US universities start random audits

By Jane Han

NEW YORK — Planning to apply for a U.S. college or university? Don’t even think about puffing up your credentials because school officials at America’s most selective schools are on the lookout for applicants saying they’re more than they really are.

Harvard University was the first to take the move as University President Drew G. Faust indicated in September that the school will tighten its admissions policy by introducing new measures to verify applications.

The decision came after a major admissions hoax was uncovered this spring.

Adam Wheeler, a former Harvard student, was caught for allegedly faking his transcripts, test scores and recommendation letters. The alleged con artist was not only accepted with his false records, but he also snagged more than $45,000 in scholarship and grant money.

The high-profile scam immediately called for a need to enforce stricter policies.

“We’re going to be making appropriate adjustments, which we don’t describe because they’d be easier to undermine,” Faust told a local newspaper, without elaborating on the details of the new policies.

She, however, did specify that Harvard’s own technological measures will be implemented starting with the next round of applications this fall.

A month after Harvard’s decision, Stanford University also announced that it would move forward with random audits.

This school, which also accepted Wheeler, said application verifications will begin starting this application season starting Nov. 1.

The admissions office indicated that students who are chosen for the audits will be notified of the process.

“The decision to enforce random audits at Stanford does not have to do with Adam Wheeler,” said Director of Admission Robert Patterson, separating the incident from the school’s new plan.

He said the university does not hope to “catch” students lying.

“Our philosophy in the admissions office is to keep the process fair for all students, especially honest students,” said Patterson.

Besides Harvard and Stanford, the University of California system is already carrying out verifications of students’ record through various methods.

According to school officials, random audits will become increasingly sought after among prestigious institutions.

The National Association of College Admissions Counseling is reportedly pushing schools to check whether students’ credentials are entirely true.

“These changes directly call our attention because many Korean students are typically encouraged to embellish their resume with moderate exaggerations,” said a counselor at a New York-based college prep center.

유명 미국 대학들 무작위 검사 시작

뉴욕 ― 미국 대학에 지원할 계획이라고요? 자격을 부풀릴 생각은 추호도 하지 마세요. 까다롭기로 유명한 미국 대학들 대부분에서 지원자들이 실제보다 부풀렸다며 교직원들이 지원자들 체크에 나섰답니다.

하바드대가 이 같은 조치의 첫 주자로 드류 파우스트 총장은 지난 9월 지원서 내용을 확인하기 위해 새로운 조치를 도입, 입학정책을 더욱 까다롭게 할 것임을 시사했다.

이 같은 결정은 지난 봄 핵심 입학 허가서 가짜 하나가 적발되고 나서 나온 것이다.

하바드대생이었던 아담 휠러는 성적증명서와 시험점수 그리고 추천장을 위조한 것으로 들통이 났다. 이 거짓말장이는 가짜 성적으로 입학허가가 나왔을 뿐 아니라 장학금 등으로 4만 5,000 여 달러를 챙겼다.

이 고도의 사기는 즉각 더욱 엄격한 정책을 필요하게 했다.

파우스트 총장은 현지 신문에 “적절한 수정을 할 계획”이라며 “수정한 것이 약화될 수 있기 때문에 이를 말해주지 않는다”며 새로운 정책에 대해 부연 설명을 하지 않았다.