PhD dilemma - to divulge helping students cheat, or not??

wontfallforit

I'm not sure if this is best suited to the UYI board, or indeed the student board, but here goes.

Basically, I've been doing some freelance work lately, which basically involves writing custom essays (for cheating students!!) via an agency, and have completed half a dozen projects, from undergraduate 2:2 level essays, to master's level dissertation outlines. Pay has been good and prompt, and I've got all the relevant tax and NI procedures in place, so no issues there.

Anyway, at some point I'd like to personally complete a PhD, and am torn as to whether or not to mention that I've been doing this freelance work, when it comes to the application stage.

The upside of mentioning it is that it could put me in a much stronger position when it comes to applying for a PhD. Gaining a place isn't the problem I have, it's funding (have stated in a few posts that I have a 2:2 degree due to bereavement during my undergraduate finals, yet I also have a 'merit' masters. It is possible to do a PhD with a 2:2 + good masters, but obviously funding is incredibly competetive).

The fact that I've been completing assignments of anything up to 10,000 words at a time, alongside a fulltime (unrelated) job, with very short notice, and sometimes wayyyy out of my academic comfort zone could serve to demonstrate that I am willing and able to complete a PhD, both from an academic ability and a personal commitment perspective, and it certainly keeps my research skills well-oiled!

However, the downside of mentioning it is that I've basically been aiding and abetting something that could be perceived as quite unethical - i.e. cheating. What academic writers do is entirely legal, but what the students do (pass work off as their own) is a legal grey area, and can also lead to dismissal from university.

I see it as simply making a supplementary income from something I enjoy, I'm good at, and is relevant to my longer-term academic and career goals...but PhD admissions could see it very differently

Though I don't agree with cheating, I'm not personally doing it myself.

Any thoughts?

dmg24

No, it will not help your PhD application. I have spoken to my tutor about this and her view is that those writing the essays are as bad as those submitting them as their own work.

To be a proficient researcher, you have to consider the ethical issues surrounding what you are doing. Whilst what you are doing is not illegal, it certainly is unethical.

If you really want a career in academia, I would seriously consider your current motivations.

Though I don't agree with cheating, I'm not personally doing it myself.

Whilst I am certainly not making a personal comparison, you will find that the likes of Hitler and his senior staff used this same line.

wontfallforit

dmg24 wrote: »

No, it will not help your PhD application. I have spoken to my tutor about this and her view is that those writing the essays are as bad as those submitting them as their own work.

Thanks - that's basically what I wanted to hear, from someone who's had that 1:1 contact with a tutor. Are you currently a PhD student?

If you really want a career in academia, I would seriously consider your current motivations.

Oh, I've agonised over it, believe me! The unfortunate truth is that pound signs have won. Money is unspent as of yet, due to the fact that tax will be due (and I'm rubbish at calculating these things), but also because I'm building up a nest-egg to self-fund, if need be.

Whilst I am certainly not making a personal comparison, you will find that the likes of Hitler and his senior staff used this same line.

:rotfl: Cheating at university, exterminating millions of people...no difference really

ETA - FWIW, the agency I've been working with sends out disclaimers that the work supplied is not to be used for cheating purposes...that plagarism carries severe penalties, etc., etc.

I don't think there's anything wrong with students using my work as a model upon which to build their own knowledge and understanding (as intended). After all, look in any good textbook and you may well find that model answers are listed there for guidance, and many lecturers - rightly or wrongly - provide model answers, too.

The problem is, though, that my guess is the overwhelming majority of students don't use such work as a model, but simply submit 'as is'. Otherwise, the work I do wouldn't be half as detailed or precisely structured, and the pay would presumably be a lot less.

McGuiver

I don't, at all, condone writing for essay mills. You're adding to the cheating problems already rife in HE and, in a way, making your own future prospects in HE worse. I'd feel quite ashamed, tbh, and I would certainly not mention it to any prospective supervisors - it can be your dirty little secret. Having said that, you're only writing essays at a 2.2 level so you're not making much of a difference to these cheaters' future career prospects. Anyone half-intelligent and slightly motivated can knock out a 2.2 essay really.
That leaves you with the prospect of whether you stand a chance with a 2.2 and a Masters at merit level? It all sounds, with due respect, very middle-of-the-road if you're hoping to compete for funding. There will be many competitors with far better results and actual proper research experience - not through writing poor quality essays for essay mills - competing with you. I suggest you use the 'research skills' you highlight to find out how you can make yourself a more attractive candidate.
Failing that, like essays, you can also buy PhDs online.

Good luck.

dmg24

No, I am a Masters student. My tutor also heads the PhD awards panel for the school.

I was not comparing what you were doing, I was comparing your excuse. It is a very poor one. You are pretty much sticking two fingers up at the system that you would like to support you.

wontfallforit

McGuiver wrote: »

Having said that, you're only writing essays at a 2.2 level so you're not making much of a difference to these cheaters' future career prospects. Anyone half-intelligent and slightly motivated can knock out a 2.2 essay really.

I write at 2:2 level when 2:2 level is requested. Have also written at 2:1, 1st, and masters level (up to 'merit'). Presumably all of the projects I've completed have achieved their required grades, otherwise I would've experienced the dreaded pay clawback by now.

That leaves you with the prospect of whether you stand a chance with a 2.2 and a Masters at merit level? It all sounds, with due respect, very middle-of-the-road if you're hoping to compete for funding. There will be many competitors with far better results and actual proper research experience

And that is my problem. FWIW I received a 2:2 because I completely failed a module due to a sibling's death on the day of my final exam for this module. It was a 24 credit module, with a 'seen' examination that accounted for 60% of the module grade. As a final year UG student, I was awarded a compensatory fail in this module, as per my wishes at the time, so I could graduate that year. Personal mitigating circumstances were not an option, because I didn't actually show for the exam (funnily enough, if I'd shown up, I would've been eligible for an 'estimated' grade of 40% in that exam, which would've earned me a 2:1). Not accepting the compensatory fail would have meant re-sitting 24 credits in the next academic year, and graduating late. In hindsight, that would have been the best option, but obviously I wasn't thinking straight at that time. My average grade throughout uni not including this module was in the high 60s. I graduated so close to a 2:1 that it's not even funny! :-/

not through writing poor quality essays for essay mills

Ethics aside, I do not produce poor quality work

dmg24

The more I think about it, the more it seems that you know what you are doing is wrong. If you didn't think that, surely there would be no question as to whether to divulge it to prospective universities?

Are there not other ways to improve your chances of funding? Could you offer to help a previous lecturer with some of their own research?

surfcat

wontfallforit wrote: »

ETA - FWIW, the agency I've been working with sends out disclaimers that the work supplied is not to be used for cheating purposes...that plagarism carries severe penalties, etc., etc.

Just as companies selling mephedrone send out disclaimers saying it is plant food and not fit for human consumption.

wontfallforit

dmg24 wrote: »

The more I think about it, the more it seems that you know what you are doing is wrong. If you didn't think that, surely there would be no question as to whether to divulge it to prospective universities?

Of course I know that it is 'wrong', ethically speaking. I am quite irked at the prospect of students earning degrees just because they have the ability to pay for it. What's more annoying is the fact that sitting down and doing a 2:1 essay yourself isn't all that difficult for anyone with half a brain, let alone 2:2 standard work.

However, the fact that I've done it anyway probably demonstrates that I really need the money (well, not need it, but may need it if forced to self-fund).

As regards knowing not to divulge to prospective universities, I'm obviously unsure, hence fielding for opinions...I guess I'm pretty keen to demonstrate to them that I can research/write at a decent level, in spite of what my UG transcript says. (When it comes to job/academic applications, I usually avoid outlining my 'reasons' for gaining a 2:2 in the first place, as despite the time period that has elapsed, I still don't feel able to talk F2F about it).

Are there not other ways to improve your chances of funding? Could you offer to help a previous lecturer with some of their own research?

Am actually looking to have one of my former MA lecturers as my supervisor. I haven't approached her yet, but will be doing so when the time is right. Could always broach the subject of helping out whilst I'm at it, and hopefully get some funding tips, too. At my university of choice, there are opportunities to teach alongside PhD study, in lieu of funding proper, so that's always an option. The application window doesn't open for a good while yet, though.

orangeslimes

wontfallforit wrote: »

However, the downside of mentioning it is that I've basically been aiding and abetting something that could be perceived as quite unethical - i.e. cheating. What academic writers do is entirely legal, but what the students do (pass work off as their own) is a legal grey area, and can also lead to dismissal from university.

Though I don't agree with cheating, I'm not personally doing it myself.

Just because something is legal doesn't make it right or moral.

And I understand where your justification is coming from but I think it is flawed. You are helping people cheat. How would you feel if one of these people is someone on your course? and you are slaving away trying to write your essay and they are just using their credit card.

Have you spoken to potential supervisors about your chances of gaining funding? That is probably the most useful thing you can do.
How competitive is what you want to do? It might be that your Masters performance is much more important to the awarding board anyway.
And you obviously do have genuine extenuating circumstances for your first degree so you can explain these.
I don't think talking about helping people to cheat in their courses will help you at all.

wontfallforit

orangeslimes wrote: »

Have you spoken to potential supervisors about your chances of gaining funding? That is probably the most useful thing you can do.

Not yet, see comments above.

How competitive is what you want to do? It might be that your Masters performance is much more important to the awarding board anyway.

It's a 'humanities' based subject, so funding is sparse and competition is intense, however when narrowed down to the specific subject I'm looking to study, there are very few persons qualified in this field in the UK (only two universities in this country offer related courses). I don't want to state the specific subject - or even the general field - as my personal identity could be worked out pretty easily. It's very much an 'emerging' subject that's set to be of great importance in the next few years, imo, and I'm not sure if that places me at an advantage or a disadvantage.

Oh, and it relates to my MA, rather than my BA. It has nothing to do with my bachelors...thoughts??