<p>@mindbender~</p>
<p>“. . .the biggest slippery slope argument. . .”</p>
<p>My point is, those were students that got into those schools who obviously have those cheating tendencies. If the Valedictorian of Columbia plagiarizes lines from a comedian for his speech, it makes you wonder what he might have throughout high school to get accepted, and if those things could have been brought to light to any adcom. That being said, I do not that think this will permanently maim the OP’s chances of getting accepted to a good school, so long as he/she does not carry those tendencies to college and shows that they’ve matured from the situation in its entirety. </p>
<p>“. . .the people who weren’t caught. . .”</p>
<p>P.S. Nine times out of ten, if they made news, they were obviously caught at some point : )</p>