<p>Why couldn’t the OP just tell the truth on a case-by-case basis?</p>
<p>This is not as big a deal as it sounds. You got into Stanford, and that too in the early round!!! That is accomplishment enough. There are plenty of students who got into Harvard and were rejected by Stanford.</p>
<p>I like the Facebook update idea. The only caveat is that right around this time you will be making new FB friends from Stanford who will wonder why you are posting about your Harvard rejection instead of focusing on the exciting times you will have at Stanford. So if you must post about it, say something like </p>
<p>“Just want to clarify- I did NOT get into Harvard.”</p>
<p>I’d just shut up now and have nothing else to say on the subject other than I’m looking forward to going to Stanford, the West Coast Harvard :-)</p>
<p>Mom0809, how would that conversation go?</p>
<p>Someone says to the OP:“Wow!!! I heard you got on to both Stanford and Harvard! You chose Stanford over Harvard though, right? Congrats on getting in to both! Was it a hard decision?”</p>
<p>OP: “I am looking forward to attending Stanford.”</p>
<p>??? Doesn’t really work, practically speaking.</p>
<p>No one cares. In a few weeks everyone will have forgotten where you applied. Don’t continue the lie, but you certainly don’t need to make any public annoucements. Just let the subject drop and explain how excited you are that you will be attending Stanford.</p>
<p>I know that at this point in life you think that college acceptance defines you. It doesn’t. It’s only a big deal for a year or so, and most of that year is already over.</p>
<p>Contrats on that Standford acceptance.</p>
<p>Nobody cares - You’re being congratulated for getting into Stanford, NOT for snubbing Harvard. Pfffft - no reason to set the record straight here. I turned down Harvard too! (it wasn’t an official acceptance, but I’m sure I would’ve gotten in, I preemptively turned them down :D)</p>
<p>Post #24. Just smile and nod. Although I don’t think anybody will dig that deep.</p>
<p>I’d make sure that your GC knows the truth. I assume they do - don’t know how the schools are notified. Likely, the school will publish a list of student acceptances somewhere.</p>
<p>Musing…what would a psychologist say about why OP did not correct the original mis-information? To look more prestigious, perhaps, in the eyes of others? Stanford was not enough and adding Harvard into the mix raised his esteem? Also musing why people think it’s ok to allow what has become a full-blown lie to continue under the guise of “it’ll all just go away.” This individual will face many of these bridges over the course of his life and the question is, “What will he do down the road?” If your integrity got sold at this cheap of a price now, what’s in store?</p>
<p>^^^lol - the OP didn’t lie; just didn’t correct a misunderstanding. Many of those people are annoying. Like I said, this is more about where you’re going (not where you’ve been). People will believe many things about you, down the road, most you will never have a chance or choice to correct. Like water off a ducks back…let it go.</p>
<p>This kind of thing happens ALL THE TIME*. It’ll get you in major trouble if you say anything but the truth in press or in FB. Never, never, never write it down!</p>
<p>If someone asks, especially if confused, turn it around to those who started this. “Oh, that’s what they assume…” Or turn it around and deflect, “who said I got into Harvard… I’m going to Stanford!!”</p>
<p>*My 3rd grade students love to start rumors like this, one girl in particular. (such as, we’re going outside for an early recess or we’re getting treats, or we’re doing a science experiment.) Then that starts all the kids to clamor. But, when they ask me, I say, “Who said we’re going outside <or whatever=”">? I didn’t."</or></p>
<p>lap, you’re making a far bigger deal out of this than it is. It’s not like he went around telling everyone he got into Harvard without being asked.</p>
<p>This is NOT a big deal. Trying to correct it will make it a much bigger issue. Just let it go :)</p>
<p>One guy in my kids’ school spread the rumor and put on Naviance that he was accepted to Harvard. Other kids found the truth later and severed all good relationship with him.</p>
<p>I think people who are obsessed with Harvard tend to lie (just personal experience).</p>
<p>There’s no need to air your drama on FB even though people seem to love to do that. Someday people will realize that much of FB can be the bane of their social network.</p>
<p>You don’t need to ‘actively’ do much with this.</p>
<ul>
<li>Don’t perpetuate the misunderstanding yourself because when you do it becomes a lie.</li>
<li>You don’t need to be concerned about addressing this with anyone other than who you yourself interacted with. If some friend of a friend ‘tells’ someone you got into H, that’s not your problem.</li>
<li>If someone comes up to you and says something to you about H just respond very matter of factly with “H? No, I wasn’t accepted at H. If someone told you that, they must have had a misunderstanding”. At that point you can be done with it.</li>
<li>The bigger deal you make out of this, and the more public you make this, the bigger of a deal it’ll become.</li>
</ul>
<p>At the end of the day it’s no one’s business where you were accepted and where you were rejected.</p>
<p>"I’d make a fb status saying something like, it kind of started out as a joke but I want everyone to know I didn’t get in to Harvard lol, but I really, really did get into Stanford.</p>
<p>I like this idea. You set record straight (with a bit of humor) and won’t have to feel guilty about it.</p>
<p>On second thought, GladGradDad, makes good sense:</p>
<p>“You don’t need to be concerned about addressing this with anyone other than who you yourself interacted with. If some friend of a friend ‘tells’ someone you got into H, that’s not your problem.”</p>
<p>…and for those who are interested in ‘lesson to be learned’ from this. I believe that a lesson has been learned. OP felt troubled enough to bring forth the question here. I don’t believe he’ll allow himself to get into a similar situation again.</p>
<p>laplatinum get off your high horse. The OP was stuck in an awkward moment and took the easy way out to avoid momentary embarrassment. Obviously he wishes he had stopped it right there or he wouldn’t have posted here.</p>
<p>OP: tempest in a teacup. Take it easy now.</p>
<p>In the words of a cartoon sage much wiser than myself…“oh good grief”.</p>
<p>JoeLiu123, </p>
<p>You need to come clean or this will be a source of worry for you forever. You will always feel so bad about this (even though it’s so understandable how it happened, and I don’t fault you for that spur of the moment decision to keep quiet. I actually don’t think you owed it to anyone to publicly embarrass yourself, but now the thing took on a life of it’s own, so you have to stop it.) I think this misunderstanding will haunt you if you don’t correct it. Once you correct the mis-information, you will feel relieved. However, because I don’t want you to be blamed or looked down upon for not fessing up in public right away, I want you to be very careful how you clear it up. I have an idea. The next time someone comes up to you to congratulate you, you should say really matter-of-factly “No, that’s an urban myth. I did get into Stanford, but I got got REJECTED at Harvard.” Then say something like, “I’m not THAT lucky to get into both.” Just start telling people and the new information will start to spread. Whenever someone asks, just tell them that it’s a false rumor that you got into both. I think you need to go to your friend who announced it and tell him just what you said here. If you need a defense, just say that you were so on the spot and embarrassed that you didn’t say anything. For anyone who was in the room that day, just tell them you are so glad that the rumor has been stopped because it was very embarrassing. No one will remember this, but if you don’t correct it and it gets out, everyone will always remember it. A girl from my son’s class lied that she got into Stanford, and it got out when the interviewer just casually said to someone how only one athlete from the school got in (not her.) It CAN come out. I’ve seen it a few times. </p>
<p>Good luck. This too shall pass. It’s not your fault. It’s one more result of this crazy world of college admissions that has gotten out of hand. You are a very nice person, I can tell.</p>
<p>I am always amused by the postings on these threads. I am with the ones that say you should have cleared it up when it started. Since, it has spread I would clear it up on a case-by-case basis. If you do this, those that you told will retell the truth. You know everyone remembers the kid or kids that got into Havard. I don’t care what anyone says on this board but getting into Harvard is something people remember and you will be known as that kid. It is easier to clear it up as a misunderstanding now instead of it coming back to bite you in the end. I think should you just let it go, it could decrease your integrity. </p>
<p>BTW you didn’t do to shabby with Stanford so you should not be embarrassed at all.</p>