[rich.paekk]

I am applying a school that my brother did not apply to. He has a real good essay that I would like to use. Will colleges be able to find out I used the essay that my brother wrote?

[Eddie]

It's "illegal" and you always take the risk.
If the person who read your brother's essay reads it, and it was a good essay, then I guess you're screwed.

When you sign the common app (or whatever app you sign), it explicitly says that this essay must be written by you and you alone.

...You choose.

[rich.paekk]

do the colleges put all the essays into a computer and when they read new ones do they like match it up? how do they know the essay was not written by you if its different schools?

im scared now.

This post has been edited by rich.paekk: 31 December 2005 - 11:56 AM

[hyerim07]

Well they'll definitely have an easier time matching up the essays. Just write your own and don't take the risk.

[AiLing]

Write your own.

Not only is it dishonest, but the college may very well be able to tell differences between your brother's writing style/experiences and yours as evidenced in the rest of your application.

[ronmexico]

If it's something he wrote for a college application, then there's a chance they might. They probably won't, but you don't want to take the chance. Even if it somehow came out years later, it would still be trouble.

[AiLing]

^ Yeah, they can take back your acceptance, and even if you've graduated, colleges can rescind your degree.

[kinesis]

Even if they never find out, it's still bad. You're just cheating your way into college. Using someone else's efforts for your own is low. Don't do it.

[ant!bacterial]

If you did that, got accepted to a college because of that essay, and your peers found out, they'd get pissed off. I would.

[vc1188]

god do your own work! if you cant even write one simple short essay how do you think you're going to do in college?

harsh but true.

[LDYxCR1STAL]

i`m guessin` yu already turned it in? [:

i`m sure they must have SOME kind of trackin` system. i mean even for typical school essays, they`re gettin` pretty harsh on plagiarism & makin` students turn them in to internet sites that recheck them for originality.

there might be a chance that they js might overlook it though w. all of those college essays & all. (: who knoes?

i wish yu the best of luckkk!

[sosays i]

i'm almost sure colleges will be able to find out
our school teachers have a program where they can find out if you're using essays from the internet o_o

[Tami]

They'll probably be able to tell it's not your writing style. If you took the new SAT, they might comapre the two essays and if they're not remotely close, doubt that you application essay was yours.

[ronmexico]

^I doubt that they'll be able to detect a real difference in style between two short passages. Plus the SAT writing section is written under extremely different conditions, so it's natural for them to be different. This is assuming they even see the essay, which I don't think they do. Again, the risk of being caught is very small, but the fact that the other school would have his brother's essay on file means that it's at least possible.

[sphynkter]

^ yea i don't think it's fair for them to assume your college essay is someone elses if it doesn't match your writing on the SAT. for the essay on sat they only offer you 25 minutes so obviously it's not going to be as well written as your revised college essay.

there probably is a way for them to check if it's really your writing or not if your sibling has submitted the same essay before. i would suggest that you not even take the chance of them finding out the essay isn't your own work. besides don't you want to get into college yourself. if you do get into the college of your choice you'll only have gotten in because of your brother's work. it's like telling someone else to take your SAT for you. it's cheating and if you get caught then that sucks even more.

[lakers]

i highly doubt it