I was given an offer, to start 2 years from now.
The situation: I had a two year gap after my high school and before I started at the university which I graduated from. During the interview, I told my interviewers I took a gap to gain work experience and due to family's health reasons. Upon examining my resume, he noticed the gap was actually two years rather than a standard one year gap year. He then asked if I applied to university during the final year of high school at all. At that moment I panicked and said no (the lie), when in fact I did and I actually attended another slightly less reputable university for a few months. I eventually dropped out, took my gap year and applied to the more reputable university from which I graduated (hence two gap years). So one of the real reasons that I took the long gap was to switch schools - but I omitted and lied about that.
Now I am given the offer, I feel incredibly ashamed and guilty. In my situation, should I come clean and apologise?
The company does not run a background check so they would not find out now. However, there is a chance that by the word of mouth or for reason that people from my old university (I only know a very few of them) might end up working in the same company and identify me as having attended that previous uni. My contract is to start two years from now, I am not sure I should just let this go and live with it, hoping that by the time I start the interviewers would have forgotten about the lie, or if I should come clean, but which would probably cost me this precious job.
Whats the worst situation if somewhere down the future the interviewer found out that I lied to his question? Should I just give up this offer and assume I never got the job and apply elsewhere?
I feel really guilty and ashamed now.