<p>I was recently caught for plagiarism. It was an isolated incident, so while I received a zero for the assignment, I was not suspended. My first term grade for the class will be a D-.
I have proven myself capable of writing well without any possibility of cheating (in-class essays, for example) and my guidance counselors and teachers all consider me a student of high integrity.
If I my application is otherwise relatively strong, but not outstanding, and I can pull my grade up for second term, do I still even stand a chance?</p>
<p>Also, this incident taught me a lot about who I can hurt by cheating, what my own capabilities are, and how important it is for me to be able to rest on my morals (after I submitted the essay, I even became physically ill, constantly vomiting, because of the guilt and emotional duress). Since it was such an important moment in my life, I am heavily considering writing about it for my common app essay. Would emphasizing the incident only hurt me, even if I was writing about how everything it taught me will prevent me from ever plagiarizing again?</p>
<p>I wouldn’t write about it, because it’ll really only make you look bad. The whole point of the personal essay is to tell them how great you are without actually saying it directly. I’m not sure what they’ll think about the plagiarism, but I think that as long as you still have all the other assets needed of a competitive applicant, you should still get in, but that’s just a personal guess.</p>
<p>if the school can find out that you plagiarized, I would definitely provide some sort of explanation. Putting it as your main essay could be risky as it was so recent, but if you really emphasize that you felt terrible after you cheated (not after you got caught) and what it taught you, then it may be good. It’s just a fine line that you would have to cross between showing your genuine remorse over your actions and over-dramatizing a situation to make yourself look good.</p>