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Unweighted GPA: 3.7
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How does being caught cheating affect college admissions?

This might be a bit of a sensitive topic, but I'm genuinely worried. A friend of mine was caught cheating on a test. While it wasn't me, it made me wonder how something like that would affect someone's college admissions process if it happened to them? Does anyone know how colleges view this if it's on your record?

9 months ago

Colleges take academic integrity very seriously, so being caught cheating can be a significant setback in the admissions process. If the incident is noted on your academic record or disciplinary history, you’ll need to report it when applying to most colleges. Not disclosing this information when asked can lead to even more severe consequences if discovered later. Depending on the severity and the school’s policies, some might reject an application outright, while others may consider the context and evidence of personal growth since the incident.

It’s crucial that if someone finds themselves in this situation, they reflect on their actions and demonstrate that they've learned from their mistake. Being able to articulate this in an application might help to mitigate the impact, but there are no guarantees. Admissions committees are trying to build a community of trustworthy individuals, and a history of cheating raises concerns about a student's character and reliability. My advice is always to uphold academic integrity and confront challenges honestly. If a student does slip up, owning the mistake and showing genuine remorse and development can be an important step in moving forward.

9 months ago

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