<p>How much does one referral for academic dishonesty hurt your chances at getting accepted into college?</p>
<p>Right now I feel pretty bad.
I was in a computer science class, and we were turning in labs. I couldn't finish one part, so I asked a friend to email me the file and I used the part of my friend's lab and put it in mine, it wasn't even the whole thing. Unfortunately, the teacher found out and we got referrals.</p>
<p>Do colleges see this? This was seriously an honest mistake. If they do see it, how much will it hurt anyone's chances?</p>
<p>A little advice would help here... I'm not looking for any pointless comments that tell me that "my life is over"... I'm just seriously concerned. Thanks.</p>
<p>AFAIK... cheating is considered pretty major at most colleges, I don't know if the colleges will view it as a "honest mistake." </p>
<p>However, if its just a minor incident and doesn't go on your record, then I don't think it will hurt you. If it does go on your record, to put it bluntly, you're pretty much screwed :/. </p>
<p>You intentionally copied someone else's work, there's nothing around that, you can't write it off as a mistake.</p>
<p>Edit: I don't know much about your school or anything... so I can't really comment on whether or not colleges will see it. If "cheating referrals" are considered to be a major thing, chances are colleges will see it. Otherwise, you're in luck.</p>
<p>It depends upon the policies of your school. At some schools if you choose to not tell about minor, including cheating, disciplinary problems the College Counselor will not mention them. At my school you don't have to tell about basically any disciplinary action unless you are practically expelled.</p>
<p>Talk to your GC and ask them if it's going on your transcript or if they're going to write about it in their report. I'm sure they'll give you a straight answer.</p>
<p>"Right now I feel pretty bad.
I was in a computer science class, and we were turning in labs. I couldn't finish one part, so I asked a friend to email me the file and I used the part of my friend's lab and put it in mine, it wasn't even the whole thing. Unfortunately, the teacher found out and we got referrals.</p>
<p>Do colleges see this? This was seriously an honest mistake. If they do see it, how much will it hurt anyone's chances?""</p>
<p>It can wreck your chances at many colleges. </p>
<p>Colleges don't want to accept cheaters. Colleges particularly don't want to accept cheaters when the cheater calls deliberately copying a classmate's work an "honest mistake."</p>
<p>I don't condone cheating, and it is certainly a mistake.
However, as a high school student, I can say that it's a very, very common practice, especially among gifted/honor roll type kids. Cheating is something I see every day and I've been tempted to do it myself. With the fervent college admissions competition, it's hard not to be. It's also hard not to slip into the obsessive mindset of "grades are everything, learning doesn't matter right now, I can worry about that at college..if I even get in" etc. So to some extent I sympathize with h4rv4rd. Just hope they don't put it on your transcript.</p>
<p>yea just pray to god that it doesn't go on your transcript. And this should be advice to other people not to copy. Even if it means you'll get a bad grade for one project or test or whatever, its not worth the risk. The consequences are harsh and life long.</p>
<p>i'm not saying that cheating is ok, but most people that do cheat do not get caught. the consequences are severe but there are many that are willing to take that risk and put everything on the line.</p>
<p>Well, it wasn't an 'honest' mistake. I think it was more of a 'dishonest' mistake lol. However, it's such a common thing to happen. I'm sure the rest of the kids in your classes got caught doing similar things, so it probably won't be that much of a big deal. Unless you ask that teacher for a rec or something, which is a bad idea at this point.</p>
<p>Oh, let go of the crucifixes and get off the pedestal. IMO, as long as it's not a major project or test, copying your friend's work is perfectly acceptable. A lot of homework is busywork anyway, so that teachers won't have angry parents storming in asking why their kids aren't "learning". Hey, a month ago, my Spanish teacher caught me copying my friend's homework, and he just took it and we all had a good laugh about it. It's no big deal, as long as it's not a major essay or exam.</p>
<p>which points to how most high schoolers feel about cheating lol... seriously i can only name a few people that i know that have never cheated in their life</p>
<p>Our school has a two strike policy. first time cheating you get a letter in your file. if you never cheat again, they throw it away at graduation. if you do cheat again, both records stay and go to colleges.</p>
<p>and i agree. cheating happens every day and we're all guilty...</p>
<p>"cheating happens every day and we're all guilty...</p>
<pre><code>"
</code></pre>
<p>Cheating may happen every day, but not everyone cheats. Cheaters, however, tend to think that everyone cheats. That's because their friends also are cheaters.</p>
<p>The same is true of people who do things like shoplift. They tend to justify their behavior by assuming that everyone does the same.</p>
<p>Back to the subject of cheating: There are many colleges known for having strong honor codes. Students can, for example, schedule exams at whatever time is convenient to them, and they can take their exams wherever they wish. At such colleges, one will repeatedly hear from both students and professors that students don't cheat. There really are students who do not think that cheating is normal, and who don't do it even when it would be very easy to do.</p>
<p>she is right. months ago, i posted how i have seen everyone cheat and how i cheat all the time. but then i realized that cheating is just too much of a big deal. i stopped cheating, and even though i could have better grades with cheating, i gain a personal satisfication. try it. i cant live with an expulsion. i am already an embarassment to my parents.</p>
<p>crichessill,
Congratulations on the change that you've made in your life. It really is a good feeling to know that you've earned your grades and your opportunities. What you've learned will serve you well for the rest of your life.</p>
<p>Northstarmom, i agree that not everyone cheats. i disagree that people's view of cheating is based on their friends.. i have some friends that cheat, while other friends of mine would never even think about cheating. in today's world, just because your friends do something.. it doesn't mean you have to do it too in order to "belong".</p>
<p>unfortunately, today cheating really is that widespread in high schools (this is from my personal daily experience and what i've heard from friends who go to other schools). many students place too much emphasis on getting good grades rather than learning, this is why cheating takes place. the students who cheat care about the grade the "earn", but not as much about what they are learning.</p>
<p>i think there are 2 motivations for cheating... laziness and difficulty of the course. some people cheat out of laziness... they know they can do the work but they don't feel like doing it. rather than taking a lower grade, they copy so they can keep their homework grades up. then there are the people who take difficult courses, but do not want to work harder. instead, they feel that they need an "edge" to do well, which leads to cheating.</p>
<p>and as nbachris2788 mentioned earlier, i think there are differing severities of cheating. however, this is not to say that any cheating is right. many teachers i have known don't care as much about students copying homework. students just receive a warning not to do it again. on the other hand, cheating on tests generally results in an F or worse if the cheaters are caught.</p>
<p>however, there are teachers i have known who are very strict about any form of cheating. and consider copying homework just as bad as cheating on a test.</p>
<p>this is getting off-topic from the original post, but I just had to insert my own comments on cheating:</p>
<p>I agree with Northstarmom in that people who cheat are very often friends with other cheaters; I've seen it happen to the best of my friends. Cheating is definitely a slippery slope- once you realize that you can get away with copying homework, then tests, you think that the world is just a game to be played. The majority of the people that I know who cheat are also very cynical about life in general. What's incredibly ironic is that in my school's NHS, the two students in charge of the "Cheating Commission"- for eradicating cheating- are the ringleaders of the most over-the-top cheating in my school (taking copies of tests, having one sheet of homework benefit 20 students, etc). That certainly doesn't help the cynicism.</p>
<p>"What's incredibly ironic is that in my school's NHS, the two students in charge of the "Cheating Commission"- for eradicating cheating- are the ringleaders of the most over-the-top cheating in my school (taking copies of tests,..."</p>
<p>Why doesn't someone turn them in? If your school has an honor code, one is supposed to turn in cheaters, and of course students are also not supposed to cheat at all.</p>
<p>Even if the school lacks an honor code, it still would be advisable to turn those students in. This can be done in a way that is credible but keeps the students from finding out who turned them in. After all, the administration has every reason to stop such cheating, and to not reveal who turned in the cheaters.</p>
<p>As you stated, the cheating is causing cynicism, and that's hurting everyone.</p>
<p>If you're not part of the solution, you're part of the problem.</p>
<p>I can't argue with anything that you're saying. However, I think that in the end, the only students that are harmed are the cheaters themselves- the whole karma thing. Those two students both were rejected ED from their dream school (and I mean dream school). It was actually pretty reassuring to know that the system does work in some cases. Also, this might seem to you a lame reason not to turn them in, but one of the students has been a friend of mine for years. While I've voiced my disapproval to him <em>many</em> times, I really could not muster up the will to gab on him to the administration. I think he's hurting enough from his rejection.</p>