<p>How do schools verify “first in family” status? What is to keep students from “fudging” this fact?</p>
<p>“Fudging”? You mean lying? </p>
<p>I don’t think it’s advisable to lie on a college application. In the first place, it’s not an honorable thing to do, and apart from how you’d feel about yourself for the rest of your life, there are others–your parents, your HS GC, your teachers–who would be mightily disappointed in you, and who would be fully justified in saying so if they are ever asked for references.</p>
<p>Also, there could be serious adverse consequences if you’re ever caught. It’s certainly grounds for a college that would otherwise accept you to reject you, or to rescind an offer of acceptance after it’s made. It could be grounds for a college to expel you after you’re admitted, or even to rescind a degree after it’s granted. It’s grounds for any prospective employer to reject your application, or in many cases to terminate your employment even after you’re on the job and performing successfully. It’s certainly grounds for the federal government to deny you security clearance for any job that requires it, should the FBI investigate and determine that you obtained a college degree under false pretenses. In short, you’d be living a lie the rest of your life, with potentially dire consequences if the truth is ever known.</p>
<p>So given that 1) it’s wrong, and 2) it carries potentially dire consequences if you’re ever caught in such a lie, lying about your status on a college application strikes me as an incredibly stupid and foolish thing to do. Which in itself, if you pursue this path, should disqualify you from any college you would apply to under such false pretenses.</p>
<p>Nothing stops anyone from lying about lots of things on their college aps - what ECs they do, URM status, first-to-college, what they plan to study once they get there, etc…</p>
<p>How many people lie? I suspect there’s a fair amount of ‘EC inflation’ - claiming to have been more involved or to have accomplished more than is the case - but not much else. </p>
<p>As bclintonk says, the consequences if you were discovered, while unlikely, could be dire. Why live with a stupid lie for the rest of your life?</p>
<p>I was just wondering because I noticed, after submission, that I had mistakenly listed my father as being a High School graduate (probably problem with the drop-down menu that I missed in review) - I have not “claimed” that status anywhere. </p>
<p>I don’t know if it’s worth contacting every school for a correction, or should I just let it go It doesnt change my grades, my test scores, or the essays that I have written. I don’t see how it would be germain to acceptance/rejection.</p>
<p>Again, I would ask, what mechanism do schools use to verify this information? (the FBI seems a little far-fetched)</p>
<p>If your father didn’t graduate high school, and you said he did, you probably don’t have to contact admissions. OTOH, if your father went to college, you should email the schools and correct your mistake.</p>
<p>If you made a mistake and claimed that your father did not attend college when he did, then you should send an quick with a correction. No need for explanations - just, I inadvertently misreported my father’s level of education. Not a big deal to correct, but it is a big deal to claim you have a ‘hook’ - which first generation to attend college is - when you don’t.</p>
<p>I’m not sure that I “claimed” a hook (not mentioned in any essay/comment, etc.), I just made an error on a drop-down menu. I don’t want to unnecessarly jeopardize an application over an inconsequential error (simple mistake - no fraud intended)</p>
<p>If it gives you a boost, despite being totally unintentional, it’s not inconsequential. Contact the school to let them know.</p>
<p>I don’t think that it gives me a boost - none of the schools that I’m applying to have stated that they give preferential treatment (accept lower grades and/or test scores) to students whose parents did not attend college. </p>
<p>Back to my original question: Does anyone know how (the process used) a school verifies this information?</p>
<p>Why are you posting as yourself and your father? Why are you against just calling or E-Mailing the school to let them know you made an error in the submission?</p>
<p>^Yes, parents and students need to register separately, per CCs Terms of Agreement:</p>
<p>[College</a> Confidential - FAQ: College Discussion - TOS & FAQ](<a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/faq.php?faq=vb_faq#faq_new_faq_item]College”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/faq.php?faq=vb_faq#faq_new_faq_item)</p>
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<p>Closing this thread so that the student can create a new account.</p>