marinsponge

Hi everyone. I'm a senior now and I'm getting ready to apply to colleges. On all of the applications they ask you: "Have you ever been placed on probation or dismissed by a secondary school or university, or incurred serious disciplinary action?" This is important to me because when I was a sophomore I made a HUGE mistake by cheating on a Chem. test, and even worse, I got caught. Should I answer the question truthfully or just lie and see how it works out? If I lie to them there's the posibility that they may find out. If I tell the truth, all of my accomplishments will be looked at differently. Its a lose-lose situation, but which would be better?

Momof2sons

What was the disciplinary action you received for cheating?

Most folks will tell you that you have to be honest. You have an opportunity on the common app to address your mistake and explain how you have grown or what you have learned. I do think that most adcoms understand kids make mistakes and if you answer honestly you will still have good shot at admissions
If you do not disclose and they find out, then you are sunk

marinsponge

Well, when it happened they told me not to do it again or I would be in big trouble. There wasn't a conference or anything so I thought no big deal. But, over the spring when I was applying to NHS I was denied because of the cheating incident. So that has me thinking that it was a bigger deal to the school than they are letting on to me.

WPSON2010

Be honest about it; otherwise you're adding lying to cheating and that can't bode well for your future.

LunarChik

yeah, exactly: cheating is bad enough, but lying about it is worse.

BandTenHut

Were you denied to NHS because it was on your record, or because one of the advisors personally knew about the incident? If it isn't on any record and there was no disciplinary action, you're not obliged to disclose it.

If you're applying to elite colleges, cheating is an automatic denial.

nglez09

You weren't dismissed from your HS, you were just warned.

Momof2sons

Cheating is not an automatic denial , but not being truthful and then being found out is
I know of a number of students who admitted thier error in judgment and went on to many top universities--even had the teacher that caught them cheating write their recommendation

BandTenHut

Teachers at my high school rescind or refuse to write recommendations to students who have cheated in their class, as a rule.

marinsponge

My top choice school is U Penn, and I dont like my chances there if I tell them I'm a cheater. I dont think that it is on my record, but my guidance counselor knows. So I guess it all boils down to him and how he chooses to answer this question (they ask him too).

fastMEd

You have not changed. You cheated once in your sophomore year and now you are asking whether you should cheat again on your college application? I say no. If you do get caught, you are dead. If you don't get caught, good for you. I think just asking this question shows a lack of morals.

In The Great Gatsby, despite his love and dedication, Gatsby still loses Daisy to Tom Buchanan, but we all realize that the real man is Jay Gatsby.

beck86nj

\begin{sarcasm}
Great attitude, that.
\end{sarcasm}

norcalguy

This post makes me sad.

sous_lepontmirabeau

During my sophomore year, some of the juniors broke into the online Physics server and messed with it/cheated...one of them is currently going to Wash U in St. Louis and the other to University of Wisconsin-Madison.

This just goes to show that anything is possible - be honest!

Golden Bear

Cheating meh... I know many people who got cheating in HS at Berkeley including Engineers.