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Startup Enables Students to Outsource Schoolwork to Highly Educated Professors

31 points by techvibes 15y ago

wisty 15y ago
I hope there's a few professors left who don't yet claim that anyone who cheats is only cheating themselves.
rsanchez1 15y ago
When you have an environment, where someone sees the need for a startup to sell grades, you know the system is broken. Instead of emphasizing training and preparation for the real world, the system emphasizes getting a high GPA and finishing near the top of the class. It's a shame really.
int3rnaut 15y ago
There was an article concerning custom-essay writing on HN a little while ago* so this isn't particularly ground breaking for me, but it does beg the question, why commit your time and energy (startups take up a big chunk of your life for at least a few years) to something so slimy? There's obviously a need for something like this as lazy people are willing to pay but wouldn't you rather do something more meaningful? *http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2775789 http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2775789 Full Disclosure: I've gamed the school system, and have not always gotten the full power of my education. I've done this by reading book reviews, google book snippets etc to reduce reading loads--so I have been there in a sense. I just don't understand that place of wanting to create a startup around the immoral. I'm not judging, I'm just curious.
LogicX 15y ago
One could argue that someone who succeeds using a service like this is better prepared for the 'real world' where a large portion of those in business outsource or hire consultants to accomplish anything they can't figure out, hire for, or wish to learn themselves. Everything in moderation, and it can be a double-edged sword, but I've seen it just as likely that someone 'fails' in the real-world because they don't think outside the box to someone else helping them solve their problem. Look at the successes of crowdspring, fiverr, odesk, and elance. I had a HS history teacher who gave all tests as take home, open book tests. One day I was really busy with other assignments and asked a friend if he could take my paper, copy his answers, he handed it to me the next day in class, I saw answers, I handed it in. I got a 0% on that test. Not due to cheating, but due to lack of attention: The teacher had randomly handed out different versions of the test to different kids, the questions were the same, but the order was different. My friend copied all the answers... in to the wrong questions. The teacher obviously knew what happened - but he didn't lecture me about it. He knew I'd learned enough of a lesson with the 0% grade - He was right. To me, the lesson wasn't "Don't cheat" but was either "Check your work" or "Know what you're taking responsibility for".
erikb 15y ago
The business idea is dubious. The website looks just very bad. The /competition page is just flaming about others. The blog starts with a big div over the text containing a video. advertisment? Please, up your quality a bit!
quote 15y ago
I find it highly ironic that the "firm’s writers are screened on the basis of their educational achievements" and are supposed to have degrees. What would that matter?
praptak 15y ago
"Highly Educated Professors"? I hope this is a tautology. On the other hand, given existence of sites like this, I am no longer so sure...
greenyoda 15y ago
"UnemployedProfessors.com offers a customized, safe, reliable, and plagiarism-free service for those willing to pay to have their coursework completed." So handing in a paper someone else wrote and passing it off as your own work is not considered plagiarism anymore? I think they really mean that it's plagiarism that's not likely to get caught, but even that is unlikely: since the writers are paid by the paper and not by the hour, there would seem to be a strong incentive for them to recycle as much of their previous work as possible. Hey, if their customers cheat, why shouldn't they?

31 points by techvibes 15y ago

wisty 15y ago

I hope there's a few professors left who don't yet claim that anyone who cheats is only cheating themselves.

When you have an environment, where someone sees the need for a startup to sell grades, you know the system is broken. Instead of emphasizing training and preparation for the real world, the system emphasizes getting a high GPA and finishing near the top of the class. It's a shame really.

int3rnaut 15y ago

There was an article concerning custom-essay writing on HN a little while ago* so this isn't particularly ground breaking for me, but it does beg the question, why commit your time and energy (startups take up a big chunk of your life for at least a few years) to something so slimy? There's obviously a need for something like this as lazy people are willing to pay but wouldn't you rather do something more meaningful? *http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2775789 http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2775789 Full Disclosure: I've gamed the school system, and have not always gotten the full power of my education. I've done this by reading book reviews, google book snippets etc to reduce reading loads--so I have been there in a sense. I just don't understand that place of wanting to create a startup around the immoral. I'm not judging, I'm just curious.

LogicX 15y ago

One could argue that someone who succeeds using a service like this is better prepared for the 'real world' where a large portion of those in business outsource or hire consultants to accomplish anything they can't figure out, hire for, or wish to learn themselves. Everything in moderation, and it can be a double-edged sword, but I've seen it just as likely that someone 'fails' in the real-world because they don't think outside the box to someone else helping them solve their problem. Look at the successes of crowdspring, fiverr, odesk, and elance. I had a HS history teacher who gave all tests as take home, open book tests. One day I was really busy with other assignments and asked a friend if he could take my paper, copy his answers, he handed it to me the next day in class, I saw answers, I handed it in. I got a 0% on that test. Not due to cheating, but due to lack of attention: The teacher had randomly handed out different versions of the test to different kids, the questions were the same, but the order was different. My friend copied all the answers... in to the wrong questions. The teacher obviously knew what happened - but he didn't lecture me about it. He knew I'd learned enough of a lesson with the 0% grade - He was right. To me, the lesson wasn't "Don't cheat" but was either "Check your work" or "Know what you're taking responsibility for".

erikb 15y ago

The business idea is dubious. The website looks just very bad. The /competition page is just flaming about others. The blog starts with a big div over the text containing a video. advertisment? Please, up your quality a bit!

quote 15y ago

I find it highly ironic that the "firm’s writers are screened on the basis of their educational achievements" and are supposed to have degrees. What would that matter?

praptak 15y ago

"Highly Educated Professors"? I hope this is a tautology. On the other hand, given existence of sites like this, I am no longer so sure...

greenyoda 15y ago

"UnemployedProfessors.com offers a customized, safe, reliable, and plagiarism-free service for those willing to pay to have their coursework completed." So handing in a paper someone else wrote and passing it off as your own work is not considered plagiarism anymore? I think they really mean that it's plagiarism that's not likely to get caught, but even that is unlikely: since the writers are paid by the paper and not by the hour, there would seem to be a strong incentive for them to recycle as much of their previous work as possible. Hey, if their customers cheat, why shouldn't they?