GULLIBLE OR CREDULOUS?….YOU MAKE THE CALL….I suppose it’s a little meanspirited to highlight this, but this op-ed in Sunday’s Washington Post is a humdinger. Amherst grad Bess Kargman writes that until recently she had been earning some extra money editing and proofreading college applications:
Then my employer suggested that I could earn more money working as a “comprehensive” editor….After a few days of e-mail correspondence, I would churn out the model compositions, which the students were instructed to use for “inspiration” during the process of writing their own. I didn’t question why a student (or, rather, a parent) might be willing to pay as much as $399 for a service that provided nothing more than inspiration.
….Several weeks into the process, I found out that my first comprehensive client had in fact included my essay with his application ? verbatim….I confronted my supervisor: How could the company offer a service that was so easily abused? She said unapologetically that the firm’s practices and intentions were legitimate. I was taken aback by this blatant indifference. Actually, the company’s only real response was to stop sending me any clients altogether. After all, they have a whole slew of college graduates willing to do the kind of bogus work I’ve decided to turn down.
This form of organized, for-profit cheating was unfamiliar to me….
Do I have any Amherst grads out there? Is it really possible that a grown woman who spent four years there is so painfully naive that she didn’t realize her essays were being used for a wee bit more than “inspiration”? And furthermore, was shocked to discover that an online essay writing company might not be entirely on the up and up?
The mind reels.
