<p>I’d say 95% of college applicants tell the entire truth when they fill out their applications, 4% exaggerate ECs and <1% actually blatantly lie. I highly doubt 50% of applicants fudge their EC numbers. </p>
<p>Applying to colleges is a numbers game but only to a certain point. Many get into top tier schools with below average GPAs if there is a story behind the period of bad grades. Colleges know not all students are perfect and they give significant weight to upgrade grade trends. </p>
<p>In many ways students are on the honor code. If withholding your past information is in your best interest, then so be it. What I can’t stand is the handful of people who bring up the question in a thread to see if the risk if worth it or not. </p>
<p>I think the chances of getting caught are relatively slim, but the risk of losing everything you worked for is not worth it. If I was stupid and lazy for the first year of community college like some of you, I still would tell only the truth. Speaking both practically and morally, keeping your application honest is the best policy.</p>
<p>@ Van Chowder: Yea, I knew of those policies, but I think a case like this only encourages lying on applications since those who considered it briefly before will have proof that their is a way to cheat the system.</p>
<p>I’m largely indifferent on this matter, anyway. I’m applying to 6 different top schools this year and if I don’t get accepted into any (which is highly improbable since although I know I’m not the best, I am well qualified), then that’s just the way it is; I’ll survive. If he chose to hide former indiscretions, then that’s fine with me. I can’t live his life for him and I see no need of alerting officials at NYU about his lies.</p>
<p>Incidentally, why is this thread still open?</p>
<p>I think you are being too optimistic. Some websites say that 89% of people exaggerate on their resumes. Just search “lying on resume statistics” on google and a bunch of sites will show up with high statistics. Based on those pretty large statistics, I would say that at least 40% of college applicants exaggerate or lie on their application. Of those 40% I would guess that 7.5% flatout lie. Could be higher or could be lower.</p>
<p>It’s an unfortunate affair, that some people get ahead in life by blatantly attempting to deceive universities, but that’s life – as unfair as it can sometimes be.</p>
<p>Not to bump this stupid thread (but its already at the top of the list) but I just wanted to add to future visitors that plenty of people who had terrible starts to college turn it around. If you have an honest upward trend you still have a great chance at tons of great schools. Just explain that you needed time to mature and you wont have to stress forever. Good luck to all those who look this thread up in the future.</p>
<p>lol @ grindallday, did you get rejected from your school of choice and now your taking it out on others or what?</p>
<p>took me almost an hour to go through this whole thread… trojan’s method sounds very promising if it does indeed block clearinghouse’s access to previous records. if your report comes up clean on clearing house I can’t foresee the college investigating past that unless there was a snitch of some sort involved.</p>
<p>thanks for a good thread Trojan, I have a few drop out coworkers who are going to be very interested in this.</p>
<p>so for all those interested…
go to the school in question and have them place a FERPA Block on your information… this means they can’t even give out directory information.</p>
<p>secondly, contact national clearing house, and have them put a privacy block on those schools.</p>
<p>once that is done, colleges won’t see it on a record search… and if they have suspicions and know the school you went to for whatever reason, the school will not be able to relinquish any details about you what so ever. </p>
<p>there is a catch though, if the university attempts to get information from national clearing house pertaining to the school with the block, the school can send you a waiver form that national clearing house requires them to have to view your blocked records. </p>
<p>duno grindallday. I’d say he got away with it. even if you rat him out (and yes I mean rat, low lifes that feel that need to bring others down. I deal with people like you at work and I consider you above all to be the lowest of human beings on the human totem pole.) he still has a lot on his side. the WORST they could do is revoke his acceptance because he refuses to sign a waiver. even then they would have no proof of his guilt, minus this thread with a bunch of dynamic IP addresses and an alias. </p>
<p>ask me how many kids apply to UCLA, UCB, NYU, and USC… with a gpa of 3.88± 4 points from a california community college.</p>
<p>Sorry to revive this mess of a thread, folks. I had a dilemma in which I didn’t want to pay $1000 for a 9-credit transcript from early in my college career (good grades, actually…just didn’t want to give up the $1000). I tried to write it off as ‘not a big deal’ and decided to go place a block on it with my school. But before I did that, I wanted to make sure my directory information from that school definitely would be safe from all eyes. I thoroughly read NSC’s site and e-mailed back and forth with an employee.</p>
<p>What she told me was, if the name and DOB are entered into the database, the FERPA restricted directory information will not show up in the system. However, if the Social Security number is entered, all directory information comes up, even if it is FERPA restricted. The reason why FERPA lists exceptions to the restriction, such as schools a student is transferring to and loan officers, is because these people can see all directory info, restricted or not, with a SSN, and are authorized to use the SSN when permitted. I asked why the SSN would be used and she gave me examples of past attendance and financial aid eligibility.</p>
<p>So it seems during application rounds, the chance of getting caught is the highest. It’s pretty clear Trojan was immensely insecure about what he was doing and knew there was a chance - some chance - of getting caught. There still is and always will be, if he hasn’t been yet. And if he wants to go anywhere after undergrad, those pesky applications might lead him into a dark hole. He says he did a search on himself and his blocked CC record did not show. That’s because StudentTracker holds all most of the goods. The ST aspect of NSC is very exclusive and only open to institutions willing to sign a contract. The institutions receive other items in the package - not just use of StudentTracker but tutorials and instructions on how to best use it. They also receive incentives to upgrade such as discounts and unlimited student searches. Honestly, it isn’t as expensive as some folks think. It costs the most when used by the Average Joe to look himself up or searching for a record of the guy at work who claims he graduated from Harvard.</p>
<p>Does anyone honestly think that a top school wouldn’t check? Or a law school? Or any friggin’ school you attend after undergrad? I was slightly naive for about five minutes. Glad it didn’t cause any real damage.</p>
<p>You’d only be 100% safe without a SSN, and that’s just the way it is.</p>
<p>Oh…and after coming to better understand how NSC worked, I decided to go pay that $1000.</p>
<p>I am not aware of the security number problem. I read an article several years ago they were moving away from that number.</p>
<p>This is the possible problem I found with the fascist clearing house:</p>
<p>From my info, one can put a FERPA block on the application at the school level. The school then tells the studentclearinghouse not to release info on their website. However, the clearing house has found a loophole. They have a detail and a aggregate report. The blocked info, which can be from school or student (unspecified) will appear on the detail report. It may also appear on the teller report, including school name blocked, but only if 20 or more people block their schools. A really hate this company as it is in complete violation of the INTENT of the law. This is used via their admission tracker (part of student tracker) application. Yes, they sell our info for money.</p>
<p>Actually, another thing popped into mind. If a school application has you sign yor rights away, including FERPA, does this block mean anything? Furthermore, if the clearing house is an ‘education institution’ can they just tell any school anyway? Thousands of people dont send in all transcripts and are fine, but things are changing.
You would think someone would know this information. I got most of my info from the clearing house’s student tracker web page.
Also, some schools aren’t part of the clearing house’s student tracker program, but only use financial aid reporting, degree verify. From my understanding, these organizations can not access your student attendance info in lieu of a phone call, which I am not sure any school does (call the clearing house for each student). If they wanted to, I don’t know if the clearing house would, as the its whole point is to make money. (Why give that information out to a school that does not pay?)</p>
<p>I think this poster is right about inter-school communication superseding FERPA, but, can a school contact the clearing house, with a ferpa block, and will the clearing house disclose the student’s academic history?</p>
<p>I believe in the upward trend in grades and feel that says more about a student than anything else in a good sense… But, what about schools that have a strict GPA minimum? If a student has a low GPA due to to grades from a single school in classes that unrelated to the major but because of the grades from that one school the GPA is brought below the admission minimum… Then what?</p>
<p>I have a friend who has a 2.5 cumulative GPA from classes took over ten years ago. In the last three years he went back to school, a different school, and that GPA alone is 3.3+ but with thegrades from other school drops to 2.5 or so which is below admission requirements. What would be advised in such a situation?</p>
<p>Lastly. Not all schools provide an outlet to explain poor grades. One of the schools I’m applying to asks for nothing other than transcripts and the standard form.</p>
Glad it didn’t cause any real damage.</p>