Essay writing services.

[Kiwi Phil]

Has anybody here had experience dealing with the Essay and Assignment services that are advertised on the internet for students in all categories.
I guess you could be a client (student purchasing essays), or actual writers (paid for writing them), or teachers-lecturers (marking these papers).

I am seeking your opinions.

The 16 y/o gets quite difficult assignments, that take a lot of time, and there are 'a lot of them'.(it is down-right endless)
His homework takes up probably 3 hrs (maybe more) per day, 5 hrs Saturday and more on Sunday.

I am old school and not overly comfortable with having someone write his essays, but I question, has the world moved on, and my old fashioned attitudes costing him.
He tells me some kids do it, and parents pay.
The kids that hand it a 'bought' essay get C-B range.
He thinks the kids that change/modify a 'bought' essay to their own words get B-A range.

He has a massive one on music at the moment. He was told to select 'anything' (analytical essay, or composition, or performance) and write his own task sheet. (that is not easy).
He knows he can knock-off approx A from the essay, so has written the Q on The Eagles, but there is a lot of work.

4 yrs back, a retiring headmaster told me of his days as a student doing an engineering degree, and how the calculator changed the face of his industry, and how 'the them old school' objected to the use of them.
I am wondering if I am in a bit of a vacuum.

Cheers
Phillip

 

[tx1961whaler]

Re: Essay writing services.

Buying an essay is cheating, period. It doesn't matter if "everyone else is doing it"; the ethics involved in this matter is not a relative thing.
However, whoever came up with the 3 hours of homework night curriculum is misguided. More homework does not generally produce a better outcome than enough homework to reinforce the ideas presented in class. Many schools equate "academic rigor" with "loads of homework" mainly because the classroom time is ineffectual. The instructor is lousy at teaching Calculus, so the student is loaded up with problems so they teach themselves by sheer rote work. The sad part is that the student is too damn busy just trying to get the work done to actually learn critical thinking skills and be creative.

 

[JB]

Re: Essay writing services.

I wrote a couple of papers for friends based on their research notes and conclusions. They did the technical work, I only supplied the language. Nevertheless, I think it was a wrong way for them to "earn" grades and refused other requests.

Academic writing is a skill that requires many components, and grades are usually assigned based on the finished product.

Buying or accepting someone else's product is, in my view, cheating.

Is it cheating like exceeding the speed limit, or like robbing a vendor? That is a personal judgement.

 

[Outsider]

Re: Essay writing services.

.. and using a border-line, plaidgeristic service would be a great dis-service to your son.

Borderline, plaigeristic? Nothing borderline about it, and would result in a course failure and/or expulsion from most any school worth a damn. And yet we wonder why we have illiterate graduates who can't balance a checkbook ...

 

[insanity]

Re: Essay writing services.

I am with everyone else on this don't let him cheat, he will learn nothing. I would be happy knowing I got a C by doing my own work rather than get an A for someone else?s work. Teach him pride in his work because that is fading from society.

 

[Brent S]

Re: Essay writing services.

My sister-in -law is a university Prof. She HATES this. They have programs that compare students work not only to each other's, but to other known sources.
She says that some teachers don't seem to care but she freaks out when she discovers cheating. It's a warning on the first day followed by an "F" if they get caoght. No three strikes with her!

Using these essays as guides may be ok but you must declare them as sources.

 

[aspeck]

Re: Essay writing services.

Using these essays as guides may be ok but you must declare them as sources.

Agreed. He should do his own work ... not farm it out to someone else. That said, I would think a conversation with the teacher/principal/headmaster would be in order. That seems to be an excessive amount of homework.

 

[j_martin]

Re: Essay writing services.

One thing I've noticed in the last 40 years or so, is that bright young folks, with a good education, have a hard time using it because of poor communications skills.

Understanding how to sort out, organize, and write about a topic is just as important as the topic itself. Without good communication (English, in most cases around here) knowledge is bound up, and unable to either get in or out without damage.

Oh, and buying an essay is cheating.

my 02
John

 

[JB]

Re: Essay writing services.

One thing I've noticed in the last 40 years or so, is that bright young folks, with a good education, have a hard time using it because of poor communications skills.

Understanding how to sort out, organize, and write about a topic is just as important as the topic itself. Without good communication (English, in most cases around here) knowledge is bound up, and unable to either get in or out without damage.

Oh, and buying an essay is cheating.

my 02
John

I agree completely, John. On the other hand I have seen many who lack academic credentials but have acquired skill using our language succeed.

 

[Kiwi Phil]

Re: Essay writing services.

The system here works like this. For university, kids are given a grade 1-25.
1 is the top.
If a University course demands a min 12, with 1,000 vacancies, and he has a 12, then he can apply, but the course is filled by the best students first.

Most often all vacancies in the city are taken up long before the 12's get a chance, (by not only the city kids, but those from the regions come in as living costs are less).

so he misses out, BUT

the regional universities don't fill up quickly, and there is every possibility he will get accepted there with his score of 12.

That's great, except in his case this university (Townsville) is 850 miles north, in a regional tropical area in Nth Queensland, and he lives on campus.

Full board is about $300-320 per week, plus travel every semester, and pocket money, so I am guessing for 34 weeks a year it will cost me over $15,000 per year, and if I pay for his degree and not use the govt pay-later plan, I am up for around another $10,000 per year.

I go along with you guys 100%, but when I add the issue above to the large amount of assignments and homework time, then maybe you can understand me raising the question.

The competition to get a better grade has big financial gains with it.
To date we haven't used an essay service, in fact I am the one who helps him.
Just a little annoyed being 'good' may cost me tens of thousands of dollars, and the cheats win again!!

Cheers
Phillip

 

[angus63]

Re: Essay writing services.

Where I teach, any submissions that are not original are reason for dismissal.

 

[JRJ]

Re: Essay writing services.

Ever wonder how your Dr. got through school? Kinda scary

 

[gstanton]

Re: Essay writing services.

It is cheating. No question, no debate.

As a retired school library supervisor, in our county, we paid for a service that any teacher could use to check any suspect plagiarism and that student would be disciplined according to county policy for cheating. Basically, this service checks with the same "service" that sells essays. Ironic isn't it?

I amazes me that in any context, cheating is considered as an option that is acceptable. Would cheating at sports be acceptable? Cheer leading? Bass fishing? Why would academics be considered something less?

 

[tx1961whaler]

Re: Essay writing services.

Trust me on this one, some of the hyper-involved parents are not only buying exams, they are writing them for their kids themselves in elementary, high school and university. In the long run, they are not doing their young adults any service at all.

 

[j_martin]

Re: Essay writing services.

I agree completely, John. On the other hand I have seen many who lack academic credentials but have acquired skill using our language succeed.

I've made a living in 3 different engineering disciplines, all without a degree. With English and Math, all I need is books.

Toughest one was thermodynamics, phase change and runaround heat recovery. Man my head still hurts.