Volunteer/EC exaggeration

<p>Lying about about doing Community Service when you did not is only one step up from stealing money from that organization.</p>

<p>I would say that your title is whatever the club says it is. If the club has four presidents, you are a “president.” Of course, as I said before, you may be embarrassed if you have to explain it later, and you may want to describe yourself as co-president or “President (one of four)”. I would have to say that “President Emeritus” isn’t “President,” though. I probably wouldn’t change it in an application that has already gone in.</p>

<p>my school is definitely very competitive… so that’s partially why we always have 293847239482374 officer spots. :(</p>

<p>Don’t lie.</p>

<p>hmm, I actually have a question. I felt really bad after my interview with a college because he asked me how many hours I do work for the mathcounts team I coach every week, and this sort of thing is really hard to estimate for me because it varies a LOT from week to week, but i said three because that’s what i put on my app in the section where i mentioned “Community service”, which was an average of sometimes 7 hrs/week, sometimes 4, and sometimes 1-2, as I do more community service than just mathcounts- but i think on average it’s probably closer to 1-2 with just mathcounts alone. should i write an email explaining this? i really didnt mean to overexaggerate, it was just hard for me to think about that under pressure, esp since it varies a lot (closer to competitions, it might be more like 3-4 hrs+). will this matter? </p>

<p>also, what IS considered an “unbelievable” amount of ECs? my hours probably added up to ~45/week, but the thing is, these were all really averages with large standard deviation - so some weeks, I may spend 20 hrs on one activity and 4 on another, and the next week the situation might be reversed - so… I don’t know. and anyway, 45 isnt’ that ridiculous, esp since I do 10 every single saturday without question. what would you consider ridiculously unbelievable?</p>

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<p>Being ANY Regional or National officer is usually a near-hook at most institutions (unless you completely sucked at the position, which then you probally got super-impeached). Being President is near the ultimate hook, since no one can be president of a national organization and not be dedicated heart and soul to his cause to the death (because if u werent, politically ambitious people would completely overthrow you. National officership is no popularity contest at all)</p>

<p>liveinthedream:Lying about about doing Community Service when you did not is only one step up from stealing money from that organization.</p>

<p>…which is one step from stealing money from an imaginary community service organization that you said you founded…</p>

<p>I have a question. Is NHS even worth putting on apps? Or should I put it at the bottom of my EC list? Cuz we honestly don’t do much.</p>

<p>Unless you’re an officer, NHS is pretty much useless. I have it in additional info along with a bunch of other meaningless clubs.</p>

<p>The world is smaller than you may think. It is not smart to exaggerate your ECs because you do not know who is viewing them, and what connection he may have with your school. Our school gets many visiting adcoms, and some of them know staff at the school, and they may sniff around a bit. Also, I know in one case with my oldest son, the adcom at a college happened to be an alum who kept tabs on what was going on at his alma mater highschool. The admissions world is a small one and information exchange does happen. </p>

<p>I know in one case a young woman had a problem because she exaggerated her ecs on her common app and also applied to some programs where the apps had to be verified by the GC. She was aware enough to make sure that her resume to the GC was accurate. What she did not know was that at a couple of colleges, both apps ended up with the same person.</p>

<p>would being the youth governor of south carolina be considered a hook?</p>

<p>Oh, btw, I think that it is beyond screwed up when people lie on apps. It HURTS others. Example: My bro suddenly decided that he wanted to apply to one of the same schools as me. I have been looking at this school for FOUR YEARS. I visited, researched, etc. I worked REALLY hard in a lot of activities while he got drunk and high and basically sucked at life. His GPA is good though because he is smart. So when I found out he was applying, I was like, “ok, well I’ve done well, so it won’t matter,” even though the school has a 40:60 male:female ratio and less men apply, so it is easier to get in as a guy. Then, though, I discovered that he COMPLETELY LIED to make it look like he did more. He said he worked a full time job, when he really worked probably half the amount he said, and said stuff like that he actually did visit and that he tutored an elementary school boy. I was furious because he had done no such thing. In fact, I actually DID tutor, but didn’t put it on my app because it didn’t seem like I had done it enough for it to matter (my fault for not listing, I know). He also had no major (we are both transfers) and decided to pick mine, despite the fact that the major is crowded at the school (which he would have known if he had done any research). He has NO intention of being that major. Anyone who even considers lying needs to think about the fact that their laziness is their responsibility. Some of us really work our butts off and are still worried about getting into our favorite schools. People who lie just make it harder for the honest people, who are the people who really deserve to get in. If you lie on your app, you may justify it because you want to get ahead, but I think that anyone who does that is a selfish jerk. This is sort-of a rant because I’m feeling betrayed right now, but also important because think about it: How messed up would it be if he took one of the few Jan. admissions spots when he, in reality, is less qualified? If you are less qualified, don’t make it worse by also being a crappy person.</p>

<p>If it makes you feel any better, Frazzled, the ECs that make the biggest impact are the ones that can be verified. Most kids have average ECs and most lies do increase the chances of acceptance in the most competitive schools since it does not matter. For instance, the impact of sports is not going to have a huge effect in getting you into a top school unless you are recruited. And you are not going to be able to fake your ability level that far. Also, your brother is not going to be taking YOUR spot. It’s not as though they line the two of you up and decide to take him rather than you. You are competing against someone with a similar profile to you, right down to the sex, race, major, if those things matter to the school.</p>

<p>** follow up question **</p>

<p>I was wondering whether International students would be interviewed because they have a huge load of ECs. I mean, a student wouldn’t go halfway around the world just for an interview.</p>

<p>Thanks cptofthehouse. I’m actually a female, so he has that advantage. And you are probably right… All of my rec writers wrote that I’m really active, so that will probably help. I know that it is a competition regardless, but it feels like he really betrayed me by making the competition worse at a place where they take few transfers. I wouldn’t be so mad about it if it was a fair competition, but I feel like he gave himself an advantage that he didn’t earn. I will probably calm down soon, but I just found out about the lies so I’m still sore about it.</p>

<p>frazzled,
I checked your back posts, and was very impressed by the thoughtfulness and maturity that the essay that you posted reflected.</p>

<p>If your brother gets into schools you don’t, I would bet that the male advantage not his lies will do it. </p>

<p>From your posts, it seems that you have an admirable character, and many colleges would want to admit you. I also would bet that your brother’s lack of character will be reflected in his application (even though he probably won’t realize this), essays and recommendations. I don’t blame you for being upset by how he’s going about his application process. Do realize, though, that in the longterm, people reap what they sow, so if his lies don’t hurt him now, they will later, meanwhile whether or not you get into all of the places that you apply to, your character will help you for the rest of your life.</p>

<p>Best of luck to you with your applications.</p>

<p>Northstarmom is absolutely right. Many wiseguys who do slip into colleges slip right out again. It is much more important to have what it takes to earn your way through work.</p>

<p>Hi Northstarmom! Just out of curiosity, did you choose that username because you view yourself as a source of guidance/navigation? </p>

<p>I’m not sure exactly which essay you mean… Do you mean the examples of essays I posted to help the poster who wasn’t sure how to write his statement? Thank you though!</p>

<p>And thank you for your other kind comments! I actually think that my brother is talking about taking care of my grandma (who raised us while our parents were pretty much absent) in his main essay (another lie! several of his antics hurt her, in fact). I can’t even believe that he is doing that. I felt uncomfortable even about the letter I considered writing (that included a bit about her situation) to explain why I postponed transferring. I decided not to send it because A) I’m not sure it is necessary, and B) it feels weird to bring that out of the family, in a way. I’m really angry and also feel bad because it isn’t like I don’t want him to get into a good school, but this whole thing is very disappointing. When I told him that I didn’t think it was right he just asked me what my problem is and why I care because “everyone lies.” </p>

<p>I think that if he gets in, his lies WILL hurt him, because he will be thrown into a situation where he may sink if he doesn’t pull it together. He is used to not trying and still getting what he wants, you know?</p>

<p>My character has helped me some so far, so I really hope that you are right about it helping me in the long run! </p>

<p>Thanks again.</p>

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[quote]
so what if I put down I’m President of a club when I’m actually co-President? And the other president applies to the same schools? <a href=“Post%20#24”>/quote</a></p>

<p>So is this ok?</p>

<p>FellowCC, in my opinion, it is not a big deal. BUT, in a number of books that I have read that are written by actual adcoms, and some quotes from these adcoms have specifically called kids on doing this. It’s kind of crazy because on some apps, you just check off a block for president with no place to really indicate the co. The other thing is the number of hours in activities exceeding the total number of hours. I can see how that can easily happen the way the activities are formatted. It doesn’t show the impact of a 24/7 job over the summer if diluted into hours per week over a year. But that is the way they want it. You should ask your GC about this.</p>