Should I lie about volunteering in my personal statement ? (Please read )

Hey I'm new to this
basically I want to apply to do a childrens nursing course the deadline is January 2015
i understand that it's not about what experience you have but what you learnt from it
I have a lot of experience in a variety of settings but on the 5th January I am going to do a three week placement in kenya to volunteer in poor communities for adults and children with HIV and aids you also teach the children about aids awareness and bring food to refugee camps
I want to submit my application at the end of December I don't want to risk getting to africa and not being able to get internet to submit it should I make out I am currently taking part and say things I have learnt through doing this ? I know it's bad I'd hate to lie but I don't want to miss writing about an opportunity like this with a seriously competitive course. I will actually be going and arrive back 2 weeks after the deadline date so I will be able to talk about it more at my interview would it be wrong to briefly mention what I have learnt so far ?
Also will they know I have lied about the dates ?
I know this is very unprofessional but I seriously don't want to miss out on talking about an opportunity like this
thankyou for reading please any advice will be helpful

Reply 1

Carnationlilyrose

18

Original post by SophieEloise0608

Hey I'm new to this
basically I want to apply to do a childrens nursing course the deadline is January 2015
i understand that it's not about what experience you have but what you learnt from it
I have a lot of experience in a variety of settings but on the 5th January I am going to do a three week placement in kenya to volunteer in poor communities for adults and children with HIV and aids you also teach the children about aids awareness and bring food to refugee camps
I want to submit my application at the end of December I don't want to risk getting to africa and not being able to get internet to submit it should I make out I am currently taking part and say things I have learnt through doing this ? I know it's bad I'd hate to lie but I don't want to miss writing about an opportunity like this with a seriously competitive course. I will actually be going and arrive back 2 weeks after the deadline date so I will be able to talk about it more at my interview would it be wrong to briefly mention what I have learnt so far ?
Also will they know I have lied about the dates ?
I know this is very unprofessional but I seriously don't want to miss out on talking about an opportunity like this
thankyou for reading please any advice will be helpful

You are right. It is seriously unprofessional and universities would quite rightly regard it as fraud. There is nothing wrong with putting it in as something which is due to happen in the future and talking about why you have applied for it. You could even ask your referee to mention that you are doing it in the reference, if you are worried that they won't believe you. Starting off on your application process with something like this hanging round your neck is foolish.

Reply 2

Stiff Little Fingers

21

Rather than lying about the dates and calling it something you've done, why not mention it as something you're about to do. I'd definitely mention the volunteering, it can help you stand out as an applicant, but I'd not lie about the dates and pretend you've already done it.

Reply 3

Jkizer

16

I wouldn't say you lying as you say your GOING to do work experience in Kenya anyways

Just say in your statement, that you WILL be going to Kenya in January and write about what you will be doing and hope to get out of it etc.

Reply 4

SophieEloise0608

OP

Original post by carnationlilyrose

You are right. It is seriously unprofessional and universities would quite rightly regard it as fraud. There is nothing wrong with putting it in as something which is due to happen in the future and talking about why you have applied for it. You could even ask your referee to mention that you are doing it in the reference, if you are worried that they won't believe you. Starting off on your application process with something like this hanging round your neck is foolish.

Thankyou ! I seriously don't know why I'm considering this I'm just so worried about getting a place after coming back from an open day I'm not rationally thinking I deffinately couldn't. But will an experience like this even give me the chance of standing out if I have not completed it ?

Reply 5

TattyBoJangles

19

Just say you're about to do it, and what you wish to learn / gain from it etc.

I had similar issues applying for Medicine as the deadline was October 15th and I didn't start my gap year job (care home) until the end of October and was going to Kenya the next April. I put down what my plans were and what I wanted to gain by doing them - by the time interviews came about I had started my job so could talk about that, and expanded on my plans for Kenya.

Reply 6

SophieEloise0608

OP

Original post by Stiff Little Fingers

Rather than lying about the dates and calling it something you've done, why not mention it as something you're about to do. I'd definitely mention the volunteering, it can help you stand out as an applicant, but I'd not lie about the dates and pretend you've already done it.

Thankyou I think I will say that Later this month etc and say why I'm doing it and what I'm hoping to Learn

Reply 7

SophieEloise0608

OP

Original post by TattyBoJangles

Just say you're about to do it, and what you wish to learn / gain from it etc.

I had similar issues applying for Medicine as the deadline was October 15th and I didn't start my gap year job (care home) until the end of October and was going to Kenya the next April. I put down what my plans were and what I wanted to gain by doing them - by the time interviews came about I had started my job so could talk about that, and expanded on my plans for Kenya.

That's brilliant we are in the same situation ! How was the trip ? Did you get accepted

Reply 8

Carnationlilyrose

18

Original post by SophieEloise0608

Thankyou ! I seriously don't know why I'm considering this I'm just so worried about getting a place after coming back from an open day I'm not rationally thinking I deffinately couldn't. But will an experience like this even give me the chance of standing out if I have not completed it ?

You just have to sell it right. Explain your motivation for doing it, how it ties in with the course you are applying for and what you hope to get out of it. Admissions tutors know there are timetables to these things that don't always fit into the same timetable as the applications cycle. They aren't unreasonable people. The ones I know are pretty good at spotting lying, though.

Reply 9

Clytemnestra

7

I don't think you should completely lie, but you can bend the truth a bit. For instance, instead of writing that I volunteered somewhere for a week in my PS, I said I volunteered for a month :smile:

Reply 10

TattyBoJangles

19

Original post by SophieEloise0608

That's brilliant we are in the same situation ! How was the trip ? Did you get accepted

If you want an honest answer, I hated it. Nothing to do with the country though - everything to do with the people I was with. Stuck-up, rich, Australian Seventh-Day Adventists.
If I had stayed anywhere else, I would have no doubt loved it.

& yes (:

Reply 11

SophieEloise0608

OP

Well done for getting accepted! I'm on this programme as part of a charity I'll be staying with a host from what I understand