<p>Two friends from my school both applied to Yale. One applied EA and was accepted, and the other is applying RD. They're good friends, and the one who applied EA showed the one who applied RD her Yale essays.
A few days ago though, the friend who applied RD told me that he borrowed the conclusion paragraph from the other person's essay.</p>
<p>So I'm wondering...</p>
<p>Would Yale ever catch this? Obviously they get thousands of apps, and it was a few identical sentences, so Idk if they'd realize it (especially since one was EA and one RD)?
Or even if they did, what would that mean? If two kids share their essays and have the same conclusion paragraph, is that enough to like, dismiss one of them?</p>
<p>Idk if anyone would know, but yeah, I was j/w... Thanks.</p>
<p>
[quote]
Would Yale ever catch this? Obviously they get thousands of apps, and it was a few identical sentences, so Idk if they'd realize it (especially since one was EA and one RD)?
<p>Don't underestimate the power of recall, especially if it's a memorable essay. An adcom once told me that he really liked the essay he was reading...but it seemed familiar. Looking up the essay, he found out that it was an exact copy of one submitted 10 years earlier. The applicant was rejected.</p>
<p>At my daughter's high school, that's ground for dismissal, it's cheating. I am sure Yale has an Honor Code. Even if Yale doesn't catch it, it is still wrong. One of them would have to prove he wrote the conclusion and did not give permission to his friend to use it. The is not any different than cheating on a test. I think common app has a check box that asks if applicants have written their own essays. If he checked "Yes" then he lied on his application.</p>
<p>Would they really throw out an application because 3 sentences were borrowed?
I think the sentences that were borrowed were in the conclusion, about why each person liked Yale. I just don't know how adcoms (does the same adcom even read every single essay?) would remember a few sentences that were the same between 2 essays out of thousands, especially if one was EA and one RD.</p>
<p>it was a really mean thing to steal the friend's ideas....not a friend anyone should trust btw...I wouldn't trust the plagerist, even if the ideas were "generic" how much effort would it have taken to write those three lines themselves</p>
<p>don't try and defend your friend, you can't...and why anyone would share this with a friend is beyond me....no shame anymore?</p>
<p>Yeah, it is quite bizarre. Neither of the two are friends I hang out with often, just kids I share a bunch of classes with.</p>
<p>I would doubt they scan for plagiarism in every single essay, or even most? </p>
<p>But like... Does the same person read every single essay, or does the regional rep read his/her applicants' essays and then sort of pitch each applicant to a board of other adcoms?
Meaning that, if a few sentences were the same in two essays that were read by different (regional) adcoms, how would anyone really notice?</p>
<p>I really don't know.
I don't know how the school could rescind the first person's app, because they didn't apply to any other schools. </p>
<p>In this case, since the two people go to the same school, I'm sure the admissions rep is the same... I just didn't know if it'd be less likely for someone to notice anything if one kid lived in Los Angeles, for example, and the other in Oakland. Plus, the sentences weren't really about anything that other kids would never write about... They mentioned like, Yale's abroad programs and taking archaelogy classes.</p>
<p>well, IF someone caught it, the first EA might have to explain it, causing a hastle they didn't deserve</p>
<p>It is jsut a mean thing to do, even if it seems minor....how much would it have taken to at least switch words around, come up with some own ideas, etc....</p>
<p>It was a risk not worth taking for such few sentences....</p>
<p>
[quote]
Does the same person read every single essay, or does the regional rep read his/her applicants' essays and then sort of pitch each applicant to a board of other adcoms? Meaning that, if a few sentences were the same in two essays that were read by different (regional) adcoms, how would anyone really notice?
[/quote]
</p>
<p>Most applications are read by at least 2 readers. as warblers stated, you would be suprised of some of the things that people recall (it would be really scary if he came across and admissions rep with a photographic memory). I read a lot of stuff during the course of my day have really great recall, and it is not unsual for me to read something and if it gets stuck in my head to go back and find where I read it before.</p>
<p>
[quote]
Would they really throw out an application because 3 sentences were borrowed?
[/quote]
</p>
<p>Yes. It would still be considered plagarism. DO it in college, they will throw you out of school.</p>
<p>To piggyback on Oldfort's posting, schools with honor codes would hold both parties responsible so EA applicant could potenitally lose his/her acceptance. (you don't uphold something wrong and strong and you don't aid and abet)</p>
<p>I agree with Sybbie. Most readers will remember what they have read, and it is more than likely applications from a single high school are read by the same reader or readers; with two readers, it's twice as likely to be noticed. Most likely both applicants will be tarred with the same brush because the readers will not know who copied from whom--after all, there is no way of knowing which essay will be read first.</p>
<p>If it's my daughter that got admitted for EA and had her essay copied, I would advise her to let her college counselor know. Her school Honor Codes also state that if you know of anyone cheating, you have a responsibility of reporting it.<br>
If it's my daughter that did the copying, I would have her tell the school now. She may be disqualified for Yale, but she'll be able to sleep at night knowing she didn't jeopardize her friend's admission, and I would have her apologize to her friend.<br>
Last year someone from my daughter's school copied another person's essay a week before the deadline. The person that wrote the essay decided to write a new one to avoid discussion with the college on who write the first essay. It was a life lesson for her.</p>
<p>with<em>one</em>voice - I hope you are using this forum to getting some sound advise to help out your friends. But I would not suggest for you to use this information to jeopardize your friends' admission to Yale. I hope you do not take offense to this.</p>