Why do professors act like writing services don't exist? Let's be real

[Jaline]

I have a confession. Last semester, I almost paid someone to write my final essay. I was that desperate. It was 2 AM, I had written three sentences in four hours, and my roommate was snoring while I was spiraling. I found this list on Medium and I actually clicked through to three different sites. I had my credit card out. I was ready. But then I thought about my professor. She's old-school.

She leaves comments like "I'd like to hear YOUR voice here" in bright red pen. She would have known. Not because the writing would be too good — let's be real, I'm not exactly Shakespeare — but because it wouldn't sound like me. It would sound like some 40-year-old freelance writer with a thesaurus and a mortgage.

So I closed the tabs. I wrote the worst essay of my life. I got a D+. But you know what? That D+ is mine. And next semester, I'm going to do better. Or I'll get another D+. But at least I'll know I earned it.

 

[Belle]

Professors know. They absolutely know. They've been grading for decades. They've seen every trick. The writing services are obvious because the voice is wrong. Too polished. No personality. No mistakes that sound like your mistakes.

You saved your credit card, your integrity, and your learning. The D+ is a badge. Wear it. You earned it.