<p>Great job… *Clap Clap Clap</p>
<p>If I had any green to give out I would since that a a very brave thing to do. Just wait 24 hours and I’ll come back to this thread and give you some rep. :)</p>
<p>I was hoping I don’t get in so that I don’t even have an opportunity to go ahead with the cheating. And btw, I got accepted into columbia. Withdrawing all my other applications as well. Damn I’m really depressed. Columbia 
I’ll come back for masters</p>
<p>Congratulations, International 
I know this was a tough decision to make, and you’re prolly feeling really bad about cancelling acceptances. However, this makes you a bigger person than a degree from Columbia or any fancy school ever can.
What you did was very wrong, but that doesn’t define you anymore. You chose to correct it and had the courage accept the repercussions, and that defines you.</p>
<p>actually , talk to them…you never know if they even decide to keep u anyways:)
Honesty matters a lot so you’re doing it right bro:)
WOW columbia!!</p>
<p>^ actually quiverfox made a sensible suggestion. If you’re ready to cancel your acceptance and are also willing to admit your mistake. Talk to them directly and tell them why you are cancelling, they might excuse you!! :)</p>
<p>I’m so sorry International… Getting in clearly meant a lot to you (Columbia!), and you clearly felt that you were cheated by your school in 9th (many of us Indians do) and so you took drastic measures, measures I would not have approved of. You did the right thing by canceling your application. I sincerely hope you get into Columbia (or wherever you fancy, 5 years down the line)
Rep’d</p>
<p>EDIT: And contact Columbia. Maybe your honesty will make up for your ninth grade and (relatively minor) slip-up.</p>
<p>Yeah! let them know what happened and see if they still keep you. Maybe it’s not just one little cheat that got you in but other things :)</p>
<p>I called them. I told them in detail about the ‘slip up’. They told me to hold on. I waited for 8 minutes. Undoubtedly the longest 8 minutes of my life. Then someone else came back on the phone and said they appreciate my honesty but sadly they won’t be admitting me. Been crying since 
I applied to one college. Only one. Unlike other who apply to plethora of colleges. And I got in. My dream college. Full ride. And I called them up and said no. **** my life</p>
<p>Its ok bro…life always moves on:) Be happy that you actually had the courage to do the right thing:):)</p>
<p>One day, when you are giving the commencement address at Columbia, you will recount this incident and attribute your success in life to your honesty.
Cheers mate.</p>
<p>International, I repeat again, this was VERY courageous of you, and you should be extremely proud of yourself. There are people who don’t make such mistakes, there are people who do and don’t care, and then there is the tiny fraction of people who commit mistakes, regret it and actually act upon that regret to make amends.</p>
<p>To make it easier, you can tell yourself that you just lost something that you didn’t fully deserve; it isn’t as if somebody took away from you something that was rightfully yours.</p>
<p>That said, you still must be a bright student for getting in. Reapply next year, I’m sure you’ll get great acceptances. Maybe you can even turn this experience into a moving essay! :)</p>
<p>Don’t feel too bad. You’re not alone. Half of Delhi does it. I think it’s wrong but what can be done.</p>
<p>Disclaimer: I’m not from Delhi, and I didn’t forge.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>Could someone explain what it is that Indian schools do in 9th grade that makes students feel they were cheated?</p>
<p>^@SoCalDad : Since Indian students have to give national standardized exams to complete 10th grade, Schools intentionally award FAR LESS marks in 9th grade as well as 10th grade (home exams not conducted by the national education board) to get students to study for the nationally conducted exams, which we call “The Boards”. Its a pretty common tactic. Not unusual to see a difference of say 20 - 25 percent between the school exam results and The Boards. :)</p>
<p>@SocalDad2 - I’d also like to add that generally students getting 50-60% in some of the school exams get 80%+ in their Board(Secondary School Certificate) Exam. Also most schools do this to boost their admissions. All people care about is the no. of people passing out from a school with distinction(80%+).</p>
<p>Don’t transcripts have to come from the school like in the US?</p>
<p>^They do, but since most teachers, especially in the smaller cities/towns, are largely unfamiliar with this process and often not very computer-savvy either, they just let students do the uploading and stuff.</p>
<p>Also, though it is true that schools set difficult papers and deliberately deflate grades a bit in internal exams, that is <em>absolutely</em> NO justification to cheat. This is fairly common for all Indian applicants, so I’m sure colleges take that into account.</p>
<p>Moreover, colleges look at how you have done relative to your peers, given the particular limitations of your school. I think this especially true for international admissions. So if your class rank and other relative measures show that you’re a top student, low grades won’t make much of a difference.</p>
<p>And I object to the statement ‘the schools cheat us’. For schools here, the purpose is not to prepare us for admission to US colleges, it is to prepare us for the board exams, so that we get into good Indian colleges.</p>
<p>The schools don’t really cheat us. It’s just that the schools’ general goal doesn’t match that of those who are applying abroad - as IdleDevil rightly said. What one can do however is try to get the maximum marks that can be achieved. I’m sure most Indian schools rank and if you get a 75%, but are still in the top 3 of your school, it shows the level of difficulty of the school. Also most experienced adcoms know that our 10th board marks are standardized representatives of our academic ability!! So, there is no reason to cheat!</p>
<p>Though if you still feel hard done and you are applying to VERY selective schools, then I’d say talk to your counselor or teacher. Their word in recommendation letters that school exams are really tough and that the said applicant is a bright student - really counts!! :)</p>
<p>Question: does a low grade and high rank tells colleges the school is really competitive or is really bad ?</p>