Students cheat with college applications
No matter the importance of the assignment, Peninsula heavily emphasizes academic dishonesty and its consequences. Still, some students keep this habit when applying for college.
“Because the atmosphere is so [academically] competitive at Peninsula, people take measures to boost their college applications,” senior Mika Ventura said. “It’s not something I would personally do, but some students are really focused on getting into ‘brand-name’ schools.”
Colleges consider lying about holding a club position, or even bolstering a club on paper, to be cheating. According to Unigo’s article, “What Are Some Common Problems Found in College Applications,” some colleges sample a number of applicants to confirm their activities and cancel those who do not have verification. Because students believe that this slight advancement can be better for their application in the long run, they take the risk to move ahead in the academic competition.
“I think that over exaggerating the importance of a position in a club is also partaking in academic dishonesty because it says that you have done work that someone in the club had to do,” junior Tiffany Yeh, the co-president of Key Club, said. “It takes time to help operate a club, and I wouldn’t want someone benefiting from something that they haven’t earned.”
Students must sign an agreement acknowledging Peninsula’s strict academic integrity policy before registration, so it is unrealistic that they put the past four years of high school of college preparation on the line. In Linda Emma’s article, “College Policies for Cheating,” colleges appear to have taken further measures in order to combat cheating, often giving the student a failing grade or the dismissal from the course or the college.
“I think it’s foolish as they are most likely to be caught later and rescinded,” senior Alison Bartkowski said.
According to the Ad Council and Educational Testing Service, between 75 percent and 98 percent of college students who cheat claim that they had begun the habit in high school. Cheating on one’s college application provides a perfect opportunity for this tendency to transition to a new stage of their lives.
“Students are definitely capable of completing their applications by the deadline without academic dishonesty if they work diligently,” senior Patrick Ong said.
