Getting a Job with Academic Dishonesty On Record
Long story short, I made a stupid mistake freshman year and cheated on an exam, which got me expelled from college (top target school) for a year. Got an F in that class, and now I'm having trouble getting my GPA above a 3.5, as well as getting interviews with firms. Will this destroy my chances of ever getting into IBD/S&T? I learned my lesson and am trying hard to move on, but I keep getting doors shut in my face. Did anybody go through this? Any advice much appreciated!
Overcoming Cheating on Transcript
In the world of Wall Street recruiting - you can't give recruiters or professionals a reason to walk away from your application since there are too many candidates for them to accept someone with a major blemish. That being said - as long as you don't lie and you don't call attention to this mistake you should be fine. Our users shared their thoughts below.
I don't know why people are acting like this is gonna screw this guy. You don't show your transcripts until after you get an offer. They will have no idea that this even happened and I highly doubt they will rescind an offer based on that, so long as you didn't lie about it during an interview (I don't see how it could even come up in an interview). You should be fine, once you're into the background check phase the bank wants you to work there, and as long as you humbly explain what happened, I think you will be okay.
OP needs to literally have a transcript that starts from the beginning at his new school and does not require him to submit his old college transcript. Starting college OVER largely gives you a clean slate. Having to submit old college transcripts with a red "CHEATER" stamp doesn't.
In short, don't cheat anymore (or at very least don't get caught), network hard, don't bring it up if you don't have to and be transparent about everything they'd ask of you. I just have a hard time seeing the scenario where we hand out an SA / FT offer to some college kid, they accept and HR calls my MD and tells him that they won't to revoke this persons offer over a situation such as yours.
Academic Cheating on My Background Check
Generally speaking, our users shared that in background checks they are mostly looking to confirm that you graduated and will not be flipping through your full transcript.
With background checks, most companies tend to just confirm whether you attended the college. Once you graduate, they might want to check the transcript to make sure you meet your offer.
In seriousness, I'm doubtful that the folks conducting the background check flip through every page of your transcript, line by line; they could however. I mean, you're burying the lead here. Is the only indication of your transgression an "F" freshman year and a gap on your timeline? If so, nothing you can do about it now and proceed ahead. I can almost assure you if you land an offer, accept and sign the letter it won’t be an issue.
Check out other articles about cheating and academic dishonesty on WSO.
- Academic Dishonesty on Record
- IBD..with Academic Probation on my Record?
- Will FT Job Offer be Rescinded for Academic Dishonesty
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Reminds me of a story a few years back then where an intern at GS stole like 200 dollars from his senior's wallet....
how did he get caught?
Join the military.
I'm sure you'd absolutely shine in politics.
Really? He got caught....
Then again, if you can spin a good lie, you'd be okay and everyone would blame the school.
Too many qualified applicants for this not to be an automatic ding
I got caught doing something along these lines my sophomore year... though it was not nearly as bad, just had to withdraw from the class....my case no one asked about the "W" on my transcript. Not sure how this will play out but I can tell you the business is more about who you know that what you know, so if you have a good network it could be overlooked.
Yeah that may be a deal breaker. I mean if you get an interview you may be able to spin it, but that is sort of wishful thinking.
Um cheating is bad, mmmmmkay?
This--could go a couple ways. If you've got a big red water mark on the first page of your transcript in in size 35 font going diagonally across the page, read "CAVEAT EMPTOR: CHEATING BASTARD TRANSCRIPT!!! ", or something to that effect (affect?), could be a problem...potentially.
In seriousness, I'm doubtful that the folks conducting the background check flip through every page of your transcript, line by line; they could however. I mean, you're burying the lead here. Is the only indication of your transgression an "F" freshman year and a gap on your timeline? If so, nothing you can do about it now and proceed ahead. I can almost assure you if you land an offer, accept and sign the letter it wont be an issue. Albeit, if there's a Barry Bonds style astrix's next your "F" clearly footnoted in bold stating what happened and your punishment then... idk, your guess is as good as anybody's. Still would think it'd be a non-starter issue long as you weren't blatantly dishonest. In screening applicants, personally any transcript that's attached that I get with a resume in an email, I can honestly say I've never opened one up. I don't know banks HR procedures, however they screen so many applicants, that if you're required to include a transcript, I'd venture to guess that if everything checks out at first glance they more than likely just cross check what's on the transcript to what you listed on your resume.
In short, don't cheat anymore (or at very least don't get caught), network hard, don't bring it up if you don't have to and be transparent about everything they'd ask of you. I just have a hard time seeing the scenario where we hand out an SA / FT offer to some college kid, they accept and HR calls my MD and tells him that they won't to revoke this persons offer over a situation such as yours. It very well could, but that's just me. Last note, in our group or any of the banks other groups I'm in tune with, I've never heard about someone we handed an offer out to (at the jr. level) not getting through their background check. The revocation cases that people site on here all the time are very much the exception in my experience. We did have one guy (MBA) who quite the wrap sheet (for a banker) and didn't disclose everything, which technically is an auto revocation, but worked it out w/ our group head in HR and everything is / was kosher.
You cheated once on one exam as a freshman and they booted you? I thought there was only one single sanction honor system left in the US
Are you back at the same target? If so, I would imagine you would have to explain the grade if someone asks.
With background checks, most companies tend to just confirm whether you attended the college. Once you graduate, they might want to check the transcript to make sure you meet your offer.
I don't know the details behind this story, but there was a kid at our business school who was kicked out for cheating, switched to Econ, and will be interning at GS this summer. So I guess anything is possible. But also GS is "toxic."
I don't know why people are acting like this is gonna screw this guy. You don't show your transcripts until after you get an offer. They will have no idea that this even happened and I highly doubt they will rescind an offer based on that, so long as you didn't lie about it during an interview (I don't see how it could even come up in an interview). You should be fine, once you're into the background check phase the bank wants you to work there, and as long as you humbly explain what happened, I think you will be okay.
OP needs to literally have a transcript that starts from the beginning at his new school and does not require him to submit his old college transcript. Starting college OVER largely gives you a clean slate. Having to submit old college transcripts with a red "CHEATER" stamp doesn't.
I HATE cheaters. The kid who beat me out of Bronze Tablet for CS got caught cheating on exams TWICE. I never saw him do CS homework during his four year career at school, but I think I know where his grades came from. I was the obnoxious TA who would leave nasty notes and hand back zeroes on homework problems when your answer used the same variable names as twenty other kids. But this kid got caught, paid the penalty (losing two years of his academic career and having to start over), and we should move on.
@Happy, yes, you can get thrown out of a lot of schools on the first time getting caught if it's egregious enough. But that usually doesn't happen.
I wouldn't hire someone who submitted transcripts showing they were caught cheating on an exam. There are ways to make it go away, but they take more work.
in all honesty you might hate cheaters but it doesn't really matter at the end of the day because this is for a target school. Everyone who gets into a competitive target school is intelligent, even if they are admitted and go to a community college instead because of cost reasons the outcomes are similar.
the cases where it does matter is when the material you are learning (or not learning, because you are cheating) is actually directly required in the field. This might be the case in CS or engineering, but certainly not for economics/other social sciences studied by many undergrads at targets.
screwed foreva? fo eva eva?
didn't hurt ted kennedy too much.
Dreams of Big 4: F on Transcript for Academic Dishonesty? (Originally Posted: 10/18/2012)
Hey everyone
I am currently a second year accounting major and I recently was accused of academic dishonesty, although in all essence its not final, the outcome will be that I will get an F in a course that I took last semester (a non-business/non-accounting related course). I didn't do anything remotely related to cheating (I told a student what a TA would tell as student what to study for the test) but I am still getting the hit for it. I am able to appeal the "Decision" but historically those that appealed (out of 100s of cases) only like 1 and 2 succeed. If that doesn't work I will still be able to write a letter to the president of the university about the situation. I currently have a 3.48 and if the F still stands I would get a 3.08. I am bucking for a good big 4 internship hopefully summer between junior and senior year and I was wondering how badly am I screwed when it comes to Big 4 Interviews when the time comes next year? Will I even be able to get an interview? Also I am doing well in my accounting classes (getting a solid A so far) if that helps at all. I am really worried that I won't get an interview and that I may even have to drop out because I really want to do accounting! Anyways how badly does this hurt my chances?
Lol who dreams of going Big 4?
Wow dude I'm really sorry this happened. If you're being honest here in saying that you gave only as much information as a TA would, it REALLY sucks that you're getting hit for it. Do everything you can to battle this...never been in the situation myself, but make sure you leave no stone unturned when trying to patch up the situation.
I guess if nothing else, this is a good lesson in always watching your back and keeping your bases covered. One little slip-up can really screw things up.
If you really didn't engage in academic dishonesty, how are you letting this go so lightly? Potentially having that on your record isn't something to just shrug your shoulders about and let it be, given that you are innocent. Plus, you may be asked to explain the F later by whoever sees your transcript, in which case you should not be lying about the reason.
I've actually gone through this as well in college but fought it all the way since it was basically a miscommunication issue with a TA and I had done nothing wrong. After going through a long investigation and hearing that spanned three months, the accusations were dropped since there was overwhelming evidence that I had done nothing wrong. The hearing officer actually wrote a scathing report on the TA and department manager for pursuing it since it was groundless and they should've immediately seen it was just a simple misunderstanding.
So, if you really didn't do it, I would really fight it until the end (why wouldn't you?). However, if you are guilty, there's nothing you can do about it now so there's no point in wondering how it's going to affect your chances at landing a Big 4 interview. Just move forward and don't screw up like that again.
shit man.
You should definity fight it all the way. Getting into a Big 4 shouldn't be your only worry, getting into any potential job will question the F and having an academic dishonesty on your record will give a very negative first impression. At the least least if you do fight it all the way and still get the mark, you will at least be able to explain what you did and why it wasn't justified. Showing you put in the effort to redeem your name will show what you are capable of.
Background Check - Academic Integrity (Originally Posted: 04/05/2010)
I was wondering, how do they do the background check on academic integrity, school related stuffs like that?
They don't. A lot of b-school/college/HS ECs are impossible to check. You say you painted homes in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina? It's not like there's an attendance sheet they can check online, is there?
I think it's hilarious, though, how many of you guys clearly fabricated/embellished your CVs. I think there are 2-3 background check questions per day on this site.
Why do banks do background checks? To keep you assholes a little honest.
Don't worry about them. You really have to make some shit up or get seriously unlucky to get caught out in a background screening. Did you work at the companies you specified? Were you there when you said you were? Did you make up your GPA? Did you actually attend Harvard?
You're not applying for a job with the CIA or NSA, so I wouldn't worry about it. The guys running these screenings are doing THOUSANDS of these. You think they're going to spend more than 15 minutes looking at your qualifications? Do you think they're going to check EVERY SINGLE detail? Nope. No chance.
Just to be clear, most of the poo you plaster all over your CV as a college kid, no one cares about, so why would anyone try to verify it?
Background Check Academic Record (Originally Posted: 11/19/2012)
Hi WSO, I got a job offer from an international consulting firm and was wondering about their background check.
I have a good GPA and good academic standing except that I was recently accused of cheating on a test--even though I did not. After meeting with the professor and explaining the misunderstanding, she dropped the charges but I was told that a warning would be placed in my academic record (not transcripts) until I graduated (so until May).
Will this be detected in the background check and if so, will it affect me from actually getting a job at that firm? Will I be able to explain my weird situation or is it an automatic boot?
Thanks!
No, it shouldn't. I would investigate exactly what you said in the post, in which a "warning" will be placed on your "academic" record. Typically, in any type of disciplinary matter, any violation, sanction, charge, etc., will be placed on your disciplinary record, and NOT your academic record or transcript. Disciplinary records are usually deemed confidential and are expunged/destroyed after 7 years. The only disciplinary measure that would appear on your academic record/transcript would be an expulsion. I would contact the office of judicial affairs at your school to gain precise clarity. This wouldn't appear on any formal criminal background check.
Doesn't get on your record until a judgement is handed down.
The "warnings" are only seen by school officials, and do not appear on any sort of transcript.
You will be fine.
It won't be reflected on your transcript so nothing to worry about.
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