"Genius Girl Fakes Admission to Harvard and Stanford"

I went to Virginia Tech for my BA and had many classmates who graduated from Thomas Jefferson High School in Northern Virginia. They repeatedly told me just how competitive this particular magnet high school was.

This story does not surprise me in the slightest.

While in the Army, I also served for 3 1/2 years in Korea (doing some English tutoring on the side) and also see the cultural aspect coming into play here. I have seen first hand the fervor with which Asian students study and the intense pressure from their parents. I have also heard similar stories from my wife who is Japanese.

https://www.yahoo.com/parenting/genius-girl-fakes-admission-to-harvard-stanford-122277519087.html

 

I am also Asian American, but this girl is a compulsive liar. I bet she cheated in high school too, I remember I graduated from high school with a girl in my Calculus BC class. She was ranked #1 with 4.05 GPA; but she cheated numerous times in Calculus class. Thomas Jeferson High School for Science and Technology is a unique high school in Fairfax County public school system, but with false claim likes that I hope none of the colleges and universities would accept her except University of Phoenix, or other vocational schools. If I am an employer I would not hire her even though she graduates from Ivy school.

 

I think relegating her to the bottom of the educational barrel and damning her to a life of unemployment might be a bit extreme for a stupid stunt you pull when you're 18. Particularly when said stunt didn't hurt anybody and, more than anything, caused you international embarrassment.

I've often contemplated what I would do if a person like this walked into my office for a job interview. Honestly, it wouldn't be a clear denial of employment. She'll get into a college somewhere. She'll earn a bachelors degree. She will, eventually, enter the workforce. This seems like a huge deal right now (her fault entirely) but in 4, 6 or 8 years? Not so much. While her lying makes me wonder if she did cheat it is, by no means, proof that she cheated elsewhere or that she was dishonest in her coursework. She could very well have been a very good student at a very good school who simply didn't get into her choice school.

At my H.S. not getting into Harvard was the rule, not the exception. For her, that might not have been the case. And I can understand a kid buckling under intense family pressure to go for the gold coupled with the outstanding achievements of your classmates. If you are in a class full of people going to Ivy or Elite schools then not getting in to your school of choice would probably feel devastating. Plus, there was that kid who turned down the Ivys to attend the University of Alabama. She probably figured she could ride the press associated with this unusual "offer" and then slip into a lower tier school as an act of mock humility.

In short, it strikes me as a kid stressing out over how to save face. She didn't cheat anyone out of money. She didn't use her fake letters to defraud investors. I'm willing to give her the benefit of the doubt that she was a kid scared of "failure" who acted out of desperation. Maybe I'm wrong and she's a career cheater who will go on to bilk a company out of millions. But the evidence just doesn't support the idea that she should be forced to study at UofP and never be allowed to get a job.

So, Tekman, I would recommend maybe having some tea and taking a few deep breathes because you seem to be taking this situation a little personal. It's probably not good for your overall well being to get that angry at a child you read a news article about (especially one who hasn't killed or injured someone). If you really need to be angry at some teenagers then consider focusing on those individuals who permanently disabled a teacher by throwing rocks from an overpass. If nothing else maybe it will put this young woman's actions into perspective.

 

lots of stories about this phenomenon

Are Asian parents who stress academic success hurting their children? - San Jose Mercury News

Asian parents who stress academic success could be hurting their children, expert says

Why do many Asian countries education system put so much pressure on young children? - Quora

 

In some cultures, getting selected into the right college is the biggest issue in one's career. Japan has been this way post-WWII, where families strain like mad to prep their kids who, in turn, burn out during the high school process, so much so that college is a 'blow-it-off' way station before the drudgery of lifetime employment.

 

Yes, you are absolutely right Rich. My wife told me that undergraduate studies are not taken very seriously and that a "B" is almost guaranteed for just showing up.