At my work (a university) right now, it’s time for students to hand in mid semester essays and do mid semester exams. Since I quit university last year, I’d completely forgotten how clever margin manipulation can turn a 4-page outline into a 100-page essay until I saw some of the students hand in their efforts.
I also had to help out in one of the classes today. There was a practical workshop going on, and students were being divided up into groups, and each group was headed by a student. After we’d read out who had been allocated to which group, there were some people left out, who we had to allocate. One guy had the last name Cox, and as we were reading out who was allocated to each group (eg: “Wilson will be in Culley’s group,”; “Anderson will be in Klemson’s group”) I made the unfortunate mistake of calling out “Cox will be in Bottams’ group”. (Say it out loud, and you’ll realise why the two fellas involved went bright red).
I also supervised another night school exam this evening. (I really wish I could enter the room to the SNAP of a latex glove just to scare all the students… but I can’t). The poor first year students, they really don’t have any idea. Do they really think they’re going to score any extra credit by colouring in the centre of every e, o, p, q, d and b in different jaunty colours on the cover of their exam?
I say, don’t worry about your exams. Unless the guy you’re copying from just shot himself. Ah, but seriously, if you’re a first year uni student, you should enjoy it, because it will be the best three years of your life.