<p>For my essay, I am supposed to write about a problem that I feel strongly about, and I think I'm going to write about cheating (as I don't really care about many other problems). </p>
<p>Last year, in one of my classes, I was getting a B (87) in a tough class, while many other students (many of which were only capable of getting borderline Bs and Cs by themselves) were getting borderline Bs and As (89-90) by cheating. I considered myself on a moral high ground and had resisted joining my friends in cheating. However, by the 2nd semester, the tests were getting extremely hard and my grades were falling. I decided to join the almost class-wide cheating ring, and my grades made an improvement (although I still ended up with an 89, a B, just like all but 2 members of my class). Looking back, I have trouble fathoming the magnitude of the problem of cheating, being that 90% of the class had participated for the majority of the year in cheating. </p>
<p>So, the question is, should I admit I cheated? I think that way, rather than writing about it from an outside point of view, I would be able to really be able to describe the problem well. Although the admissions officer may look at me as an immoral applicant, they may realize that I'm not really that kind of person.</p>
<p>Some of you may suggest that I look for another topic to write about, but I simply feel that writing about another topic would create a mediocre essay, because I don't really have any other insights on other problems that I can think of.</p>
<p>It takes a lot of guts to admit you're cheating. How does the practically the whole class decide to cheat together for the majority of the YEAR and still not get caught.... I don't get it lol</p>
<p>"Just keep in mind that cheating is almost guaranteed auto-rejection in every university."</p>
<p>What if show repentance? Normally I don't cheat, but at the time it seemed like the best option.</p>
<p>"How does the practically the whole class decide to cheat together for the majority of the YEAR and still not get caught.... "</p>
<p>This cheating wasn't entirely like looking over people's shoulders. We got tests from last year on the same chapters, and since she usually didn't change them very much, we studied off them the night before. However, since there were usually some slight changes and some forgetfulness on which problems (it's kind of hard to rememeber numbers if you don't understand the material in the first place, and since she didn't teach very well, we usually didn't understand it), we wouldn't get the same grades or always get 100s. </p>
<p>Alas, almost all of us got Bs in the end, so it didn't really matter. I guess it was probably bad karma.</p>
<p>DO NOT admit that you cheated. Although you will stand out, it won't be in a good way. In general, you should try to avoid such topics. I know where you're coming from, but college admissions officers will not see it the same way.</p>
<p>Do you see how many capital letters I used?</p>
<p>Writing about that would bring a lot of dimension to the fact that you CHEATED, which is probably the one thing, short of commiting a felony, that will get you denied at a university you have the scores and GPA to attend.</p>
<p>Yeah, I really, uh, wouldn't admit to cheating. ESPECIALLY if you did not feel so guilty about it that you immediately went to the teacher and confessed and cried and etc.</p>
<p>...</p>
<p>Just my two cents. Write about another problem. Lord knows there's enough in this world to think of a few.</p>
<p>It's definitely a bad topic to write about. If I read your essay, I would be somewhat apprehensive about admitting you, and that's definitely not what you want. Writing about something you learned from is great, but your topic is a little bit too much.</p>
<p>If you are truly sorry about the cheating, and if you truly recognize the evil of cheating, then you will go to the relevant teacher and confess that you cheated and accept whatever consequences follow.</p>
<p>If you have the guts and integrity to do that, then you might have something believable to write your college essay about.</p>
<p>I dont think it's a good move, in this case, the risk outweights the reward. Are you willing to take the risk of being rejected on your college app.?</p>
<p>Write about it and your ultimate rejection by the college will provide you with the just punishment you've earned.</p>
<p>Your repentance will thus be complete and you will sleep better at night, plus you might actually end up saving a significant amount of money at the community college you finally attend - money you can then donate to your church you attend.</p>
<p>I agree with ADad. If you're sorry about cheating, then let the teacher know and accept as just the reduced grade that you'll likely get. Also, let the teacher know about how students have been cheating in their class. </p>
<p>If you're willing to do these things, then you would have an essay that might stand out in a good way because it would be clear that you've learned your lesson. Otherwise, if you write about what you did, you'll stand out for being a hypocrite because if you really had remorse for what you did, you would be willing to admit to the teacher what you've done, and you'd be willing to take the consequences.</p>
<p>Following Adad and Notthstarmom ... if the cheating thing is eating at you go to players involved come clean and deal with the consequences whatever they might be. One suggestion here, if you are going to go to the teacher you might consider telling the other students so they can "come clean" with you.</p>
<p>As far as college goes I can not imagine the risk/reward thing coming out in favor of voluntarily admitting you cheated on exams. The odds the person reading this at the school going to immediate reject are way too high ... because they are just way too many applicants who didn't cheat on exams in HS .... why should they take the gamble on someone who they know did? When I filled out my college application I didn't tell them about the box of baseball cards I stole as a kid ... (but I eventually did go back to the store and apologize and pay restotution)</p>
<p>You have recognized that what you did is wrong. Even though it helped you get a better grade, you've learned the weight on your conscience isn't worth it. </p>
<p>You made a mistake, now MOVE ON. You've learned from it. Don't do it again. In no way do you write about it in your essay. My opinion is you will be rejected. Immediately. For the same reason you wouldn't write an essay about lesson you learned from a drinking binge, drug experimentation, suicide thoughts...you just don't do it. </p>
<p>Colleges have enough to worry about without knowingly admitting a confessed cheater, regardless of how major or minor the offense was.</p>
<p>yeah, the only reason to write about something incriminating like that is if it were on your high school record (i.e., you got caught). if it were there in plain sight and you DIDN'T address it, that would look just as bad as the cheating itself--denying that it ever happened.</p>
<p>that said, if your college won't already know from things out of your control, don't be the first to tell them. they're not there to clear your conscience. they're there to judge you against all the other (non-cheating or at least non-telling) applicants.</p>
<p>Have you read The Gatekeepers? There's a really interesting story about a girl with a nearly perfect academic record who wrote her essay about how she tried a pot brownie in school, and then regretted it because she had some kind of student leadership position and didn't want to set a bad example, etc. She got rejected... and at most colleges, trying a pot brownie doesn't hold a candle to academic dishonesty on the auto-reject scale.</p>