<p>I am glad it worked out for you and that your teacher was understanding. Your parents overreacted but hey they are parents. I think you handled yourself very well, talking to your teacher afterwards and apologizing for your parents was very mature. I think you will do well in college and life. Good luck.</p>
<p>So - I was just reading this thread - interesting story - glad it worked out - but this sentence bothers me:</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>If you were accepted ED at Columbia - presumably in December - why did you not withdraw your other applications? UMD did not release decisions until late January - why did you still have an active application there?</p>
<p>Umichigan has early action which was released, I’m pretty sure, about 2 weeks after Columbia ED was released. Im not sure about UMD though.</p>
<p>I agree - that’s why I wouldn’t question the Michigan acceptance - it probably came within a few days of the Columbia ED acceptance - even if the student had withdrawn the app - I could see the decision still being released. But UMD strikes me as odd - as they did not release decisions until the end of January - more than a month after this student would have had the ED acceptance from Columbia - that Maryland app should have been withdrawn. Just strikes me as …interesting…that on a thread about possibly cheating on an exam there is also a possibility of questionable behavior regarding withdrawing other applications after a binding ED acceptance.</p>
<p>D2 was accepted to her ED school in Dec, she had plenty of time to withdraw her application from UMich and UVa. OP could be IS at UMD and it could be rolling admission.</p>
<p>Interesting question, and glad OP got this resolved without getting a failing grade. I am aware that in AP classes, students often prepare for the exam by going over past test questions in class, and that teachers give practice exams based on past AP exams that also count for a good part of the grade. Frazzled kids took these exams, but did not use practice books or exams found online to prepare. However, they were not told that they couldn’t, and mentioned that some classmates spent their study time memorizing solutions from exams that served as sources for in-class exams, rather than working problems and asking questions of the teacher if they were making mistakes, and going over frequent, graded homework assignments (they had learned well to “show their work”) until they were able to solve fresh problems.</p>
<p>I do however think that teachers should be writing their own exams. Perhaps OP’s teacher was also uncomfortable when it came to light that their practice was encouraging students to memorize solutions rather than learn enough of concepts to solve fresh problems. </p>
<p>I also have to wonder, though, how often college math classes give exams that use problems that are identical to homework problems, samples given in the textbook, or those found in problem books, online, or in past exams that are freely available, and for which students can memorize solutions to specific problems? (Yes, I am aware that some material needs to be memorized.)When I was in college I did have one class with a professor who did not seem to write his own exams, and was surprised to see that some students who did not usually do well, nonetheless excelled in this particular class, while others who were used to the more usual format where the professor wrote their own exam, did not do as well. (I had taken this particular class pass/fail, so was not that concerned.) </p>
<p>I would hope that in math/chemistry/physics classes, professors are writing their own exams, even if all they are doing is changing some of the variables in common types of problems.</p>
<p>The point here, if I understand it, and I may not, is that the original poster looked at the online exam question on the night between the two days of the in-class exam.</p>
<p>If the student had merely been using practice tests, or even memorizing answers, before the in-class exam, that is one thing.</p>
<p>But the student knowingly looked at an actual exam question online, after seeing it on paper in class, and checked the answer out. In my mind, this is cheating.</p>
<p>I think the school is showing questionable ethics here, and that consequences would have been different for a kid whose achievements and admission to schools did not shed such a glow on the school itself. And what possible relevance did the father think admission to great schools had here, anyway? The message is that one set of consequences applies to an average student, and another set of consequences applies to a student who got into Columbia.</p>
<p>So people with high SAT scores and GPA’s can apparently do what they want, while those with lower stats get expelled? Is that what we are supposed to take from this?</p>
<p>Over the long term,I think the original poster would have benefited from harsher consequences.</p>
<p>To the OP I am glad things worked out and that you have also learned from this situation. </p>
<p>My D has recently bought the study guides for her AP tests as well, I will caution her to not “memorize” exact wording… </p>
<p>Frankly I think there were mistakes made by the OP and the teacher so the end result is the correct action, to do a retake with 2 new questions.</p>
<p>oldfort - we are instate for Maryland - they do not do rolling - all decisions are released at the end of January - at least as far as I have seen with both sons and their friends. If the OP is still reading this thread - I think it would be interesting to hear some clarification about how you handled the cancelling of your other applications - or not - after receiving an ED admit to Columbia. Since the theme of this thread is the perception of cheating and what constitutes ethical behavior - I think you have another issue to address.</p>
<p>
I am wondering if the fact that the OP is an African-American also figures into the equation. In my school system there is a great deal of concern over the fact that AAs get more disciplinary infractions than other races. That might be the case in this school system, too, and possibly school looked the other way. </p>
<p>Also interested in how OP handled the cancellation of other apps after the ED admit to Columbia! </p>
<p>P.S. “High SAT scores”? Not really, according to a post on another thread. But then he is an URM.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>Why should it have anything to do with the situation or the outcome? Unitl you mentioned, I had not even considered Op to be AA (in fact, I assumed that he was not).</p>
<p>There are plenty of non-african american parents who would have done the same thing as OP’s parents (there are plenty of threads where parents have recommended that other parents get get an attorney to sue the school for similar incidents).</p>
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</p>
<p>When looking at the data from the school to prision pipeline, this is true that is are a disproportionate number of young AA boys getting suspended for wearing hats, talking back, and behavioral issues where non- AA boys who commit the same infractions are not being suspended.</p>
<p>
Right. So an AA high achiever such as this might have the school looking the other way so as to not tarnish a rare shining star. Similar to what happens in some places with sports stars. </p>
<p>It was just a a thought…of course now another thought is now besides the original cheating instance there is now the possible instance of “cheating” after the ED admit to Columbia by not withdrawing other apps. We’ll see what OP says when they return to the thread…if indeed they ever do.</p>
<p>To all wondering about the Columbia ED case. I messed up the application and had to quickly withdraw my other applications. This is another story for another time because it is very long and very stressful for me and my family. I am an African American, but I hope that did not factor into this decision and my Columbia decision. To all wondering why I got into Columbia. I do not know if this will clarify anything but here is my info:</p>
<p>ranking: 2/450 (hopefully valedictorian by the end of the year, number one only studies so that makes this difficult)</p>
<p>School: Public kind of competitive in a way</p>
<p>SATs – 2290 (Math – 780, Critical Reading – 750 Writing – 760) Surprising and a wonderful at the same time, not a 2400 but is still amazing nonetheless. Was going to retake but already was accepted</p>
<p>SAT IIs
Math I: 790 (love mathematics with a passion)
Math II: 770 (thank you calculus)
Physics: 760 (great teacher because this exam was difficult)
Chemistry: 800 (if you had my teacher, everyone would be getting an 800)
World History: 730 (exhausting)</p>
<p>APs – 16 total by end of senior year: Calculus AB (5), Calculus BC (5), World History (5), US History (4 difficult), Physics B (5), Physics C (4 hard test), Chemistry (5), Biology (4 bad at memorization), and Psychology (4, not right for me), AP Enlgish Literature (5), Government and Politics (4, did not study enough)</p>
<p>Taking senior year: AP Statistics, AP English language, AP Spanish language, AP Computer Science, and AP European History (want all fives on the exams, that is why I started practicing so early)</p>
<p>Started AP’s freshman year</p>
<p>Major: Mathematics (Mainly theoretical and not applied) </p>
<p>Interview: incredibly nervous but the interviewer was so nice and friendly</p>
<p>Extra-Curricular’s:
NSBE
Key Club (Vice President)
Environmental club (Vice President)
Governor School
FBLA (President)
National Honors Society (President)
Model Congress
Founded Impact Club (community, tutors, and general volunteerism)
Annoying being president of both but love them nonetheless
1000 + hours of volunteering (mainly during summer in hospitals, elderly homes, libraries and school)
other stuff not worth mentioning</p>
<p>Sports
Varsity Tennis
Varsity Soccer (Captain)</p>
<p>Instruments
Piano 11 years
Cello 7 years</p>
<p>Congrats on your acceptance!</p>
<p>And remember this is the internet and this is CC (race and ED procedure brought into it).</p>
<p>Thank you Ohiomom3000 for the support. I do not know how race was incorporated into this thread but I just wanted to address it. I am the first person to go to college in my family. Also first able to go to an ivy league school in my entire family history. So there is a lot of pressure on me. That is why my parents were so defensive when this event was brought up. That is why I am glad that I learned this lesson before college. To everyone thinking that students who have high SAT’s and GPA’s get special treatment, we do not, but it surprising when something like this happens</p>
<p>OP - what is it?<br>
You posted this on the UMD accepted thread on Jan 31
<a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/university-maryland-college-park/1282489-official-umd-priority-class-2016-decisions-3.html#post13815949[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/university-maryland-college-park/1282489-official-umd-priority-class-2016-decisions-3.html#post13815949</a></p>
<p>Decision: Accepted!!!
School: CMNS
Major: Mathematics</p>
<p>General Stats:
- WGPA: 4.6
- SAT (1600/2400): 1350/1950</p>
<p>State: NJ</p>
<p>
It doesn´t look like you quickly withdraw from UMD or from any school.
What happened with your ED?</p>
<p>The OP stated the answers written the first day were NOT changed the second day after reveiwing the past test. The teacher did not believe the student could have memorized the answer word for word. Assuming the OP is telling the truth, it does not sound to me like cheating but it is a good lesson to learn that even on tests one should not plagerize. </p>
<p>Based on that, the school did not have an ethical lapse and bringing the race of the student into play is uncalled for IMO.</p>
<p>Your teacher lifted the exam himself. I think it was a teachable moment for him, too.</p>
<p>Not to imply OP cheated. I do not believe he did.</p>
<p>This is a post concerning oldforts post. I never thought that the specific post you quoted would ever see the light of day again. So here is the story concerning it. My brother really wanted me to go to University of Maryland College Park. He was excited that I applied and wished me luck. However when I told him that I had to withdraw my applications he was annoyed. He got over it until I told him that I was looking a the posts of people that were accepted to UMD. As a joke my brother decided to create my account and post a mock acceptance and reaction. When he showed me it a week later, he said "this would definitely be your reaction if you got accepted to the best school in the world!! I laughed and told him that he did not put the correct information on the post anyway. He did not even know that I was second in my class or what my SAT score was. I wanted to delete the post and the account but I found out that the College Confidential website does not allow you to delete your posts or account. That is why on the very first post of this thread, I told everyone that this was my first time posting on the website. My brother laughed and said “oops, my bad but you should still transfer because Columbia isn’t as cool as the Terps!” He is always very enthusiastic and hyper. Sorry for the misunderstanding oldfort.</p>
<p>To clarify what happened the two days during the test, I already did the problems before the test. I wrote what I thought was the correct format on the first day. The teacher gave us extra time and I went home. I did not change my answers the second day of school because it was already correct. I did not answer the second question because we were allowed to only do four out of the five. I skipped the second one. My parents want to know if the teacher is going to make the retake questions harder and if so, they will be at the school again to talk to him. I told him this and he laughed, stating that he is just doing different questions under the same topic and that they will be the same difficulty.</p>