Episodes of cheating that you have known and loved

[MichaelB]

Cheating isn’t limited to students or school. It infected the workplace, and seems to be pretty common in sports and dating sites.

[JoeWras]

One of my "good friends" copied a computer program, unknown to me. He had the ability to know how to steal my disk while I slept and copy it using an obscure non-standard operating system. But he didn't have the wherewithal to actually program. He was in trouble. Computers were his major and he didn't "get it."

The TAs did byte checks for this kind of perfect copy. My program and his were exact. We were both called into the professor's office and told this is the death penalty for one of us, i.e. an F on the class, no chance for drop or anything else.

I looked at him. He sat firm, then crumbled and admitted everything. The professor took my printout and wrote "A" on it and dismissed me. After I was dismissed, my friend was told the details of his execution which he later shared with me. Pretty severe mark on his record.

We remained friends. I was even invited to his wedding. He manned up, and I appreciated that. But oh man, that was pretty scary for about 1 day. It would have changed my life because computers were my thing.

It changed his. He dropped out for a while and changed majors to something in the fine arts.

[flintnational]

I cheated at fraternity spade card games while in college. We would pass cards clutched between our toes under the table. However, that type of behavior was held in high esteem in that setting. Only the best could get away with it. Come to think of it, my partner and I rarely lost!

[Winemaker]

During first undergrad chemistry lab class for engineers, I had to stop my lab experiment and visit the little boys room to "check my makeup". When I came back, the lab instructor was standing at my station and he warned me not to leave my station again. He said none of my classmates attempted or tried, but sometimes classmates will sabotage experiments so that you would get a worse grade than everyone else. The competition for higher better grades had started and I was just forewarned, for the 2nd time. The first time occurred during orientation, when our class mentor/adviser told us that up to 33% of us would not graduate in engineering because we couldn't keep up the academic pace. We did do a lot of group homework sessions for four years.

[jjquantz]

When I was in grad school I was proctoring a history exam when I noticed a young woman constantly looking down into her lap. A common cheating method (male and female) is to have note cards on your lap during an exam. However, when I did a circuit around the room, I saw nothing untoward. After I got back to the front, the lap referrals began again. I am convinced that the young lady either had note cards under her skirt or had written notes on her thigh. But I was NOT going to confront her. What would I say, "Young lady, what are you hiding under your skirt?"

[HadEnuff]

When I was in high school, sophomore year I think, (whatever year we studied World History in those days), the teacher had us sit in assigned seats for all tests, and he'd move all of the desks away from each other, as far as he could given the limitation of the size of the room.

For the final exam I found myself right in front of him, with my desk touching his desk. I liked history, and didn't need to cheat, but if I'd needed to, when I looked up I was staring right at the test key he had out so he could grade the tests as we finished them.

[Beststash]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lewis Clark You may consider it "helping". But you submitted work that was not your own. Everybody in academia would consider it cheating. At least be honest with yourself about what you were doing.

I wouldn't have posted this in the "cheating" topic if I didn't know it was cheating. For me it was definitely a big help. I got the MBA mostly because I enjoyed going to school but I bit off a little more than I could chew for a couple of semesters when I was having to do a lot of travel.

[JoeWras]

Quote:

Originally Posted by HadEnuff For the final exam I found myself right in front of him, with my desk touching his desk. I liked history, and didn't need to cheat, but if I'd needed to, when I looked up I was staring right at the test key he had out so he could grade the tests as we finished them.

Reminds me a bit of my language class in high school. Our poor teacher was not too good, and he was too trusting. The star student took advantage of him. The star student sat right next to a bulletin board. This guy had the audacity to post a list of vocabulary on the bulletin board! It blended in with the other stuff. So, he'd sit there and refer to the vocabulary -- during a vocabulary test.

I shamefully admit I sat across him one time and took a glance or two.

After he did this a few times, the teacher was just lazily walking through class during a test. He came up to the board and stared. Suddenly, his eyes grew giant and he yelped and asked who did it. Surprisingly, our star student gave some excuse right there: something about helping everyone for the week's vocabulary. Star student just got a wrist slap, but he nearly peed his pants and didn't pull another stunt like that again. He still got A's. Didn't need to cheat.

[EarlyBirdly]

"So … anyone else directly witnessed cheating?"



Witnessed ?


Uh, no.... Never "witnessed".

[Stormy Kromer]

In high school shop class we were doing basic welding. The teacher did a sample for an example to study.


At the end of class one of my buddies took the teacher's sample, put his name on it and turned it in as his project.


He got a C.

[JoeWras]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Stormy Kromer In high school shop class we were doing basic welding. The teacher did a sample for an example to study. At the end of class one of my buddies took the teacher's sample, put his name on it and turned it in as his project. He got a C.

[donheff]

I always did pretty good on tests even though I was ADD (un-diagnosed way back then) and didn't study. But I was unorganized and lazy so one year in community college summer school I paid a buddy who loved to write $20 to do a philosophy essay that was to be submitted near the end of term. My father suggested (to me) that I write a review of some book on "vegetative soul" by Aquinas or somebody. My buddy skimmed it and wrote the essay. At the final exam (which I aced) the teacher stopped me after class to congratulate me on such a well written essay and asked me how I settled on such an arcane topic, one that he was fascinated by. I almost, dropped a brick in my drawers since I barely read the essay. The truth always helps so I told him my father suggested the topic and then expressed my regret that I had to run to another exam but maybe we could talk later.

And, yes, I recognize that was cheating. I also shoplifted a time or two and recognize that was wrong. On the other hand, I stood up a few times for weird kids who others often tormented -- a little balance in life.

[Aerides]

In my HS Physics class, I had blown off the 2nd half off the semester, resulting in a B (1q) and D(2q) going into the Final. The way things were weighted in my school, an A on the final would mean a B for the semester.

I sat in the back row with some jock types who were not going to be of help. Wasn't ever something I'd so, and I was the type that could cram and test well. So I crammed for about 40 mins the night before.

I got the A.

My teacher was annoyed, but, smirking, said "I was going to accuse you of cheating, but no one sitting anywhere near you got anything close to your score."

[donheff]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Aerides In my HS Physics class, I had blown off the 2nd half off the semester, resulting in a B (1q) and D(2q) going into the Final. The way things were weighted in my school, an A on the final would mean a B for the semester. I sat in the back row with some jock types who were not going to be of help. Wasn't ever something I'd so, and I was the type that could cram and test well. So I crammed for about 40 mins the night before. I got the A. My teacher was annoyed, but, smirking, said "I was going to accuse you of cheating, but no one sitting anywhere near you got anything close to your score."

That reminded me of a non-cheating anecdote, also from physics. In junior year of HS I failed physics 1 because of cutting class and not doing the pretty graphs and other homework the teacher demanded. In those years physics 2 was a separate class that didn't build on physics 1 ( so kids in the B class who had started school in the spring semester could start physics in the spring and finish in the fall). In any event, I moved on to physics 2 with the class I had failed. The new teacher decided to give us all a mini-final to see what we had learned in the previous class. I asked if I should take the test since I failed the class and he said, "yes, lets see how much you picked up." You can guess where this is going - I got the highest score in the room.

[mountainsoft]

I skipped my senior year of high school to go directly to community college to study electronics. So in my junior year of high school I had to take an Algebra class to qualify. The only class available was a class for sophomores, so I felt really out of place as a junior. I was a total nerd, with no experience with the ladies whatsoever. So when the two cutest girls in glass sat next to me every day and flirted so they could copy my answers, I was more than happy to comply.

[Bestwifeever]

When I was in college another girl stole my friend’s final biology research senior paper from her desk in the dorm—pre-computers, of course the only copy. Not to use it as her own work, just to screw my A-student friend, who had worked on it the entire semester. My friend was given an extension and not penalized, the other girl never caught although everyone knew who did it.

[Rianne]

A prof in my MBA program allowed a 4x6 notecard with everything you think you’ll need for the tests. I used a 4 font and jammed all I could think of. It was brilliant and it forced me to study. I knew that material inside and out. No need to cheat because you had your notes in front of you.

The trick, you’re not sure what she’s going to ask so you write everything down and you’re only allowed so much time so you have to consolidate the materials. Aced it.

[JoeWras]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rianne A prof in my MBA program allowed a 4x6 notecard with everything you think you’ll need for the tests. I used a 4 font and jammed all I could think of. It was brilliant and it forced me to study. I knew that material inside and out. No need to cheat because you had your notes in front of you. The trick, you’re not sure what she’s going to ask so you write everything down and you’re only allowed so much time so you have to consolidate the materials. Aced it.

This!

Most of my college tests were like this. It also reflects the real world better.

[frayne]

It appears cheating is a skill set developed at an early age and carries through with the person the rest of their lives. I can honestly say I never did it or saw any value to it. Cheaters are like thieves except they are robbing themselves.

[MRG]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rianne A prof in my MBA program allowed a 4x6 notecard with everything you think you’ll need for the tests. I used a 4 font and jammed all I could think of. It was brilliant and it forced me to study. I knew that material inside and out. No need to cheat because you had your notes in front of you. The trick, you’re not sure what she’s going to ask so you write everything down and you’re only allowed so much time so you have to consolidate the materials. Aced it.

We were allowed to out notes in our S/370 yellow card for tests. I did the same, filling with notes forced the information in.my brain. Never used the information but I did get 100% on every test.