That’s highly unlikely. All the OP is doing is alerting universities to the possibility of fraud on some applications. They are entirely capable of doing their own research and review without having to incorporate this particular “evidence” or how the OP came by it.
This article requires a log in to Time magazine, but its in the latest issue and speaks to the cheating problems in China http://time.com/author/emily-rauhala/
@lookingforward: Contrary to what you think, it actually helps them in admissions. Are you telling me authoring a published paper which became very famous in journals (it was bought) doesn’t help? Same for claiming to be the topper of a national exam. You may be living in the US, so you don’t know about it. But that exam is a big deal. People work hard for it and it’s a feat of amazing hard work and talent to top that. It isn’t like being the smartest kid on your block. ** IT IS a big deal because when I asked the adcoms in their info sessions, they mentioned that the exam’s performance matters (it’s taken by almost all people interested in STEM fwiw). I hope it clears now.
What, according to you, helps them get admission? Saying they play squash in the evenings?
I am unearthing more info by contacting the sources, and it seems like some even didn’t write their essays. And surprisingly, they all knew about each others’ fraud. Let’s see what makes an app: Essays (not written by the candidate and exaggerated) + transcript (bloated and fabricated) + achievements (fake) + ECs (faked). What remains, lookingforward?
And as far as me accessing the docs is concerned, I out of honest curiosity, opened the folder named ‘apps’, and then I saw all our apps and I opened them. I really really doubt I’d be punished for it. It’s like you stumbling upon few paged out of someone’s diary and reading it out of curiosity. Plus, I don’t need to tell the universities all this. I will just tip them about their lies anonymously.
I am sorry if this is not the case, but it seems like you/someone related cheated on your app and you want to defend it.
don’t assume looking at the info in that insecure “apps” folder was legal. Because if you were to divulge all that information into the public, you KNOW it’d be wrong and you could be held liable. You can also be held liable for looking at it yourself – regardless of what you discovered.
I have not shared any sensitive information in public. And I was unaware that mere looking will be a trouble. This is different from intentionally lying on the apps. Moreover, me seeing their apps didn’t harm any innocent person; their lying did.
The universities need not know who saw the application. I am still wondering as to how exactly do I send the emails to colleges without compromising my identity and making them verify their apps. I know for a fact that if they’re verified, they’re absolutely done for. I am not believing on rumors; I am not a butthurt. I have cold hard facts, and as I like to say, facts don’t lie.
@T26E4 -I am curious about one thing though, say if someone stumbles upon a page which has something scribbled upon it. He/She picks it up, reads it, and realizes that it contained sensitive information. Have I legally committed a crime? If not, how is this case different? If yes, this is messed up. Their apps were on the public PC of our school and I didn’t hack or anything…
OP, don’t assume everyone responding is an inexperienced, naive hs kid. Nor that your few questions to some adcoms come anywhere near understanding the larger process and its goals.
I am not condoning cheating. Nor snooping. You opened those files.
You want retribution, we get that. But adcoms are not going to have some OMG!!! moment, drop everything to check, what?, a few apps from some hs in China. You phrase this as such concern for some kids who maybe didn’t get an admit because your peers cheated. But you know little of how decisions are made.
How you’d be liable is this: once you saw the info, you clearly knew it was private info. You didn’t stop. As a matter of fact, you rifled through many many pages. And then recorded/copied the info for use elsewhere.
If I were an attorney hired by one of the cheaters who gets his/her college acceptance reversed and could trace it back to you, I’d advise them to sue you and would likely win due to your malicious conduct. All I’m saying is you better cover your tracks. I’m not an attorney and have no idea of your country’s legal system – but you better be careful.
Heck, just print everything out and send it to the colleges via postal mail. If the facts are so bold face verifiable, it should be clear to anyone what the fraud was.
@T26E4: yeah makes sense. I’ll make sure that I dont leave traces. thanks.
@lookingforward: are you an admission officer? If not, how do you know that those awards don’t matter? And published research papers.
I need to ask: is this really about China and is OP really in China?
A few of us on this thread have lots more experience than asking a visiting adcom a few questions. That includes some very savvy parents and others with continuing relationships with top colleges.
@lookingforward: I am a Chinese on a trip to Sri Lanka. I studied my all 4 years in a Chinese pressure cooker school.I don’t see how this is relevant lol
About publishing: virtually no kid out there gets the exact right research opp, does successful high level work, authors a paper, all entirely on his own. Adults know this. Same for saying an article “became very famous in journals.”
So, while a hs kid thinks it’s the secret formula to say he did it, adcoms aren’t naive.
So, what according to you got the person in? @lookingforward Since you’re quick to brush off the meaningful achievements IMO, what makes a candidate awesome in your opinion? People bought off papers from the researchers, have paid real-researchers money to have their name included in the paper. EDIT: It’s different from saying I worked with X and got it published.
I am more curious as to what you and the other poster here did to get put behind jailbars 
@jym626: I used some profanity in my 1st post. I didn’t know it wasn’t allowed.
I’ve noticed this much about CC, and I could be right or wrong. Who knows …
Every so often, someone “new” creates a new thread with a negative connotation and everybody jumps on the bandwagon. It helps keep CC community alive and kicking, if you will.
I call this thread a “not so real” thread. lol…I don’t believe a Guidance Counselor would use a computer that students have access to, and then leave students’ files right on the computer for others to dig into.
Unless OP is an angel with wings, I don’t feel the needs to apologize for my comment.
“adcoms aren’t naive.”
They are not naive but sometimes they overlook.
The Adam Wheeler case is a vivid example.
http://www.thebaffler.com/salvos/adam-wheeler-went-to-harvard
http://www.thecrimson.com/article/2010/12/16/harvard-wheeler-college-guilty/
And sometimes the colleges don’t know that their admission officers are liars.
MIT is still in pain with the Marilee Jones case.
I don’t know whether the story of the OP is true or not, but GC and teachers do have mistakes. There are reports that students get into teacher computers to change grades.
OK, I don’t know how real this all this, but if it is real, I don’t get the “let it be!” attitude.
So if I hack in to a computer and discover evidence of a crime (I wouldn’t BTW; and I can’t anyway because my skills aren’t that good), say evidence of murder/rape or even something more white-collar like stolen credit card numbers or corporate fraud, you people would say “let it be!” because I did something unethical to find that information? (and it doesn’t seem like the OP even did something unethical!) I’m sorry, but what type of warped moral reasoning is that?
As for adcoms, sure, they may discount stuff, but I wonder how properly. And (assuming that the OP is truthful), I indeed am curious how kids like that got in if it wasn’t because of fraud. Is it because the family is famous/powerful/rich instead?
I would say that the OP should be VERY careful, though. I think he’s already divulged too much info.
@PurpleTitan: The family is not rich enough to affect the decisions. they lied the plain ol way. I am shocked people at Stanford and other top schools didn’t realize it.
And others who doubt the truthfulness, just why would I make an account on CC if my only intention was to ‘lie’. What would I gain out of it?
MODERATOR’S NOTE:
Closing thread; I don’t see that there is anything else original that can be said.