EC verification

[overthinker2]

how do schools verify your extracurriculars? grades are easy but how do EC's work? how often do the individual schools follow up on the experiences you put on your AMCAS? in some of the experiences Ive listed...the institutions were very laid back...unorganized...how would a school approach such situations where no one can truly answer to the experiences claimed? anyone out there who has had issues with this during the application or interview process?

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[KoreanMusicbox]

no one can verify so lie?

 

[nskittles57]

Adcoms are not going to go through the work to see whether or not you have actually done what you put down...but make sure you can talk about each experience in an interview. If you are lying, you better have some great made-up examples to go along with the experience for the interview!

 

[nick_carraway]

Adcoms are not going to go through the work to see whether or not you have actually done what you put down...but make sure you can talk about each experience in an interview. If you are lying, you better have some great made-up examples to go along with the experience for the interview!

Yeah I suppose it's hard to catch liars. LizzyM said that her committee has only ever verified one student's experiences since he couldn't talk about it in his interview. I reckon the incidence of lying is far more than 1/countless applicants.

 

[MossPoh]

no one can verify so lie?

Some schools actually keep track on your transcript if you do it through the school. I think FSU is one that does it like that. I was told that your transcript tells how many volunteer hours you've done, or ECs participated in.


But yea..just don't lie. Make it sound as important as you can, but don't blatantly lie. Make it how you'd word it on a resume.

 

[cinematographie]

Some schools actually keep track on your transcript if you do it through the school. I think FSU is one that does it like that. I was told that your transcript tells how many volunteer hours you've done, or ECs participated in.

you're right, fsu does do this. says it right on the transcript--the number of hours you did in, let's say, spring '07, will be listed after your spring '07 grades. however, they have deadlines to turn in hours, and (i might be wrong) they don't want you reporting hours late. so, hours go unreported. at least for me they have, as i didn't know there was such a service on campus until my second year.

 

[etf]

don't be stupid and lie about something as trivial as an extracurricular. anything that would be meaningful enough to help you would probably be hard to fake if they wanted to verify.

 

[brianmartin]

Well, significant volunteer and clinical experiences will be verified by letters. As for your basic EC's...no way. They have no time to verify millions of random activities. What could happen though, is you might get asked about an EC during interviews. If you never participated in the activity in question, it's going to be obvious.

Med schools do not assume you are a liar. If you say you did something, then you did. You had just better be able to talk about it in a meaningful way.

 

[carn311]

They may not check but a good interviewer can tell if you are lying or just went through the motions to pad your CV. Be honest. Most of these people have been interviewing for a very long time and you will not slip one past them.