<p>OP, so if you don’t like the advise you’re receiving go for it. My guess, you are found out within 2 hours of starting your job and you’re going to have either blatantly lie or come clean. In my experience, after going through the HR paperwork the first thing the hiring manager does is s/he walks the new employee around the department … and the odds someone says something referencing your being a Wolverine or something about Ann Arbor are very-very high. So your next ethical situation will be waiting for you some time very soon after you start.</p>
<p>PS - as a subordinate one of the best ways to get a head is to make your boss look good … and the way to your boss’ s**t list is to make them look bad. I’m sure s/he will be pleased when they have to explain to their boss that they did not hire someone with the credentials they told their boss you had … how they messed up and how it was their fault. Frankly, of all the ways to lie about one’s background this is probably one of the worst ways as it is so likely to come up in normal day-to-day conversation.</p>