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Teen Years (13-18)
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Many would consider today’s teenagers to be superheroes. With the ability to juggle Advanced Placement (AP) courses, extracurricular activities, SAT studies and even jobs, students struggle to survive school and reach their goal of getting into the nation’s top colleges. Participating in everything from varsity sports to honors classes is what is seen as the standard requirements for getting into a good college. Many ask how these super teens do it all, and unfortunately, the answer isn’t the usual “through hard work and determination.” For nearly half of students, it is by cheating. The 2003-2004 Gallup Tuesday Briefing report claims that 46% of teens in the U.S. have personally cheated on a test and 65% of them say cheating is present in their schools. With growing competition among high school students, it is no surprise that many have resorted to such means to stay in the race. Technological advances such as handheld computers and programmable calculators have also made it easier for students to cheat. Students have been caught cheating by taking pictures of the exams with camera phones, text messaging other students the answers and using electronic dictionaries on tests. Many students often cheat by blatantly copying other students’ homework and tests or plagiarizing and buying essays from the Internet. It seems as though teenagers have forgotten that cheating is wrong and has severe consequences a warning, a suspension, even expulsion. Ten seniors from the Landon Preparatory Academy in Maryland who were caught cheating on the SATs in 2003 had their scores cancelled; each student had to notify the colleges they applied to of their academic dishonesty. Some who had already been accepted to top colleges, such as Yale and Princeton, were rejected for cheating. Cheating is becoming so prevalent among teenagers, one wonders if they will continue their habits and dishonesty in the future. In addition to recognizing the harsh consequences of academic dishonesty, students must understand that cheating only temporarily solves problems. For instance, cheating in an AP class will not help students pass the AP exam, which ultimately determines whether the student can get college credit. Cheating can also put students at risk of not being able to catch up. Once you cut corners, habits develop. Instead of being overwhelmed by too much work, students should try to find a balance, even if that means sacrificing an extra class or a few volunteer hours and not being the ultimate super teenage hero. Jaclyn Hong, 17, of Diamond Bar, is a senior at Troy High School in Fullerton. She is co-editor of the school’s newspaper. For Letters: ocfamily.com |
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