Acedemic Dishonesty - Essay Example

Reflection I sincerely regret the decision that I made to turn in someone else's work as my own. I did so in a moment of panic, because I felt veryoverwhelmed with the amount of work I had to do, as well as the complexity of the assignment at hand. I also struggle a great deal with the amount of internal and external pressure I feel to succeed academically. When I had to choose between doing the right thing and turning in someone else's work, I made the wrong decision by letting the pressure to succeed get the best of me.

I very much wish I could go back to that night to remind myself why I am here in the first place: to get an education and prepare myself for a meaningful career. When I submitted someone else's work, not only did I go against my goals, but I also betrayed this community's trust. While I very much wish that I had not committed this offense, it has given me an opportunity to reflect on my goals, and realize that my actions are not always aligned with my beliefs. The realization of this inconsistency is the first step towards figuring out what steps I need to take to help me remain true to my beliefs and my goals.

To avoid a situation like this in the future, I first of all must stay on top of my school work. Part of what clouded my judgment in the first place was the fact that I let myself fall behind in my coursework. I must work on my time management skills, and plan ahead so that I have sufficient time to complete all assignments without ever feeling the desperation I felt when I made the decision to turn in another student's work as my own. I realize there is help available on campus for student's who struggle with time management, and I plan to take advantage of these services.

Developing this skill will help me achieve many of my academic goals, and help me avoid this situation, which has caused me so much guilt.If I do ever find myself in a situation where I feel overwhelmed by coursework, I will talk to professors, and hope to work out a solution that would allow me to complete all of my work. Even if I did not receive an extension, I would still make the decision to take a point deduction rather than compromise my integrity again. Lastly, I wish that I had owned up to the fact that I had cheated, by talking with my professor the next day, and admitting my mistakes.

As I stated before, I am here to get an education and prepare myself for a good career, and cheating will not help me towards these goals. The only way I can achieve my goals is if I apply myself and work hard. I plan to remind myself of this if I ever again find myself feeling tempted to cheat again. I will also remind myself of how badly I felt that I let down my professor, my classmates who did the assignment, and myself. I believe that the decision that I made is not truly representative of my integrity nor of my commitment to education.

Academic communities must rely on the honesty and integrity of each of its members, and so must society at large. Again, I deeply regret that I did not fulfill my own expectations or the expectations of those around me. I very much hope to have the opportunity to regain the trust of this community.