<p>@reyalpmark
Before you start calling someone a fool, maybe you should learn that the period goes inside the quote marks for quoted dialogue.</p>
<p>I doubt that they will take legal action, knowing that a family member got himself in a similar situation. You will however have a difficult time finding a way to get into another school because you now have a mark against you on your academic record. When you look to transfer, you may want to seek some guidance about where to apply. Good luck and I hope everything works out!</p>
<p>GMTplus7 and the others are right. This is not a mistake unless you define “mistake” as a “really bad lack of judgment.”</p>
<p>I also do not understand why it is necessary to convince your present school that you were rejected at the other schools. What does that have to do with anything? Is it as Aunt Bea says in post #21, that you are arguing that your rejection at the other schools justified your forgery? If so, you have some big problems (your way of thinking) beyond just the forgery.</p>
<p>Also, how did your present school learn about the forgery? That is a mystery.</p>
<p>It’s not that I’m going to try to justify my actions by saying I was denied from every other school…it’s just so when they ask me if I got into any, I can tell them I wasn’t with my denial letters…that’s simply it. As for my hearing, what I’ve discussed with my family is to try to plead to my current school to let me stay and truly apologize to them. I know that is a huge long shot, but at this point that should be my number one strategy. I’ll have two testimonies from my doctors because I was diagnosed with Crohn’s disease and depression weeks before my first day of freshman year. NOT that those two things justify ANYTHING I’ve done, but it MIGHT shed light on what I was going through and POSSIBLY give me a lower punishment. Or if that doesn’t work, I can work with having them accept my withdrawal and have other consequences. Obviously there are numbers of outcomes that could or will happen and I don’t know which I can predict the most. I made HORRIBLE choices that will change my future but right now my first priority is to plead to continue as a student there. I know that might sound “crazy” to everyone in this forum but it will be my first approach…not my only.</p>
<p>We’ve all made our share of bone-headed decisions in our lifetime. I don’t want to see you pay for the rest of your life for this incident, even if it was a particularly serious one.</p>
<p>I just want to caution u at your school’s hearing against referring to the incident as a “mistake” because, as u can see from the reactions on this thread, it may garner a sharp reaction. Calling it a “mistake” makes u appear flippant about the gravity of your actions and makes it appear like u are dodging responsibility. At the hearing u need to appear humble and not minimize the incident. Be very careful about every single word u choose to describe the incident. </p>
<p>I think it unlikely that the school will allow u to remain, as this is a considerably more egregious offense than cheating on a test or not citing references on a term paper. </p>
<p>Another poster suggested the military. This is an opportunity worth weighing. A successively completed stint would redeem u and offer u a later second chance to apply to ANY college. You would have a helluva essay topic about humility, transgression & redemption. </p>
<p>In any case, I think it a better long term life strategy to take time off awhile from college and do something productive before applying again. Get a job or go build houses in Guatemala. You need to build character references now to make u whole.</p>
<p>Things may seem pretty bleak & scary now, but remember that u always have choices. And this too shall pass…</p>
<p>Get careful coaching for the hearing. Good luck.</p>