Hey, Cherie!

I have a moral problem. I am 17 and applying to colleges this year. I am a good student in mathematics and science, and in fact have taken several advanced placement classes in those subjects. I have also signed up for a class this fall at the local college. I would say that I am in the top 2 percent of my high school classmates in those areas; however, I am not as strong in the humanities like social studies and English — probably only in the top 10 or 15 percent.

Here is my moral issue. I have an older sister who graduated in the spring from a great college in New England. She graduated magna cum laude with a degree in humanities, sociology to be exact. My parents think that there is no problem with having Katherine (my sister) help me with my college entrance essay. They believe that there are other kids who are having brothers and sisters, or parents, assist them; I have even read on the Internet about companies that do this.

I realize that this is a form of cheating, and I know that essays are not the most important item on applications. But it could be the edge I need to get into the school I want.

What do you think? Is this a big or a little thing?

— Top 10 Bound

Hey, Top!

Whether it's a big or a little issue depends on your own personal and family morality. But whether it's big or little, I'd advise — no shocker here — against it. It's wrong and risky. With the essay part of the SAT, college admissions committees can compare one against the other. If you use words like "skip" in one and "eschew" in the other, eyebrows are going to head for the ceiling, and you could find your application torpedoed deeper than the Lusitania (look it up!).

What makes me sick is that cheating is becoming so institutionalized. I read somewhere that one in four adults think they need to cheat to get ahead. Cheating in sports too often doesn't seem to matter if you can get away with it.

But Top, you still have to live with yourself. How about proofreading or even a light copyedit? That's probably OK, but anything more is going to make your own stomach sick. Don't do it; I bet you will still get into some great schools.

Hey, Cherie!

Do you have a good way to remember jokes? I am probably the worst person in the world for remembering jokes. I am in eighth grade. Last year at lunch kids would be telling jokes, but I could only think of one and it was pretty stupid. I will take any help that you can give.

— The Joker (Not!)

Hey, The!

You have come to exactly the wrong place. Sometimes we tell jokes at the dinner table on Friday nights, and I am about the worst in the world to think of them.

But you know, file cards help — keep a couple in your backpack with joke notes on them. Go to the water fountain and review. Come back, tell the joke and get the laughs.

This is not like a college entrance exam.

Cherie Bennett is a best-selling author of books for teens and young adults. Visit her website at www.cheriebennett.com. To find out more about Cherie Bennett and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.

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