What if the student is afraid that admitting the violation will ruin his or her college career?
The act that jeopardizes the student’s career is committing the violation in the first place, not admitting it afterwards. Admitting the violation will help mitigate the offense, and reduce the penalty. In most cases, the sanction is not reflected on transcripts and will not be reported to potential schools or employers. Even when the violation and sanction must be reported, truthfulness and cooperation in the disciplinary process, accepting consequences, and learning from the experience are important factors that are carefully considered by employers and admissions committees.
