Plagiarism

I've been reading about that Michael Gunn character who was thrown out of university for plagiarism. At first, I took his side. They only told him he wouldn't pass at the end of his course, happily taking his money for three years. That's cruel.

But then, after thinking a little (you might have tried that, Michael) I started to get a little pissed off. University is serious business, son. We're not playing around anymore. When I failed the second year of my BSc, it cost me a year of my life and somewhere in the region of £8,000. No kidding. Serious consequences. So what if I'd cheated to up my grades? What if I'd trawled the Internet and passed off someone else's work as my own? Well, for starters I'd go through the rest of my life in the knowledge that I didn't earn my degree. I'd know that I didn't deserve the qualification.

During my four years at university my work was all my own. I didn't lie, cheat or steal to up my grades, and today I'm prouder than I would have been if I'd sailed through. I worked hard, and when that wasn't enough I damn well worked harder.

You got caught. Boohoo.