The case has sparked an investigation into the apparently lax security at the school. It is believed the girl faked being a Stanford student to fulfill her parents' expectations that she attend a high-ranking school.

According to U.S. press reports on Friday, Stanford officials are investigating into the story of Azia Kim, a graduate of Los Angeles-area Troy High School, one of California's most competitive high schools.

Kim's phony freshmen life began when she approached two female sophomores in Kimball Hall on September 18, 2006, one day before Stanford's orientation for new students. Kim said she was a student who had been assigned a roommate she didn't like and asked if she could temporarily share their room.

Kim, like any other student, bought textbooks, talked about upcoming exams, and grew accustomed to college life. This spring, after her roommates became suspicious of her extended stay, Kim moved into another room with a Chinese student.

Because Kim didn't have a key to enter the dorm, she entered the room through an open window. Her roommate thought Kim left the window open for ventilation.

Kim's strange college life came to an end after she was caught lying to her friends about where she lived. The university began investigating the case on May 21.

School officials plan to hand over the results of their investigation to county prosecutors to determine if criminal charges are warranted. They are also looking into how the school's security systems can be improved.

So far the investigation hasn't confirmed why Kim pretended to go to Stanford, but her friends speculate that she was obsessed with meeting her parent's expectations that she go to a prestigious school.

(englishnews@chosun.com )