If they're cheating at the graduate level... chances are they cheated in undergrad and even before then as well. They'll get caught sooner or later. I don't condone cheating but it's easier to mind your own business and handle your own ****.
That cheater could someday take your job using his grad school academic credentials. Do you want that on your conscience? ...Didn't think so.
Depends on what we are talking about...homework, projects, clinical examinations, final exams, written exams, oral exams, etc... For instance, everyone shares homework, thats still considered cheating, but I really dont know anyone in my grad school class that didnt participate. It was literally 100% participation or you are just dooming yourself. Then there were things like final exams, which had about 20 proctors (for 100 students), video cameras, and massive spacing between students. Therefore, impossible to cheat.
You report it because people at the graduate level are given the privilege to run critical elements of society. And when positions are given based on merit, this creates an unfair advantage for the cheater. To put it another way: would you want to have a surgeon who cheated in medical school operating on your mother or the surgeon who earned top marks fair and square?
This takes me back to my previous post/question...depends on what they cheated on. First couple years of dental school were predominantly didactic. Many of those that cheated their way through the classroom were actually the ones that had the best hand skills and are incredible clinicians. In fact, I can very easily say that I would trust my teeth most to those that cheated with some of the coursework. Therefore, it just depends on what you cheat on.
This is America. The people who rise to the top have an advantage. You claw your way to the top, whatever it takes. The people I know on the highest rungs here on Wall Street have cheated their whole life, and they have been rewarded. Unless you are truly brilliant at what you do, I don't see why you wouldn't cheat. Most of my friends who attended medical school, told me that the majority of their friends cheated almost every step of the way. You do whatever it takes to make it in this life. Otherwise you will be mediocre and life will pass you by.
This is America baby! Brightside beat me to it. I stopped cheating after middle school but it's naive to think that people in high paying professions live with a constant moral high ground and maintain their integrity throughout their lives. The sleaziest people I've met tend to be bankers, lawyers and politicians. Doctors aren't too far behind, and are probably the kinkiest. And if you find yourself at the borderline, you need to re-evaluate your approach rather than that of the crowd. More importantly, how exactly can you accurately snitch out someone? How would you collect proof without it pointing back to you? Or do you accept alienation from your peers and make a public deal out of it.
I just thought of a cheating story, had completely forgotten about it. Before a final exam in oral pathology, my friend went into the instructors office for some help...during the meeting, she got a phone call and went outside to take it while he was in the office. On her computer, he saw a file that had "final exam" on it. He popped in a memory stick and transferred it over. He told me and 3 other people. We ended with A's in the class. Having said that...you still need to take 2 board exams and state licensing exams in order to practice...and there is absolutely no way in hell that you can possibly cheat on those exams. Therefore, even though I cheated on that pathology exam, I still know every possible disease that can take place in your mouth. Otherwise, I wouldnt be given a license...so Im not any less qualified because of an incident here or there.
Kind of the situation I was in. You might not think much of it, but what you did goes against the whole concept of academic integrity. I guess I am very torn by how pervasive it is even at the higher levels.
If your school has an honor code, you need to honor that code. It seems to me there were always two kinds of smart people in school... the ones who made good grades because they did study/didn't have to study and the ones that used their energies and intelligence figuring out ways to cheat.
Now I feel bad for getting help in Trigonometry. That is the only class that was like another language to me and I could never grasp it. I'm sorry, can I go to the police station and turn myself in?
Cheaters are ****ing scumbags in all walks of life. Yes, it's naive to think that people don't do it and that a big bulk of the people (though not all, obviously) at the top didn't cheat their way there somehow or another, but I'd rather have my integrity. What kind of logic is it to say that if you're not a genius, you might as well cheat? Rolling my eyes at "This is America. Do whatever it takes." Not being at the top doesn't implicitly translate to a life of mediocrity passing you by.
