<p>Hi! I am a junior student in a private university, and I am accepted as a spring transfer at USC. I used 4 sentences from wiki and sparknotes without citation in my paper, and is considered as plagiarism. I am going to talk to the professor and the dean in several days, but likely I will get suspended and fail that class. I understand my terrible situation now, but the problem is, I was completely unaware that I should use citation for anything from websites, because I came to America only two years ago and no one taught me this. I was going to explain it to the professor but she has reported it already. Is that impossible for me to transfer to USC in the spring with an F? What can I do right now to save my future?</p>
<p>You’re more than likely going to have to explain to USC in an email the situation. Also, you said you were “going to explain it to the professor” but did you? Even though it has already been reported, you can still explain to her that you came to America two years ago.
Also, many colleges have a trial or hearing for plagiarism cases (assuming everyone fills out the paperwork for one) and they will then decide what your punishment is (almost always failing the class but not always academic expulsion).
I would say it IS possible to transfer with an F but I would let USC know about the situation RIGHT AWAY. The more you let it linger, the worse it will get. </p>