The worst I imagine that can happen to you is that you will be disqualified from the Scholarship program and you will receive some type of discliplinary action at school (be it a suspension, lengthy detention, etc.) Not to be rude, but it was a pretty dumb thing to do. But it's not the end of the world, though I'm sure it seems that way now (as I try to put my mind back into high school mode.)
You should have said that your dad threatened to beat you silly if you didn't turn it in on time and you were so scared of him that you forged the counselor info. Shifting blame is always an effective self-defense strategy. Seriously, I think you did the right thing by accepting responsibility immediately and admitting what you did was wrong (in this instance, I'm not saying you should always do that, though).
I've heard plenty of advice, mostly good, but no similar stories...until now, although I was nowhere near the top of the class, nor was I applying for scholarships, but I did forge a letter from the principal to a teacher and got busted. It was my senior year, and I was skipping my after lunch Spanish class to be in another town with my girlfriend at the time. I wouldn't make it back in time to go to my Spanish class so I hung out with her until I had to leave for my typing class. As soon as I got in, I typed up a letter to my Spanish teacher from the principal, saying that I was in his office. I then forged his signature and gave it to the Spanish teacher the next day. The following day, I discover I'm busted and that I get called out of homeroom. The principal sits me down and asks me why I did what I did. I simply told him that I know that what I did was wrong and I assured him that it wouldn't happen again. He said "It better not" and released me. Of course, I went in talking like a mature adult and I looked him in the eye when I told him that. I wasn't lying either. I didn't serve any time, didn't get any parent calls, I simply got let off the hook. I think he saw that I was sorry for forging his sig and that I was ready to take my medicine. I hope it works out for you. Learn from your mistakes.
Don't forget to remind the administration of your school that all four years of college got your guidance counselor was a ****ty deadend job.
I don't even see the big deal about forging the signature as long as all of the information you put down was correct. Its not your fault the counselor was gone and you had to turn something in. Although you probably should have asked one of the administrators to fill out the stuff for you. They probably would have done it since you are the valedictorian. I might have done the same thing.
I'm sorry qwerty, but what you did was unthinkable. Your signature is your word, and it is intended to show how honorable you are. By FORGING someone else's signature showed them that you didn't care about the consequences. You've heard about your PERMANENT RECORD, haven't you? They're not lying about it being permanent. I got caught cheating on an English exam in the 10th grade. DUDE! I cannot tell you how embarassing it is when my potential employer made me fill out a full explanation of what happened, what punishment I received, and what I learned from the experience. I cannot tell you how many job opportunities I've lost due to it, but it's in the double digits. Dude, I feel for you. This will take a while to correct. (And don't listen to all of these crazy wacko's on this board who tell you it's no biggie. They are the slacker's in life that don't have to worry about anything, probably like those office space dudes that do nothing at work but forward e-mails) For the GOOD jobs out there, this will definitely be a black eye. MAN! Why couldn't you have come here BEFORE you did something that crazy. I wish I could offer you luck, but I know all too well what this can do to an aspiring career. Keep a stiff upper lip, and for goodness sake, behave yourself! It can only get worse. Sorry.
You're heading down a terrible path, qwerty. Right now, you're forging scholarship applications. Pretty soon, you'll be selling trig tests to future students. Before you know it, you're doing some embezzlement and insider trading...watch out!
Hey, as long as you don't stuff a little person in your locker to cheat on exams, you're ahead of the game.
The son of some friends of mine was convicted of a misdemeanor (breaking into his high school with some friends and stealing records of something). He still ended up at Johns Hopkins and now is on a full ride at Dartmouth in grad school. He, too, faced the music, survived and thrived.
This will definitely be character building, just handle the right way and don't sweat the repercussions. There are always options.
qwerty, this ^ is called an overreaction. Take his advice and don't listen to him. You've already done the right thing, just see what happens. Can't change it now, just learn something.
Your punishment if any will be determined by how large your school is and whether your schools needs you. If you're just a number then imo you're looking at possible suspension for forgery. However, I doubt that will happen. Most likely you will have to write a letter of apology and that will be the end of story. Smaller schools need smart students. I wouldn't sweat it.
Thank you all for replying. It means a lot more to me than you think. Well, I talked to the principal and counselor again today. I will probably have to face ISS and lose my exemptions. I might also be kicked out of Honor Society. Things are not going well right now. I can't talk about this to any of my friends, so you guys are all I have. The principal and counselor suspect that I have forged items before, even in my application to UT. I never have. I didn't do anything wrong on the UT application, but I am paranoid that they may find something and suspect. I have already been accepted to the Plan II Honors program at UT an I am set on going there. However, because I am usually a very thorough person, I actually sent the application in twice, recommendations and all. I assure you, nothing was forged, but I can't help worrying that they will suspect me and I will be rejected. I could also lose my merit scholarship. I repeat. I have never done anything like this before, and I am afraid that one stupid mistake could cost me my whole life. My principal tries to assure me that even if UT rejects me, I could always go to a community college for a couple of years, but that is a far cry from the medical profession I was originally planning on. I just have so many emotions right now. I appreciate all of you taking an interest and sharing your opinions with me.
Don't worry, you can always go to A&M.... hmmm....on second thought, suicide is always an acceptable alternative.
Give your principals email address out here, and we will sort him out. If they make a big deal out of this they are being VERY petty. I would get a lawyer just in case they try to do anything major. Have your parents talk to the principal...this is NOT a major deal...it is so puny and minor that it is laughable. If you are number 1 at school, have been a great student, they should overlook a minor discresion like this....for crying out loud.....sometimes High School and power trips those petty people get on are ridiculous. DD
Congrats, I know how hard you had to work to get in. Plan II has it's high & low points, but if you think you can handle the work while being in an environment like Austin (something I had more than a little trouble with), you can't beat it. Beware an English prof named Maloof or Maloff, he's a b*stard. Sign up for 2 more classes than you plan on taking, and drop the 2 you're least interested in after a couple of weeks. Other than that, you'll be in class with some increadibly amazing people and will learn just as much, if not more, from them and from your outside experiences than you will from class. Enjoy it while it lasts, but keep your head on straight. This thing with the application will blow over, and there's a good chance nobody outside of your school administration will ever know about it. Trust me, there will be many serious tests of character & strength ahead of you that will make this look inconsequential in hindsight, just learn from it and move on.
