Truth or dare: lying to colleges is risky

President of Students for Global Responsibility, SGA and the National Honor Society. Captain of It's Academic and girls' soccer. 4.0 GPA and 200 hours of community service. That's how senior Amy Bartley-Vigil wishes colleges would see her . . . if only she could avoid getting caught.

As college application time rolls around, many Blair seniors scramble to spice up their extracurriculars by joining and participating in clubs. However, when the senior year scramble is just not enough, some students lie on their resumes to gain more of an advantage in the college admissions race.

According to an informal Silver Chips survey of 105 seniors conducted the week of Oct 22, 37 percent of seniors have lied or plan to lie about activities on their college applications. Of those who said they will not lie on their applications, 64 percent said that they would lie if they could be assured that they would not get caught in the act.

Guidance counselor Melbadene Battle was disappointed to hear of such behavior in students. "I think it's terrible to be dishonest, and it's also unfair to other students," Battle says. "The energy used to be dishonest would be better used preparing themselves."

So many clubs, so little time

According to Battle, in making their admissions decisions, colleges first look at SATs, grades, personal essays and teacher recommendations. Then, they turn to the broader categories, such as extracurriculars.

Senior T.K. Kimba feels that reporting himself a loyal member of a club would help in his admittance to colleges because of its attractiveness on the application.

Recently, senior April Heflin received information about Baltimore International, a college that places a considerable amount of emphasis on club involvement. Heflin says that she will present herself as an officer of a club to which she does not belong in order to appeal more to that college.

Senior Lauren Safranek, president of the Photo Club, says that though she does have many dedicated officers, there are those who take on the role just to put the position on their college applications. "They are anxious to take the title but not the responsibility that goes along with it," she explains. "I am dedicated to the club, and it's disappointing to put a lot of time into clubs and have [officers] not do the same."

But, many students, like Bartley-Vigil and Heflin, feel neither guilt nor regret for lying on their college applications. Senior Andrew Valencia admits to extending activity involvement times on his application. "I don't feel guilty because I know other students do it too. It'll probably help my chances of getting into college," he says.

Heflin has briefly considered other additions to her application. "I have considered adding sports, even though I'm not in any. But with all that I'm doing, I think I would be pushing it a little too far. I don't think there's anything morally wrong with [adding] sports, though," she says.

Bartley-Vigil recalls difficulty on one college essay that asked for an experience that contributed to her personal development. She says the question was so broad that she could not think of one experience that could serve as an example. "So, I just put myself into a situation where I really realized something, like when I was driving to colleges," she remarks.

Bartley-Vigil echoes the popular view on dishonesty in that she is simply extending on the truth. "I don't lie, I exaggerate the whole situation," she says.

The college game

In the past, Battle says that Blair students have changed their grades on their transcripts when sending them to colleges. But, if the admissions office discovers the student's actions, says Battle, the admissions board would suspend him/her from that college.

Battle says that lies on applications are very difficult for counselors and colleges to catch. Battle, who sees many applications and "brag sheets" from students every year, says she has no way of knowing if a student actually does all that he says he does. "They put this stuff down, and I just have to believe it," she says.

According to guidance counselor Dorothy Wiseman, if there is a discrepancy in the application, colleges could call the school for confirmation. However, only once has an admissions officer called Wiseman to verify a statement that a student made regarding extensive research on a project mentioned in his application. Wiseman then confirmed that the information had been valid.

Guidance counselor Lynn Wood feels it is unfortunate that students would turn to lying on their college applications. "It makes me sad that people would feel so pressured to get into a certain college. They're doing what they know is wrong," Wood says. Wood also feels that some students view lying on college applications as simply another way to get into college. She states, "This is just another strategy for playing the game."