<p>My son is the #1 student in a class of 700 at his high school. He is a junior this year. Recently he was working on a project for an online advanced math class and was asked by another "A" student, who is a friend, to help with formatting. Unfortunately, he sent her his paper as an example of formatting without thinking of it as doing anything wrong. The student ended up using his work in her own paper. The teacher realized immediately that my son was the person who sent the work (he had additional solutions in his paper). The school has now charged both students with an ethics violation; my son for sending the paper and the other student for copying. We appealed the decision, and the violation was upheld. The school did back off on some of the consequences, but he will still be kicked out of National Honor Society and California Federation of Scholars.</p>
<p>We are very concerned this will affect his ability to get into the universities he will be applying to next year. Will they know? The school is saying it will not show up on any transcripts or documents, but I am concerned it will come out somehow.</p>
<p>It may come out in the guidance councilor’s rec, but I doubt it. My advice is too push the school: it seems like your son hasn’t done anything “ethically” wrong, if not a little naive. Something similar happened to me a few years back. A student had hacked the school system’s files and was able to download an essay I had written and hand it in. The teacher was able to tell the work was mine, and I never heard the rest of the story - completely absolved of all blame. It really sounds like your son is blameless, and I would make sure that he is readmitted into his societies - without, however, getting on the GC’s bad side.</p>
<p>There are really two issues: whether there will be an academic integrity blemish on his record AND whether that will affect his admissions.</p>
<p>The answer to the first question, I do not know, but the answer to the second is yes. It very well could affect admissions decisions.</p>
<p>It won’t affect all of them. I have seen students who have committed ethics violations take a gap year, mature, write about it and then go on to some very good schools Brown, Swarthmore)) (None of them were vals, however).</p>
<p>Your son’s situation is different. There may not be any effect.</p>
<p>So many unqualified people are in NHS and CSF these days, and now they really don’t matter for colleges anymore. I doubt getting kicked out of those clubs will effect your son at all, but the academic part might. I would try talking to school officials again, and be firm about your stance.</p>