<p>OK, Dukedevils, I am not sure what you are doing here, but know what - I was in almost the same situation as you were. That is - I had to choose between going to university in my home country and lying on my application and waiting one year and doing something else and then applying as a freshman without any academic credit. And I chose the latter, in spite of conventional wisdom about “out-smarting” the Americans by doing work in advance.
Most colleges will still consider you for Freshman admission if you have academic credit below a certain threshold - that was 18 the last time I checked. So, if there is one thing you could do that would be earning just below that number of academic credit and being truthful on your application.
If you intend on lying to the colleges you are going to apply to, then it’s your choice and you will potentially suffer the consequences. I (and I’m sure most people here on CC) do not condone such practices. And that is for a number of reasons, especially for international students. I worked a lot to get here. It was not about embellishing my resume or my grades or my reccomendations or anything else. If you think that everyone lies on their applications, you have your own right to an opinion. I do feel, though, that your mindset is particularly harmful to International students as a whole. If more people like you will lie on their applications (just because everyone does it, right), then there will be no credibility for the credentials of international students. There are some voices, although not very many who call on American institutions to stop “wasting” money on internationals. But if the mindset you seem to be espousing prevails, maybe those quotation marks have no place.
One last thing - by writing on this very public forum and giving very specific details about your situation (should it be real, of course) you have managed to expose yourself. You will never know whether or not some Duke admission officer reads these boards, and they might as well do it since they are so popular.
So, your choice.</p>
<p>Guys, like I have mentioned…:</p>
<p>I actually spoke to my school today and because I am only here for a semester and am withdrawing from the university this December, they told me that I would have taken under 12 credits and thus have considered me a part-time student. I apologize for coming off the impression that I was “lying” or anything. I merely was confused about the course strucure here in India and as compared with American schools, it is really disorganized in they way they grade and award credits.</p>
<p>Those 5 subjects are actually broken down into 2 subjects (5 different lectures- the confusion of being 5 subjects) in the first semester and 3 subjects in the second semester. At first, I was confused that I was taking 5 classes because this is actually a totally new academic experience for me, however, the teaching is really great. But I am glad that through today’s talk, I have confirmed it because since I am only staying for 1 semester, that still creates my part-time status. </p>
<p>In addition, based on the post above, I have actually called several colleges today. Colleges such as Georgetown and NWestern have a policy such as the following…(based on my phone convo)</p>
<p>“If a student has taken any college courses for credit for credit before enrolling in our university, as long as he or she does not wish to transfer the credit, can still be considered an incoming freshman”</p>
<p>And trust me, the worst thing ever to do by my standards, morals, and environment I have grown up is to lie. If you lie to get into college, you are ultimately cheating yourself and that trend will ultimately eat you later in your life. Thus, I really do sincerely apologize coming off with such a negative impression. I did not mean to offend anyone or insult the college process by finding ways to get by or such. I was just merely stressing way too much over college applications as the typical teenager as I tried to find the best way to present myself to colleges.</p>
<p>Thanks for your advice guys.</p>
<p>Based on all of your many posts I have to say that you are one of the shadiest people on CC.</p>
<p>If you take classes at another university there is a good chance that Duke might request those transcripts, in which case they will see that you are enrolled in 5 courses rather than 2.</p>
<p>Do yourself a favor and stop trying to lie/exaggerate/stretch the truth etc. on your applications.</p>