Consequences of Plagiarizing a Rough Draft

[Ebolamonk3y]

look guyz. nemzy made a mistake and is going to pay for it regardless of the advice we give. i can't help but be sympathetic coz life is about making mistakes and learning from them. Consequences are things we cannot run from or in some cases change, so I just think its good to be supportive. the UC staff are certainly not going to be like that..

Mistakes like these concerning cheating is made at a young age and if not you know of the people who cheated and their results, which, usually is not that good... If you have no morals or standards then you can at lest employ common sense. If you neglect common sense you are no longer willing to take responsibilities for rational decisions, rather, you want all decisions to be irrational and there can be no sympathies for that. You seriously thing if the members on PF cry a river for you you can actually feel better? Go to a local park and visit the river, think mother Earth cry a river for you. How special.

 

[hypnagogue]

People make mistakes. Probably the biggest mistake people make is to dwell on past mistakes interminably. nemzy made a big mistake, and now s/he's already facing considerable consequences, so there is little value in continuing to pile on the criticisms. Plagiarism is a serious offense in academic life, but there is so much more to life than academics. nemzy will have to face the repurcussions in the arena of academia, but the nature of the offense doesn't justify a complete withdrawal of guidance and emotional support. If everyone acted this way, the world would be even more neurotic than it already is.

 

[Ivan Seeking]

A young person can usually survive a few bad choices; we all did it. The important thing is to admit the truth and move on. A continued pattern of deciept, with lie built upon lie, is sure recipe for disaster. IME, most people face several important moments of choice in their life - about the kind of person that they are and will be - perhaps like that faced now by nemzy. I have come to believe that we can't really imagine the entirety of the consequences of those seemingly isolated moments, and the choices that we make.

 

[Ebolamonk3y]

So it is life.

 

[Math Is Hard]

hmmm.. it's been a while now since nemzy has posted. Do you think no news is good news...?

 

[Loren Booda]

It's the weekend - time to think, but not to drink.

 

[TALewis]

All you got was an F in the class? Consider yourself lucky you didn't get expelled. If you play your cards right, you might be able to take the class again for grade replacement, if your university offers that.

And the bottom line as far as it being a "rough draft:" Your professor requested work. You submitted someone else's work and called it your own. That's unethical. Now you know.

 

[Adam]

I scored ridiculously high on IQ tests at Deakin University - proper ones, I mean, not internet tests. However, I am an absolutely terrible student. I've never cheated on anything in my life. Not even in primary school. So it annoys me when I sit there working away at stuff, and I see groups of other students sharing data, or just copying from material they bought off students from previous years. It annoys me more when I, who don't cheat but am a crappy student, work hard and get a pass, and these cheaters don't work at all and get great scores.

 

[Math Is Hard]

All you got was an F in the class? Consider yourself lucky you didn't get expelled. If you play your cards right, you might be able to take the class again for grade replacement, if your university offers that.

And the bottom line as far as it being a "rough draft:" Your professor requested work. You submitted someone else's work and called it your own. That's unethical. Now you know.

How do you know nemzy got an F?

 

[Ebolamonk3y]

Maybe he "fell on his sword" as Evo suggested.

 

[TALewis]

i go to a UC and i got caught plagiarising on my english essay, but the thing is its only the rough draft and the final draft is COMPLETELY different and in my own, but still the proff turned it into the board members and i got an automatic F for the class

Am I reading this wrong? I thought he said he got an automatic F in the class.

 

[Tsu]

I'm old and my eyesight stinks.
Math Is Hard is older than me, so she must be BLIND!

I do hope, tho, that no news is good news. It's a first offense, albeit a VERY SERIOUS one, so I hope they give s/he another chance. I'm just a softie...

 

[Math Is Hard]

You're right - my poor old eyes have failed me!

 

[Polly]

it annoys me when I sit there working away at stuff, and I see groups of other students sharing data, or just copying from material they bought off students from previous years. It annoys me more when I, who don't cheat but am a crappy student, work hard and get a pass, and these cheaters don't work at all and get great scores.

Well I have always noticed that life has a funny way of catching up with me and collecting from me the due.

My P.4 teacher was teaching the definite and indefinite articles (a, an, the) one late spring afternoon when I was most uncharacteristically captivated by the singing birds and lush vegetation outside the classroom. They have baffled me since.

And of course the year in which WWII ended was just too obvious to appear in any history test so I didn't commit it to memory. Guess what, it turned up in a t.v. quiz show some years later and not knowing the answer, my mother and I couldn't make it to the final contest.

 

[zoobyshoe]

I am happy to report you used the article "a" completely correctly twice in that post.

 

[Polly]

what a relief!

 

[zoobyshoe]

what a relief!

Once again! Completely correct!

 

[Chi Meson]

I scored ridiculously high on IQ tests at Deakin University - proper ones, I mean, not internet tests. However, I am an absolutely terrible student. I've never cheated on anything in my life. Not even in primary school. So it annoys me when I sit there working away at stuff, and I see groups of other students sharing data, or just copying from material they bought off students from previous years. It annoys me more when I, who don't cheat but am a crappy student, work hard and get a pass, and these cheaters don't work at all and get great scores.

I fall in the same category: High IQ, lousy as a student (much better as a teacher though since I can recognize those who don't perform as well in "traditional" forms of asessment). I wish I could boast your record though. I went into high school with a clean concience. BUt in my sophmore year, during a surprise (and mean-spirited) quiz, I succombed to the "wandering eye syndrome." I copied the completely erroneous answer of my friend next to me. Since I had not developed any skill at cheating, I copied the answer nearly ver batim. Case closed. The feeling that I had when I was caught, and the repercussions that followed created "the worst moment of my life." The ironic thing is that those kids who cheated all the time were the first ones to get into teasing me for cheating.

I guess it was a good thing that it happened so early; you never want to feel that way again. I still wish I could say that I have never cheated.

 

[Artman]

I scored ridiculously high on IQ tests at Deakin University - proper ones, I mean, not internet tests. However, I am an absolutely terrible student. I've never cheated on anything in my life. Not even in primary school. So it annoys me when I sit there working away at stuff, and I see groups of other students sharing data, or just copying from material they bought off students from previous years. It annoys me more when I, who don't cheat but am a crappy student, work hard and get a pass, and these cheaters don't work at all and get great scores.

I'm in this same category. I've told this story here before, but it suits this discussion.

The top ten kids in my HS graduating class shared homework assignments, test questions, etc., while I got mediocre grades because I just didn't do any homework (my tests got me through school). One time, I go very interested in Chemistry and I got a 100 on a test that no one else got higher than a 70 on. I busted the curve and they all got Cs. One of the top ten kids accosted me in the hall and told me not to do that again, "Or else". I though he was kidding, but he wasn't. Coercion, yet another form of cheating used by those jerks.

 

[Chi Meson]

So...?

We're waiting.

 

[TALewis]

I was regularly known as the "curve-buster." It really ticked people off.

 

[Zantra]

You guys are sending him the wrong message and being waaay to easy on him. Ya we all make mistakes. But if you don't learn from them then it's a waste.

Be an adult, accept the responsibility of what you did, and the consequences of your own actions. What bothers me is that this person is mad, when it's their own fault, and they are looking around for someone to blame. Blame yourself, because you only let yourself down- no one else. You made a mistake, and it happens- But if you get off easy, and don't learn from that mistake, and cheat again- don't bother looking at med school... I'd look into barber college or something.

If I'm harsh it's because I don't empathize with cheaters. Being supportive only reinforces his negative behavior, and makes it sound acceptable. It's not, and cheaters always find out the hard way later that life has no mercy on cheaters, and the consequences are a lott bigger.

 

[mooberrymarz]

If you get off easy you don't learn from mistakes...? Thats not really true. I'm sure Nemzy emotional state would be enough to remind Nemzy of wot happens when u cheat. he's clearly upset. I'm sure he's not going to do it again... being supportive is not enforcing his negative behavoiur, its just being human and accepting that we all make mistakes. nemzy screwed up and everybody gave him the best advice that they could and he did acknowledge that he did somehting wrong.

 

[Zantra]

If you get off easy you don't learn from mistakes...? Thats not really true. I'm sure Nemzy emotional state would be enough to remind Nemzy of wot happens when u cheat. he's clearly upset. I'm sure he's not going to do it again... being supportive is not enforcing his negative behavoiur, its just being human and accepting that we all make mistakes. nemzy screwed up and everybody gave him the best advice that they could and he did acknowledge that he did somehting wrong.

If there are no consequences when you do something wrong, you don't view it as wrong. A child puts it's hand on a hot stove and is burned. There is a consequence for doing it. If the child puts it's hand on the stove the first time and it's not on, the child will think it's ok, and the next time will get burned trying to to touch the stove.

Yes he's upset. The question is, is he upset with himself, or at being caught? If it's the latter, then he will cheat again and has learned nothing

Scenario: He gets away with a slap on the wrist and continues on. He cheats here and there to boost his GPA and graduates with a good GPA. Now comes the MCAT, because he wants to go to med school. Well all those other times he cheated catch up with him because the MCAT tests him on things he cheated on. So he tries to cheat on the MCAT. gets busted. Permanantly blacklisted from every med school, and just wasted 4 years of his life for nothing.

I don't think I'm being too harsh, I'm just telling it like it is. Ya it sucks that you got busted cheating, but it's your own fault... beg forgivness and don't do it again. I don't think I'm being vicious here.

 

[Njorl]

Why do you think one can't cheat on the MCAT? There are people who will take the MCAT for you, for a price. Then you can cheat your way through med school. Then you can cheat your patients out of good medical treatment.



There is a reason that cheating needs to be punished so harshly today. It is too easy. Those who are caught are the rare exception. When the risk is so low, the punishment must be extremely harsh in order to deter it. I think they really need to start stressing this in high schools. Children have just got to learn this. In high school, you can lay a heavy punishment on a student that won't alter their life too badly. In college, there should be no tolerance for it. There are people who don't cheat who would like to go to college, but don't get in. Every one of them deserves the education more than cheaters do.

The lamest excuse I have heard is that the work load is too much. If the work is too hard, then perform more poorly than the other students. Your poor performance will be an accurate reflection of your ability. It is nobody's right to be among the top performers. Even hard work does not give that right.

There is also the "everybody does it" line. If they do, turn the bastards in! They are stealing from you. If they broke into your home and took your TV, you'd call the cops, wouldn't you? All courses are curved, overtly or covertly. When someone cheats, they are lowering your grade. By lowering your grade and raising theirs, they are increasing their future earning potential and lowering yours. They are stealing your money!

Njorl

 

[i_wish_i_was_smart]

that is the best answer anyone could of given, and i feel the same way
way to go Njorl

 

[Kalimaa23]

I think you have just given a good argument for not curving courses...

 

[Zantra]

Why do you think one can't cheat on the MCAT? There are people who will take the MCAT for you, for a price. Then you can cheat your way through med school. Then you can cheat your patients out of good medical treatment.



There is a reason that cheating needs to be punished so harshly today. It is too easy. Those who are caught are the rare exception. When the risk is so low, the punishment must be extremely harsh in order to deter it. I think they really need to start stressing this in high schools. Children have just got to learn this. In high school, you can lay a heavy punishment on a student that won't alter their life too badly. In college, there should be no tolerance for it. There are people who don't cheat who would like to go to college, but don't get in. Every one of them deserves the education more than cheaters do.

The lamest excuse I have heard is that the work load is too much. If the work is too hard, then perform more poorly than the other students. Your poor performance will be an accurate reflection of your ability. It is nobody's right to be among the top performers. Even hard work does not give that right.

There is also the "everybody does it" line. If they do, turn the bastards in! They are stealing from you. If they broke into your home and took your TV, you'd call the cops, wouldn't you? All courses are curved, overtly or covertly. When someone cheats, they are lowering your grade. By lowering your grade and raising theirs, they are increasing their future earning potential and lowering yours. They are stealing your money!

Njorl

You missed my point, which is that right now cheating just alters grades. If he does it as a doctor, it could kill someone.

 

[jimmy p]

WOAH Zantra, long time no see!

 

[TALewis]

Yes, many an ER episode has shown me the consequencies of "cheating" on a patient's chart!