<p>Thought I might share this little bit of information. This morning over at the NYU board, an NYU undergrad admissions officer posted a message concerning the NYU NetID (similar to explore or RSVP). Students who have been attempting to log in and got in before they got their admission decisions online have been wrong. NYU approaches it almost to the effect of "hacking", or trying to beat the system.
Seeing as how NYU saw it as a serious offense and said it will have strong reprocussions, I would like to point out and give the idea that maybe USC does not want us to do the same either. It goes to show that colleges DO read posts that are up and DO KNOW about this site and monitor them, this is just one of the few cases where instead of being a silent reader, they have actually spoken up about it.
Needless to say, I think we need to be more patient and take a note from what happened over at the NYU board, as kids are now in a mass hysteria panic, posting their "apologies" for "not knowing what they were doing", even though the NYU rep had clearly stated that they know kids had posted the link to purposefully find out their admissions decisions.
Just another reminder to all of you out there, PLEASE be patient, I understand and surely USC understands that we are all very anxious and almost dying for admissions decision, and when you take a step back to think about it, it is also the waiting that makes the process more enjoyable and more memorable once you do get accepted (... or rejected).
Thanks :) (Now hoping I don't get flamed for this!)</p>
<p>Here are some of the quotes from the rep, that could possibly pertain to USC as well:
"Students,</p>
<p>Please be advised that the Undergraduate Admissions Office at New York University considers it a serious offense to have students abusing technology in this way. There are two issues here. First, students who have been provided personal information posting this information on-line in a general forum. And second, other students pursuing information which they know has not yet been made available to them.</p>
<p>There are a number of ways that our office can indeed verify the identity of students who have posted on this site and we certainly can access information about who may have already activated a Net-ID prior to receiving a notification letter from our institution. Individuals can anticipate that these actions could potentially have serious repercussions with regards to their application to our institution.</p>
<p>Should you have questions regarding this matter please be encouraged to contact our office at 212/998-4500."</p>
<p>And this one as well......</p>
<p>"To the many concerned students (and parents) on this site,</p>
<p>As stated in our previous post, the use of technology to attempt to receive an admissions decision is something that our office takes very seriously. We recognize that this is a very anxious time for students and that everyone is very curious to know "If I got in." However, we regret that students felt that they should attempt to figure out their decision through accessing University technology. As an institution of higher education we have to ask ourselves how students who feel it is ok to use technology in this way may use internet-based technology in the future while in attendance at NYU.</p>
<p>College Confidential is not a site that is affiliated with any academic institution. The information provided here is largely released by students who feel that they are "in the know" about aspects of the admissions process for schools like NYU. There is a much more reliable way to access information about a school's admissions process and that is by reaching out directly (via the internet, email, or phone) to the schools that you have applied to or are interested in. Despite the public's general perception, as admissions counselors we are truly here to help you through this process and as admissions professionals we attempt to provide you with the most honest and up-to-date information about our school and application review. One of the reasons we monitor a site like College Confidential is to try and make sure that the information you receive here is correct and not simply conjecture.</p>
<p>We certainly do not want to cause any unnecessary alarm for students during an already stressful and anxious time of year. We do not believe that there will be any immediate action taken against individuals who found this information on-line and "out of curiosity" sought access to NYU technology services. However, we do feel that it is important for students to know that their actions do have repercussions. And, further, that in a time when technology is so readily available that it is incredibly important to be careful about the validity of information that you find on-line and how you choose to utilize it.</p>
<p>Again, we are always happy to respond to questions or concerns and we can be reached at 212/998-4500. If you prefer we can also respond to questions in this specific thread."</p>
<p>lol thanks ZBR, sorry if I didn't clarify but I meant to post it as a warning to those as you stated in your reply: "The only negative aspect of Explore (to USC) is that it is a way to find out if you're accepted into the school before getting mail." Hehe, wrote a whole lot but did not write on why it is a bad thing to do it to find your admission.</p>
<p>Edit:..... Woah his post is gone......
Let the great debate begin! (This thread is going to be disputed and challenged by alot already..... I can feel it.... darn it)
I just threw this idea out there, did not want to start the huge debate but oh well...</p>
<p>shoot. haha. i've tried to log on like 23524523542 times. won't try it another time for sure</p>
<p>I don't think anyone should worry.</p>
<p>Is there any way to confirm that the message was actually posted by an NYU admissions officer? Because if not, this could just be a prankster having a lot of fun.</p>
<p>Not a prankster... you know where they have underneath your s/n "New Member"?? Well this dude had "College Rep." and CC goes a long way to verify that people (like college reps) are really who they say they are, and besides they have their own registration process to go through to post on this site. </p>
<p>But like guidez89 said, I don't think anyone should worry, but just some food for thought....
WOW! This post is getting alot of attention.... 91 views already....</p>
<p>
<p>But like guidez89 said, I don't think anyone should worry, but just some food for thought.... WOW! This post is getting alot of attention.... 91 views already....
</p>
<p>FWIW, NetID is actually the process of establishing an account with the university. Neither of the 2 sites we have used actually involve "establishing" an account. So, for anyone who has already used them, I do not anticipate a problem. Also, I had an admissions rep tell me "we would rather you not find out that way, but wait for your official letter" which is not the same as "you have violated the integrity of school technology". Obviously, you should not continue to attempt to access the sites if you feel concerned. However, if you tried and were unsuccessful, there is no way to trace that, anyway.</p>
<p>Wow... that strikes me as painfully immature of the NYU admissions office. Their technology department messed up, and they're blaming the students? </p>
<p>If a school messed up and sent out admissions decisions early by mail, would I be obligated not to open the envelope until the day it was supposed to arrive? So why should people wait if the decisions are accidentally available online? </p>
<p>If NYU wants to say that the decisions online are incorrect, that'd be one thing, but they seem to instead hide behind the idea of an "incorrect use of technology." </p>
<p>That's a a weak position for NYU to take. If they were to actually try to rescind a decision because a student had checked the site early, I think they would face immediate litigation, because as far as I can see, the problem here was with NYU's ineptitude, not the students' character.</p>
<p>But that's just my opinion.</p>
<p>ooh what a scary/informative post! but, i have one small qualm w/your post, Senor:</p>
<p>"when you take a step back to think about it, it is also the waiting that makes the process more enjoyable and more memorable once you do get accepted (... or rejected). "</p>
<p>...yah thats a load of bull. all the waiting does is stress me out and give me ulcers. I HATE WAITING W/A PASSION!!!i think its stupid and unnecessary. and to have to wait that long, then to find out months later you are rejected, i mean what a horrible, horrible feeling...screw UCLA...oh sorry, still bitter about that one...</p>
<p>i don't understand....why should it affect the school is kids are trying to log onto the explore usc or nyu thing?? so we know about our admissions before we get a letter in the mail that tells us we were admitted. what's wrong with it?? sry if i'm being naive or something. i just don't see the harm in any possible way.</p>
<p>I don't see any harm either.... I think NYU is just on a power trip.</p>
<p>yeah, NYU are being jerks. the kids are just trying to figure things out! and to stress them out even more....</p>
<p>kids here, dont worry. i think usc has better things to do.</p>
<p>Hah, how ridiculous. That university rep is acting like a little kid. Thank God I never had any desire to apply to or attend NYU.</p>
<p>Here's a link to one of the threads the rep posted on.</p>
<p>Well. Same thing happened for Harvard, and they rejected everyone who tried.</p>
<p>
[quote]
Harvard Business School will reject the 119 applicants who hacked into the school's admissions site last week, the school's dean, Kim B. Clark, said yesterday.
[/quote]
</p>
<p>
[quote]
Harvard accuses these students of "hacking" into information that they had no right to access.** What was the nature of the "hacking?" Simply backspacing on the URL within their account.** There was no attempt to access restricted directories, there was no password generator used, there was no subterfuge in attempting to get information from secretaries.
[/quote]
</p>
<p>It wasn't really hacking. </p>
<p>Well at least, NYU was kind enough to say "Don't do it" before rejecting people..</p>
<p>I had no idea that it was considered hacking. Hopefully won't be accepted then rejected because of something like this.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>Unless the school expressly forbade this activity, I don't see how they can rescind. Frankly, unless they expressly forbade it, I would think they would approve of the initiative, creativity, and perseverance of the applicant. But that's just me. I prefer proactive to passive (again, if they said "DON'T" that is different).</p>
<p>I dislike NYU.</p>
<p>NYU's system is completely different than USC's Explore.. being an NYU applicant myself, I read that forum tooand the thing people were trying to get into was an official student account, like setting up email adresses for the school.. judging from what people have said about Explore, (considering i can't login to Explore yet), you can only reserve a spot to visit USC's campus. nothing regarding setting up Official Student accounts.. so there shouldn't be any worries about NYU's situation</p>
<p>Also- keep in mind that Explore USC is set up once they mail out an admissions decision to you. So if you get in, your admissions has already been sent. My friend logged into exploreusc on tuesday and his packet arrived the next day so its not like it did him much good- i dont think its considered hacking b/c how can usc possibly prove you hadnt received your admissions packet yet? I agree that explore usc is a different situation but i appreciate the warning anyway...</p>