Classmates who cheat

[Maroon horse]

I guess I just want to rant. I don’t plan to turn anyone in.

But it really sucks when I get a hard earned 90 (or 86, like last night’s test) and most of my class is getting high 90s and 100s by cheating.

It’s so demotivating, and I wonder what my teachers must think of me. I participate in lecture, I can correctly answer questions during class (80% of my classmates are watching Netflix/YouTube/texting and not paying attention. I know this because I sit in the back row and can see everyone’s screen), yet I probably have among the lowest test scores in the class. Occasionally we’ll have a randomized test that apparently can’t be cheated on, and my score has been the highest in my class (the cheaters failed, or came very very close to failing).

There have even been questions on tests where the answer was WRONG, and when I pointed it out, instead of changing it our teacher said that because most of the class got it right it must be right.

There have been times when there has been a question that addresses something not covered by any of our material, and the answer again was : most of the class knew anyway, so you should too.

My seat-mate who (allegedly) avoided cheating all last term succumbed after being offered the test answers by her coworker who has recently graduated from our program. Hearing her smugly give advice (advice I had given to her last term! Advice that has nothing to do with her current grades, because her current grades are from seeing the questions in advance!) to classmates who don’t cheat is infuriating.

And yes, I know she and at least half of my class are cheating for sure. I’m not bitterly making excuses for having lower grades.

[Rose_Queen, BSN, MSN, RN]

Just remember that no one can cheat on NCLEX. Either they learn the material or they don’t. You’re already ahead of them by having learned it.

[Maroon horse]

I do tell myself that. I keep my head down and pretend that I don’t know what they’re doing, but sometimes I just want to scream.
One of them will be valedictorian ?

[RosesrReder, BSN, MSN, RN]

Academic dishonesty comes with severe consequences and it's like playing Russian roulette. Remember, these folks will be sitting for their boards.

[carti, BSN, RN]

On 1/22/2020 at 11:34 AM, Maroon horse said:

I do tell myself that. I keep my head down and pretend that I don’t know what they’re doing, but sometimes I just want to scream.
One of them will be valedictorian ?

2 weeks after you graduate, no one will remember who was Valedictorian. As long as you are true to yourself, don't worry about others.

[Pcmama]

I recently found out a few people in my class that I have often suspected of cheating have in fact been cheating. That being said, I have not personally witnessed it, so I just have to take solace in the fact that it’s extremely unlikely that they will pass their NCLEX and thus will have wasted a huge amount of time and money.

[PeekaPooh]

I think you should do the right thing by telling the teacher what is going on, perhaps provide proof too if possible. Tell them to keep your identity hidden if you don't want them to know. Or find a way to tell someone on the school board about it.

Based on your story, it seems like it has been going on for a while from 1 semester to another and so forth. Even your seat-mate gave in instead of trying harder... imagine if this keeps going... it's going to affect a lot of students in the future. Just my 2 cents.

[amoLucia]

48 minutes ago, ppham said:

I think you should do the right thing by telling the teacher what is going on, perhaps provide proof too if possible. Tell them to keep your identity hidden if you don't want them to know. Or find a way to tell someone on the school board about it.

"Two people can keep a secret if one of them is DEAD" - Benjamin Franklin

If a cheating scandal breaks out, I doubt that any possibility of anonymity will be possible.

And re NCLEX, it is sadly possible that those same cheaters WILL pass .

[Mr.Lollercoastr, CNA, LPN]

On 2/10/2020 at 12:40 AM, amoLucia said:

"Two people can keep a secret if one of them is DEAD" - Benjamin Franklin

If a cheating scandal breaks out, I doubt that any possibility of anonymity will be possible.

And re NCLEX, it is sadly possible that those same cheaters WILL pass .

Even if they pass the NCLEX, you still have to know the information taught in school in order to be competent at your job. Somebody who cheated all the way through school is going to make a slip-up that ends up killing or harming someone and that will be the end of their short-lived career as a nurse.

[amoLucia]

27 minutes ago, Mr.Lollercoastr said:

Even if they pass the NCLEX, you still have to know the information taught in school in order to be competent at your job. Somebody who cheated all the way through school is going to make a slip-up that ends up killing or harming someone and that will be the end of their short-lived career as a nurse.

Sadly, there will be some who pass NCLEX maybe by just 'lucking out'.

And there WILL be some who, after passing, will find some niche, nook or cranny in which to hide themselves away from responsibilities and accountabilities most of us face everyday. And they will most likely fall under the 'favoritism' or 'protection' of someone who becomes their 'patron'.

And they will go on their merry way for a long time by being oblivious or just not caring.

It is truly galling when someone like that comes along.

[caliotter3]

On 3/12/2020 at 4:55 PM, amoLucia said:

Sadly, there will be some who pass NCLEX maybe by just 'lucking out'.

And there WILL be some who, after passing, will find some niche, nook or cranny in which to hide themselves away from responsibilities and accountabilities most of us face everyday. And they will most likely fall under the 'favoritism' or 'protection' of someone who becomes their 'patron'.

And they will go on their merry way for a long time by being oblivious or just not caring.

It is truly galling when someone like that comes along.

These are the same people that you run across on the job who falsify their time card, or documentation, or engage in some other form of lack of integrity daily. You are forced to keep your mouth shut because your employer does not want to deal with any problems, other than to punish you, the messenger. Sad state of affairs when the employers insist on punishing those who follow the rules and do what they are required to do.

[amoLucia]

^^^^^^^Yes, cali.

And they're the same ones in a conference who nod VIGOROUSLY and "yes, yes, yes" everything said by the speaker (usually a bigshot).

Also known as KA-ing up to the bigshots.

I once taught an RN2b student that I just KNEW how her career would turn out. Same with an RN who just knew how to schmooze and play the system. I'd donate a unit of blood just to find out if my predictions ever came true.