By LINDSEY DYE
We have all been there-the clock is rapidly ticking and your heart is pounding in your chest as you think… “B…no it is C. It could maybe be A. No, no it has to be B…right?” You look from the teacher to your test to the tiny crumpled up paper between your legs. Even though you swore to yourself you wouldn’t use it, maybe you can, just this once.
Cheating. The word can mean a variety of things but the most relevant definition to high school students in the month of May has to do with tests and exams. Close your eyes and repeat this sentence, “I will not cheat on exams.” Say it 10 times or more to make sure there will be no cheating.
Cheating seems to be a topic high school students hear about constantly. It goes in one ear and out the other and is usually accompanied by an eye roll. However, this sarcastic columnist is here to help, not preach. So read carefully, please.
Reason one not to cheat: if a senior is caught cheating, he or she will not walk at graduation. At this time of year the administration and discipline office is tired of the shenanigans and wants the kids to be out of school already. The consequence of their exhaustion? Not walking at graduation. Graduation is a big deal; think 25 years in the future when there is not a single cap and gown photo to show the children and later, the grandchildren. How will that feel?
Also important, cheating results in a zero every time. Some teachers give students a zero if there is even a suspicion of cheating. Why risk it? Let’s think about what a zero can do to a final grade. If a student has missed more than 10 days in a class, he or she needs a C or higher on the exam to pass the class. That will not be happening if the student is caught cheating. Imagine flipping burgers and dealing with bratty kids all day or saying “and would you like to supersize that?” until the end of time. If that is your idea of a bright future and an A+ lifestyle, this column is not for you; please quit reading now.
Even students who have not missed more than 10 days in a class risk failing the class with a zero for an exam grade. Online classes can be really tough and summer school is no longer available so there are not many options to better one’s GPA and help one pass the class in order to make it to graduation.
Along with a zero for the exam grade, a referral will be issued to the cheating student. Usually, with a referral comes PASS. PASS is two and a half hours long, folks, two and a half hours that could be spent doing homework or hanging out with friends. That might not even be all; if a student has a history of cheating, he or she may be put in ISS, and that won’t be any fun at all.
Cheating goes on a student’s permanent record. Don’t think a permanent record is a joke either. College admission offices most definitely take a peek at a student’s permanent record. If UCF is looking at two students with the exact same credentials and GPA except one student was caught cheating and the other one wasn’t, which one will they choose to have in their school? Let’s be honest, the student who did not cheat will happily receive an acceptance letter while the cheater will be denied entry to the university. Worth it? Probably not.
Apart from the zero on the test, a referral and the retraction of acceptance letters, one still has to face the parental units. Whose parents will be happy to receive a phone call that their child was caught cheating? Some parents may punish their children for cheating by grounding them. Grounded during summer vacation does not sound appealing. Spending the long, sunny days pulling apart one’s split ends while watching reruns and waiting to be ungrounded does not sound like a summer worth remembering at all.
A few weeks from now when you find the temptation to write tiny notes on your arm or leg, on the inside of a water bottle or in your cell phone, do not give in. Think back to the phrase, “and would you like to supersize that?” Hopefully that will provide you with more than enough inspiration to take the time to study. Remember that writing and math help is offered for free on campus; with places like the Math and Writing Centers to go to for extra guidance, there is no excuse for cheating.