<p>My friend Andrew (and yes ... it REALLY isn't me) got caught cheating last year. He and a friend did a take-home assignment together, for a class with an incompetent teacher. The teacher, however, was smart enough to catch them and she turned them in to the office. The incident is on their permanent records.</p>
<p>Andrew is now applying for college and was told by his counselor that they indeed would be letting the colleges know (like on the common app, etc).</p>
<p>Our principal knows Andrew and the relative insignificance of this cheating and is considering expunging the records if he write the principal an apology letter. </p>
<p>However, it is highly doubtful in my mind this will occur.</p>
<p>Andrew has more integrity than 90% of our school and of all the people not to get in cause of cheating nobody would expect it from him. He's also incredibly talented as a singer and by no means a stupid kid.</p>
<p>I KNOW "He cheated so now he has to pay".</p>
<p>But, realistically, is there anything that can be done if the colleges know he cheated?</p>
<p>Yes, most colleges will ask for explanation (don't know if it's on common app). While it won't remove the stigma by any means, it can make it not a death knell for tier-two schools. He can definitely help himself a lot if he writes the apology and gets it expunged. It definitely won't hurt to try.</p>
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Our principal knows Andrew and the relative insignificance of this cheating and is considering expunging the records if he write the principal an apology letter.
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<p>There is never any relative insignificance to cheating and if this is Andrew's mindset it just means that he hasn't learned anything from the experience. Personally I think the aplology is a day late and a dollar short because if there were any real remorse the apology would have gone out to the teacher and the principle at the time of the event</p>
<p>If I were Andrew I would start writing the strongest apology letter possible to the principal. I would NOT mention the incompetence of the teacher! He needs to show what he learned from the incident (if anything) and stress the fact that he has already suffered consequences, including disappointing himself, his family and his faculty. He needs to plead for the expungement of the offense.<br>
Otherwise, he will need to write the explanation of suspension and stress the same things. While cheating IS one of the "big three" that college admissions staff really do not like to see, these folks are realistic and know how rampant cheating is in schools and IF there is true remorse and learning, it can be overcome.</p>
<p>The teacher reported them for working together on a take-home assignment?? That's rather stupid...take home means you have almost unlimited resources...</p>
<p>My school actually encourages working together on any take home :)</p>
<p>I do think its rather insignificant. Cheating on a test in school is major, or plagiarizing. But sharing answers on a homework? Wow. What happend to study groups? Don't they do it all the time? I doubt that there is many in highschool that haven't shared an answer on their homework assignment at one point or another.</p>
<p>i think we've misunderstood what he was trying to say. They cheated on the take home assignment they did together (they did not cheat BY doing the assignment together)......maybe they plagiarised or something</p>
<p>I am assuming the assignment was supposed to be done independently. If you read the book "The Over Achievers" you will see how rampant cheating is-especially on projects etc.</p>
<p>Maybe u could say it was a misunderstanding.... like you thought you were allowed to work in groups but it was actually an individual assignment.... this is an excuse that would've easily worked at the time when u got cought......now its a little late</p>
<p>To clarify:
They cheated BY working together - they didn't like plagirize. He wasn't suspended by the way I don't think there was any official discipline.</p>