Do AOs Verify Activities?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:DD has a friend who claimed on a college app to be captain of a sports team for which captains have not actually been selected yet. I kind of wish that would get verified but I doubt it.

My DS had an issue with this for his app in college. He played a spring sport and was applying ED. He confirmed with his coach how they'd select captains (basically it was going to be the top ranked senior on the team with the longest tenure, per the coach) and with her blessing, he did put it down (and did end up being captain). Could be a situation like that?

Nope. Winter sport. Several seniors on the team. All want to be captains. Coach has not made a decision yet. Girl asked the coach if she could list on her app she was captain. He said no. She did it anyhow. (not a very ethical kid in general. also cheated on an AP project according to my DD.)

[Anonymous]

This came up in our house while DC was working on apps. Captains for winter sports and not been announced yet. Thought DC had a good shot at it (as did DC) but as DC said- things can happen. So DC did not put on app. Then a few days after submitting was selected captain. Told DC that it's something to be added to a letter of interest to get off waitlist.

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:On my DD’s Common App she listed a specific activity that is a 501c3 she formed a few years ago. Out of no where, she is recently getting emails to this organization’s address asking questions about the entity? Do AOs check activities? Could this be the colleges she applied to checking up on her?

I think 501c3s are something that AOs check up on, and rightfully so. A minor can't start one without an adult's help (because they're too young to sign contracts). Most 501c3s started by high schoolers don't need to exist (they're duplicating work already being done in the community; a more productive use of time and resources is generally just to fundraise) so they're often seen as something students are doing only for their college applications. And face it: most are. Go look at some of the 501c3s started by students who graduated from your high school 2-5 years ago. Are any of them still in operation? Or did they shut down at the same time the founder headed off to college?

But I'm sure this is not the case with your daughter.

Exactly! How is this even seen as a plus during applications? A few years ago it seemed like students were volunteering in developing countries but it doesn’t seem like AO give kids much credit for that. Now so many kids are starting useless nonprofits. I will take the kid who has worked hours in a minimum wage job. That is easily verifiable.

Let's say my friend owns Mcdonald and gives my DS a fake job there. How are they going to know?

What do you mean by "giving DS fake job"? Has your DS worked at McDonald?

Not Mcdonald but I once gave my neighbor's kid a "fake" IT help desk job at my company so that he could put it on his college application. The AO did actually call me to verify and I told them he has been working for me since he was a high school freshman, and that he was my best employee. He got two offers from Ivies. This is so easily rigged, LOL....

You seem to LOL a lot. Is that nervous laughter to cover your shame? Why proud of helping a kid cheat by lying? I don't get this.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This came up in our house while DC was working on apps. Captains for winter sports and not been announced yet. Thought DC had a good shot at it (as did DC) but as DC said- things can happen. So DC did not put on app. Then a few days after submitting was selected captain. Told DC that it's something to be added to a letter of interest to get off waitlist.

Actually, I would suggest emailing the AOC with the update now. This is a great opportunity to connect and have them take his app out of the pile.

[Anonymous]

Woops. AO, not AOC! Ha ha

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Woops. AO, not AOC! Ha ha

Although if you can get AOC to post in her social media that will probably help a ton too...so email both!

[Anonymous]

Had not thought of that- thanks for sharing.
And, yes, AOC could be a huge help.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Had not thought of that- thanks for sharing.
And, yes, AOC could be a huge help.

Not if the AO happens to be MAGA supporter

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Woops. AO, not AOC! Ha ha

Although if you can get AOC to post in her social media that will probably help a ton too...so email both!

PP here. Ha ha! Go for it!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:On my DD’s Common App she listed a specific activity that is a 501c3 she formed a few years ago. Out of no where, she is recently getting emails to this organization’s address asking questions about the entity? Do AOs check activities? Could this be the colleges she applied to checking up on her?

I think 501c3s are something that AOs check up on, and rightfully so. A minor can't start one without an adult's help (because they're too young to sign contracts). Most 501c3s started by high schoolers don't need to exist (they're duplicating work already being done in the community; a more productive use of time and resources is generally just to fundraise) so they're often seen as something students are doing only for their college applications. And face it: most are. Go look at some of the 501c3s started by students who graduated from your high school 2-5 years ago. Are any of them still in operation? Or did they shut down at the same time the founder headed off to college?

But I'm sure this is not the case with your daughter.

Exactly! How is this even seen as a plus during applications? A few years ago it seemed like students were volunteering in developing countries but it doesn’t seem like AO give kids much credit for that. Now so many kids are starting useless nonprofits. I will take the kid who has worked hours in a minimum wage job. That is easily verifiable.

Let's say my friend owns Mcdonald and gives my DS a fake job there. How are they going to know?

What do you mean by "giving DS fake job"? Has your DS worked at McDonald?

Meaning, you know the owner of a McDonald's and you ask them if your kid can claim to work there for their college application and if any AO calls, the owner will confirm they work there (even though the kid hasn't lifted a finger). Seems like a relatively unlikely scenario to me. Of course, it is never the lie but the coverup...so the AO may start asking questions as to what they do, what shifts do they work, etc. Often times the answers seem so shady because your friend is trying to make them up on the fly.

The kid needs to declare the income from a job he does on the FAFSA, which is tied to the IRS. So he would need to be paid and have earnings statements, pay FICA and taxes.

LOL.....When you pay AO $15/hr, they are not going to do anything, if they do, other than calling the phone on the application to verify that information is legit.  They are not going to waste anymore time other than some basic information, not for $15/hr.

Why do you think they make $15 an hour?

[Anonymous]

I am an alumni interviewer. I had a kid claim he had a business making websites. I asked how much he made. He claimed he netted 10 grand a year. I asked for a couple of websites he had designed. I didn't make it sound agressive. I just said that sounded really cool and I'd like to see what a couple looked like so I could mention it in my report. He told me that "off the top" of his head he could only remember one.

The website was copyrighted with his name. I searched and couldn't find any others. Quick search on the name of the business owner showed it was kid's uncle.

I put in my report that I was sceptical about the business--explaining the reasons why--and that, if it was an important factor in the admissions decision, I thought some follow up questions about the business were warranted. He didn't get in. He did get into another equally prestifious college.

I am sure the kid wasn't asking for fin aid. I don't know if the AO ever followed up. But I really did not believe the kid--business was his most important EC by far.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I am an alumni interviewer. I had a kid claim he had a business making websites. I asked how much he made. He claimed he netted 10 grand a year. I asked for a couple of websites he had designed. I didn't make it sound agressive. I just said that sounded really cool and I'd like to see what a couple looked like so I could mention it in my report. He told me that "off the top" of his head he could only remember one.

The website was copyrighted with his name. I searched and couldn't find any others. Quick search on the name of the business owner showed it was kid's uncle.

I put in my report that I was sceptical about the business--explaining the reasons why--and that, if it was an important factor in the admissions decision, I thought some follow up questions about the business were warranted. He didn't get in. He did get into another equally prestifious college.

I am sure the kid wasn't asking for fin aid. I don't know if the AO ever followed up. But I really did not believe the kid--business was his most important EC by far.

I have a similar story. Note that all these conversations between my friend and me took place after the admissions cycle had ended.

A friend did an alumni interview for a T10 school with a young man who said he started a business selling ... I forget, light-up hoverboards or something? He said he did more than $100,000 in sales and had a flashy web site. She raved about this kid to me; thought he was really exceptional for doing this, and that she wrote him the strongest rec letter she had ever done (and keep in mind, as a T10 interviewer, she has seen some incredible applicants.) I directed her to our town's FB moms group, where the mom was spending all day every day posting about hoverboards for sale and basically unloading them at cost. The parents had literally bought a pallet of these things just so the kid could "start a business."

Kid was rejected at that T10 and HYP, ended up somewhere around the bottom of the T30. I'd like to think it's because AOs saw through it. Who knows.

Point being, there are a lot of shady liars out there, and I think it's coming from the parents.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:At my DCs local private school, you must meet with your guidance counselor to review your common app before you can submit. They specifically review the activities and awards section with the student to make sure everything is accurate.

Did the guidance counselor watch the student to submit the application? If the student wants to put fake information on the application, they can always revise the application when they submit. Not saying the student would lie, but this kind of "measure" does not prevent someone from lying on the application. It only fixes unintentional errors.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:At my DCs local private school, you must meet with your guidance counselor to review your common app before you can submit. They specifically review the activities and awards section with the student to make sure everything is accurate.

I wish all high schools would and could do this. Our kid is in HS and has been with some of the same kids for years. DH and I joke about how one friend will spin stuff for his college applications (I.e. will report founding and organization or devoting significant time to something he showed up for once).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:DD has a friend who claimed on a college app to be captain of a sports team for which captains have not actually been selected yet. I kind of wish that would get verified but I doubt it.

Sometimes they do verify. A friend of mine who coaches the HS chess team once had a Top 10 school email to ask him about a student's claims. The kid was lying and my friend cleared the matter up.