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Five Ideals of Cheating
An actual post from an online forum where students were discussing the "merits" of cheating.
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It seems to me that you grasp the idea of cheating the way I do. When I cheat, I do it more because I can than because I have to. Often, I know that I would be able to receive an A on a test if I decided to study. However, you put it remarkably when you said that cheating was a timesaver. I do feel that cheating is done to save time, but in many cases, however, cheating is done to relieve stress.
There are several ideas that the cheaters in my school hold dearly. Contrary to your opinion that no one needs to know, those at our school feel differently. There is a select few at my school who perform specific tasks. We know how to contact one another and we know all who is to be told and who should not be told. Another reason for having such a network is that it benefits cheating in many ways. The idea of saving notes, tests, papers and such is greatly aided by having a union. The other important ideal is that similar grades or answers can be attributed to "studying together", which is, in effect, the truth.
The ideals of cheating are as follows:
#1. You go down alone. If one person gets caught, no one else's name should be mentioned. Escape routes, excuses and alternative stories should all be prepared ahead of time. No matter what deal they say they will cut, the administration is probably bluffing on the severity of punishment. Denial is also key in this aspect. One should deny until academic career is on the line, at which point, apologies said in a reluctant way should be uttered, all the while maintaining innocence. It is also vitally important that you get to your parents about your problem before the school does. In most cases, parents would rather punish their children themselves rather than allowing the reputation of their children, an consequentially theirs as well to be ruined. A greater reason to tell parents is that they will, in most cases, take your side because they do not want something to hurt you in the future. Another reason that one shouldn't mention partners in crime is that conspiracy is more likely to lead to flaws in stories. Therefore, if one person is caught, it is in their best interest as well to keep it to his or herself.
#2 Don't Brag. Bragging is a terrible idea. The only occasion to brag is one that is completely within a group of cheaters. Although bragging is a bad idea and can lead to a damaged reputation. Bragging done after the fact is less likely to result in any real consequence. Aside from "Codes of Ethics" and such efforts to detain extracurricular activities, bragging after the actual event of cheating is deniable and one is able to avert any problems most of the time. If suspicion does arise, however, it is imperative to cease cheating and start studying. If grades fall after suspicions arise then the possibility of cheating may be further investigated.
Bragging about having an upcoming test or cheating on a paper with a grade pending is one of the more stupid ideas, showing that the necessity for cheating for such a person is lack of intelligence. This allows word to spread and jealousy to flow throughout a population. Generally, those who do not have the test will want it. This is bad, because those who find out about such things through the grape vine will act sloppy and risk getting everyone caught to save his or her own back. Others will become jealous due to the fact that they must spend much more time studying in an attempt to attain a good grade. These students are the most likely to tell. If you become aware of their awareness, then it is imperative that everyone is informed of the cover story.
Blackmail is also a good technique to ensure silence. Bribery, however, is incredibly stupid. Bribery gives the accuser every advantage. If they play their cards right, they can keep your money and still incriminate you. Blackmail should be used in the case that you know of an event that might cause embarrassment to the accuser (i.e. a time when they were known to have cheated or committed some other illegal act.) This is where bragging can play to a cheaters advantage. Without actually doing so oneself, it is clever to encourage others to come forth with cheating stories of their own. This can help by finding out dirt on those who might cause problems in the cheating process, by allowing knowledge on who might be of assistance and tells of who is able to keep their accomplishments to his or herself.
#3 Precautions are necessary. It is imperative that every precaution is taken when cheating. The less actual material evidence that can be found, the better. Cheating is best done when it is done through memorization of an advanced test copy. When this is available, one should not prepare a cheat sheet, but use the test as a study guide assuring that they have all of the knowledge needed to achieve a good grade. This allows less suspicion when more than one person is involved because their answers show less similarities and provides no evidence to the takings place. Cheat sheets with answers on them are often bad ideas because, if discovered, they allow the teacher or proctor knowledge that an advanced copy of the test has been leaked and they will therefore become suspicious of anyone and everyone. This is one of the major reasons that Ideal #1 (You go down alone) is so vitally important. Cheat sheets with actual facts on them are less likely to arouse suspicion of conspiracy among teachers, although they are less reliable and time is more wisely spent studying. Preconceived cheating is risky business. This is the best form of cheating, however the method upon which is frowned the most. Therefore, it is necessary to avoid anything that might shed light on the fact that you had the intent to cheat before entering the exam.
#4 Change your method of cheating. Cheating which is done repeatedly in the same fashion is likely to arouse suspicion. This is why it is imperative to continue to create many ways of cheating. This is also necessary due to the fact that it keeps the thrill of cheating alive. Changing the method of cheating allows cheaters to stay one step ahead of those standing in the way, but can often lead to bragging. To minimize bragging in this instance, create your own method of cheating during the actual test, keep similarities in test taking to a minimum whenever possible. In keeping similarities to a minimum one should remember that plagiarism is also a bad idea, because it creates an automatic source from which one can determine whether cheating has taken place or not. Cheating on long term assignments and papers should be done in the form of finding previous works and synthesized material from which one can attain the necessary knowledge in less time.
#5 Don't stop cheating until the course is over or you can get good grades without it. It is necessary to cheat throughout the entire duration of a course if one chooses to do so once. This is necessary in order that one keeps maintains similar grades throughout a class. This will cause the teacher to be less suspicious, however, will cause classmates to grow weary of your cheating. Therefore, if one cheats throughout the duration of a course, it is important to do so independently so that grades and answers show little similarity. It is important That one also creates the false image of studying by arranging fake study sessions in class or by going to the teach for a help session at which one to one contact is limited so that they do not see the true level of intelligence regarding their specific subject.
President of the Association of Superior Studying,
Nameless therefore Blameless
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