Flickr user Tim Pierce
You know what they say: cheaters never prosper. Now, it goes without saying that you shouldn’t lie on your college application. Colleges can figure that out, and with all the checks in balances in place, you won’t get away with anything. But stretching the truth? Everyone embellishes their applications, right? Well, maybe you shouldn’t. Honesty is the best policy after all. Here’s why.
Stick to the Facts
It’s a fine line between pride and bragging. Sometimes students are afraid to show off their accomplishments and skills worried they’ll come across as boastful. However, there’s an easy trick to keep your app or essay in the right: use facts.
What claims can you back up with facts? If you ran a successful recycling campaign, how much material did your school collect? If you were on a baseball team, how many times did you go to state? Having verifiable facts means you’re not stretching the truth.
Admissions Officers Can Sniff Out Falsehoods
The people evaluating your applications read dozens a day, go over hundreds a year, thousands over a career. They’re good at what they do, which means they can tell if a parent wrote your essay, or if you’ve stretched the truth to make your application more attractive. In the end, it will only be detrimental to overly embellish yourself. Again, honesty is the best policy in these situations.
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