Colleges receive thousands of applications yearly, and one might think of lying a little on the essay. They feel they might not get noticed due to the thousands of applications. But, hold on a second and take a while, breathe and ask yourself, ‘What Is a College Essay?’ A college essay is an illustration and authenticity of who you are in person. Note the word ‘authenticity’ and ‘illustration’. So, the answer to the question lies in your essay. It shows how it gets detrimental to you and your future career. Lets know What Happens If You Lie On College Essays?
The effects of lying on your college essay are not limited to, but involves academic rustication, placement aborted, lost future opportunities, rejected employment, affects relationships, and reverse results.
Academic Rustication
If you are caught or found out to be lying on your college essay you could be rusticated, that is, you will be suspended. When placed on academic rustication, it means you cannot attend classes, your grades cannot get recorded, you cannot receive financial aid, and you cannot earn credit. The academic suspension term varies and may last from one semester to two semesters.
Placement Aborted
Your placement or offer of admission can get aborted as you have proved that your credibility is nonexistent and your information is wrong. When your placement gets aborted, it simply means your offer of admission gets revoked, and hence you are no more a student of that school.
Lost Future Opportunities
You will be at risk of losing future opportunities, training, etc. These future opportunities also include placement in another college. This college would want to find out why you were dismissed or drooped from your previous college. They will make inquiries and find out that tyou got dropped because you lied. It will affect other future opportunities. You may find it difficult to avoid or overcome this situation as no one wants to work with a cheat.
Future opportunities that can also be lost include your higher level of education like postgraduate school like MSc, professional bodies in line with your discipline, etc. These higher educational institutes would not want to accept your application as your honesty, integrity, and decency has been tarnished.
Rejected Employment
Your record will get tagged as academic fraud, and it will affect your employment in the future. No one wants to employ someone they cannot trust. For instance, let us say, you get called to apply for a job, and your employer wants to know more about you and your time in college. They will request a detailed check and a thorough description of your academic information in school. They may do so by asking your professors, colleagues, or student affairs office in your school via call, email, or official letter. When that gets done, then lying on your college essay will be relieved.
Furthermore, your morality is tainted, your self-worth will get questioned, and you risk getting rejected from other colleges, internships, and graduate schools. It can lead to self-guilt and frustration and may even lead to depression.
Affects Relationships
The relationship between you, the school, your colleagues, and even your future employer will be affected. For instance, after your admission has been processed and you are now a student of the college, you will build relationships by interacting with your colleagues and lecturers. When you are caught and your essay is proven to be a lie these relationships will be negatively affected. Also, the future interactions or networks you will have built while working in the future may also be affected due to your past lies.
Reverse Result
Lying on your college essay may make the thing you are trying to avoid happen quicker, and it could get avoided if you did not lie in the first place. Your lies can have a reverse effect and result than what you were expecting. For example, you might be lying on your essay to get more advantages so you could get offered admission when you get caught in the process that automatically destroys your chances of getting the admission. It means that your result of being accepted has got reversed.
Conclusion
In conclusion, academic honesty plays a vital role in our growth as human beings as well as tells more about our character and our integrity, it is not morally right or justifiable to lie in your essays. Your college essays tell why you are the right fit for admission and so college essays should be free from lies.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Can you exaggerate your achievements on your college essay?
Answer: Yes. Exaggeration is simply overstating things; it isn’t a lie.
- Are college essays the same thing as personal statements?
Answer: It depends on what context or angle the essay is from. Essays are structured piece of writing that deals with a particular subject. A personal statement gives attention more to what personally motivates you, the major accomplishment you have, and what truly drives you. So the answer is Yes, college essays can also be used interchangeably with personal statements.
- Is college essay compulsory for all schools?
Answer: Most schools make college essays compulsory, however not all schools use essays.
