I’m a Senior in HS , and a week or 2 ago we had an essay due on Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night due. My parens are in the middle of a divorce right now and it gets crazy a lot at home so I’m not there a lot, so I ended up having to just copy it off the internet just so I wouldn’t get an F. Anyways, today I talked to my friend who had the same class last year and he says that the teacher checks papers for plagiarism like a Hawk. One year she wrote a letter to the UCLA reagents and got a kid rejected from UCLA because he plagiarized on an assignment. Now I’m scared because I don’t want to get suspended nor get an F in the class and I want to go to college. How do I get out of this one? She WILL find out. Confess before she finds out?
So, you are saying that, yes, you did turn in someone else’s work as your own?
Even though this is in GQ, and it could theoretically have a factual answer, I’m going to go out on a limb and guess that you wanted opinions. In that case…
Yes. You should confess. Whether she would have found out about it on her own, and whether confessing gets you out of any trouble, are incidental.
Threaten her life.
I know how to Google for purloined papers too (I’m a prof). You’d better tell her now, explain the situation and desperation, and beg for a second chance. And the next time you find yourself in a bad way, ask for an extension or accept a low grade. It’s better than being dishonest, lifting a paper off the Net and getting an F or getting kicked out.
Grow up, idiot.
That’s bullshit. You’re making excuses. If you’re not at home, why aren’t you at the library studying or doing your homework at a friend’s house? I guess it’s easier to blame problems at home for your laziness than to pore over Shakespeare. Do the right thing. Retract your paper as soon as possible and offer to submit a new one. Take whatever terms you can get. If your teacher shows no sympathy and gives you an “F”, take it. You’ve earned it.
yes
yes
yes
I thought I recognized your user name, Drinky Crow. You used a different excuse on another forum. You can close that thread, but not this one.
So, yeah. You should confess. But you should really try that divorce angle to garner some sympathy. It just might work. :rolleyes: Btw, your SA avatar is well deserved.
Moderator’s Note: Yeah, this one belongs in IMHO.
And let me add my opinion to the “Confess and throw yourself on the mercy of the court” pile.
Another thing, Drinky Cow: clean up the potty mouth.
It was a joke, idiot.
In Dinky Cow’s defence:
a) This is high school, not exactly a phd discertation. Nobody really takes high school seriously. I mean 50% of what you learn there is bs, and thats an honest to god statistic. K-12 Public schooling is the largest crock of monkey terd that has graced this green earth. Cheating is pervasive. Some teachers dont care, and most students certainly dont. Copying your buddies hw or lab is not a deadly sin like it is in higher education. That doesnt make it right, but I can say that I did some things I shouldnt have once or twice. That all being said, I never copied a paper off the internet, and resented when people tried to look at my test. All my important (tests, papers) work was my own, 100% bonafide grade A.
b) His parents ARE getting divorced. Its probably up there in the top 5 most stressful things a kid can experience (even for seniors in HS). Maybe we can empathize, but that doesnt mean we should feel sorry for him. We can empathyze without sympathizing. We dont need to tell him what a loser he is for making excuses.
Bottom line: we can all yell at him all he wants, or we can tell him to do the right thing. How do you get out of this? Honestly. Come clean. Tell her you sincerly want to make it up to her. Redo the assignment legitimately. Show her you honestly regret that mistake. And dont do anything that serious again.
I agree. As remorsefully as possible, just fess up.
And tell us what happens. I’m eager to know.
Pythagras, the monkey-turdity of a public school education is immaterial. Plagiarism is wrong whether you’re publishing something in an academic journal or in kindergarten. The perp needs to fess up and hope he is given a chance to correct what he has done.
Drinky Cow – you should absolutely 'fess up. If you’ve been a decent student up to now your teacher may take pity on you. Don’t mention the reason for your change of heart. “I was afraid I would get caught” will not resonate with her the way “I felt so guilty I couldn’t live with myself” will. Accept her terms gratefully – if she lets you rewrite the paper with the stipulation that it will lose 2 or 3 letter grades, do not attempt to bargain with her. If she offers an extra credit assignment instead, accept that assignment eagerly – whatever it is. Turn in your make-up assignment promptly and be certain it is your very, VERY best work. It should look like you really labored over it. Grovel. A lot. Tears would not be out of place. Remember that you are feeling horribly guilty and are eager to make amends. Now get off the computer and get to work – it would help if you have at least a rough draft to show the teacher when you talk to her.
Pythagras, I’d love to see a cite on: “I mean 50% of what you learn there is bs, and thats an honest to god statistic.” I doubt it – unless by ‘honest to god statistic’ you mean ‘stuff I just made up.’ At any rate, I assure you that Drinky Cow’s teacher does “take high school seriously” and she is the one he needs to impress.
Jess
Yeah, because talking about persoanl issues goes over so well on SA. If I did say something about it one of you guys would start saying something about it every thread. Don’t bring your petty squabbles with me to other forums.