Why an Essay Writing Service Might Not be Worth the Risk
If a person types "essay writing" into a search engine, chances are he'll get dozens of hits for websites that offer to write custom essays for students for a fee. While these services state that they guarantee the essays they sell to be "free of plagiarism," these services really can't guarantee a student's grade, even though they promise to. Here is an overview of why these services are a bad idea for students and not worth the money spent.
Instructors Become Familiar With a Student's Writing
Over the course of a semester or even just a few weeks, an instructor becomes familiar with a student's writing. The more writing a student does in class, the more a teacher learns what a student's writing is like. Each student has a writing voice, just like she has a spoken voice, and an instructor learns how the student "speaks" in her writing. She will have a particular style, cadence, and particular vocabulary.
Needless to say, then, that when an instructor has read assignments by a student who has until that point written in terse, tight paragraphs with limited vocabulary, he will become suspicious when that same student turns in a paper written with compound sentences, using complex vocabulary. While he might not be able to prove that the student didn't actually write the essay, he will suspect the student of not having written it and will likely have a talk with the student.
What Students Won't Learn With Essay Services
It might sound like a cliche, but students who buy essays that they themselves didn't write really are only cheating themselves. How exactly does a student cheat himself? Well, he might be able to pass an essay off as his own, but he hasn't learned much. He might even get a passing grade, but sneaking that paper past an instructor won't improve his writing abilities.
What a high school or college student needs to realize is that he will likely be writing papers throughout his college career. Composition classes are only the beginning, and the hope is that a student will learn some tips to help him in the years to come. Many classes in the liberal arts require term papers that explore the knowledge a student has acquired over the course of a semester. It would be almost impossible for a student to buy the perfect paper for every writing occasion. Finally, students who pursue advanced degrees will find that they need to write a thesis or dissertation as part of their graduation requirement. A thesis or dissertation is a large writing project that involves not only good writing abilities but also lots of research. These kinds of writing projects are not available on essay writing service websites. Avoiding Temptation is Best
While it might be tempting for a student, plagiarizing by using a writing service is never a good idea. Not only does a student risk failing the assignment or even the course, she is also cheating herself out of learning a valuable skill. Using an online essay service might not initially seem dangerous, but it is. Students will do best trusting their own writing skills and improving them.