The Mechanics of the Deception
The student, who spoke anonymously, grew up in California. She believed her real identity and grades would not be competitive for Yale. She decided to create a completely new persona partway through high school.
She invented a life story claiming she was from Tioga, North Dakota. This small town has only about 2,000 residents. She used Adobe software to create counterfeit high school transcripts.
She also wrote her own glowing letters of recommendation. According to Air Mail News, she found ways to bypass standard verification checks. Her plan was meticulous and spanned several years.
