Accused of Academic Dishonesty

Started by Jmukhalian
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Jmukhalian

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So the other day I walk into class and ask for the grade to my A&P test the teacher tells me that he needs to speak to me at the end of class. I wait until the end of class and he informs me that 6 students in class came up to him and said that it looked as if I was allowing someone next to me to cheat off of my test. I have spoken to the dean and they have given me 2 options, one to take a 0 on the test which will drop my total grade by 8% or I can appeal it and risk the chance of it going on my permenant record and possibly ruin my chances of getting into medical school. Any suggestions? On a side note the teacher said he didn't notice any cheating but he said the answers on the test looked similar which perplexes me because I received a B on the test and she received a 65%.
 
Jmukhalian said:
So the other day I walk into class and ask for the grade to my A&P test the teacher tells me that he needs to speak to me at the end of class. I wait until the end of class and he informs me that 6 students in class came up to him and said that it looked as if I was allowing someone next to me to cheat off of my test. I have spoken to the dean and they have given me 2 options, one to take a 0 on the test which will drop my total grade by 8% or I can appeal it and risk the chance of it going on my permenant record and possibly ruin my chances of getting into medical school. Any suggestions? On a side note the teacher said he didn't notice any cheating but he said the answers on the test looked similar which perplexes me because I received a B on the test and she received a 65%.
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Srsly doubt 6 ppl were mistaken. And her score percentage doesn't prove much- you may have helped her get to 65%. There's no room in Medicine for cheaters. Take the 0.
 
Jmukhalian said:
So the other day I walk into class and ask for the grade to my A&P test the teacher tells me that he needs to speak to me at the end of class. I wait until the end of class and he informs me that 6 students in class came up to him and said that it looked as if I was allowing someone next to me to cheat off of my test. I have spoken to the dean and they have given me 2 options, one to take a 0 on the test which will drop my total grade by 8% or I can appeal it and risk the chance of it going on my permenant record and possibly ruin my chances of getting into medical school. Any suggestions? On a side note the teacher said he didn't notice any cheating but he said the answers on the test looked similar which perplexes me because I received a B on the test and she received a 65%.
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Take the zero because I can assure you that if this shows up on your permanent academic record you're goals of getting into medical school will definite get crushed. Take the 8 % hit this is a no brainer.
 
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Can you drop? Wgat grade are you looking at after you take the 8%. I find it hard to believe six people all thought you were cheating, do you know the girl? This story sounds really fishy to me....
 
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You should be woshiping at your professor's/Dean's feet for even allowing you an option that doesn't result in institutional action or a mark on your transcript. Academic dishonesty is a pre-med's kryptonite.
 
I don't care what is hard to believe or not, I did not allow anyone to cheat off of me nor would I allow anyone to cheat off of me. I also thought that we are supposed to be innocent until proven guilty not the other way around. They have no evidence what so ever that anyone cheated or I allowed them so how can they punish me for something that they can't prove.
 
Jmukhalian said:
I don't care what is hard to believe or not, I did not allow anyone to cheat off of me nor would I allow anyone to cheat off of me. I also thought that we are supposed to be innocent until proven guilty not the other way around. They have no evidence what so ever that anyone cheated or I allowed them so how can they punish me for something that they can't prove.
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Sounds like your mind was already made up and you don't like the responses from total strangers. Funny, but unless you actually file a civil lawsuit on this topic, you will be bound by whatever the school (and the associated disciplinary body) decides is the "truth" and any punishment associated. Innocent until proven guilty is only a feature of the criminal justice system.

Just out of curiosity, what was the alleged cheaters punishment?
 
Wow. Either this person was like six inches from your shoulder copying stuff down, or people really don't like you. Six people is a lot of people to complain. What gives?

I don't know if this post is real or not, but for the love of all that is holy take the zero and move on with life. Ten percent is not that big of a drop, and explaining a C- is easier than explaining a possible academic dishonesty. You will have to address the academic dishonesty on every application and at every school and it really marks you up bad.
 
Threaten the school with a lawsuit and they will drop everything in a minute. It works every time. 🙂
 
Dude, take the 0.

A bird in hand is worth two in the bush if you know what it mean.

Scenario 1) Take the 0. Bust your hump to get your grade as high as you can. Have no mark on your transcript. Issue is over.


Scenario 2) Fight it. Academic dishonesty process=huge amount of worry. Academic appeals process=much more anxiety. Possibly get it wiped off, but most likely not. Then you have to deal with it in med school app season, then residency. Issue is never over.

I know this kid who is applying this cycle. He has 33/3.85. All kinds of volunteering, shadowing, scribe etc. 1 interview, about 17 applications. He got grilled really hard in the interview too about it. His odds aren't too good of making it in.

I have a suggestion to avoid this issue in the future. When taking a test, always sit as far away from people as possible. I always sat at the handicap desk when I took a test. Most of the time this was right in front of the proctor. I had no issues ever. Cheating was really rampant at my school so I didn't want any issues.
 
Sutton said:
Threaten the school with a lawsuit and they will drop everything in a minute. It works every time. 🙂
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While I would consider a lawsuit if you have the money, you can't just threaten via word of mouth. You would actually need to hire an attorney and begin pressing charges.

It would be a sticky process, and I would then consider transferring out of the university afterwards to avoid further problems.

The other option is to take the drop in your grade. It is a cheaper option and easier option, but admitting fault ain't easy.
 
TexasPhysician said:
While I would consider a lawsuit if you have the money, you can't just threaten via word of mouth. You would actually need to hire an attorney and begin pressing charges.

It would be a sticky process, and I would then consider transferring out of the university afterwards to avoid further problems.

The other option is to take the drop in your grade. It is a cheaper option and easier option, but admitting fault ain't easy.
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When I saw this done, the people accused took their lawyer to all the meetings. The administration scattered like roaches when a light comes on when they saw an attorney walking around. They paid, but in the end they got out of it. The teacher had them dead to rights though. A couple of people had 3 tests that had all the same answers and wording. The tests were numbered so it was obvious that they had sat next to each other the entire time.
 
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When six people that are busy trying to finish their own tests notice that you are letting someone cheat off you...
 
lol @ those 6 kids who actually told the teacher. What is this? High school? Those 6 idiots should mind their own business and grow up.

About your problem, hire a lawyer and file a lawsuit. That will make the dean, and the department chair piss their pants. If you really didn't allow that person to cheat, you shouldn't be getting punished.
 
On point to mention in response to the idea of lawsuits: Remember that for med school applications you'll be required to have letters of recommendation from professors that taught you. If you even threaten a lawsuit, you will most likely get a reputation with the faculty as a litigious person, and as a result they could be apprehensive to write you a letter because of the potential ramifications if you don't get the results you want.

I've seen such behavior in the professional world, so there is no reason the CYA behavior wouldn't exist in the academic world.
 
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Jmukhalian said:
hey have no evidence what so ever that anyone cheated or I allowed them so how can they punish me for something that they can't prove.
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spoken like a guilty person. a better way to say it (if you really are innocent) would be "how can they punish me for something I didn't do".

you should be happy they didn't just give you a F for the class and the University didn't take action. take the 0, it really is a no-brainer.
 
If for whatever reason they find you guilty, even with phenomenal everything else, you will most likely not get in.
My friend had a 3.99 (one A- in a 1 credit hour course)/42R MCAT. The only thing they cared about on the interview was the academic dishonesty. (She had a similar situation to yourself) She did not get in. Granted, she didn't get the option of a zero.
 
Jmukhalian said:
I also thought that we are supposed to be innocent until proven guilty not the other way around. They have no evidence what so ever that anyone cheated or I allowed them so how can they punish me for something that they can't prove.
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If you're so insistent fight for it. This isn't the criminal legal system. And the evidence they have is six people. If it were the criminal legal system then it wouldn't be working in your favor. People have been put to death with the testimony of six or less people.... 😉 Don't ask questions if you are going to complain about the answers you get.
 
1) If you didn't do anything do not admit to anything, take the 0, but insist this is an absolute outrage, that you did absolutely nothing wrong. The other student copying from you did so completely without your knowledge and cooperation. Say you want to take the rest of the tests in a separate room so this cannot happen again.
 
If the OP is being honest and 6 people teamed up on you like that without any provocation. Then I'd be applying for a transfer the following semester.


Disinence2 said:
1) If you didn't do anything do not admit to anything, take the 0, but insist this is an absolute outrage, that you did absolutely nothing wrong. The other student copying from you did so completely without your knowledge and cooperation. Say you want to take the rest of the tests in a separate room so this cannot happen again.
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This!
 
Jmukhalian said:
I don't care what is hard to believe or not, I did not allow anyone to cheat off of me nor would I allow anyone to cheat off of me. I also thought that we are supposed to be innocent until proven guilty not the other way around. They have no evidence what so ever that anyone cheated or I allowed them so how can they punish me for something that they can't prove.
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In the university setting, everyone is pretty much guilty until proven innocent. There was a huge debate about this years ago in the Times about how a few colleges were no longer using plagiarism checks for papers because it implied that the professors thought that their students were guilty of plagiarism before being proven innocent.
 
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This seems strange. Who are these 6 students telling the teacher this. They should mind their own business. Sounds a plot to me, these 6 students are out to get him IMO. People cheat all the time, it happens in every school. There must be some motive behind those 6 students. Not to mention they are ruining their own reputation. No one wants a rat on their team.

Secondly i don't see how you are guilty of anything. If someone sitting next to you hunches over and looks at your test how is that your fault? what are you suppose to bring binders and make a fort around you or something? I dont see anything wrong. The student who cheated is to blame, not him.
 
Jmukhalian said:
So the other day I walk into class and ask for the grade to my A&P test the teacher tells me that he needs to speak to me at the end of class. I wait until the end of class and he informs me that 6 students in class came up to him and said that it looked as if I was allowing someone next to me to cheat off of my test. I have spoken to the dean and they have given me 2 options, one to take a 0 on the test which will drop my total grade by 8% or I can appeal it and risk the chance of it going on my permenant record and possibly ruin my chances of getting into medical school. Any suggestions? On a side note the teacher said he didn't notice any cheating but he said the answers on the test looked similar which perplexes me because I received a B on the test and she received a 65%.
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At the point you are, you're about to get destroyed unless you're willing to hire an attorney to help you. 6 people are on your ass? That sounds incredible. I doubt anyone will believe what you said. Now, there's a chance that they are bluffing, but do you want to call them on it?

I think you should speak to the dean and ask to get dropped from the course without the "W" penalty. If not, prepare for a **** storm. Remember that an accusation from a professor basically means done for if you're not equipped with an attorney. The school system is set up to protect teachers and let them abuse you.
 
Staradmiral said:
This seems strange. Who are these 6 students telling the teacher this. They should mind their own business. Sounds a plot to me, these 6 students are out to get him IMO. People cheat all the time, it happens in every school. There must be some motive behind those 6 students. Not to mention they are ruining their own reputation. No one wants a rat on their team.

Secondly i don't see how you are guilty of anything. If someone sitting next to you hunches over and looks at your test how is that your fault? what are you suppose to bring binders and make a fort around you or something? I dont see anything wrong. The student who cheated is to blame, not him.
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I remember having to do that back in middle school :laugh:
 
Me and my friends did this to get rid of competition at my school. There was a kid who was really smart, got all A's, and a 39 on his MCAT. He would get all the research positions ect. To take him out, me and 4 friends told the professor that he was cheating - he was expelled. I got into medical school.

The story which I just said is completely false - I wanted to get a rise out of people. When you angrily respond to this and see my white text, you should realize that you done been trolled fool. To the OP: Take the 0 and get on with it; that should still be enough to get you an A-, which is much better than an F or a academic dishonesty.
 
Sutton said:
Threaten the school with a lawsuit and they will drop everything in a minute. It works every time. 🙂
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This usually works, but the OP not only has the professor against him, OP also has 6 students attesting to him cheating.
 
CodeBlu said:
That doesn't matter. Both people get in trouble.
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It's dumb it happens like that but I feel like it's also not always the case.

Honestly, if it was me, I'd get a lawyer. I know everyone is saying take the 0, even me, but I know I would feel differently if I was in your position. The fiscal and responsible move is to take the 0 but I'd feel taken advantage of and mishandled by my university if I did. Hope it works out for you.
 
raltima07 said:
Me and my friends did this to get rid of competition at my school. There was a kid who was really smart, got all A's, and a 39 on his MCAT. He would get all the research positions ect. To take him out, me and 4 friends told the professor that he was cheating - he was expelled. I got into medical school.

The story which I just said is completely false - I wanted to get a rise out of people. When you angrily respond to this and see my white text, you should realize that you done been trolled fool. To the OP: Take the 0 and get on with it; that should still be enough to get you an A-, which is much better than an F or a academic dishonesty.
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🤣👍
 
raltima07 said:
Me and my friends did this to get rid of competition at my school. There was a kid who was really smart, got all A's, and a 39 on his MCAT. He would get all the research positions ect. To take him out, me and 4 friends told the professor that he was cheating - he was expelled. I got into medical school.
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That person was my brother. Have fun being reported.
 
CuttingCorneas said:
That person was my brother. Have fun being reported.
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How likely is it that your brother and raltima are in the same school?

Raltima - really? You'd make a terrible doctor with those morals. I hope your schools realized how terrible a person you are when you interviewed. Crash and burn.
 
Stumpyman said:
You know he/she was joking, right?
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Accusing someone of academic dishonesty isn't a joke. This affected his entire life. He had a spot at a top school, and his acceptance was pulled. But whatever.

oh, btw, i'm an only child. TROLLCEPTION.
 
I say just take the zero and better yet take a W for the course and never interact with that professor again.
 
I do not believe this story.

Six people watching one person take an exam while they are supposed to be looking at their own papers is something the proctors would have noticed.

I would expect the proctors to be the ones in trouble in this story if it turned out that 7 people(6 witnesses+the cheater) in the class were watching one student take the exam and the proctors did nothing. The story even claims that it was students who brought it up, so somehow the proctors did not notice anything.
 
Does anyone notice how this sounds like some gunners are trying to ruin his grade? man that sucks ass, i think you should take the 8% though and just try as hard as u can to get that 8% back as the semester goes on. Good luck man
 
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This happened to me once with a paper, I was accused of having someone else write the last paragraph of a 12-page paper for me, because the "tone shifted for the last paragraph."

Of course the tone shifted. It was a conclusion paragraph.

Anyway, she gave me the option of re-writing the paper or fighting it. I'm not even sure what fighting it entailed, but it would have involved the Dean's Office. No way was I creating an official history of this accusation, so I took the rewrite. All just speedbumps.
 
i dont know about you.. its been a while since i was in college.. in the nineties.. but if anyone accused me or confronted me about anything academic, athletically or anything that i did not agree with I was FIGHTING it FULL FORCE without even second guessing anything. It made my life hard.. very hard. but i fought for what i believed in and made me feel better.

I advise you do the same, but it will make your life harder..
 
Does anyone notice how this sounds like some gunners are trying to ruin his grade?
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I think so, too, but if (s)he's really at fault, then you can't blame them.

At my undergrad university, a girl whose name I didn't know blatantly said a classmate paid her to take an Orgo test in their place 😱 Colleges really need to check IDs before exams 😡
 
Also anyone telling op to take the 0 is a gunner. This case is easy to beat. Unreliable witnesses giving shaky testimony. The "judge" will throw this one out of court.
 
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