Students admit to falsifying information on their applications pertaining to job and internship experience, volunteer hours, extracurriculars and letters of recommendation
SEATTLE, Jan. 24, 2023 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- Intelligent.com, a trusted resource for online degree rankings and higher education planning, has published a recent survey report that examines the prevalence of lying on college applications. The report also provides insight on the potential consequences of providing untrue information. The survey generated responses from over 1,600 4-year current college students or graduates from a 4-year school within the past five years.
The survey results show that 61 percent of current and recently graduated college students admit to including untrue information on their college admissions applications. Out of these respondents, 40 percent say they included volunteer hours they did not complete, and 39 percent say they faked their job experience. Likewise, 38 percent lied about their extracurricular activities, 32 percent say they included false internship experience, and 30 percent faked their own letters of recommendation.
With regards to college essays, the study also reveals that 34 percent of respondents wrote untrue stories, 24 percent had someone else write it for them, and 18 percent plagiarized. In addition to being untruthful about their experiences and essays, some respondents say they lied on the demographics section of their applications. Thirty-nine percent say they misrepresented their race or ethnicity, 33 percent say their religious preference, 22 percent say their disability status, and 20 percent their veteran status.
Out of the respondents who admitted to lying on their applications, 30 percent say they were caught by admissions officers. Of this group, 62 percent say their admission was revoked or denied. Despite the risks associated with lying on college applications, 61 percent of students say they 'somewhat' or 'strongly' believe that including untrue information on their applications helped them get accepted into their college or university.
Intelligent.com commissioned and conducted this survey via online platform Pollfish from January 11 to 12, 2023. Overall, 1,647 participants in the United States were surveyed. All participants were screened to ensure they were between the ages of 18 and 30, and are either current 4-year college students or graduates from a 4-year school within the past five years. To view the complete report, please visit https://www.intelligent.com/6-in-10-college-students-lied-on-their-applications/.
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Heidi Thiel, Intelligent.com, (800) 203-5102, [email protected]
SOURCE Intelligent.com
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