In high school I goofed off and coasted through my classes because it
was something I was able to do and still graduate. Most of the work I
turned in was done quickly, sloppy, and with minimal effort. High
schools care more about passing their students than the work they put
in because they can get in trouble for failing too many of them. This
is important because it made me complacent and unmotivated to try my
best. I knew that as long as I turned in something close to what my
teachers wanted I would pass. However, when concerning college this is
grossly untrue. My freshman year I took a difficult class and assumed
I could coast through as I did in high school. I had a job and full
time classes so needless to say I was stretched thin. I thought I
could do my final for this class with someone else helping me. This
was a huge mistake because I was not in high school anymore. We sent
work to one another and thought that we could repeat it in our own
words. This was cheating. Not until my professor emailed me did I
realize exactly what I had done. I was used to doing this in high
school because they care less about the work and more about the
grade. Little did I realize that cheating doesn't only hurt myself,
but it hurts everyone. Students who actually put the work in were hurt
because how can I coast by while they try their hardest. This hurt the
University itself because I tarnished its reputation. This caused not
only extra work for myself, but also for my professor. If I could tell
you one thing it would be to hold yourself to a higher standard and to
have integrity. Do your own work and be proud of it.