<p>I mean, how do you even prove the EC’s that you DID do, let alone ones you didn’t?</p>
<p>^You can have teachers as witnessess or mentors as witnessess.</p>
<p>Er, I totally meant *misrepresent in that post.</p>
<p>
Not alot of clubs at my school ever have teachers looking over us.</p>
<p>It is quite common for me to discuss EC’s at the interview. And a small amount of misrepresentation is not uncommon. For example, many students explain to me that the reason that they raise money for charity, is due to their deep love and respect for what the charity does with their money. (Obvious follow up question, “Great, what does the charity do with the money?”). And after some discussion, it becomes clear that they are doing it because their guidance counselor suggested it and they thought it would look good on an application. </p>
<p>I have a certain amount of tolerance for this, because, after all, the student has put in all of the hours into the charity that they say they have, and they have simply attempted to spin their accomplishments as best they could. However, it has happened that a student’s fictitious EC was discovered at the interview, and was reported to the admissions office in the interview report. That student was not accepted for admission. </p>
<p>Keep in mind that at an interview, I go it unaware of which areas might need enhanced scrutiny. Instead I ask some gentle straightforward questions and try to get a spontaneous discussion going. Only if the student’s answers seem slightly off do I push harder. But then, I can push as hard as I see fit. </p>
<p>For example, a couple of years ago, a candidate indicated that he loved a particular author. This prolific author was well known to me, so I asked what I thought were simple questions like “Which of her books is your favourite?” or even “Which of her books have you most enjoyed.” Only to discover that the candidate had only ever read one book by the author but thought that the author was erudite enough that she would make a good-sounding favourite. After that discovery, I felt the need to validate almost everything the student then told me. It was a long interview.</p>
<p>I try really really hard to make the interviews light and fun. Frankly if the student is relaxed, I get a better picture of them, and can do my job for MIT better. We both have a lot of fun, and it is a really pleasant experience. But on those rare occasions when I find a student to be lying at the interview, then it can get to be a lot less fun very quickly. Just don’t do it. It really is not worth it.</p>
<p>
Why did they feel the need to do this? Does saying you read books help in an interview? Are you serious?</p>
<p>Some people have favorite scientists, others have favorite authors. I don’t see what the problem is??</p>
<p>^ No, I’m saying that it was really stupid to lie about having a favorite author.</p>
<p>Oh - reread the paragraph, saw that it was because they lied / did it to “sound good.” </p>
<p>Yes, that is stupid. Having an actual favorite author is not. </p>
<p>(mine is Kurt Vonnegut)</p>
<p>^Hey how good is Slaughter house 5?
Im thinking of reading it over the summer. It’s about a guy that goes back in time right? Or something like that?</p>
<p>Slaughterhouse Five is a book you must read. You don’t have it quite right - it’s about remembering the war, inasmuch as it’s about anything. </p>
<p>But my favorite KV book is “Timequake.”</p>
<p>
To be clear, I wouldn’t dream of it, but my friend apparently thinks it’s foolproof.</p>
<p>How, though, can you figure out if someone faked ECs? For example, if I put [I wouldn’t] that I’m a drum player [I’m not] on my EC list, how could you tell it’s fake?</p>
<p>I understand the application can be rescinded - I’d expect nothing less of a forger - but I can’t imagine it’d be easy to know if someone’s lying.</p>
<p>*
I understand the application can be rescinded - I’d expect nothing less of a forger - but I can’t imagine it’d be easy to know if someone’s lying.*</p>
<p>Well here’s the deal - when there isn’t even that much evidence as to how involved the student is in an activity, it doesn’t really matter. </p>
<p>There was a point mentioned earlier about someone putting down a favorite author whom she/he didn’t actually read wholeheartedly. My guess is ultimately this doesn’t matter enough anyway.</p>
<p>Ultimately, only if a point is mentioned in a significant sense is it going to make a significant difference with respect to admission.</p>
<p>@Jimmy - </p>
<p>If your friend thinks it’s foolproof, he a fool.</p>
<p>hahaha guaranteed admission to MIT: put down that you’re a drum player</p>
<p>Actually… surprisingly enough, the only two drum players I know who applied to MIT both got in. Unfortunately, neither one enrolled precisely because they thought MIT didn’t offer enough drum-playing opportunities. :P</p>
<p>I think there’s a brainlink between mathematical and percussion abilities/affinities anyway. =)</p>
<p>Seriously, guys, be honest. They’re not looking for the “match” for the school’s sake as much as for yours. They benefit from your well-being too.
And for the record, I’m an average student with slightly-above-average grades and a few extracurriculars I really liked doing, and despite being unwilling even to exaggerate on the application, somehow made it in. Be yourself.</p>
<p>Ah well I was just giving an example with the drums, not that it’d be the most important EC around 
I really do think music defines a person in a way though, so in my opinion, putting that I’m a guitar player on my application (I am this time) and that I love it does say something about me.</p>
<p>I’ll be sure to tell my friend that. You know, it’s not like he needs to lie either. He’s a valedictorian and his ECs are good, although a little done-for-the-sake-of-doing-it-all. Ugh.</p>
<p>Sorry,</p>
<p>A number of people seem to have misread my previous post, so I thought that I would clarify my points more explicitly.</p>
<p>1) EC’s are often discussed at interview. By contrast, academics are not. As a consequence, it can often be quite doable, though certainly not foolproof, to identify a fictitious EC at the interview. </p>
<p>Unless your friend is prepared enough to discuss his fictitious EC, and answer arbitrarily complex questions about it, there is a real chance of discovery at interview. So if for example you make up that you play the drums, Murphy’s law will guarantee that your interviewer played percussion in the MIT symphony orchestra, and will want to discuss the joys of drum playing ad nauseum.</p>
<ol>
<li><p>Making up something like a favourite author is not, of itself, something that will keep you out of MIT. However, it can show the interviewer, and the admissions officers, that you are quite prepared to lie to make yourself look good. As a result, any part of the application that does not have external evidence is called into question. In that interview, after that, I pushed much harder for additional evidence of everything that he said. I found a few other more substantial falsehoods, and I reported this to MIT. The student did not get in.</p></li>
<li><p>The very modest advantage you get from making stuff up is just not worth the risk.</p></li>
</ol>
<p>Thanks,</p>
<p>I had a question about who @MITChris said were academic stars: Does the category<br>
“Siemens Finalists” include the Semi-Finalists or only the Regional Finalists and above?</p>