<p>what stops me from putting a bunch of instruments “I play” and a bunch of sports I’ve supposedly done on my CV?</p>
<p>I would not do it myself coz I would feel terrible for the next 4 years and stuff like that always comes up soon or a later, but looking at what people who get into these top institutions put on their CVs makes me wonder. Just looking at the time commitments I sometimes find it hard to believe that some people apparently have done so much.</p>
<p>I think most people are honest, also by nature, but have the unis got some sort of a system to notice when somebody is making stuff up?</p>
<p>For example, if somebody says they are a level 9 piano player, would they get caught? It just seems like everybody out there has not only done sport but also is awesome at piano.</p>
<p>If you are claiming to be good enough at your EC to get a real boost in admissions (e.g. national-level champion or award winner), then it can be very easily checked up on to make sure it’s legit. So if you didn’t really win whatever you are claiming you will run a real risk of getting caught in the lie. But if you are just padding in some bogus club offices or faking minor-league EC talent, then you probably won’t get caught, but it won’t give you much of an admissions boost either. So what’s the point of lying?</p>
<p>Ad-coms read your whole application–including your recommendations, interview notes if you have one, and your essays. Something stellar that appears on your CV and nowhere else in your application packet isn’t likely to impress them much.</p>