Introduction
The education system is usually faced with a lot of challenges one of them being cheating in exams. The main reason behind cheating in colleges is usually to pass the examination and reach the expected grades. Many students suffer from transition from high school to colleges and the belief that college education is tougher than that in high school makes them panic hence the temptation to cheat in exams.
The learning atmosphere in colleges, for instance, lack of strict rules with much freedom also may make the students relax and forget their studies hence cheating due to lack of adequate time to revise for exams.
All in all the factors that lead to cheating do not in any way justify the wrong act and the students usually face a lot of consequences. This paper gives an insight into some of the consequences faced by a college student because of cheating in exams.
Consequences of a College Student Cheating In Exams
There are various consequences that are linked to cheating in exams in the college level. The student face some punishment which in most cases is determined by the seriousness of the cheating, the institution’s stipulated rules and regulations in regard to examinations, the particular lecturer’s or professor’s view of the circumstance among other factors.
One of the consequences involves failure in the specific course which leads to the overall failure. This is because cheating may result in getting a zero mark.
Apart from the failure, the student may also face the academic examination and disciplinary body which may make severe judgment for instance suspension or probation in case of first attempt or discontinuation or expulsion of the students in case of repeated attempt which affects not only his or her academic life but also the general life for instance in terms of securing employment opportunities.
Another consequence of cheating in examination among the college students is that the habit of copying or relying on others as opposed to working hard in their studies creates a negative attribute on them where they lack creativity and originality in their academic work.
They also lose the sense of responsibility as they depend on others for their educational success reducing their chances of gaining new knowledge which adds to their pool of existing knowledge hence putting them in better places in various aspects of life.
The ethical and moral grounds of the college students who engage in cheating habits is also undermined which may affect all other aspects of their lives as they do not value accountability and ethics for example in family or work place settings (Hinrichsen 1).
In the event that the student who engage in cheating exam successfully finishes the college education, he or she may create a false character to the outside world as the certificates and other documents shows that the student is capable or fit for a particular position in the work place whereas he or she has little or no knowledge on the field.
The lack of independence and responsibility could also be carried on to the work place where the individual becomes inefficient and highly non-resourceful reducing the possibilities of securing and retaining a good job.
The students who are caught in cheating also face a lot of embarrassment and shame such as facing the disciplinary body which could be ruthless thus affecting their self esteem negatively.
The reputation of the particular student is also damaged as he or she is viewed as being incompetent and wrong by the other students, the lecturers and professors and even the administration. This reputation may have negative impact to the student even long after the cheating incident. A student who engages in cheating exams without being caught may also consider him or herself as a winner forgetting that it may affect them sometimes in future.
The students may find themselves being involved in other unethical acts in their adulthood which could lead to more severe consequences than those faced in an educational setting. Another effect of cheating in exams is that the honest present and even the future students in the system also suffer from the cheating behaviour.
This is because the cheating is deemed to affect the education system in a given manner as the rules tend to be inclined to both the honest and the cheating students. The grades of the honest students are also affected as they tend to be positioned lower than the cheating ones because the cheating students perform better in most cases although their means are not justified (Smith 1).
Conclusion
Cheating in exams among college students is in the rise as the school systems become more lenient in terms of the examination rules and regulation, the guidelines given to the students and also the consequences accrued to the cheating act. Students usually find themselves taking advantage of cheating at the expense of working hard.
It is thereby advisable that the education systems in colleges should be revised where the importance of ethics should be impacted to the students to ensure that the students are able to be resourceful and responsible even in their professional careers and other general life matters.
Works Cited
Hinrichsen, Erik. “Consequences of Cheating on Exams in College’. Bright Hub, 2010. Web.
Smith, Andrew. “Consequences for Cheating in School”. Ehow, 2011. Web.