<p>So this guy I know lied about being Native American on his common app then got accepted into Vanderbilt like 2 months before everyone else heard back. It kinda ****ed me off, because hes not Native American (although he claims that generations back there was a Native in his family) has no documentation of being Native American, and I'm positive doesn't meet the standard (or percentage) to be counted as such.</p>
<p>Its made worse because my friend (VERY far) ahead of him in my class, much better scores, GPA, extras, got rejected ED and stuff. </p>
<p>Whats the likeliness that the schools will find out he lied on his app like that? Its irritating mostly because hes taking someones spot, and I have known him since Freshman year, and hes a massive cheater. Now it feels like he has moved on from cheating on tests, to cheating on college admission.</p>
<p>Honestly, there is nothing you can really do about it. The college will probably never find out. If he has constantly cheated to earn his grades, test scores, etc, he probably won’t last too long at Vanderbilt. As far as I know, although being NA is a huge hook, it won’t automatically get you into a college-you still have to have a good application. I’m ~1/8 NA and have been contacted by schools about it, but I am not leaning on that. I am also Black, but I know that these hooks don’t mean I’m in. He did not take your friend’s spot. If the admissions people had wanted your friend at their school, they would have admitted him.</p>
<p>I don’t see how it’s possible to lie (effectively) about being Native American on the Common App because of the requirement of a Tribal Enrollment Number. Sure you could just check a box and say you aren’t enrolled, but that would imply you’re not involved at all in tribal events. If Vandy overlooked that, they probably found something diversifying beyond race for the particular individual (be it unique intellect, personality, etc.).</p>
<p>If you want to enact some justice, make an anonymous email address and inform on him to his admissions counselor. Then I bet there will be some investigation.</p>
<p>That’s what I would do if I cared enough to make a thread about it.</p>
<p>You obviously don’t know, still being in high school, but your friend will be in for a rude awakening at Vanderbilt and later on. Don’t care about him.</p>
<p>Actually I’ve read that many very selective schools do receive anonymous “narc” e-mails and letters “outing” their classmates’ omissions and commissions. Yes, probably his URM-NA reference helped his application, if so. But how sure are you of the facts? Perhaps there’s a grandparent who’s a full-blooded NA. My DH is 1/4 NA; he also was a towhead blue-eyed HS student who didn’t disclose on his college applications and could have used that URM bump. </p>
<p>Elizabeth Warren and Harvard represented her as “Native American”, though there’s no substantiation beyond family oral history, and she’s now a US Senator. I think you’re at a “life lesson” moment here.</p>
<ol>
<li><p>You do not have to have an enrollment number for the app. Not all colleges expect to see one as proof. (More often, it’s the colleges in areas with high NA populations, in order to be fair to them.) </p></li>
<li><p>The self-id is optional and based on how you id yourself. As I understand it, follows the DoCommerce/Census guidelines which are all about just that: what you say you are.</p></li>
<li><p>You really think adcoms are going to stop their ship in the water because one kid reports another misstated? Worst case, they’d throw this back in the GC’s hands. If you realllly care, speak with the GC. Don’t think you’ll get far.</p></li>
</ol>
<p>So the kid writes a note that great great grandma was part Cherokee?
It’s a little more complicated, in that, if there’s no addl id with the heritage in the app, adcoms may not base any tip on that. This comes up with Hispanic, sometimes.</p>