My privacy rights as a prospective student applying to college?

[carpenoctem]

I have a GED and am about to apply to college. My understanding is that a GED takes the place of a high school diploma, so it should be unnecessary to include a high school transcript, or any information at all about my high school experience, in my application. I intend to write "GED--N/A" in any section that asks for information such as where I attended high school, what was my GPA, etc. Does the college have the right or ability to access my high school transcript without my consent? Does the act of applying to the school imply consent? If it makes any difference, this is a state university.

 

[seniorjudge]

Your question is, "How do I lie on an application?"

My answer: I don't have the slightest idea.

 

[carpenoctem]

That is certainly not my question. In what way can writing "not applicable" be construed as an attempt to mislead? I'm not providing false information; I'm declining to provide information, and making my intention to do so perfectly clear. By definition, a refusal to answer a question cannot be a lie. It may not be smart, it may hurt my chances of acceptance, it may raise eyebrows, but it isn't lying.

My intention is only to inform the administration that my GED legally replaces the high school experience and that my high school transcript (or even whether I went to high school at all) is therefore totally irrelevant. My only question is, am I correct on this point? Is it indeed irrelevant, legally speaking?

 

[seniorjudge]

...
I intend to write "GED--N/A" in any section that asks for information such as where I attended high school, what was my GPA, etc.
...

That is lying, plain and simple.

 

[cbg]

Refusal to answer a question is a lie of omission.

Any information that they ask you for is relevant. They don't ask for things just to hear themselves "talk".

 

[carpenoctem]

Refusal to answer a question is a lie of omission.

Any information that they ask you for is relevant. They don't ask for things just to hear themselves "talk".

Naturally they think the information is relevant. That doesn't necessarily mean the law agrees. And that's all I want to know. What I'm asking is whether I have the *legal right* to use my GED only. I scored in the 99th percentile on three out of five sections of the GED, with percentile scores in the high nineties on the other two sections as well. My high school grades, on the other hand, were terrible. *If* I have the legal right to use my GED as a total replacement for my high school experience, it would seem to be to my advantage to do so. If I don't have the legal right, I won't do it. Nothing dishonest about it.