Ok so here’s the story,
First semester Calc BC I worked really hard and got an A in an incredibly difficult course, after coming back from Winter Break I had a rough start of the new semester and Got caught cheating. I got an E on this test which killed my grade in the class because tests are 90% of the grade and we only have 2 every semester. I got caught cheating and the administration is making me drop the class. So I’ll have a W. E on my transcript which means I withdrew from the class and got an E but that E won’t factor into my GPA. I spoke to my administration and they agreed that if I took Calc BC online over the summer (which I’ll get an A in) they’ll put it on my transcript as a summer class and let that grade factor into my GPA.
Now this is the question on the common app Have you ever been found responsible for a disciplinary violation at an educational institution you have attended from the 9th grade forward (or the international equivalent), whether related to academic misconduct or behavioral misconduct, that resulted in your probation, suspension, removal, dismissal, or expulsion from the institution?” and because my school is one of those prestigious make all your problems disappear kind of place and I technically wasn’t put on “probation, suspension, removal,dismissal, or expulsion”, from the school my counselor said she won’t mark me as having anyacademic mmisconduct on her form.
So now my question is should I write in the academic misconduct section of my common app
- Blah blah I needed to focus on other things, so I dropped the class and self studied (got a 4 on ap exam) and decided to take an online class instead so I could focus on other things. Didn’t agree with teachers teaching style etc.
- Write that I cheated, it was a one time thing, I owned up to it, proved to my school by taking the online class and getting an A in the online class. And have my guidance counselor talk about this in her letter.
To give you some more context I have a pretty good shot of getting into the ivy league’s, I’m not boasting but like comparatively my scores are very very good along with my extracurricular, I have internships at the NIH, am politically active, work for nonprofits, also I am an extremely accomplished pianist and have a associates degree in Piano Performance from the Royal Conservatory of Music.
GPA: 3.89 (unWeighted) 4. 56
Sat: 1580
Subject Tests: Lit (750) Bio (800) Chem(800)
Act: 35
Also my high school is ranked in the top 50 so you know that application readers wont be thinking of grade inflation and all that.
.So what do I do. I know what the morally correct thing to do is but I’m asking you guys to be honest here what will get me into college. (Applying to Columbia (top choice), Harvard, Yale, Princeton, Berkeley, Brown)
The fact that you’re in a dilemma about this seems to indicate that you believe the end justifies the means. It appears that maybe your school was too lenient as you didn’t learn anything about academic honesty.
It is certainly possible that you can avoid the issue and get away with it. However, you will not be privy to all of your recommendations. Regardless of what they say to you, someone may mention the cheating.
This post is flabbergasting. I think it’s sad that your school is
It seems like your school is going to help you get away with the cheating, which is good for you but not so good for everyone else applying who doesn’t cheat, and bad that the ivies will not have a full picture of you as a person.
You would have been competitive…but you cheated. This taints any other grades/scores bc no one can know if you really earned them or just never got caught cheating before now.
Practically speaking, I think the W /E speaks for itself.
@suzy100 I think some schools use E instead of F.
OP, I guess it’s kind of just what matters more to you - winning or doing the right thing.
I would talk to your guidance counselor and ask what you should write in that section.
And whatever you say, in the long run know that colleges will also catch you and can fail you or dismiss you.
Take classes that you can keep up iwth without cheating.
You should probably come clean, even though it is unlikely that the college will find out if they ever do they will kick you out or maybe even revoke your diploma. If you get into an Ivy you should be working hard in every class because there will be no second chances with cheating at any Ivy and most other colleges.
absolutely dont write anything. you cheated you go caught, go got W.E. and took calc BC over summer. done deal. dont ruin your chances in college by listening to people above. do whats best for you that will get you into college.
I agree with post 6- check with your. counselor to see if this counts. In my opinion, technically and honestly the answer is ‘no’ to the common app question since you didn’t get suspended or anything. I don’t think the colleges can punish you for lying on the app because you wouldn’t be lying (but don’t say you dropped the class because of the teaching style, because that would be a lie). That being said, never cheat again (obviously) as there will be worse consequences if you do.
absolutely agree with @bopper Would add that you need to discuss with your guidance counselor what they plan to write about the withdrawal on their recommendation for your college applications. The guidance counselor’s version of events will be weighted much more than anything you write about the issue.
I think the main thing is when you talk to your counselor, don’t make excuses that you were really busy but take responsibility. Tell them you now realize what you thought was a shortcut is no shortcut at all…primarily because you are not learning the material.
This isn’t going to be popular, but the correct answer to the question is, “No.” The question asks: "Have you ever been found responsible for a disciplinary violation at an educational institution you have attended from the 9th grade forward (or the international equivalent), whether related to academic misconduct or behavioral misconduct, that resulted in your probation, suspension, removal, dismissal, or expulsion from the institution?”
As noted, the behavior of the OP did not result in his or her, “probation, suspension, removal, dismissal, or expulsion from the institution.” Note, the question could have ended before this clause, and then the requirement would have kicked in, but that’s not where the question ends.
Also, not sure what help the GC will be as he or she has already has already said that this will not be noted on the transcript or counselor form.
The main controversy was that OP gave two options: lie or don’t lie. Of course, most people said don’t lie about the academic dishonesty, as not only is that wrong, but it could ruin OP’s chances of they get found out.
However, OP, if it wasn’t put on academic records, then yes, you shouldn’t really put anything there. Just learn from your mistakes and refuse to do anything that could even be considered cheating in the future.
Agree with @suzy100 - The answer to the question is no. The school structured his punishment by giving him an F on the test. The question does not ask if you ever failed a test because of cheating. I am also finding it hard to believe that one test one semester is going to cause an F as the final grade for the entire class.