Is it bad that I just...

[PepperElf]

Knocked off a 5 page book report for my college English class without actually reading the book - and without plagiarizing.

I'm horrible.

I had a copy of the book in front of me, but I also had a google copy open too, so I could just "scan" the book for keywords.

Sick thing is... I'll probably get a great grade on it too.

Granted i took a couple breaks to web surf and eat some dinner but... eh, about 4 hours worth of work or so.

the only downside is that it was suppose to be a group project but i hate working with other people on crap like that.

the other downside is that when i did try to read the book i was taking a bath and dropped it for a second. it's dry now but damaged. might have to pay the library back with a new copy.

[Soulstealer]

I've done it for a few courses where I knew professors wanted me to regurgitate certain answers rather than independent thought. It's not good for your overall education not to have read the book but I suppose neither was an assignment that allowed you to easily use keywords and bullshit your analysis.

[PepperElf]

wll that and the book was "the perfect storm"
and im a former sailor

[Gerrinson]

Not all that bad. I was in a Lit class and had skipped the reading the night before, assuming that I'd only be hurting my own grade.

Well, they grouped us and each group's grade was based on each person being able to answer questions on the stories. My group freaked out when I told them I hadn't done the reading.

It was all Hawthorne stories, so I just assumed every symbol was death, war, dying, etc. I aced my part of the group questions, which had to be answered out loud in class.

Despite that fact, no one else in my group was impressed with me, for some reason.

[Jester]

Bullshitting is a major part of college. At least it was for me.

Two examples:

1. I was required to take an economics course. While I am good at math, I could give two shits about economics. And I found myself through the semester going to class less and less, and relying on the book and school bought notes more and more. Sounds like a recipe for disaster, right? Well, for the three non-final tests we had through the semester, my grades got better and better as the semester went on. For the last third of the class, I attended class not once, until that last exam and the followup class where he graded them. Not only did I nail that exam, I actually corrected the professor on one of the questions which he had the wrong answer listed as right for. Without the curve (i.e., straight percentage), I scored a 90% on that test, one of the best scores in the class.

Did I mention I was a broadcasting major?

2. Philosophy. This class bored the pants off of me, and I did horribly in it. Based upon coursework and minor exams, I was averaging a C or D in it when it came time for the mid-term. Looking at the mid-term, which was multiple choice, my mind was a complete blank. But I remembered one area we had studied about intuitive thought. What feels right. So I answered the questions not on what I knew, but on what I felt to be right. Somehow I aced the exam.

When the final rolled around, it was the only time ever that I got trapped into a 7:40 am class for anything. I had avoided them for classes and labs, and been lucky enough not to get them for finals. Until this one. Not just 7:40 am, though. 7:40 am on a Saturday. Don't ask me how that worked. I don't know. Doing some quick math based on what I had scored to that point, I figured the best I could get even with an awesome final was maybe a D. I sat down to the final, bleary-eyed and flat-tailed, and looked at the test, and saw another language staring up at me. I did not know diddly. So I bullshitted again. I took the test by intuition, knowing that it didn't really matter, because the math was against me.

Somehow I got a passing C in that class.

To badly paraphrase Gordon Gecko, bullshit works. Bullshit is good.

[ShadowTiger]

Indeed it is. ... Indeed, it is.

I had an English class last year. American History English Class. African American English Class. You do the math on what nationality the professor was. He was cool and all though.

The -ONLY- grades in the class were: Two midterm papers, a Final Paper, and an Exam to see if you actually read the stories, of which there were at least 40 large stories to read. Some were novels, included in that 40. 15 weeks of class total.

I get a B+ on the first paper. Was surprised; thought I did really well on it. Second paper I had -no- idea what to write, and pushed it off until the date the final paper was due (Yikes) well past the due date two months prior. The Test was canceled due to democratic vote, but the final paper was elongated dangerously. I did both the second midterm essay -and- the final paper within the 12 hours before the final was due. The amount of pages total I had written for the class: About 14. The amount he expected: At least 25.

I have noooo idea how I got an A- in the class. No bloody idea.

[El Pollo Guerrera]

wll that and the book was "the perfect storm"
and im a former sailor

You should be fine if the name Clooney does not appear anywhere in your report.

[42_42_42]

Did that a few times in HS, with mom's (a former HS English teacher) encouragement. Managed to pull a C+ and a B+ and not have to read Moby Dick or the Scarlet Letter. I did read Moby Dick eventually, in college, b/c I knew I wouldn't pass the test on it w/o reading it, but if I manage to go to my grave w/o reading the Scarlet Letter, that would be fine w/ me. The other book that I basically didn't read in HS, fortunately didn't have to write on. I read about 1/2 of Invisible Man and then gave up on it.

As far as I'm concerned, a book can be considered a "major work" by others and still be a piece of crap.

And this is coming from an English major and former Middle School Lang. Arts teacher.