A hoax on a Facebook group page nearly resulted in approximately more than 500 students missing the deadline to apply for Cornell University. A student from Stuyvesant High School created a post saying that the application deadline was extended to January 9. However, the Common Application website stated that this year’s application deadline for Cornell University was officially on January 2.

Some Townsend Harris High School students reported that they had already submitted their applications before the post. Senior Jonathan Wang alerted many on Facebook about the misleading information once he figured out that it was false.

“I could tell it was fake because it clearly stated January 2 as the deadline on the Common App. The person was well-planned [because] if you checked the Cornell website, there is a page that states January 9 as a deadline. [However,] that was for the 2013 Cornell application and some people might not have known that. It was pretty messed up and even if it was a joke, this was too serious and may have screwed over some people.”

Senior Kevin Young similarly commented, “This person knew the big impact that it could have on capable students who can get in. Yes, it shows that we do push things to the last minute sometimes, but it shows the stress of students. For some of them this deadline extension was more of like ‘Oh, now I have breathing room.”’

Guidance Counselor Sara Skoda remarked, “It’s an awful thing; it’s hard that people do it and those people are people that we trust. It shows that people need to verify what’s given to them so we can trust what is told. It shouldn’t be happening in a group that is a support network for students.”

This incident reminded seniors about the importance of finishing applications early and fact-checking.

Senior Michaela Chum believes that “everybody should learn from this that even though there are those pages to help us, it’s best to check your resources thoroughly for accurate information. People should be careful about what they see on the internet and search the official website of the school and contact them directly if they feel unsure [about information].”