What would you do if you saw someone cheat?

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[Chemdude]

Realistically, the people who cheat are not necessarily going to get screwed in the future. Sadly, the people that cheat are the most successful(politicians, lawyers, etc.)

Karma hasn't been proven to exist.

 

[Kaustikos]

Realistically, the people who cheat are not necessarily going to get screwed in the future. Sadly, the people that cheat are the most successful(politicians, lawyers, etc.)

Karma hasn't been proven to exist.

Wait...do I have a secret identity known as chemdude? I swear that's something I would say.

 

[KeyzerSoze]

Yea, well that's exactly what I'd say. What am I, the morality police? It's the school's responsibility to catch cheaters.

If I get asked that question I'll let you know how they like my answer.

That's a kind of sad attitude. Would you feel the same way if you saw someone shoplifting, or do you feel that cheating is a victimless offense?

 

[bamtuba]

A couple of random thoughts from this thread:

1. We are all hypocrites in some way or another at some point in our lives. However, believing that there exist moral absolutes for certain things is not something that we should belittle others for believing. When the grey areas enter your life of moral absolutes you have what I like to call a "learning moment."

2. I would (and have) alert the professor during his next office hour about the issue in class and recommend some things that might fairly help to allow everyone equal opportunity to EARN their grades, especially when the class is based on the curve. I was able to do this because of my former life as a teacher. I actually developed a great relationship with the prof. as a result and no individual student was punished for making a stupid mistake. Now if they wanted to tempt fate the second time and get caught by the prof...

3. For the final test scenerio, let it go. If you need a cheat sheet at that point in the class then you are screwed. Not a big deal for you anyway if all they got was "one quick glance."

And finally, if asked during an interview, my response:

Depends on the outcome of the situation, but I would do what I stated above. If someone will get ahead of me by a point or two (maybe) on a final and they want to take that huge risk, fine. But if a patient will be threatened by an action, you better believe I will throw my career away politically before letting that go.

I have been in this situation before as a teacher. That, however, is a story I will not be sharing on this board. Outcome: I got tenure and the respect of a LOT of people. I also lost some friends. My students, though, came first.

And I'm off of my soapbox.

everybody!

 

[BerlinDude]

That's a kind of sad attitude. Would you feel the same way if you saw someone shoplifting, or do you feel that cheating is a victimless offense?

You are not obligated to do anything. It is the shopowner's responsibility to stop shoplifting and the administrations's responsibility to stop cheating. You don't have any obligation to confront someone you think is cheating or give stern moral lectures.

However, it is easy to point out someone who is shoplifting - security can check if he took an item without paying for it. How do you prove someone is cheating? The OP 'saw' someone take out a sheet. He'll just say he wrote notes before the test and that he didn't use it, or he'll deny having the paper at all. Then what?

 

[red10]

You are not obligated to do anything. It is the shopowner's responsibility to stop shoplifting and the administrations's responsibility to stop cheating. You don't have any obligation to confront someone you think is cheating or give stern moral lectures.

However, it is easy to point out someone who is shoplifting - security can check if he took an item without paying for it. How do you prove someone is cheating? The OP 'saw' someone take out a sheet. He'll just say he wrote notes before the test and that he didn't use it, or he'll deny having the paper at all. Then what?

for the final it doesn't matter but if it was an earlier test then you better believe the profs are going to monitor that kid alot closer the next time around

 

[KeyzerSoze]

You are not obligated to do anything. It is the shopowner's responsibility to stop shoplifting and the administrations's responsibility to stop cheating. You don't have any obligation to confront someone you think is cheating or give stern moral lectures.

Nice. How about if you see a mugging?

 

[futureboy]

What would you do if you saw this? 🙁

Dig my keys into the side of his pretty little souped up four wheel drive, carve my name into his leather seats.
Take a Louisville Slugger to both headlights, slash a hole in all four tires.

Maybe next time he'll think before he cheats...

 

[TooMuchResearch]

Dig my keys into the side of his pretty little face, carve my name into his chest.
Take a Louisville Slugger to both knees, slash a hole in all four major appendages.

Maybe next time he'll think before he cheats...

Thunderdome 👍

 

[Narmerguy]

Don't have pity on the guy.

👍

 

[casillas]

You are not obligated to do anything. It is the shopowner's responsibility to stop shoplifting and the administrations's responsibility to stop cheating. You don't have any obligation to confront someone you think is cheating or give stern moral lectures.

However, it is easy to point out someone who is shoplifting - security can check if he took an item without paying for it. How do you prove someone is cheating? The OP 'saw' someone take out a sheet. He'll just say he wrote notes before the test and that he didn't use it, or he'll deny having the paper at all. Then what?

wow it's interesting to see the variations in responses that this got. but it was for the above reason that i did not do anything. There was no gaurantee the professor would do anything and i did not want to waste my exam time dealing with it.
The funny thing is that in theory (if you would have asked me two days ago) i would have said that i would have turned him in, but when it came to it I just couldn't.

I would like to think that hopefully it will get back to him in the future. but in all reality... it may not and he may end up being a doctor someday. (he may even be here on SDN righ now).

Dig my keys into the side of his pretty little souped up four wheel drive, carve my name into his leather seats.
Take a Louisville Slugger to both headlights, slash a hole in all four tires.

Maybe next time he'll think before he cheats...

I like this song. 😀 Maybe next time I will do just that 😉

 

[TopSecret]

I had my final in Cell Biology today and in the middle of the class the guy next to me pulled out a paper and clearly cheated off it. But i am the only one who saw (i think). What would you do if you saw this?

I took so long to think about it that he put away the paper. and i also did not want to be "that person" who told on someone. 🙁

Clear my throat.

 

[ktpinnock]

I remember in my first chem class, everyone would sit in or near the front to hear the lecture. Then, as soon as test time rolled around, half of the class moved to the back, and made it quite obvious they were cheating...esp. off some guy they deemed to be smart (but he just got a hold of the test the teacher used in the previous semester). Now, getting a test used is the previous semester and memorizing/working on the questions and answers is semi-okay with me, but having other people cheating off you and/or having the old test in your book bag and looking at it every five minutes is just wrong.

But, like most of you, I did nothing nor said nothing, only to my friend. But now that I think about it, and everyone saying it will catch up to them sooner or later and blah blah i really don't believe it, and I probably will write an anonymous e-mail to the professor in the future if I say anything like that happening.

Especially since the guy who cheated got higher or the same as me on every test. while i'm studying 2 days or more in advance, he just plans on bringing the old test w/ answers to the class and copying it...hell no..

 

[JeetKuneDo]

everyone seems to be saying they would let it slide, or go tell the professor anonymously.

what if this was actually an interview question? would anybody change their answer??

just curious

I would. I'm assuming it's best to give that middle of the road answer of saying that I would confront the person first and then tell the professor if this continues. Can't be your true self in interviews, just a variation.

 

[Luun]

I would have written "look over here one more time and I'll turn you in" on my test while he was copying. either that or I woulda put the wrong answers down and then gone back and fixed them while putting my hand over the answer so he couldn't see.

I've actually done that before.

 

[ZRCMed]

Report it.

I don't lie, cheat, or steal, nor tolerate those who do.

Cool. Another unsympathetic stuck-up going into the world of medicine. Can't wait.

 

[Cardiac]

Why would you ever report somebody? Just ignore it.

 

[Seraph 84]

Probably nothing. I'm not a taddle tale and I believe God has a way to deal with those who cheat.

 

[JeetKuneDo]

This is how I would handle it for the following scenarios:

1) If the cheater is in a class that is curved, gotta tell.
2) If the cheater is in a class that isnt curved, here is where it depends. If the guy/girl is pre med, tell the professor and take 'em out. If the person is a non pre med, let it slide.

 

[tangerini]

I told on someone for cheating once. The class was small (approximately 15 people), graded on a curve, and very difficult, and the guy was reading off notecards in his lap for the entire test. (Don't ask me how the professor managed to remain oblivious with so few students to watch.) I really struggled with it, but I just kept remembering how stressed out everyone else in the class was and how hard we'd been working, and it seemed so unfair. Like other people have been saying, the professor couldn't bust him on my word, but she did watch him closely during the next exam...and he cheated again and she still didn't catch him. It turned out his little notecards couldn't get him better than a D anyway, so I guess he got what he deserved in the end.

This is the only time I ever told, though - generally I figure if people cheat they're idiots and it's their loss, and I ignore it.

 

[adeline]

Cool. Another unsympathetic stuck-up going into the world of medicine. Can't wait.

I'll be sure to tell everyone who still cleaves to integrity your opinion of them; and also of the cadet code to those kids.

 

[Slowpoke]

sometimes when you play with fire, you'll get away unharmed by the sheer force of luck. Unfortunately, if your luck ever runs out, you're going to get burned - real effing bad.

Moral of the story: If you ever plan on playing with fire (cheating), be sure to bring a fire extinguisher (smoke bombs) to get away untouched.

 

[Dotsin]

If you're not cheating, you're not trying hard enough

 

[bigbad]

either that or I woulda put the wrong answers down and then gone back and fixed them while putting my hand over the answer so he couldn't see.

I did that in high school on an english test. Was great fun actually and I had to try hard not to smile.

9/10. Would do again.

 

[LiveUninhibited]

Over half of undergrads cheat. I think in med schools it was about 5%. Biggest cheaters in undergrad on average are business majors, least likely to cheat are sociology majors. I saw this in a sociology class years ago and chemistry/biology students were just below business majors.

Biggest overachiever (not a gunner... motivated but very nice) I knew in undergrad got in at OHSU right out of college. She said the hardest question she was asked was, "If you caught your best friend cheating on a test in medical school, what would you do." Her response was, "I would encourage her to turn herself in, and if she refused I would turn her in." Now that's a nasty question to get asked, lol.

Personally I'd tell the professor that he/she should keep an eye on that student from now on because I think they may have cheated, as I can't imagine being certain they were cheating, maybe if I had eagle vision.

Key his car. I know it sounds awful but... O Well

LOL. Nominate this for worst interview response. Wait I can think of a worse one. What would Cartman do? : Ask them to share next time, or else you'll turn them in.

 

[Poliscidoc]

Over half of undergrads cheat. I think in med schools it was about 5%. Biggest cheaters in undergrad on average are business majors, least likely to cheat are sociology majors. I saw this in a sociology class years ago and chemistry/biology students were just below business majors.

Biggest overachiever (not a gunner... motivated but very nice) I knew in undergrad got in at OHSU right out of college. She said the hardest question she was asked was, "If you caught your best friend cheating on a test in medical school, what would you do." Her response was, "I would encourage her to turn herself in, and if she refused I would turn her in." Now that's a nasty question to get asked, lol.

Personally I'd tell the professor that he/she should keep an eye on that student from now on because I think they may have cheated, as I can't imagine being certain they were cheating, maybe if I had eagle vision.



LOL. Nominate this for worst interview response. Wait I can think of a worse one. What would Cartman do? : Ask them to share next time, or else you'll turn them in.

My interview response would def. be much different, although if the interview was going good and there was a joking manner, I might offer it up as a joke... But, all BS aside if the person cheated off me and then bragged about it (like some d. bags will do) I would key there car

 

[COMBAT MEDIC172]

I come from a pretty strong no snitching policy. Is it wrong to cheat? Of course it is, and what goes around comes around, but I cannot stand little snitching Girl Scout, tightwad, pencil prick tattle tales.

 

[LuciusVorenus]

My physics professor winter quarter was one of those professors who don't make multiple tests so everyone gets the exact same questions in the exact same order, and since our lecture was crowded everyone was shoulder to shoulder.

When we started that test I peeked over and the guy next to me was REALLY OBVIOUSLY looking at my paper so I decided that since the test looked pretty ok to me I was going to play around with him a little.

So I began answering the first question incorrectly, finished it halfway, went on to the next one, and just kept switching back and forth and back and forth, erasing and rewriting things at the same time. After a while I looked over and the guy figured I didn't know what I was doing so he was sitting there with a blank stare on his face, scratched out answers all over his paper, and no one else to look off of (he was at the end of the row).

So while he's busy freaking out I finish the midterm and hand it in like 20 minutes early (wasn't even a hard test so I don't know why he had to cheat) and while I'm leaving I look over at him and he literally looked like he was about to explode.

EDIT: I forgot to mention, when midterm evaluations came around I just included in the little comment box they have that people were cheating and maybe he should make different versions of tests. He did for the final 🙂

 

[sustentacular]

Once, while proctoring a test, I saw a kid looking at another student's paper. Afterward I compared the two tests and found that one of answers was nearly identical on both tests.. and also wrong. I alerted the professor for the class and his only remedy was that we'd make the students sit farther from each other for the next test. saying that it was more trouble than it was worth to try and bring institutional action against someone for cheating. And he gave the example of one student who was a notorious cheater, but had escaped any punishment by having her parent's lawyer threaten the school and individual professors with lawsuits claiming defamation of character etc. blah blah blah.

 

[mic2377]

I would turn them in. No question.

I had this happen in 500-level neuroanatomy class. The girl was reading right off of her notes, which she had placed on the ground next to her. When I mentioned it to the professor, he dismissed it and said "she wasn't directly reading off her paper when I walked past." What a load of crap.

Personally, I was never one of the fortunate ones to have inside access to old exams, Q's, etc. to take the easy street to good grades. Strangely, however, when it came to the MCAT, I outscored my cheating competitors.

I assuage my bad feelings about the subject by trying to convince myself that the playing field will level in the end, even though this may not be the case.

My lack of sympathy comes from having to work almost full-time while doing my undergrad. I don't have ANY sympathy for people who think they deserve to have it easy.

 

[Chemdude]

wait...do i have a secret identity known as chemdude? I swear that's something i would say.

 

[dbrokut]

Agreed

 

[bamtuba]

I would also turn them in but I myself haven't been clean in that area.

dbrokut, I would delete this. You learned from your mistake. 👍

If I were an adcom reading this, I would go out of my way to find out a little more about you and not in a good way.

But it's your choice.

 

[acegsm]

I would also turn them in but I myself haven't been clean in that area.

You need to delete this.

 

[LuciusVorenus]

uhm
guys

it's been quoted :/
if anything now you guys need to delete it too :///
but then again it wont' show under HIS posts
so who knows

 

[BerlinDude]

uhm
guys

it's been quoted :/
if anything now you guys need to delete it too :///
but then again it wont' show under HIS posts
so who knows

Maybe I'm just crazy, but I doubt the AdComs are going to go out of their way to find out who the infamous "dbrokut" is.

 

[Omni]

I'd tell on him and then collect my reward.

 

[wanderer]

Most professors would never do anything to any cheaters. They either don't care or they don't want to screw the student over, or they are too lazy to fill out the necessary paperwork.

 

[willie0120]

If I saw someone cheat I'd probably just ignore them even though it pisses me off, cheaters usually brag about their grades when they get back their exams, they go "i studied so hard for this! bla bla" an professors usually buy it.