As more and more students apply to colleges, and acceptance rates continue to plummet, competition to get into a “good” college is at an all-time high.
UCLA receives over 170,000 college applications a year; this university receives the most applications in the world. But in this vast sea of scholars, almost every student who plans on attending a competitive university asks themself this question: How can I possibly stand out?
The answer to this question, as unsettling as it may be, is often found through lying, embellishing, and exaggerating one’s applications.
In a survey done by Intelligent.com, 1,600 college students and alumni were asked if they lied on their college admissions applications.
61% admitted to including false information on their applications.
Of this 61% of students and alumni, 40% included fake volunteer hours, 39% faked job experience, 38% lied about extracurriculars, 32% lied about internships, and a shocking 30% even faked their letters of recommendation.
“I think when you’re true to yourself it’s not only easier to write, but it also gives you peace of mind on top of having to deal with the anxiety that comes with waiting,” said College and Career Counselor Mayra Luna.
This data reveals just how frequent mistruths on college applications have become. But considering the rapid drop in acceptance rates for several colleges in the past decade, it makes sense why so many students would resort to lying on their applications.
UCLA, for example, had an acceptance rate of 25% in 2010. But today, it now stands at a mere 9%. Another notable example is the University of Chicago which had an acceptance rate of 27% in 2010, but dropped to a shocking 5% in 2023.
“Because of the unpredictable nature of the college admission process, it doesn’t guarantee that you’ll get accepted even if you work really hard,” said junior Shaurya Sharma.
Many colleges view their low acceptance rates as a symbol of prestige. This constant climb for status among colleges is an ongoing concern that has made college acceptance a very selective process.
Today, there are several factors that dictate a student’s acceptance into a school. Some of these factors include volunteer hours, performance on the ACT or SAT, extracurriculars, recommendations, and the daunting admissions essay.
“Some things I did to get into my college of choice were thirteen APs, I had a 4.8 academic 10-12 GPA, I did three years cross country, one year of track, had a one-year job at Pizza Hut, completed fifty hours at a homeless shelter, organized groups of students to volunteer at homework club for underprivileged at UNIDOS, and started a tutoring non profit,” said Kian Ivoghli, a now-graduated Stallion currently attending UCLA.
Many students have grown up under the impression that getting into a top school is their only objective in life. What with parents to please, careers to jump-start, and expectations to meet, too often do students relate their worth to their acceptance into a “good” college.
For some, this mentality is the driving force behind their hard work and dedication in high school. The idea that all of their effort will eventually pay off motivates many students to strive for success.
However, for others, this mentality can be highly detrimental. While working towards an aspiration is a good way to stay focused, centering your life around getting into the college of your dreams is unhealthy and unrealistic.
“What I do advise students is to take it day by day, you don’t need to do every part of the application in one day. If you split up the application process I find that it gives you some peace of mind and then more time to just enjoy life,” said Luna.
Contrary to popular belief, the college you get into is not the only factor that allows a person to live a successful life.
To all students who are stressing over their college applications: Remember that you are more than your grades, or your college—you are a person who has limitless potential regardless of your academics.
