<p>Let’s first define “cheating” as cheating on tests (midterms or finals), or projects on which a substantial portion of your grade is based.</p>
<p>By that definition, I never cheated in high school or at Columbia and didn’t know anyone at Columbia who did, either.</p>
<p>Copying problem sets / homework is not at all uncommon, but I think it’s in a different category because the person you’re hurting is yourself, at least when it’s not a substantial portion of your grade. The point of homework is to facilitate understanding; the point of exams is to measure that understanding.</p>
<p>THAT was common, even more so at columbia, because of the difficulty level of the classes and how willing students were to help each other out in a collective setting. For the hardest classes - say, physics 2800 - the only way you could realistically get problem sets done was with a group effort. When someone finally solves a problem, they explain it to the group. That’s pretty close to the intent of homework in the first place. I don’t think the academic-integrity sticklers around here would have much support if they were to rail against helping each other on homework.</p>