<p>I write as someone who has made a very bad mistake in the past, and I would really appreciate any advice on how to start over. I graduated from an Ivy League institution a while ago, and recently had my degree revoked due to cheating on a final exam. I seeked outside help from someone else for a self-administered examination, and I have regretted it since. As part of my reaction to what I have done, I confessed my misconduct to a few friends out of guilt and was reported. I don't blame the person for reporting me, but I do regret my action, and I would really like to start over. </p>
<p>I made the mistake out of stress and immaturity--I have never cheated before, and I have felt guilty ever since. I was wondering if the parents in this forum can give me some advices on how I can get a college degree again? I had decent grades in college,and no other troubles with the school or with law. Would it still be possible for me to go to a 4-year university? I know that some schools will be out of the question (such as top-rated ones and ones that have strict honor-codes themselves), but are there schools that might be willing to give me a second chance?</p>
<p>I've been browsing the forum for posts on this topic, but I couldn't find anything about someone in a similar situation. I'm at a loss for guidance, since many college counselors I've met also have little experience with this. I would really appreciate your advice on this, thank you for your time!</p>
<p>A few critical questions (if this is a real post, which I am unsure of at this point, though I do know that at least one Ivy HAS revoked, post-issuance, degrees before):</p>
<p>1) Was your degree revoked as a result of the adjudication of your cheating? In other words, were the consequences of your cheating the revocation of your degree?</p>
<p>OR</p>
<p>2) Was the degree revoked because you no longer met the requirements for graduation? In other words, if (due to the cheating) you failed the respective class which was required for graduation OR you were retroactively placed on academic probation/suspension (etc) which thereby retroactively barred you from graduating (every school I know of has rules prohibiting student on academic suspension from receiving diplomas/graduating)?</p>
<p>If the latter, I would aim for returning to the institution after the requisite amount of time required away (1 semester? two terms? whatever), take the course(s) you need to graduate, and get your diploma. In the interim I would get a paying job (of any ilk) and think long and hard about what you did and why (that is the most important thing perhaps). I would also write a formal letter of apology to all involved parties (the professor, the administrative board/honor council/what have you, your academic advisor, heck even the university president perhaps - though s/he won’t actually read it). Hopefully you’re sincere, too.</p>
<p>If the former, I would seek out an administrator in the dean’s office, administrative board, honor council, whatever it is at your school, and make an appointment to meet with them to discuss what options you may have, even if that means starting over at another institution. I don’t know of any Ivy League institution (or most institutions perhaps for that matter) which would leave you flapping in the wind after four years of college there, even if you committed egregious academic errors/cheating. (PLEASE tell me this was your first offense?!). S/he should be able to give you a handle on what your status with the university/college is and/or could be and whether, for example, the university would be willing to issue you a transcript for use at other institutions (some universities won’t issue transcripts if a student is not “in good standing.”) I would also write a formal letter of apology to all involved parties (the professor, the administrative board/honor council/what have you, your academic advisor, heck even the university president perhaps - though s/he won’t actually read it). Hopefully you’re sincere, too.</p>
<p>Why does it matter that it was an Ivy League school? Isn’t the bigger issue that you had a degree revoked - and whether it was Harvard or Average State U, that’s a big deal?</p>
<p>With only 2 posts, a nonsensical story (I never cheated in my life–but then he/she asked a friend for answers while taking a test??) then told friends and so on and so on. Please. The fact that any college grad would write “seeked” and so on makes this even less likely to be genuine. But then, after having one’s degree revoked, where else to go for solid legal counsel than the cc parents forum?</p>
<p>Yes, the penalty is just for cheating. I still have enough credits to graduate even if that class was taken away. It was my first offence, but I think they didn’t have any other options since they can’t suspend me or use any other in-school disciplinary procedures. I have been told that I could have a transcript, but the expulsion would be noted on it. At this point, can I still go to another 4-year college? I have heard that some colleges don’t take transfers beyond junior year, and I haven’t had the chance to phone them all yet.</p>
<p>Would anyone mind telling me what range of schools I should be aiming for? I’m willing to consider schools in Canada as well, since I’ve read that they might be willing to give me a second chance. </p>
<p>If anyone knows of any story where people managed to redeem themselves after moral mistakes like this, I would really appreciate it as well. I am willing to do as much as I can to make up for my past behavior, but I just don’t know other people who had been in similar situations before.</p>
<p>I included the detail about Ivy League because I think it might help me with the readmission process. It doesn’t make what I did less wrong, but I hope the credits that I did earn there can help me open more doors.</p>
<p>Madbean–I’m not using a lawyer in this case, and I just want to know how to move on. I have tried to find private college counselors, but they don’t usually deal with this case, and actually pointed me to this forum to see if I can find someone who has had similar experiences. I made this account just for this topic, since my old account was used when I was in high school.</p>
<p>Forget prestige. Find the cheapest 4-year university near where you can afford to live (whether that means low rent costs, living with family members, whatever). This is likely a directional state university. These schools tend to (IMHO though not always) be the most flexible and willing to take credits from other institutions. Register TODAY if possible (online). As soon as possible meet with an academic advisor/“transfer advisor”/admissions person to determine what credits transfer towards a degree that is both practical and can be achieved quickly - and be willing to be a bit more general given the options for majors at this new institution. (E.g. if you majored in international relations or government before, you may need to now major in Political Science, given the choices before you). If there are peculiar state degree requirements that you can’t get credit for (I know Florida and Texas both have particular state university requirements, for example), ask if you can “test out” and start preparing for those tests. Don’t forget about any AP or IB credits from HS that may now also come into play.</p>
<p>I think the most important thing is: forget prestige. Right now you should be primarily concerned with A) sorting out why you did what you did (and its ramifications on your reputation and integrity), B) expediency, C) cost.</p>
<p>My mom never even went to college and she has way more than a “decent life”. College doesn’t define you. It’s your actions that do. Right now you should be asking if you can lead a decent life when a cheating offense could be on your permanent academic record, not whether you’ll fit in at whatever college you decide to attend.
My advice? You know you can’t go back to your former school, they seem to have made that clear. So make a list of school you want to apply for and do what every other transfer does and apply! Look at stats for transfer rates at schools and compare them to your gpa (like I’m sure you did in high school). Since cheating is on your transcript, it won’t be like you’re hiding anything from the school. Apply to community colleges as well! If you really just want a degree than the school doesn’t matter that much.</p>
<p>Thanks! I will certainly reflect on why I made the mistake that I made, and I understand that I shouldn’t be too concerned with prestige. that said, are private institutions out of my reach already? I’m thinking that I should apply next year so that I will have more time to reflect and truly become a better (hopefully) person.</p>
<p>Yes, I’ve left my job and told them why, and I also told all the friends who mattered.
And yes, I would like to pay my parents back. I’d really appreciate any advice on what is the range of school that I can consider now–my hope is that by going to a better institute and correcting my own behaviors, I can be employed again soon. </p>
<p>look, really, this is not fake. I am still looking for an admission counselor who can work with me individually. But none of the counselors I have met actually dealt with cases like this before (most of them only dealt with expulsion or suspension from high school), and I just want to make sure I have all the information.</p>
<p>If anyone has had a similar experience and worked with a counselor who was helpful, would you mind letting me know? I would really appreciate that!</p>
<p>I seriously doubt that a school would revoke your entire degree and four years of work for cheating once.</p>
<p>I would really love to see your school’s policy or a similar policy that allows that. I mean, since we’e limited your school to one out of eight, why not let’s change it to one out of one? I’m sure someone with a lot of expertise on it would be able to know anyways.</p>
<p>I second this. There must be something you’re not telling us, because I don’t think a school would REVOKE your ENTIRE degree for a first offense of cheating. Even a normal college student would normally only be failed out of the class and/or placed on probation.</p>
<p>The degree of my cheating was severe–it was one exam, but multiple parts of it were involved. They also couldn’t do anything with me that were normal school disciplines–suspension etc can only apply if one is still a student. Since I no longer am, those couldn’t be applied.</p>