Cheating is about beating the system, right? Finding ways to get ahead without putting in mind-numbing study hours? Well here are four ways to do just that, and never get caught!
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by Jessica Swendiman
1. Read Cliff’s Notes, Answers.com and Wikipedia BEFORE your assigned reading.
These give you the highlights of what you are supposed to gain from your readings. You’ll understand the text the first time through when you know what you’re supposed to be looking for. This is how I finally understood Shakespeare and Chaucer.
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2. Suck Up.
Go to Office Hours. That’s it. Just GO. I used to aim for at least 3 times a quarter, even if I wasn’t having problems in the class. I would go to introduce myself, ask what would be on the midterm, ask my prof. to read over my outline for an essay, anything. Getting in there and helping them put a face with your name just might convince them to give you a break on tests and papers and bump that B+ up to an A- at the end of term. Professors like students who show initiative and don’t mind helping you out if they think you deserve it. How do I know this? This is exactly how I maintained my 3.97 GPA in college (which probably should have been a 3.5). Plus, I emailed five of my old professors before I wrote this article just to make sure. Also, future letters of recommendation from these professors will be a lot more convincing if they actually know who you are.
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3. Use your resources.
I worked as a writing tutor for my college’s Campus Learning Assistance Services and helped students, time and time again, turn their outlines or stream-of-consciousness essays into clear, coherent, brilliant papers. These services are free, people! And one session with a tutor only lasts 30 minutes (and you can come as often as you like). There are also test-taking seminars, group study sessions, private tutors and Office Hours with grad students in your field at most campuses. Check out your school’s website and find out what’s available to you.
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4. Stop being OK with not understanding.
Many students, including my younger sister, take the victim role when they don’t ‘get‘ something. They pout and whine and rage and nothing gets solved, which can be infuriating for those of us who know they’re smarter than that. Perhaps because of my over-stoked ego or some kind of twisted stupidity, I have never considered the possibility that there is something out there that I can’t ‘get‘ if I try hard enough in as many different ways.
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Take Stat 5 for example. I didn’t get it. I just didn’t. At the midterm I had a C and no idea what was going on. I decided it was time to step it up. I went to my professor’s and my TA’s Office Hours every week and I started going to two 2-hour sections a week, even though I was only enrolled in one. It was hard and frustrating, but guess what? I got an A.
