Lying on a Personal Statement Forum

[flcath]

What the fuck is this? This is ridiculous.

Lots of people consider doing this, or have considered lying on an application at some point in their life. My LS apps didn't tempt me in this way (I knew I'd get in somewhere), but I've been desperate for a job before and thought about it.

It's the type of question that deserves to be seriously addressed here, b/c people are ashamed to ask about it outside of an anonymous environment.

Sure, people ponder the question.

The credited collective response: GTFO

I think he's certainly gotten that. But if he just gets "you're a scumbag"-esque responses, he's gonna assume that his morals are the only thing keeping him from doing it. They're not; we've chosen a system where there is enforcement and consequences (nothing new; we are lawyers here). They're supposed to function as a deterrent, so we should let them.

Edit: my bad flcath - I realize in hindsight how latter statement can be interpreted as elitist - I don't actually know what school you attend, and I certainly don't mean it in such a way.

It's no problem, and I suspect you'll be correct about the clerkship thing (unless you're talking about SCOTUS, in which I'm sure you are). I think my Biglaw prospects are decent though, which is what those of us outside of HYS spend more of our time worrying about.

[lisjjen]

I guess the main question is what kind of a person do you want to be? Do you want to be the slimy bastard who lies whenever they can get away with it? If so, then go ahead. If not, save yourself. Law school is not your entire life. You'll still have to look at the ceiling in the middle of the night and in the bathroom mirror in the morning for the rest of your life. This isn't about the next 3 years, it's about the next 75

[chup]

Dear OP:

r = Risk of getting caught by the bar (low but non-trivial, I promise you)
p = penalty if you are caught (this will be brutal... it may be worse than if you'd never gotten into LS)
b = benefit gained in the LS apps due to your lie (this will be low; LS is a numbers game)

r*p > b


Moral issues, if you have them (and I encourage you to, as you will live a happier life even while others surpass your worldly success) only push the equation further in favor of the left side.

HEY EVERYBODY THIS GUY TOOK TORTS.

[flcath]

Dear OP:

r = Risk of getting caught by the bar (low but non-trivial, I promise you)
p = penalty if you are caught (this will be brutal... it may be worse than if you'd never gotten into LS)
b = benefit gained in the LS apps due to your lie (this will be low; LS is a numbers game)

r*p > b


Moral issues, if you have them (and I encourage you to, as you will live a happier life even while others surpass your worldly success) only push the equation further in favor of the left side.

HEY EVERYBODY THIS GUY TOOK TORTS.

I paid like $12,000 to learn that goddamn formula, and I'll be damned if I never get to use it.

[Flips88]

Enjoy WUSTL

Because of his stats or because WUSTL is full of dirty liars?

Edit: But seriously, I've known people who've stretched the truth, and people who've outright lied on grad school essays and personal statements. Their fibs have thus far gone undetected. Of course, if you get caught, you can kiss your ass (and your professional career) goodbye. And all for an essay that doesn't really matter much to begin with. So if that's a (huge) risk you're willing to take and an (un)ethical decision you can live with, then go for it.

Because of his stats. 175, 2.8 screams $$$ at WUSTL to me. Maybe Northwestern with good work experience, but this guy sounds like a toolchest

[2011Law]

I did stretch the truth further than most people would be comfortable with. If hell existed, I doubt I'd go there for this.

That is probably in the wrong if you are able to make that kind of comment..

Yeah probably. I wrote how about how I kept alive a club that was dying when I joined. Though I did keep it going and grew it a bit, and sincerely tried to turn it into a real club, it never came to be anything all that great and it stopped being an official school club after I left.

Not sure if OP is talking about a lie like this or something bigger, but like I said, I don't think I'm going to hell, nor do I feel like I'll end up being a scum bag lawyer.

ps: MLK plagiarized in university as a grad student.

[kublaikahn]

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[FantasticMrFox]

Telling the truth and dealing with the consequences is the best atonement. Move forward with your head down.

Don't lie...besides, liars are easy to detect anyways especially if the lie is going to be so grand to make up for your numbers.

[PinkCow]

I did stretch the truth further than most people would be comfortable with. If hell existed, I doubt I'd go there for this.

That is probably in the wrong if you are able to make that kind of comment..

Yeah probably. I wrote how about how I kept alive a club that was dying when I joined. Though I did keep it going and grew it a bit, and sincerely tried to turn it into a real club, it never came to be anything all that great and it stopped being an official school club after I left.

Not sure if OP is talking about a lie like this or something bigger, but like I said, I don't think I'm going to hell, nor do I feel like I'll end up being a scum bag lawyer.

ps: MLK plagiarized in university as a grad student.

I really really really hope you meant this kind of club:
--ImageRemoved--


And not this kind:

--ImageRemoved--

[kublaikahn]

.

[DarkPhantom]

Obvious troll is obvious.