Would I be completely wrong to do this- buying a dissertation

[NotNowNinja]

Finishing my masters I’ve wrote 6000 words which my supervisor has basically told me to re-write.
I just want this to be over but I’m working ridiculous hours atm, recently suffered miscarriage, not sleeping due to ongoing ptsd and dh is undergoing a big operation in next month so I’m struggling with focus and time.
I know it’s morally wrong and I probably would feel guilty but I need to lighten my plate at the minute feel so overwhelmed- I had a panic arrack at work the other day thinking about everything.
Deferring is not an option sadly :(

How would you feel if you knew someone had secured an academic post on the basis of a bought thesis? FFS.

Part of my job is managing the disciplinary process when students are caught doing this. It isn’t worth it.

Please try and deferr. You'll always feel guilt if you go down this route...

Don't do it. You will be caught.

Ask for an extension or EC.

So, how close are you to having everything you need to complete the other 6,000 words? Have you completed all the research, etc?

I think rather than panicking, you need to make a plan now to manage what to do. You still have time to get this completed without taking such a risky and drastic route.

Completing my MA dissertation was of the toughest things I have done, and I didn’t have all the things you have going on at the same time. Speak to your tutors, the student union, student wellbeing (whatever the various services are called at your university). They are there to support you

How would you feel if you knew someone had secured an academic post on the basis of a bought thesis? FFS.

I agree with this so much. It would piss me off to no end.

I teach at uni and also occasionally supervise dissertations and can confirm that you will likely be caught. There are a few who try every year, and with unis coming down hard on anything related to academic dishonesty, it's usually very stressful and painful for everyone involved.

I also recommend talking to your supervisor; I know I'd be happy to help a student like yourself if I could, and would probably be able to give you some pointers on how to achieve a minimal pass / a product that you are both happy with. If your supervisor is unapproachable, do you have someone else who could sit down with you and help you structure your work and get an overview of what you might still need to do? That will probably go a long way to make you feel calmer about the whole situation.

Best of luck, OP!

Get an extension, you have extenuating circumstances. If you get caught you're fucked and if you don't you'll always know it's fake.

Really don't do this. You risk losing all the work you've put it.
Start by talking to your supervisor, who can either arrange an extension or help you get the dissertation into shape. You can do this and it may mean a lot less extra work than you think.

You can do your best, fail if necessary, then resubmit? Your mark would be capped at 50% but better than giving up altogether.

I would too. Or get yourself some modafinil online, it'll get you through the dissertation.

Former Uni lecturer here. Don't do it. You'll get caught. Writing styles are so so distinctive, I could always tell instantly if a piece of work wasn't written by a given student.

You have lots of time. You don't need an extension. You need a good writing plan, a timetable and lots of mini deadlines.

Start at your final deadline and work your way back. Leave the last week for final edit, formatting and printing then work out how many sections you need to complete per week. You don't have to write sections in order. Do the easiest ones first to get you in the flow and the harder ones when you have a bit more time/headspace.

Talk to your tutor and ask them to review your output every week or two so you stay on the right track. They want to help you and they want you to pass.

Roll forward 10 or so years when you find out your child has cheated in their GSCEs, been thrown out of school and not allowed to sit an exam with that exam board again.

Would you think 'that's my boy/girl' and pat them on the head fondly? Or would you be mortified that the apple hadn't fallen that far from the tree?

You're in a panic and I'm sorry your life is shit right now. Cheating is not the answer. You'll hate yourself.

Whether you get a pass or merit is not as major a difference as undergraduate degrees so don't let that influence you too much. Talk to the university about your situation and what can be done to ease your burden.

Next time you come to study try to break the feedback down into what is essential and what is desirable. Also consider where you might gain the most marks quickly. So a major area which loses marks is not answering the question or a poor focus. By going through each paragraph making sure that you are clearly focused on the topic you might gain more marks than making sure the semi colons in the references are in the right place. Your tutor might be able to help you with this.

For today though I would take a break, you sound completely worn out. I imagine too that in your mind you thought it was half done and now it isn't, so that is a blow. You would though feel much worse if you were found to be cheating.

I am currently doing a post grad qualification. I signed up when my DS was seeing his Dad (my ex) EOW and a couple of evenings in the week. That has since gone to pieces (Court etc) and DS2 now lives with me full time. This is the way it should be, but from having some time to study I then found myself with not much at all. I work full time.

I had to lower my standards and personal expectations of myself and also ask for an extension on one of the assessments. I hated having to explain my personal circumstances to the course people, but I was so glad I did. They don't want anyone to fail and did what they could do support me.

I will be happy with a pass rather than a good pass or merit.

Please don't cheat, speak to your supervisors and find a way to get the qualification you are capable of. All the best.

Also, it's only a qualification at the end of the day. It's not worth committing fraud over. You can drop out and revisit when your life is more settled.

Don't do it.

Not only is it not right, but the software for detecting these things is really good, high chance of getting caught.

Is there no chance of deferral or special circumstances? I'd contact student services if you haven't already. x

Aside form the software, a supervisor who knows your work and writing will see instantly that something is amiss.

Rather than paying for something fraudulent and illegal, can you use the money in a more constructive way? Take a short amount of unpaid leave, pay for an expert tutor to support you in writing your own dissertation, invest in some good quality coaching / support so you use every spare moment to actually get on with writing your dissertation - without procrastinating, which often comes with that feeling of overwhelm.

A tutor / coach could help you with the structure of your dissertation, help you get clarity about the outcomes, and encourage you with deadlines for getting the re-write underway and the next 6000 words completed. And they could support you with any style / grammar issues, which might be of long term learning benefit. You might be surprised by how little time it actually takes. One day per week for 6 weeks could absolutely crack it. You could always ask on MN if there is anyone who could support you in this way...

Personally, I would advise you not to get an extension. It will buy you some temporary relief but I sense that you just want it finished and done with. So invest in resources that will help you do that.

It's hugely wrong, unethical and there are no guarantees of quality. I work in HE regulation and we've seen cases of students being blackmailed by these 'services' threatening to tell their university.

If you get caught (more likely than you might think) then your academic career is over and rightly so.

Don't do it.

But also, you need to speak to the student services and your supervisor and organise an extension. If your circumstances are as they say they are then I dont think it will be a problem.

It sounds like you have a good case for mitigating circumstances, all universities have a process for this. You need to talk to your supervisor and/or tutor. Get help, don't cheat.

I am so sorry you're going through such a hard time and I know it is hard to see the light at the end of the tunnel but please, please don't buy an essay. Aside from being morally indefensible you are very likely to get caught and it won't be treated lightly.

I'd suggest speaking to student services and your tutor and exploring every avenue of extension and deferral first off.

Even if theres no leeway, September still is a long way off and you've made a really substantial start, 6k out of 12k words is a lot.

Sounds to me as though you're feeling down after a harsh appraisal with the suggested rewrites but what have you been asked to change? Work with your supervisor and keep getting support on this.

I think you have time to hand in your honest best effort if you plan it. Take some time off work if need be. If unpaid, see it as the money you would've paid the essay mill.

Even a scraped pass is far, far better than the risk or consequences of being caught cheating. I can't speak for every employer but I think generally masters grades don't get taken into consideration anything like as much as with grad programmes.

Best of luck