WASHINGTON — For college students, the start of the new school year came with warnings about the consequences of cheating. Nevertheless, students say cheating is relatively common.
“Before, people just had pen and paper; they had to write things on their hands,” said Grace Suh, a junior studying education. “Now they have phones, and access to the internet. They can get everything they need.”
Schools such as University of Maryland-College Park have zero-tolerance policies for cheating. Students caught plagiarizing at U.Md. could be suspended or expelled, and face getting an “XF” grade in the class.
Even so, Suh said she knew of business and science majors who exchange exams and store old tests on Google drives.
Students told WTOP they feel pressure to cheat in order to get good grades. They say the digital age has only made it easier.
A 2013 study indicated up to 75 percent of students admitted to cheating at least once on an exam or assignment in college.
In 2012, 60 students at Harvard University faced academic sanctions following a cheating scandal.
