someone else’s spot at some university because of that.
First of all, I want to point out that your entire school system is severely flawed with loopholes for points of compromise.
I would take an immediate action to speak to the GC. Also to ensure academic integrity and fairness (this is because your GC sounds incompetent), I would email the admission officers at the schools hinting your concern for academic dishonesty from your school without pointing fingers or giving out specific names.
It’s sad to see how so many of the students would forgo their moral or ethical values, or lack thereof, to gain advantage.
If the cheaters are modifying their “official” transcripts to 4.0s, they’re probably not going to survive in college anyway.
^ @MITer94
I agree, but they are still taking the seat of someone else that might be a better fit.
True - and more important.
Do something about it, before people from all over the world invade your school.
We don’t know what nation is your home. However, in the United States criminal fraud is essentialy defined as: *“Deliberate deception to secure unfair or unlawful gain. Fraud is both a civil wrong (i.e., a fraud victim may sue the fraud perpetrator to avoid the fraud and/or recover monetary compensation) and a criminal wrong (i.e., a fraud perpetrator may be prosecuted and imprisoned by governmental authorities). The purpose of fraud may be monetary gain or other benefits, such as obtaining a drivers license by way of false statements.”/i
Obviously, matriculation at a US university provides both monetary and less tangible benefits. Depending upon how visible you wish to become, you may be able to request that your local policy agency initiate an investigation of this matter. This isn’t just academic dishonesty, it may also be criminal conduct.
It’s happened before and people will continue to try to outmaneuver the system. However, colleges are also trying to be pro-active. Your classmates’ schemes are not new – nor are they only used by non-US applicants (Tonica Jenkins, Yale; Adam Wheeler, Harvard)
About ten years ago, my college’s admissions rep was visiting area high schools and I was accompanying him. He related a story where one HS in China had six applicants. Four different versions of the “official” transcript were submitted. It was not difficult to determine with a simple phone call, which were to be automatically disqualified.
I’m sure there are sophisticated schemes running today. But top colleges are investing time and money to ensure as few as possible fakers are getting through.
Definitely talk to your GC about it and make them aware of what these students are doing/have done. Once the GC knows about it, it’s out of your hands. The GC can then choose to tell the admissions officers of the fraud and do something about it.
But yes, your system is flawed. I never heard of a school that gives the students the transcript to send. The GC is supposed to do all the submission for you.
@TheDidactic: “Once the GC knows about it, it’s out of your hands.”
I’m not sure I agree. Let’s simplify this scenario by presuming it occurred in the US. I’d agree that once the GC has been advised, the ACADEMIC/ADMISSIONS elements of this fraud have been addressed (from the OP’s perspective). However, what about the criminal justice elements? Doesn’t responsible citizenship obligate every citizen to advise law enforcement – not junior school officials – when a crime has potentially been committed? If a student knew drugs were being sold in his school, should he only advise school employees, or does he have a concurrent duty to notify the police – who, after all, are principally responsible for law enforcement and for criminal investigations, on school property AND everywhere else?
I was more or less referring to viphan’s post where he advised OP to email the admissions officers about the students. I feel that that is more in the GC’s jurisdiction.
Tipping off law enforcement poses one of those ethical dilemmas that you get asked in a grad school interview. It’s obviously the “right” thing to do, but so many other factors play into this. I would think that since your application is coming from the same school, it would be under more scrutiny. Like how if one person is accused of cheating on the SAT, the whole room’s test booklets are examined. I could be very wrong about that though. Apologies in advance if I am.
If the fraud was not only against the school policy but also against the law and the GC knew about it, I would think he would notify the law enforcement anyways. The law enforcement absolutely have the authority to be tipped off but I’m not fully sure if a student should be the person to pull the cord.
@TheDidactic: I did not appreciate the viphan connection. Given that, fine with me.
It is not that difficult to see the results of Photoshop. They are risking legal trouble and sullying the reputation of the high school. For some reason, younger folks are more savvy at using things like Photoshop, but are not as savvy about realizing how easy it is to spot fakes and forgeries.
I would think the GC would want to know because what do you think the chances of other applicants would be if a college found out there were people changing their transcripts?
As for citizens having a responsibility to report crimes, there is a freedom to not report crimes as well, as long as it does not goes as far as aiding and abetting.
Corruption exists in many countries. In fact, it’s so endemic in China that some universities require in-person interviews through a proctored system, and others have simply asked for an “official” “transcript evaluation” which costs a lot of money (hundreds of dollars). In a recent article, the University of Illinois faculty and administrators (as well as counterparts throughout the country) indicated that the influx of Asian applicants who speak little English, stick together rather than get involved, and whose past transcripts don’t match their present, has been a problem in terms of what classes need to be offered, how they’re taught, what can be expected, and “intercultural/international” exchanges for all students, etc., but these students are used as “cash providers” by universities whose budgets have been cut and while some may be lamenting it, the trend isn’t likely to stop and some cash-strapped Americanuniversities have even been known to turn a blind eye to it.
If you think this will not hurt you (as some adults may be complicit - it’s up to you to estimate the level of corruption: students only? parents? GC? principal? others?), you may want to ask them to change the policy about final transcripts. You must also estimate the risk to yourself if you become a whistleblower, ie., how commonplace cheating is in your school and in your culture, whether it’s considered a serious offense or one that is bad “only if you’re stupid enough to get caught” but a sign of intelligence otherwise, whether whistleblowers are seen are traitors and what the consequences could be for you.
It’s quite possible the envelope is given unsealed and unsigned because the guidance counselors know about this scheme and this way the school can keep claiming high rates of US university admissions in their advertising prospectus.
@rhandco: There’s no question that one is not legally obligated to report a crime; that was never the germane issue. Rather, the question was – and is – one of good and responsible citizenship. I’d also ask if one fails to report a crime and that clearly leads to subsequent offenses, is that “ethical aiding and abetting?” The fundamental issue, it seems to me, is that the law provides ONLY a minimum threshold for behavior, not an ideal or optimum standard.
^TopTier I agree with you… for the US. In many countries, reporting such a thing would not be considered reporting a crime, but bothering the police with something that is inconsequential and even normal, and at worst may have real, serious consequences for the whistleblowing students.
More broadly, once in the US, understanding the concept of “academic honesty” is a challenge for students who’ve been taught otherwise their whole life (ie., “googling then copy/pasting” = “cheating” = “bad” = “negative consequences” would totally boggle some students’ minds.)
@TheDidactic IF OP goes to a school in the US, where relations between high schools and colleges are more professional, I would never advise him of contacting the admission officers of the academic dishonesty – it definitely is GC’s jurisdiction.
HOWEVER, given OP’s details of how his GC operates (representative of the GC office), it is extremely possible that activities OP is unfamiliar with occur, such as backdoor dealings between GC and parents/students.
Because of this, I have advised OP to be proactive to notify BOTH his GC AND the AOs in the US, as a safety measure.
I understand your point. It’s a completely different terrain because we’re talking about X Country.