SchoolisHard

I am not advocating actual cheating. Hell, until it was pointed out to me that I was finding loopholes or “beating the system” by a friend I hadn’t really given a second thought to much of what I was doing. I never thought of it as cheating, but now I suppose I can see the correlation.

None of the things I suggest here should get you in trouble, but there are some definite eyebrow-raisers. Politically correct or not, here are ten ways to ‘cheat’ that put W’s Florida win to shame.

1. Turn bad grades into opportunities.

Ask your professor for advice on an upcoming test. Let him know the reason of your visit is your concern for your grade due to your prior poor performance. Even if you don’t have any better content on the next test, your grade will still increase because the professor will feel like he is grading his own advice and experience at the same time as your test.

2. Be a Teacher’s Assistant. (T.A.)

This may seem pointless, but there is a catch. Assist a class that you eventually plan to take yourself. (TIP: This obviously won’t work everywhere, but give it a shot!)

3. Be a tool.

Be on time, be polite, and participate intelligently. This may seem like common sense, but few actually do this, and even more think it makes you annoying. I’ve got news for you - This tactic is the bread and butter of many A students who should be making B’s. Likable people get bigger pieces of the pie. We’re all just a bunch of mammals who want people to give a damn about us, so use it to your advantage.

4. Multi-class.

If any of your classes have multiple sections with different professors, find out when the other sections meet. If your professor takes attendance then you’ll be pulling double duty, but you can take some excellent notes in another class that just so happens to be going over a test very similar to one you are about to take.

5. Carbon-Copy your Classes.

Take courses that have large research papers as the majority of the overall grade. Make sure they are related, they don’t have the same professor, and the topic is more-or-less free choice. You can turn in the same paper to each class with limited modification and still get credit for all of them.

6. Get Cozy Before it Counts.

Befriend a professor long before you take any of his classes. This is best accomplished by participating in clubs, events, etc., in which the professor is involved himself.

7. Get Review Credit.

Take college classes on the same subjects in which you excelled in high school during your junior and senior years. (TIP: If your college doesn’t offer foreign language placement credit, taking foreign language classes in college will be a piece of cake if you are already experienced.)

8. Ignore Prerequisites.

This won’t work all of the time, but attempt to sign up for courses with prerequisites you haven’t completed. Only do this if you don’t need the prerequisite course to graduate. If you get in and make a good grade, what are they going to do about it?

9. Targeted Extra Credit Requests.

Find your professors’ soft spots. See if they will offer extra credit for participation in humanitarian things such as food drives or events that raise money for disease research.

10. Run Out of Gas on Purpose.

Do really well the first 3/4 of class so that you can really relax the month before exams. Just like the Supreme Court, precedent matters in the classroom. Professors will generally grade you about the same this last month as they were before unless you are relaxing too much. In some cases, especially if you have been doing exceedingly well, professors may even reach out to make sure nothing is wrong. Playing the “I guess I’ve just overworked myself this semester” card should do the trick. (TIP: There is a difference in simply easing up a little and no longer going to class.)