Cheating and Its Effects?

Pre-College Issues High School Life
1

<p>Hello Readers,</p>

<p>Thank You for taking the time to read this post.</p>

<p>I am currently a senior, and in the midst of applying to various top ranking Colleges. I consider myself a high achieving student, with a 4.0 GPA, ranked in the top 3% of my class, and take as many Pre-AP/AP Courses. My extracurricular are also decently strong, including researching at a University Lab this past summer, hospital volunteering, and founding my school's chess club as well as being an officer in various other clubs. </p>

<p>However, last year, as a junior I was caught cheating. It was not the typical "copy-word-for-word-off-of-my-friend's-homework-ten-minutes-before-class" type of deal. It was far more elaborate than that. Before I continue, I want to put it out there that I am in no way, shape, or form proud of what I have done, and I am not bragging about how I was able to cheat. </p>

<p>So here it is:</p>

<p>So my school is heavily dependent on technology to get work done. We have this centralized "hub" in which students can turn in work for teachers to grade. However, I figured out that the username and password for each students account was always their Student ID and Birthday. Having noticed this, I was able to memorized on of my smartest classmate's (We'll call him Matt) Student ID, and looked up his birthday on Facebook. With this being done, I was able to log into Matt's account, download his work, change it up a bit, and re-upload it as my own on my account. My teacher for this particular class was a tech geek, so he was able to see that the original creator of the document was in fact not me, but Matt. At first, he thought that Matt had just been sending me his documents, but he soon found out what I had done. Although this was just daily work, he reported this to my school's Associate Principal, and I was told I had violated my school's technology use policy. This resulted in four weeks of Saturday school, in which I go to school on a Saturday morning and do homework. However, it was not stated whether this was put into my history.</p>

<p>Now, as a senior apply to schools such as Rice, Vanderbilt, Washington University at St. Louis, etc, how will this affect me? Also, it is worth mentioning that I have an outside college counselor who helps me with applying to schools, writing essays, and various other aspects. He told me that on the Common App, under the disciplinary history section, I was to put that I had not been found responsible for a disciplinary violation related to academic misconduct or behavioral misconduct, because my Saturday school did not fall under the category of "probation, suspension, removal, dismissal, or expulsion from the institution".</p>

<p>So my two main questions are:</p>

<ol>
<li><p>Will the colleges I am applying to see this? (Will this incident go on my record?) If so, how might it affect me?</p></li>
<li><p>On my college applications, should I put that I have not gotten in trouble, or that I have? (Please read last paragraph before answering this question)</p></li>
</ol>

<p>Thank You so much for your time and advice!</p>

<p>Worried Student</p>

2

<p>Talk to your guidance counselor. If this gets reported on your transcript, or your GC will mention it anywhere in your applications, then you MUST address it.</p>

3

<p>Was that just for homework? If it isn’t mentioned in your transcript I think you’ll be fine.</p>

4

<p>It was indeed a daily/homework assignment, but the main reason I got in trouble wasn’t because it was homework, but rather my method of cheating (I violated my school’s technology policy).</p>

<p>Should I ask my School Counselor about this, and will the tell me? </p>

5

<p>just ask for a copy of the transcript and see if it’s on there</p>

6

<p>@jimmyboy23‌ As in my official Transcript? If so, I don’t think its there, but I’m worried that on my counselor recommendations, she will mention it.</p>

7

<p>A) That was creative but still not acceptable B) Don’t mention it on the common APP C) If they’re like my school its not on your transcript. Interesting story tho</p>

8

<p>@ht1997‌ Do you know if whether or not counselors will mention it in a counselor recommendation, or perhaps a school report that the colleges I am applying to require?</p>

9

<p>Your college counselor thinks hacking into your school’s computer system and cheating is not academic misconduct? Interesting. I certainly hope your high school counselor would put this in your letter, since some colleges would consider that an expellable offense. But you can ask.</p>

10

<p>My counselor told me all she is allowed to say for the minimum are the class ive taken and the grades I’ve received. If she wants to say anything else, it can only be about my character and she can’t “rant negative information”. And she said its under violation of tech policy. In my school that isn’t listed on the transcript unless it leads to a suspension. We don’t have a Saturday school program so I don’t know if it would be different at your school.</p>

11

<p>@ht1997‌ that’s unusual- counselors usually will mention major offenses like this and address it.</p>

<p>and as @mathyone‌ said, at my college, that is an expellable offense (depends on findings of honor council, but if it is your second offense automatic)- it was at many colleges I looked at.</p>

12

<p>@guineagirl96‌ Could you elaborate on what you mean by “that is an expellable offense (depends on findings of honor council, but if it is your second offense automatic)”?</p>

13

<p>@Dengboy, she means that the OP could get expelled, or basically a warning from the honor council, but if it was the second time that she had done something like that then they would automatically be expelled.</p>

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<p>@Dengyboy exactly what @tacoperson123‌ said. my university has a two strike system- first offense (of any kind, many things fall under honor code violation) punishment can be anything from failing the assignment to expulsions, but if you are found guilty of a second offense (it doesn’t matter the offense), the expulsion is automatic. My university does not exactly have a category for which you describe (“technology offense”), but it also might be considered academic theft (this is what stealing a test falls under) along with being cheating.</p>

<p>If your GC didn’t mention it, I’d be shocked. I am surprised you got such a small punishment for it. A lot of high schools would give you maximum suspension or even expulsion for that. Hacking into someone else’s account is a big deal (yes, memorizing their password is hacking- hacking is any unauthorized access).</p>