<p>Hi!</p>
<p>I'm not here to brag or anything (just opposite actually), but I was caught "cheating with my phone" in my second semester in my Junior year and was wondering how much this is going to affect me on my acceptance to college/universities.</p>
<p>I'm an Honors Student, taking numerous AP classes, currently listed as "Gifted", with a 3.89 GPA.</p>
<p>I was caught "cheating" because during a test in AP Physics B, I had my phone out on the desk and the teacher went all coocoo and decided to call the vice-principal on me.
I tried to explain to him that all it was was that I had my phone out (didn't touch it or anything) during the test and then the teacher took it up.</p>
<p>As my consequence, I received 1 Day on Out of School Suspension and that was all. I checked and it is now listed on my records too.</p>
<p>Will colleges and universities listen if I tried to explain why I got it?
What are my chances of getting accepted to colleges like Georgia Tech or Auburn Univ?</p>
<p>Thanks in advance.</p>
<p>Some applications ask something about whether you have ever received a disciplinary action that involved suspension. It then asks for an explanation if your answer is yes. </p>
<p>Do you keep your phone put away now? If so, you will probably be fine.</p>
<p>well my school’s (and county’s) rule is that we’re allowed to have electronics as well as use them. not during tests and such though obviously, but in Physics (first period), I had just got to school and took out my pencil to get ready for the test and forgot to put my phone in my pocket, and then didn’t even realize it was out.
after about 30 minutes into the test, my teacher saw my phone and she took it up and took my test as well.</p>
<p>**note: i didn’t use my phone to cheat or anything, it was off as well. but that’s not what the admission ppl are gonna think when they see “cheating with phone” on my record you know?</p>
<p>thanks for the help</p>
<p>I believe if you use the Common App, there’s a place where you would check “Yes” for disciplinary violation and then there’s a space where you explain the situation and what you learned from it. It may also come up on interviews if those colleges have them. </p>
<p>The problem with explaining this to a college is the only person who knew your intent was yourself. Nobody else knows whether or not you actually were cheating. Do you understand? It’s your word against theirs. And if your application was being compared to someone else’s with similar stats who had no disciplinary action against them, if you were the adcom, which would you pick? You would have a lot to explain if you were seeking admission to a top university, but otherwise, they may accept your explanation without much fuss, given your good academics.</p>