During the spring semester of my college freshman year, I basically screwed up by plagiarizing. There are no excuses. I’ve dealt with the shame, the consequences, and I’ve learned my lesson. It was completely unlike me, and my former hardworking high school self would have been incredibly disappointed in my lack of integrity so please do not shame me in this thread. It was a one time incident, and I know it will never happen again.
A little about me: I’m a first generation student, and my family is poor. During this time, my brother developed schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, and my single mother who works full time would constantly report to me over the phone how awful our family was doing. I felt stuck, and I felt even more pressure to carry my family financially in the future rather than for myself. By finals, I was very depressed and anxious to go home. I developed an awful eating disorder to the point where I lost my good judgment and constantly would be on edge or pass out in public places.
During the disciplinary hearing, I explained my family situation and the difficulties I’ve had. The board was empathetic, but I received a semester long suspension, an F in the course, putting me on academic probation for the semester when I return to college, mandatory counseling, and the ability to transfer two credits at another institution.
This past fall, I’ve spent more time at home, and I’ve learned to re-appreciate my education. For the first time in my life (because of the required counseling from my hearing), I go to therapy weekly and realized how much trauma I’ve had from a domestic violent father who left when I was 11. Realizing how much I needed counseling, I have extended my time away from college for another semester to return in the fall of 2017 as a medical leave. My dean understands this, and he supports my decision.
I also watched my mother struggle even more now than she did when I was in high school. I help out at the family store and work full time. My brother, however, can be extremely violent and my home life is very unsafe and startling to the point where police have constantly come to take him away, only for him to be released from the hospital because of mental health laws (he’s over 18, and they cannot hold him for more than 14 days in my state). So I decided to move away from home to be on my own and go to an eating disorder clinic.
I just finished taking the two classes at the other institution. One of them, Intro. to Biology, I believe I ended the semester with a B+ or A-. I’m still waiting on the grades. The other, I think I bombed my final exam even though I studied like crazy, and will receive a C. How will this look to the board when I apply for readmission?