#1
We needed to contact him about an issue with his transcripts. Curious, I double-checked that there was no “step-parent” mention in either his essay or family information section of the application, but the essay was also written about the very recent passing of his mother, so I did not truly believe there would be a new mother within 3 months, but you never know.
I called him on his self-indicated main contact number, only to have a lovely conversation with his startlingly-alive mother! So either I stumbled into some newly-acquired gifts as a medium, or that essay was a fabrication.
#2
#3
Most of us probably cheated at least once in school. Whether it was during a test, an oral exam, or just a simple exercise in class, even the most academically devout sometimes come unprepared. But cheating in your college application is a whole different beast: the stakes are wildly different.
Still, the amount of students who admit embellishing their college applications is staggering. According to integrity researcher David Rettinger's study, 70% of American college students admit to cheating in some form during their college years. And when it comes to falsifying information in their admissions applications, 61% said they included "untrue information to some part."
#4
When I finished reading, I looked up at him and said, “Why did you write this?”
He said he thought it would make him stand out.
“Have you actually been to Africa?”
“No.”
I insisted that he would stand out more by figuring out a way to share his story. We spent a long time talking about his accomplishments, interests, and beliefs before I made a single suggestion, but by the time we were finished, I saw a total shift in his attitude. It really makes a difference when someone makes you feel like you are important and you are enough.
#5
Funniest example? Submitted fake letters of reference. I was suspicious of the email address for one recommender so I Googled them to try and find a different way to contact them to verify they actually submitted the letter. The person had been dead for almost two years.
#6
You might think that admissions officers spend hours on one application and rigorously check the validity of its claims. But the reality is different; experts say that the majority of applications are not fact-checked.
The American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers consultant Michele Sandlin explains that admissions officers are simply too overwhelmed with the sheer amount of applications to check if every single claim in them is true.
Some facts they can check: things like grades, previous schooling, teacher recommendations, and test results. But personal stories in the essays are much harder to verify, and there have been some students who masterfully fooled admissions officers with their tales and got into the best colleges in the country.
#7
A guy wrote that his dream was to create a not for profit that painted murals in the inner-city using photovoltaic (glow in the dark) paint. He was trying to combine social service (not for profit & inner city) with sustainability (mural paint that glowed by itself?). The admissions department thought he was an interesting candidate with strong community values.
I was 99% sure the whole story was BS.
This was a suburban kid with a mainstream background trying to look interesting.
I cold called him and asked him to walk me through his dream project. He couldn't do it. So I asked “Is this for real?” and he confessed he made the whole thing up. The shame of it was that his grades were good and the rest of the application made sense.
He would have gotten in if he had simply told the truth.
#8
#9
According to academic integrity researcher David Rettinger's study, 34% of students claim they've written untrue stories for their applications. And he says that students see little incentive to stay truthful. "If they lie on their application, what happens when they get caught?" he invites us to consider. "The worst thing that happens is the thing that would have happened anyway: that they won't get in. They're not thinking of the bigger consequences, the cultural values."
#10
#11
#12
In 2018, a Louisiana school got caught fabricating applications to get their students into top colleges. The T.M. Landry College Preparatory School faked the students' transcripts and up-from-hardship stories, basing them on racial stereotypes. The school's hopes got squashed, however, when an investigation by The New York Times uncovered the truth.
#13
#14
We rejected all four and took a step further to notify the other schools they applied to (back when Common App asked and students willingly put their whole college list — never do that). One had already been admitted to Notre Dame and had it rescinded. The parents and students accused us of lying and threatened to sue until we simply showed their identical four essays. I think they turned on the consultant after that.
Best part. This was a prominent college consultant in her 60s who was working with some of the most affluent schools in a large TX city for decades. We ended up combing back through all the essays from the area that year and found a few more. We didn’t bother looking into past years. AI would have been nice back then.
#15
However, experts say that cases like T.M. Landry are an exception, not the rule. Consultant at the College Essay Mentor service Christopher Hunt explained to The New York Times that Landry is an extreme.
"There is an alignment of incentives to work the system," he said. "Much more common is students, parents and school college counselors trying to figure out what admissions officers 'want' and molding students' lives and applications to the vision of success."
#16
There was app that was talking so elegantly about music, their supposed expertise, and when they submitted a music supplement, it got the lowest faculty rating lol. Don't know if that's lying or being delusional or both. Funny all the same.
#17
#18
A student who spent time in Afghanistan wrote in an essay draft that the Taliban bombed a television studio he was working in because it aired a documentary he made about women's education. There *was* a bombing on the TV studio around that time, but he was nowhere near the building, and the Taliban's stated reason was the TV station's coverage of military activities. I'll also add that I met only with the kid's dad, and it was clear that he would be the one revising the essays. When I insisted that I meet directly with the student and explain that he needed to be honest (and that AOs could discover what I did), the dad ghosted me.
Other experts told The New York Times that they don't mind parents helping with applications. As long as they don't do the whole work, it's acceptable. Most admissions officers agree that it's fine for parents and teachers to help students. The admission process is a daunting and difficult process, and it's okay to ask for support.
#19
First the kid tried to say they *meant* that they participated all 4 years. Um, no you didn’t. Then they confessed they didn’t think anyone would check.
Makes me wonder how many lies get through if they’re plausible.
#20
Saw a mom literally typing her son's college essays. She wasn't even trying to hide it. The essay was filled with words and sentence structures the student couldn't possibly have formulated.