Some students argue that cheating is the best and easiest way to get a good grade. You conveniently sit next to a smart classmate and cheat off of the test which you forgot to study for; it’s an easy “A” with no studying, right? Even though you get that “A” on your report card, you aren’t truly learning the content, and it will only lead to bad habits down the road. It’s important to understand what school is for, and how cheating can lead to dependence and a lack of perseverance.

Cheating does have benefits of getting a good grade without having to endure the hours of completing a homework assignment or studying for a test. When cheating, you get higher grades, and this will also raise your GPA, your rank in your class, and lead to a stronger potential for scholarships, but is the risk worth it? The harm it causes offsets the advantages.

You attend school to learn; if you constantly cheat off of others to finish your homework or to get good grades on tests and quizzes, you’re defeating the whole purpose of going to school. Compare school to a job. In your job you’re using others’ ideas and work to get a promotion, and you continue with this habit of using others’ work, cheating your way to the top of a company. Once you’re at the top, you’re in charge and it’s just you and your ideas. You’ve spent so many years relying on others to achieve success that you’re unable to be independent in your work. This can be related back to school and your education. The years spent in secondary school build your foundation for the future, and without a strong foundation, your future can come falling down.

The integrity you possess is far more important as it is part of your reputation. Once you begin to cheat, the self-respect you have for yourself slowly decreases while your reputation is at risk.

Not only are you defeating the purpose of schooling, but cheating will also lead to bad habits of being dependent on others for ideas and wanting to take the easy way out of situations. When you’re so used to getting the answers from someone else, you become used to the easy solution, and expect to simply be handed the right answers. You’re avoiding the process of hard work, causing you to not gain knowledge, determination, or drive. You’re left being dependent on someone else for your success which will only bring you down in the future. When you cheat, you’re only cheating yourself, slowly losing your integrity and self-respect in the process. Even if cheating gives you an advantage in the short-run, the disadvantages in the future outweigh the present benefits.