I just got accepted to the MLA in UPenn, and I found out that my ex-coworker, who plagiarized my project and put it into his own portfolio, got into the same program.
The story goes like this:
I initially chose to collaborate with him and another girl to make one project that we all intended to use for application, however, this man refused to make any valuable output during the whole process. The final result does not contain any of his efforts. So I and another group member both agree that his terrible work did not deserve sharing the final results, and we refused to give him any of our achievements.
Somehow, he simply copied the draft images(very close to the final result) from the group chat and pasted these into his own portfolio, calling them "his work".
This is my first time facing such scurviness plagiarization, I really want to report this to the admission committee, but I am not sure how to prove that he did not participate enough and the fact he stole. I also worry about how would UPenn deal with this kind of situation, because I don't want to face any retribution or safety problems if I still have to be on the same campus with him.
Please give me some advice.
Much appreciated!
archanonymous
Mar 15, 21 10:38 am
If I were you, I would just chalk it up to a valuable lesson learned and keep it to yourself. You are in school - just focus on your studies, do your best, and then distinguish yourself in your future career.
Nobody really cares otherwise, and there's so many shades of grey in group projects that it isn't an open-and-closed case of plagiarism. Just move on with your life.
caaaaaat
Mar 16, 21 8:22 am
Completely learned that nobody actually cares about these drama. You are right, it’s better to focus on myself.
Josh Mings
Mar 16, 21 9:43 am
Agree with this - it will show when you all start next semester. Wouldn’t worry about it so much.
Chad Miller
Mar 15, 21 10:45 am
As previously stated just treat it as a learning experience.
Also don't trust this person anymore. If anyone asks why simply tell them. If this person is as dishonest as you say it will become apparent rather quickly during the run of your masters program.
nastronaut
Mar 15, 21 12:25 pm
You still got into the program, so literally who cares. And on top of that, I'm sure those 3 spreads in his portfolio didn't make or break his application unless you guys are insanely talented, which I doubt if you're still a student. There is value in just focusing on yourself and staying in your lane if someone's cheating literally has zero impact on your life.
He is most definitely a sack of garbage though!! And we can't forget how hard these programs actually are when you're in them. If he had to cheat to get in, then I doubt he'll do well. His karma is coming.
caaaaaat
Mar 16, 21 8:16 am
Yeah I admit that I got too emotional for this thing these days... It just feels bad learning that some one could have take the results. Indeed it’s better to focus on myself instead of complaining.
randomised
Mar 15, 21 4:05 pm
Just to look at it from a different perspective...Those draft images were shared when that person was still part of the team, so it’s not plagiarism at all...Maybe that person simply felt unheard, ignored and overlooked by you and the other team mate, perhaps never listening to their input or take on their suggestions, just speculating here obviously...Why do a team project with 3 people if their input is absent in everything...were you perhaps looking for a cad monkey team mate to help execute your own ideas?
caaaaaat
Mar 16, 21 8:01 am
He was still in the group chat after all these situations just because the tutor insisted that we should keep him in otherwise he would not have enough images for application, because that could hurt the tutor’s work performance ... The team was supposed to equally handle the group work, but this guy spent his energy on his personal issues, so I and another one had to do his part as well. We asked him to participate during the whole process, but he didn’t. I would not be this mad if he’s ever done some cad monkey job.
your conscience
Mar 15, 21 4:14 pm
great artists steal. this guy sounds like a real efficient worker.
caaaaaat
Mar 16, 21 8:03 am
He spent his time dating, instead of working. I guess he is a romance artist then.
RJ87
Mar 15, 21 4:56 pm
"So I and another group member both agree that his terrible work did not deserve sharing the final results, and we refused to give him any of our achievements."
Sounds like people should be weary of doing group projects with y'all as well.
accountantthe
Mar 15, 21 9:51 pm
Never quite understood the victim blaming mentality here when plagiarism is a growing trend as Baboo.fei mentioned in the other thread.
"So I and another group member both agree that his terrible work did not deserve sharing the final results, and we refused to give him any of our achievements."
OP, back in school did you report this incident to the studio leader? If there was indeed a response why not seek permission and share the email to the admission's committee?
caaaaaat
Mar 16, 21 8:06 am
I tried to report, but the result was not good. The tutor of this project didn’t want to mess with this, because making that guy punished would hurt the tutor’s work performance in this application season. So I am not that confident to report this again. Maybe I will just keep it to myself, like you guys suggested.
b3tadine[sutures]
Mar 16, 21 5:50 am
Snitches, get stitches.
Non Sequitur
Mar 16, 21 6:10 am
you should go on Oprah and let the world hear about your drama. it’s just school and there will always be wankers on both sides of the story when it involves group work.
apkouv
Mar 16, 21 6:33 am
Well UPenn is notorious for admitting students with dodgy applications. There was an archinect member on here who actually forged his recommendation letters. That was possible because UPenn doesn't chase references.
When it comes to your team member, you should let everyone in the school know. If you are certain he was a slacker and you carried him all the way you should name and shame him. However, make sure your other team mate also confirms the allegation. He will then drop out or the school will take action.
In my undergraduate school he is already famous for his doings... But that doesn’t hurt him, because he still got into UPenn, and the school committee doesn’t actually give a damn about plagiarism: if UPenn doesn’t care, why would they care? Anybody goes to grad school is the same the them, just one more number on their enrollment rate.
caaaaaat
Mar 16, 21 8:49 am
Ok guys I think I’d better shut up about this thing, it’s actually kinda my own mistake that I didn’t insist to kick him out from the start. The story is complex and shitty, and the result can not be changed. Drama is over, I give up to spend more energy on making it better to take.
thisisnotmyname
Mar 16, 21 10:09 am
Group projects in USA architecture schools pretty much always suck for various reasons. Success is measured by how quickly you forget about that shit and move on.
When you work in groups after school in a real architecture practice, there is a lot more accountability and management will care if there are people that aren't doing their share of the work.
Hi everyone.
I just got accepted to the MLA in UPenn, and I found out that my ex-coworker, who plagiarized my project and put it into his own portfolio, got into the same program.
The story goes like this:
I initially chose to collaborate with him and another girl to make one project that we all intended to use for application, however, this man refused to make any valuable output during the whole process. The final result does not contain any of his efforts. So I and another group member both agree that his terrible work did not deserve sharing the final results, and we refused to give him any of our achievements.
Somehow, he simply copied the draft images(very close to the final result) from the group chat and pasted these into his own portfolio, calling them "his work".
This is my first time facing such scurviness plagiarization, I really want to report this to the admission committee, but I am not sure how to prove that he did not participate enough and the fact he stole. I also worry about how would UPenn deal with this kind of situation, because I don't want to face any retribution or safety problems if I still have to be on the same campus with him.
Please give me some advice.
Much appreciated!
If I were you, I would just chalk it up to a valuable lesson learned and keep it to yourself. You are in school - just focus on your studies, do your best, and then distinguish yourself in your future career.
Nobody really cares otherwise, and there's so many shades of grey in group projects that it isn't an open-and-closed case of plagiarism. Just move on with your life.
Completely learned that nobody actually cares about these drama. You are right, it’s better to focus on myself.
Agree with this - it will show when you all start next semester. Wouldn’t worry about it so much.
As previously stated just treat it as a learning experience.
Also don't trust this person anymore. If anyone asks why simply tell them. If this person is as dishonest as you say it will become apparent rather quickly during the run of your masters program.
You still got into the program, so literally who cares. And on top of that, I'm sure those 3 spreads in his portfolio didn't make or break his application unless you guys are insanely talented, which I doubt if you're still a student. There is value in just focusing on yourself and staying in your lane if someone's cheating literally has zero impact on your life.
He is most definitely a sack of garbage though!! And we can't forget how hard these programs actually are when you're in them. If he had to cheat to get in, then I doubt he'll do well. His karma is coming.
Yeah I admit that I got too emotional for this thing these days... It just feels bad learning that some one could have take the results. Indeed it’s better to focus on myself instead of complaining.
Just to look at it from a different perspective...Those draft images were shared when that person was still part of the team, so it’s not plagiarism at all...Maybe that person simply felt unheard, ignored and overlooked by you and the other team mate, perhaps never listening to their input or take on their suggestions, just speculating here obviously...Why do a team project with 3 people if their input is absent in everything...were you perhaps looking for a cad monkey team mate to help execute your own ideas?
He was still in the group chat after all these situations just because the tutor insisted that we should keep him in otherwise he would not have enough images for application, because that could hurt the tutor’s work performance ... The team was supposed to equally handle the group work, but this guy spent his energy on his personal issues, so I and another one had to do his part as well. We asked him to participate during the whole process, but he didn’t. I would not be this mad if he’s ever done some cad monkey job.
great artists steal. this guy sounds like a real efficient worker.
He spent his time dating, instead of working. I guess he is a romance artist then.
"So I and another group member both agree that his terrible work did not deserve sharing the final results, and we refused to give him any of our achievements."
Sounds like people should be weary of doing group projects with y'all as well.
Never quite understood the victim blaming mentality here when plagiarism is a growing trend as Baboo.fei mentioned in the other thread.
"So I and another group member both agree that his terrible work did not deserve sharing the final results, and we refused to give him any of our achievements."
OP, back in school did you report this incident to the studio leader? If there was indeed a response why not seek permission and share the email to the admission's committee?
I tried to report, but the result was not good. The tutor of this project didn’t want to mess with this, because making that guy punished would hurt the tutor’s work performance in this application season. So I am not that confident to report this again. Maybe I will just keep it to myself, like you guys suggested.
Snitches, get stitches.
you should go on Oprah and let the world hear about your drama. it’s just school and there will always be wankers on both sides of the story when it involves group work.
Well UPenn is notorious for admitting students with dodgy applications. There was an archinect member on here who actually forged his recommendation letters. That was possible because UPenn doesn't chase references.
When it comes to your team member, you should let everyone in the school know. If you are certain he was a slacker and you carried him all the way you should name and shame him. However, make sure your other team mate also confirms the allegation. He will then drop out or the school will take action.
a bit off-topic but did you see the bat-signal? https://archinect.com/forum/thread/150254861/the-apukov-challenge
In my undergraduate school he is already famous for his doings... But that doesn’t hurt him, because he still got into UPenn, and the school committee doesn’t actually give a damn about plagiarism: if UPenn doesn’t care, why would they care? Anybody goes to grad school is the same the them, just one more number on their enrollment rate.
Ok guys I think I’d better shut up about this thing, it’s actually kinda my own mistake that I didn’t insist to kick him out from the start. The story is complex and shitty, and the result can not be changed. Drama is over, I give up to spend more energy on making it better to take.
Group projects in USA architecture schools pretty much always suck for various reasons. Success is measured by how quickly you forget about that shit and move on.
When you work in groups after school in a real architecture practice, there is a lot more accountability and management will care if there are people that aren't doing their share of the work.