<p>I heard recently that more and more students are trying to get away with lying about their ECs
I know many of us probably stretched the amount of hours of volunteer work by a few hours, or hyped up a meager role in a club, but can kids really get away with lying about bigger things, such as NHS membership, extra clubs and volunteer work, and extra awards? Isn't there a way to check up on NHS/honor socities' membership, awards, ect?</p>
<p>im wondering the same thing.</p>
<p>Well there's always the risk of the colleges asking for a verification...then you're really screwed..</p>
<p>but kids can simply throw in NHS, or throw in secretary of key club, and all of that stuff is pretty basic for kids, so the college will most likely not check up on it, and that kid may have the same GPA as another kid, but because he had lied about NHS, he got in
(ps, sorry to slam NHS, but its a pretty broad honor society that is common, yet somewhat prestigious)</p>
<p>I thouht we learned not to lie in Kindergarten. BAD KARMA......</p>
<p>UC's don't emphasize EC as much as privates though, so if you wanna put that then go for it, but I can assure you that it won't be the deciding factor in your admissions process.</p>
<p>nah man, im already in college...i was just sort of stunned when i came across an article (ill try to find a link to it online, i think it was time magazine or wash post) that questioned the validity of college applicants today...
thumper hit it right on, this is a kindergarten type moral</p>
<p>lets put it this way...if i lied on my application and got into that college (and WENT to that college), i'd have it on me for the rest of my life...knowing that i might have gotten in because of my lie...</p>
<p>yeah same thing...i was just wondering HOW kids can get away with this crap? it never even crossed my mind to blatently lie on my application, but apperently colleges dont check up on these things and kids get away with it.</p>
<p>Most colleges do not care about ECs when it comes to admissions. The colleges admit students based on grades, scores, coursework and class rank. If ECs matter, they do for merit awards, and it's very likely that anything that's big enough to help a student get a merit award would be easily checked or would stand out on the application as false.</p>
<p>As for places like HPYS that have such an overabundance of high stat applicants that the colleges weigh ECs a lot in admission, the type of ECs that would impress such colleges aren't things like NHS membership or even a couple of hundred volunteer hours. Those ECs are so routine in that pool that they are insignificant. Even things like being student government president are ordinary in those pools.</p>
<p>The ECs that would impress places like HPYS are the types of ECs that are so unusual and unique that one can't lie about it without being caught . For instance, if you state that you started a golf tournament that raised $10,000 for March of Dimes, yet this isn't mentioned in any recommendations nor is there anything in your recommendations that suggests you have marketing talent, colleges are likely to be suspicious and to want to verify the info.</p>
<p>Lies about ECs also may be caught by interviewers-- particularly alum interviewers. I am an alum interviewer for an Ivy and have caught students in lies about their ECs. For instance, a student claimed in an interview to be heavily involved in an EC that my son was a top officer in and that I also frequently volunteered with. I knew that the applicant was greatly exaggerating their work with the organization. I didn't bother to confront the applicant, though, just put the info in my report.</p>
<p>yeah true, but smaller state schools i think look at ECs, maybe not heavily, but it could be a deciding factor when it comes down to two kids with exact same GPAs/scores</p>
<p>I don't think that virtually any state schools pay that much attention to ECs. Because they are state-funded, they have to have a system of selecting students that seems fair to the voters whose taxes pay for the college. </p>
<p>Public schools also aren't likely to choose between 2 candidates, but to pick candidates based on stats and when their application was submitted. Since many public schools are rolling admission, getting one's application in early is an advantage because as the class fills up, and spaces get more limited, the admission standards rise. A school that accepts students with 1500 SATs in Sept. may be rejecting students with 1700 SATs in Feb.</p>
<p>I heard that colleges don't check up on leadership positions (e.g., secretary of a certain club) unless you put down that you're president.</p>
<p>But it does make me mad that people do lie, and that certain people I know with mediocre grades/SAT scores/personalities/work ethics can have a completely false application (essays that aren't theirs, fake ECs, etc.) and get into my dream school with this along with their legacies.</p>
<p>i just want to remark that if you put you are secretary of something and work for 4 hrs in that per week and that somoene else w/ that similar club w/ a higher position is working for 2 hr per week...i think you are clearly indicating that you are stupid and inadequate in your abilities and very inefficient...and if anyone finds out that you lie...even after you graduate...consequences will result b/c i think you did sign that note on the bottom indicating everything is true O.o</p>
<p>At my school, school-involved activities are put on the transcript. If you have something listed on your app but not on the transcript, it would be suspicious and could be checked up on.</p>