delete Forum

[mootness]

delete

[A. Nony Mouse]

Confirm what the rules are and follow them. Generally working together is absolutely not allowed and getting kicked out for academic dishonesty would be worse than getting a bad grade if you're the only one working alone.

[Big Red]

Is this a practice exam? Is this a final that's in like a month?

[mootness]

Is this a practice exam? Is this a final that's in like a month?

This is a real exam.

[Big Red]

Is this a practice exam? Is this a final that's in like a month?

This is a real exam.

that you're being given in november?

[mootness]

delete

[mootness]

Is this a practice exam? Is this a final that's in like a month?

This is a real exam.

that you're being given in november?

No it's in December but people are already talking about it and I already know there's going to be groups working together on it.

[Big Red]

lol alright, this is 100% the kind of thing that works itself out. Don't worry and keep your head down

[TheSpanishMain]

I'm 99% sure that before you're actually given the exam, you'll be formally advised of exactly what is/isn't allowed. Follow the directions to the letter. As Nony said, getting f'ed for academic dishonesty is waaaaaaaay worse than one low grade.

[Joscellin]

Anony, I do want to ask the prof about the rules. But I don't want to be the person who rats everyone out.

If you're unsure of rules, ask. Ask during class if you want to not-so-subtly make sure that the folks planning to share are aware of the rule.

If they know the rule and consciously choose to break it, I would have no moral compunctions against ratting them out. We're all fighting the same curve, here.

That said, if it's allowed... more power to them.

[Julien_Benda]

I think the catechism you want to follow in these circumstances is "Always Be Gunnin'." #ABG

[barkschool]

Unadvised, and you probably have a duty to report. I would look at your grade/ honor policy. Don't let others fuck around with the curve.

[NY_Sea]

We have one 24-hour take-home exam, and I know a lot of people are going to work together on it... at least partially to go through the facts and rules because apparently it's not possible for one person to write the exam. I'd never heard of or thought of working on an exam with other people and had no problem working alone; I don't know if it's even allowed to work together... The prof hasn't said anything about working together, but my assumption was that it's not allowed. However, the idea of being the only person working alone scares me! What should I do, guys?

Don't do it. For so many reasons. 1) It's cheating... No matter how anyone slices it. If the prof wanted you to work in groups he/she would have said so when the exam was handed out. The prof probably assumes that most people would understand without being explicitly told that an exam is not to be worked on with other people. 2) In terms of not wanting to rat people out/get a bed reputation, etc., I'd be more pissed at the person who knew that people were working on exams together and didn't say anything than the person who said something. The profession and law school itself is competitive enough as it is... I don't want people getting grades they don't truly deserve and screw me once ranks come out.

The consensus is that it's not a good idea... The answer you thought originally. If you know for sure people are going to do that I would tell the prof... They'll probably just send an email out saying "no working together or you'll be reported" and most times that's enough to scare 3/4 of the people who were thinking about it.

[anonymous5491]

Collaboration absolutely occurs even where it is prohibited. And it's a gigantic edge for those willing to take the risk. A group is almost always going to spot more issues, find better rules, and apply the law more quickly than the individual.

Of course, even the faintest prospect of collaboration puts the individual in a difficult position. Do you trust your classmates? Do they trust you? It is a classic form of the prisoner's dilemma, which pits law students--who are already rather skittish folks--against each other.

There's simply too much temptation for the bad actors. This, in turn, puts the good actors in untenable positions. Also, it is no small surprise that I earned my worst grades in courses featuring take-home exams. For these reasons, I have always lobbied hard against take-home exams. And, OP, I would suggest that you do the same whenever you can. Some professors will listen to your concerns. They are well-founded.

[carmensandiego]

Even if people do collaborate and they're not supposed to, the Prof will find out. People who are dumb enough to blatantly go against the rules like this are also stupid enough to have WAY too similar of answers.

Natural selection, survival of the fittest; let those morons crash and burn.

[emkay625]

I would be shocked if you all were allowed to work on a take-home final in groups.

Also, at most law schools, failing to report a violation of the honor code is also a violation of the honor code. So if someone else decides to report these people, and it comes out that you knew about it and failed to report, you could be in trouble as well. Is your own skin worth these people?

[rubberplant2020]

Wthout being concerned with the ethics. Working together doesn't seem like a good idea because the shit will take forever and if it doesn't then your tests will be too similar. Most likely it's a Con law test and you will have multiple prompts. People will see things differently so much that they waste time arguing. Also with the generous time it'll come down to good arguments and style. So unless you both have been working together for a while and have great chemistry this is idiotic. Now maybe cross checking each before you turn it in will be slightly helpful.

[fats provolone]

You're graded on a curve so the only reason to collaborate is to sabotage your classmates by suggesting bad answers

[kjartan]

Unadvised, and you probably have a duty to report. I would look at your grade/ honor policy. Don't let others fuck around with the curve.

LOL, don't cheat, but also don't report. Let some other little Eichmann do it.

[SemperLegal]

Unadvised, and you probably have a duty to report. I would look at your grade/ honor policy. Don't let others fuck around with the curve.

LOL, don't cheat, but also don't report. Let some other little Eichmann do it.

If you don't like the rules, don't sign the honor code.

[DrSpaceman]

Yeah, I would think that collaboration on game day presents significantly fewer upsides than down. For one thing, group work averages out; you've got a 50/50 chance that you'd have done better without them, just like if you took it alone, except that you will waste time in committee. Just learn the material yourself.

[zhenders]

Agreed: bad call, almost certainly against policy, and probably won't lead to improvements anyways.

It seems to me that the kinds of students you'd actually want to work wit are the kinds of students who know their shit and don't want freeloading; working with a group sounds like a recipe for a bunch of underprepared people to step all over one another.

[kjartan]

Unadvised, and you probably have a duty to report. I would look at your grade/ honor policy. Don't let others fuck around with the curve.

LOL, don't cheat, but also don't report. Let some other little Eichmann do it.

If you don't like the rules, don't sign the honor code.

Well, you have to sign the honor code. And it's not like somebody else won't rat out the cheaters.

[jchiles]

Unadvised, and you probably have a duty to report. I would look at your grade/ honor policy. Don't let others fuck around with the curve.

LOL, don't cheat, but also don't report. Let some other little Eichmann do it.

If you don't like the rules, don't sign the honor code.

Well, you have to sign the honor code. And it's not like somebody else won't rat out the cheaters.

Also I don't think any honor code requires you to report people who are discussing collaborating on an exam several weeks away (I'm assuming). Sure, if you see someone breaking the code, you are usually obligated to say something. But reporting this now is going to cause a lot more problems than its worth.

I think reporting in general always causes a major headache for the student making the report and isn't worth the trouble, but I understand why some people feel obligated to do so.

[SemperLegal]

Unadvised, and you probably have a duty to report. I would look at your grade/ honor policy. Don't let others fuck around with the curve.

LOL, don't cheat, but also don't report. Let some other little Eichmann do it.

If you don't like the rules, don't sign the honor code.

Well, you have to sign the honor code. And it's not like somebody else won't rat out the cheaters.

There's an alternative