Essay writing company?

[lizabu]

Its not right to do and, I would greatly discourage my kids (and let them know I would be disappointed in them) from doing this. However, in my ds high school it is very common. The kids (and parents) have more money than sense. And you know what happens when they get caught? They get a do over. Now in most cases they can't get a 100% but they can get an 80% if their new paper warrants. This past semester my ds English class had 10 kids that got busted because Turnitin found they were plagiarizing. The teacher had to meet before a disciplinary committee to see what the punishment should be (should there be a question?) and they were going to make the WHOLE class re do the paper just in case they missed anyone cheating. In the end the cheating kids got to redo the paper. And these are the kids my kid has to compete against for class rank and GPA. Its very frustrating.

That's not really preparing those kids for higher education. When you plagiarize in college and university they can expel you. It's taken really seriously.

 

[penn19]

That's not really preparing those kids for higher education. When you plagiarize in college and university they can expel you. It's taken really seriously.

Thats what I say. But hey, as long as the high schools numbers for kids going to college looks good. They don't track once they leave the high school. So not their problem if they aren't prepared for college. Smoke and mirrors. Plus the parents get to brag about how well their child is doing over Friday night drinks.

 

[MrsPete]

Its not right to do and, I would greatly discourage my kids (and let them know I would be disappointed in them) from doing this. However, in my ds high school it is very common. The kids (and parents) have more money than sense. And you know what happens when they get caught? They get a do over. Now in most cases they can't get a 100% but they can get an 80% if their new paper warrants.

This past semester my ds English class had 10 kids that got busted because Turnitin found they were plagiarizing. The teacher had to meet before a disciplinary committee to see what the punishment should be (should there be a question?) and they were going to make the WHOLE class re do the paper just in case they missed anyone cheating. In the end the cheating kids got to redo the paper.

And these are the kids my kid has to compete against for class rank and GPA. Its very frustrating.

Yes, I see this same type of thing, and it drives me nuts.

Of course, it's nothing new: When I was in high school kids used to buy those little black and gold Cliff's Notes books to avoid doing their reading. And I remember the teacher allowing kids to share calculators in Chemistry class (because back then not everyone had a calculator, and the school didn't provide them), and they'd leave the answer on the screen. And I remember one girl who'd get her grandmother to pick her up 15 minutes into our end-of-the-day Algebra class -- just long enough for her to have looked over the test, not long enough for her to have completed it (so the teacher'd have to allow her to finish it the next day). Know what? I remember all those cheaters and still have no respect for them.

Today cheating's even easier.

 

[wilkeliza]

I do not think it is ethical to buy from them or work for them.

(ETA: the post directly above me was not up when I began typing--I was commenting in general, no intentional comment on the above poster was meant)

Haha I took no offense. I know it is unethical but my boyfriend's sister is a guide for admissions in NYC specializing in elementary school and middle school. Her conern is just getting kids into the school and past that it is up to the parents to keep them there. She makes a ton of money and although it is unethical as I pointed out I make 100 for about 2 hours worth of work on my part. She even comes to me because I cost less than the companies that are here in NYC and provide the same service. I also make sure it sounds like a 12 year old wrote it and not a late 20s adult with a BA.

 

[southlakejr]

When I was in college, I made a very pretty penny editing papers on the side. Since I'm incredibly fast reader- I would even read the book and edit your essay, for a fee, of course!

But I never, ever wrote an essay for someone else. I wouldn't even edit for someone who asked me more than once.

Primarily because it was unethical (mine and theirs!). But also because I truly believe that good writing skills are incredibly important for success in a professional environment. I also felt that it was pointless to edit someone's paper if he or she wouldn't be able to learn from the corrections. (Can you tell I was planning on being a teacher?)

So in short:

No, you cannot use an essay writing service.

You are cheating yourself.

You are cheating the system.

You are putting your academic future at risk because you will be expelled if you are caught at the college level. Imagine explaining to a future employer that you were expelled for having someone else do your work for you.

 

[tcufrog]

I used to be a college librarian. Plaigarism wasn't looked at kindly at the college I worked. If you were lucky you failed the assignment if you were caught. Some professors failed the kids for the entire course and some were kicked out of school.

If she needs help improving her writing and/or research skills tell her to make appointments for after school help with her English teacher and school librarian. If they are any good they will be happy to help her improve her skills.

 

[clh2]

It is flat out cheating, so no. Some people at my school do offer proofreading services, which I think is marginally more acceptable - some people are bad speller/writers and, as long as they write the essay themselves, having a second person read it doesn't seem as dishonest. Still not crazy about the idea, though. Let's hope they don't have to take an exam or write an in-class essay at the end of the semester, because the results probably won't be pretty

I do not have a problem with a "proofreading" service at all. Back in the ancient days - we used people who would "typewrite" a paper all the time, they were pretty good cleaning up the occasional misplaced comma and other silly little errors.

 

[kmb584]

When I was in college, I made a very pretty penny editing papers on the side.

I did that too. I wouldn't write the essays, but I did edit them for a small fee. Heck, I did that for free in high school simply because it was something I liked doing.

 

["Cinder" Ella's Mom]

I didn't know that particular site, and wow it looks professional. It's also more affordable than I would've believed; today's high school students seem to have a whole lot more money in their pockets than we did at that age. I do notice that it doesn't even address the major issues that should cross every student's mind: Is this ethical? Am I likely to get caught? As a teacher, I'll point out a couple things though: - It doesn't take me long to "get to know" my students' writing, and when something extra-good or extra-bad pops up, I notice. And I question. Some of my writing is done in class. If a student's in-class essays are garbage, while their take-home work is wonderful, I notice. I may not know whether the stuff is being written by a girlfriend or parent (more common than you'd believe) or whether it's purchased, but I'll smell a rat a mile away. - The plagiarism software that we have today is very good; however, if this site is providing individual essays for each purchaser, then it won't catch the purchased essay -- the software works by storing past essays, so the essay is caught THE SECOND TIME it's submitted. The first person who turns it in won't be caught. Most kids who cheat simply copy something off the internet, and that's what the plagiarism software catches. Moreover, I can catch that myself very easily: When writing seems, um, out of a student's league . . . I go to a paragraph in the middle of the paper (because students are careful in the beginning, but they get lazy) and pick a couple sentences with, um, unlikey language choices . . . and I pop them into google. Voila! Evidence! I'm right more often than I'm wrong. Going back to the purchased essay concept, of course, the obvious question is, As a purchaser, how do you KNOW the writer didn't already give this essay to someone else? A person who would write for such a site has already proven he has no regard for academic ethics, so why do you think he'd "play fair" with you? You have no way to know whether you're actually the first purchaser or the fiftieth. And if you're not first, the plagiarism software will catch you. - The big thing kids HATE to write is the research paper, and it's pretty much impossible to use a site like this for a research paper. Why? Because, as an English teacher, I'm going to require X number of note cards by this date, the outline by next week, the introduction by that date, etc. That's hard to fake. - If her teacher ever catches her using someone else's writing, that teacher will never forget it and will probably say to the next year's teacher, "Keep an eye on so-and-so. I did catch her cheating once." I personally would not write a college recommendation for a student whom I'd caught cheating, and I would explain WHY I didn't feel comfortable with it. This could easily go beyond one little essay grade. Regardless, your niece probably mentioned it because she's curious about whether you'll approve or disapprove. You have to come down hard on the side of NO, We don't do that in our family. You know that she needs the practice in composing her thoughts on paper. Finally, though this is very off-topic, I'll throw it in: If your niece needs help with her writing, I suggest you work on organizing her thoughts. That's the #1 reason kids don't write well -- they don't want to stop and plan, they don't want to outline, they just want to throw something on paper, and stream-of-consciousness isn't a good method for writing. Kids who are able to categorize and organize their ideas can almost always write a good paper. The best starting place: Jot down notes. They don't have to be written into a formal outline, but writing them down forces the student to think through what is to be written.

I could have written this myself! I teach high school English and all essays are started in class. I assign topics that are not typical and require certain elements to be included on the paper (a specific type of introduction I have taught, literary devices, etc.). But most teachers can spot plagiarism a mile away!!

 

[dawnball]

- The big thing kids HATE to write is the research paper, and it's pretty much impossible to use a site like this for a research paper. Why? Because, as an English teacher, I'm going to require X number of note cards by this date, the outline by next week, the introduction by that date, etc. That's hard to fake.

Tangentially, the REASON I hated English research papers in high school was that they insisted on that process. I finally resorted to writing the paper, then faking all the rest of the components. It's not as hard as you think.

 

[LilyWDW]

Tangentially, the REASON I hated English research papers in high school was that they insisted on that process. I finally resorted to writing the paper, then faking all the rest of the components. It's not as hard as you think.

I did as well. Why? Because the process of breaking it all down did NOT work for me. Period. I can't write in that way and it was obvious. So I would just write my whole dang paper and just turn in the parts that were due or fake the notecards. Always frustrated me in school because I have always been really good at writing papers IF you let me do it the way it works for me.

 

[NHdisneylover]

Tangentially, the REASON I hated English research papers in high school was that they insisted on that process. I finally resorted to writing the paper, then faking all the rest of the components. It's not as hard as you think.

Yep, I always went ahead and wrote the paper and then went back and created the "process" stuff. DD17 often does the same--we both are good writers and the guided processes distract us from writing a good paper, instead of helping. But, I do know those processes help more kids than they hinder.

 

[Disneychick75]

I didn't know that particular site, and wow it looks professional. It's also more affordable than I would've believed; today's high school students seem to have a whole lot more money in their pockets than we did at that age. I do notice that it doesn't even address the major issues that should cross every student's mind: Is this ethical? Am I likely to get caught?

As a teacher, I'll point out a couple things though:

- It doesn't take me long to "get to know" my students' writing, and when something extra-good or extra-bad pops up, I notice. And I question. Some of my writing is done in class. If a student's in-class essays are garbage, while their take-home work is wonderful, I notice. I may not know whether the stuff is being written by a girlfriend or parent (more common than you'd believe) or whether it's purchased, but I'll smell a rat a mile away.

- The plagiarism software that we have today is very good; however, if this site is providing individual essays for each purchaser, then it won't catch the purchased essay -- the software works by storing past essays, so the essay is caught THE SECOND TIME it's submitted. The first person who turns it in won't be caught. Most kids who cheat simply copy something off the internet, and that's what the plagiarism software catches. Moreover, I can catch that myself very easily: When writing seems, um, out of a student's league . . . I go to a paragraph in the middle of the paper (because students are careful in the beginning, but they get lazy) and pick a couple sentences with, um, unlikey language choices . . . and I pop them into google. Voila! Evidence! I'm right more often than I'm wrong.

Going back to the purchased essay concept, of course, the obvious question is, As a purchaser, how do you KNOW the writer didn't already give this essay to someone else? A person who would write for such a site has already proven he has no regard for academic ethics, so why do you think he'd "play fair" with you? You have no way to know whether you're actually the first purchaser or the fiftieth. And if you're not first, the plagiarism software will catch you.

- The big thing kids HATE to write is the research paper, and it's pretty much impossible to use a site like this for a research paper. Why? Because, as an English teacher, I'm going to require X number of note cards by this date, the outline by next week, the introduction by that date, etc. That's hard to fake.

- If her teacher ever catches her using someone else's writing, that teacher will never forget it and will probably say to the next year's teacher, "Keep an eye on so-and-so. I did catch her cheating once." I personally would not write a college recommendation for a student whom I'd caught cheating, and I would explain WHY I didn't feel comfortable with it. This could easily go beyond one little essay grade.

Regardless, your niece probably mentioned it because she's curious about whether you'll approve or disapprove. You have to come down hard on the side of NO, We don't do that in our family. You know that she needs the practice in composing her thoughts on paper.

Finally, though this is very off-topic, I'll throw it in: If your niece needs help with her writing, I suggest you work on organizing her thoughts. That's the #1 reason kids don't write well -- they don't want to stop and plan, they don't want to outline, they just want to throw something on paper, and stream-of-consciousness isn't a good method for writing. Kids who are able to categorize and organize their ideas can almost always write a good paper. The best starting place: Jot down notes. They don't have to be written into a formal outline, but writing them down forces the student to think through what is to be written.

You sound like my favorite teacher from school. We had to do research papers on a poet/author. Mine was Samuel Taylor Coleridge. It was hard work for junior high students, especially in pre computer days. It was the so rewarding though to get through it. In the end, I was able to skip my final because I got an A+.
As for cheating, two years later, I was called to the guidance counselor's office and one of the high school English teachers was in the room. The teacher accused me of writing my brother's paper which I had not done. I think he ended up with a "C" on the paper because he would never admit he cheated.
Turned out my mother took my paper, retyped it, and had my brother turn it in as his work! My brother is extremely smart and now owns several businesses but English was never his strong point and his teacher knew it. I almost got an "F" for the semester because of what he and my mother pulled. I was livid and confronted her-calmly. She acted like it was no big deal and I was wrong for not seeing how it helped my brother.

 

[MrsPete]

Tangentially, the REASON I hated English research papers in high school was that they insisted on that process. I finally resorted to writing the paper, then faking all the rest of the components. It's not as hard as you think.

I used to think that too, until I actually started using "the process" on my own -- and IT WORKS! And it is so much easier than kind of winging it, making it up as you go -- especially if you're writing lengthy papers with loads of sources. Later when I worked as a tech writer, I used a modified version with computer files instead of note cards.

I think what high school students hate is the enforced timeline. Structure in writing doesn't come naturally to most students, so a system is necessary.

You sound like my favorite teacher from school. We had to do research papers on a poet/author. Mine was Samuel Taylor Coleridge. It was hard work for junior high students, especially in pre computer days. It was the so rewarding though to get through it. In the end, I was able to skip my final because I got an A+.
As for cheating, two years later, I was called to the guidance counselor's office and one of the high school English teachers was in the room. The teacher accused me of writing my brother's paper which I had not done. I think he ended up with a "C" on the paper because he would never admit he cheated.
Turned out my mother took my paper, retyped it, and had my brother turn it in as his work! My brother is extremely smart and now owns several businesses but English was never his strong point and his teacher knew it. I almost got an "F" for the semester because of what he and my mother pulled. I was livid and confronted her-calmly. She acted like it was no big deal and I was wrong for not seeing how it helped my brother.

Over the last couple years, I've heard a similar story more times than I care to remember -- it's something that's just started happening in the last five years or so: Typically a student is caught with a paper that isn't his -- and, as discussed, it's easier to prove when the plagiarism sites are used -- and eventually it turns up that it's an older sibling's paper that was stored on a family computer and was taken without the sibling's knowledge. Or, a couple times it's been a matter of a kid having gone to a friend's house to use a computer, and the friend's older sibling's paper's been taken. Usually the story involves the phrase "I don't have a printer (or ink)". Usually the original author is unaware of the theft.

We only have one computer with a printer in our house, and my daughters' friends have come over occasionally to print something, so I DO see how it happens. We've always been careful with kids' access to computers -- the internet can be a dangerous place, as we all know -- but this CAN BE a negative result of keeping one computer in a public, shared location.

 

[LilyWDW]

I used to think that too, until I actually started using "the process" on my own -- and IT WORKS! And it is so much easier than kind of winging it, making it up as you go -- especially if you're writing lengthy papers with loads of sources. Later when I worked as a tech writer, I used a modified version with computer files instead of note cards.

I think what high school students hate is the enforced timeline. Structure in writing doesn't come naturally to most students, so a system is .

It doesn't work for me and never has. So I hated the system and that I was being forced to use it. Why should I be punished because I got better grades then others? Why try to pigeon hole me when they knew I would turn in a great paper without the wasted time? And I am talking about long papers 15+ pages with citations. The process forced on me, when I tried to follow it, resulted in a choppy piece of junk because I struggled to keep the natural flow going.

Considering the number of papers I then wrote in college and grad school using my method and more then passing with flying colors (including ones that ended up being 40+ pages) I think my method works just fine for me. I just do not thing students should be forced into one way of doing things as long as they are still showing mastery.

 

[Lynne M]

It doesn't work for me and never has. So I hated the system and that I was being forced to use it. Why should I be punished because I got better grades then others? Why try to pigeon hole me when they knew I would turn in a great paper without the wasted time? And I am talking about long papers 15+ pages with citations. The process forced on me, when I tried to follow it, resulted in a choppy piece of junk because I struggled to keep the natural flow going.

Considering the number of papers I then wrote in college and grad school using my method and more then passing with flying colors (including ones that ended up being 40+ pages) I think my method works just fine for me. I just do not thing students should be forced into one way of doing things as long as they are still showing mastery.

It's not about being forced to write one way or another, it's about learning a technique. Just like all the other skills and techniques you learn in school, some you will use, some you won't.

Some people need to use that technique to organize their work before they write even a 5 page essay. I'm like you - my natural writing style is to start typing, and then reorganize as I go.

But when 'technical writing' got added to my job description many years into my career, boy, was I glad I'd learned to outline in high school. Because believe me, you need to do that when you're writing technical manuals that describe various features of a complex software application, with step-by-step instructions on how to use those features. There may be people who can start at page one and crank out 500 (organized) pages worth of technical info, but I'm not one of them.

So yeah, I wasn't fond of outlining in school either. Didn't use it for many years. In 'regular' everyday writing, I still don't. But it's become a necessity for me at work.

 

[MrsPete]

It doesn't work for me and never has. So I hated the system and that I was being forced to use it. Why should I be punished because I got better grades then others? Why try to pigeon hole me when they knew I would turn in a great paper without the wasted time? And I am talking about long papers 15+ pages with citations. The process forced on me, when I tried to follow it, resulted in a choppy piece of junk because I struggled to keep the natural flow going.

Considering the number of papers I then wrote in college and grad school using my method and more then passing with flying colors (including ones that ended up being 40+ pages) I think my method works just fine for me. I just do not thing students should be forced into one way of doing things as long as they are still showing mastery.

I always made As on my writing too (with the exception of the first paper I ever wrote for college, which was a big wake-up call for me), even before I recognized that the standard writing process is beneficial -- but it was EASIER when I really embraced the process for what it is. I think many people dislike the process because it encourages students to see each individual step as a separate entity, whereas it should be one continuous process.

So yeah, I wasn't fond of outlining in school either. Didn't use it for many years. In 'regular' everyday writing, I still don't. But it's become a necessity for me at work.

Totally agree -- it may feel like a negative if you get caught up in writing it in perfect form, but the steps of writing shouldn't be about perfection. Rather, they should be about organization, and an outline is probably the most valuable technique available to a writer.

 

[Lynne M]

I think many people dislike the process because it encourages students to see each individual step as a separate entity, whereas it should be one continuous process.

That's true. Like many other things we learn at school, it might feel forced and unnatural because you're seeing it as a goal unto itself - a standalone assignment. You really need to see it in a real-life situation to see the usefulness.

Totally agree -- it may feel like a negative if you get caught up in writing it in perfect form, but the steps of writing shouldn't be about perfection. Rather, they should be about organization, and an outline is probably the most valuable technique available to a writer.

Also true. My outlines are usually scribbled on the back of some old memo. It's just a tool - use it if it works for you.

 

[minkydog]

Tangentially, the REASON I hated English research papers in high school was that they insisted on that process. I finally resorted to writing the paper, then faking all the rest of the components. It's not as hard as you think.

That's exactly what I did, even through college. Write the paper, then go back and write the outline and the note cards. Bonus: I had all my papers written before mid-term. I would make sure my writing sounded nice and technical, and boring as heck. It must have worked because I kept a nearly 4.0 all the way through college.

DH would look at all his syllabi and figure out which classes required papers. Then he would pick his topic, do his research, then write every paper using the same material. Each paper was a little different, to reflect the content of the class.

I also used to proofread all his papers. He is a terrible speller--really terrible--so I proofread his papers and corrected spelling errors. This was in the late 70s way before spell-check or home computers. He is a good writer, so I never had to clean up anything else. When he graduated and became an executive with a well-known company he always made sure he had someone proofread anything he had to put in writing.

 

[dawnball]

I used to think that too, until I actually started using "the process" on my own -- and IT WORKS! And it is so much easier than kind of winging it, making it up as you go -- especially if you're writing lengthy papers with loads of sources. Later when I worked as a tech writer, I used a modified version with computer files instead of note cards.

I'm sure you didn't mean it this way - but that came across as pretty condescending. You've also characterized alternatives in a disparaging manner. I only point this out because it was that specific reaction from my frustration with my first TheWritingProcess(tm) research paper that made me nearly flunk English that year.

TheWritingProcess(tm) leads naturally to a paper that is dictated by sources, instead of by independent thought. In addition, it subtly encourages plagiarism. A source-driven paper with a stack of evidence for each point on the outline, means you tend to pick up phrasing and ideas from your source materials.

That doesn't make your process completely wrong. Some people need it. I did eventually learn to write with it. I just don't enjoy either the product or the act of creating it.

To clarify my "winging it" -

• I have a process - it's repeatable, efficient and fits with the way my mind works.
• There's often an outline - the first outline comes after the first partial draft except in special circumstances. You may or may not recognize it as an outline.
• I have a prewriting component - it doesn't look like yours.