During one of our lectures, I was really surprised to see how many students in our class was guilty of cheating, it seemed like more than half of the class. While I understand that we all want to do well in school and get good grades, I definitely don't think people should make a habit out of it. I found an article online about cheating and the reasons/excuses for why students decide to cheat (http://www.forbes.com/sites/ehrlichfu/2013/08/22/cheating-in-schools-and-colleges/). I for one have heard these excuses being used numerous times by my friends and classmates.
The first one being, “It’s no big deal.” However, if they were to ever get caught, there would surely be dire consequences. Especially if students continue to cheat while attending a college or grad school. Universities take cheating very seriously and one could lose all credibility in future opportunities such an internships or applying to other schools. The second most commonly used excuse is, “I just got a little help, that’s not really cheating.” Unfortunately, cheating is cheating and no amount of denial is going to change that. It doesn't matter what kind of method you use or to what degree is being used, it is still frowned upon by teachers and schools.
Lastly, the third excuse is either, “Everyone does it,” or “The teacher is terrible, so I have to cheat.” Students play the victim and blame other people for their wrong doings, but that's not how the system works. It was you yourself who made the decision to cheat and it's not always good to give in to peer pressure. Now I'm not saying that those who cheat are terrible people, but I do think that cheating is a very big problem that our schools face and shouldn't be taken so lightly by students. As a future teacher and mentor, I hope for my students to avoid making bad decisions and to think about the possible outcomes before they act.
I agree that there really is no excuse for cheating. However, I do believe that most people will cheat at some point in their life, in one way or another, big or small. I think the point you made about not making it a habit is really important, While I admit I have cheated, I do not plan to continue to do it. I know that one can fall down a slippery slope in which it effects all areas of their life.
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