0

How I Avoided Plagiarism

Have you ever done something unruly, and the effects ricocheted into amazing benefits for you? I probably shouldn’t start the story like this, but let’s see.

The semester beginning in the summer, lots of thrilling activities lined up for the senior year, I was excited in and out! Having studied ferociously the previous year to raise my GP, I wasn’t going to let this year go by without splashing it with colors I’d remember. I planned to go out with a bang! After all, college is just once; and next, the ‘boring’ work environment (J).

Completing the registration process for the year, I headed out to meet the guys. Classes, dissertation, sports, clubs, I’d have to find a balance to all these activities, I thought.

Regular nights out – partying, dancing, and ribbing – I finally felt I was living up to my expectations.

Don’t get me wrong: I am a very good student and had been in the top half of the class in the last three years, being in the top 10% in certain courses. However, I had paid the price in my social life. You know that thing about going through college, and absorbing all the experiences college has to offer.

However, some mornings, and from the bed to classes now seemed to require herculean efforts.

On this day, I’d decided to skip lectures – had so much fun the night before, I simply couldn’t get it up to classes. Also, I could catch up on the lectures that were taken, later.

A persistent buzz from my mobile indicated that I had email notifications. 16 new emails. Oh, sh*t! All of them but one was from Jenny. What could have gone wrong?

A little introduction to Jenny.

Two months into the semester, thesis advisors recommended that students pick thesis partners. The reasons were so students would have a peer to oversee their work, make objective corrections, offer reminders, and help keep them on track toward thesis submission goals.

I had ended up with a gorgeous-looking brunette named Jenny, who was not only pretty, but also had a head-on her shoulders, and did take the time to emphasize just that. We were supposed to meet every fortnight. However, I skipped most of these meetings, either because I didn’t see the relevance, or because I was simply too busy with other activities. Besides, my personal preference is blondes.

Fast forward to the present day, and I am wondering, “What could be so urgent that Jenny would literally leave her hand on the mouse to contact me?”

It turns out that the draft thesis I’d submitted some weeks back had gotten into her hands. In addition to her classes, Jenny doubled as a student assistant to my thesis advisor.

Noting how I’d avoided most of our meetings, she suspected that I probably hadn’t had time to write the draft. She was right.

I had begun well, writing and citing new information as I came upon them. However, locating a similar dissertation from some unlikely source, I commenced adding bits and chunks in various places, thinking these would not be obvious.

Just to be certain that I had written the thesis, Jenny searched for a plagiarism checker free UK online and ran the research through.

Not one to back out from teasing and prodding, she sent me a meme with links to this.

Needless to say, I approached my supervisor, and calmly, humiliatingly withdrew my draft, citing an incomplete research and not-too-comprehensive literature review as the reason.

Out went the desire for adventure. Out went missing classes.

With these, I refocused and paid more attention to schoolwork.

However, all did not end as gloomy.

With this incident, there was one thing I was certain about. With this punctiliousness shown by Jenny, I knew I wasn’t going to let her go. 11 months later, not only did I get a Bachelor’s degree, but I also got a wife (J)! And she’s a natural blonde!

 

Loading...

Leave a reply