Fellowships are split into those that are regional and those that are specifically designated for Harvard students.

In either case, students are recommended by their houses and then considered by committees of professors and administrators, according to Paul Bohlmann, the director of fellowships.

Bohlmann says that in these committees, exaggerations or lies can be spotted because the faculty members or administrators often have specific knowledge about the groups.

"Occasionally a faculty member who advises an organization will see that someone has claimed to one of five co-founders, when there are only two," Bohlmann says.

Still, Bohlmann acknowledges that in many cases it is impossible for the faculty members to check up on the activities of the 100 to 120 candidates who apply for a given scholarship.

He stresses that hyperbole is the exception, not the rule.

"For every person who does stretch the limit there are dozens of people who undersell themselves," says Bohlmann.

Do You Trust Your I-Banker?

This spring, more than 40 investment banking firms will descend upon Harvard, looking for superstars who will increase already astronomical profits.

It is well known that these firms often make candidates travel hundreds of miles for multiple rounds of grueling interviews. But despite their investment in candidates, many firms say they do not spend time checking the applications of their future employees.

"Basically we trust that the people we are dealing with are honest," says a Harvard recruiter at a leading Wall Street firm. "In 20 years I have never found something of really material fact to be untrue."

Several firms say they check schools and past employers and run credit checks on those who they are considering hiring. But such a review is only a formality, considering that an aspiring stockbroker has to undergo the same check before becoming a member of the New York Stock Exchange.

Investment banking executives say that not easily quantifiable factors--such as leadership in extracurriculars--are often very important in the selection process.

Dana Cooksey, a marketing associate at Alex Brown, says her firm deals with the ambiguity of student extracurriculars by using College alumni within the firm to verify data provided by undergraduates.

"We are sensitive to fluff in resumes," says Cooksey. "When we are under consideration we always talk to alumni."