Student Blog: Academic Integrity: Why It's Important to Me

School can be tiring and long, but I cannot remember a time in my life where no matter what, school was the center of my attention. It did not matter if I did not want to do it, my academics came first and I was going to strive to be the best student I can be. Burnouts would come and go, my motivation does dwindle from time to time, but so many people have put these expectations on me (myself included) to stay loyal to my work. 

Academic integrity is about a student’s responsibility and honesty with their school work. Of course there is so much more involved with this term, but the main point is that you should be expected to have “Academic integrity”. As I have mentioned before, on many occasions I have felt my motivation for work fade in and fade out. It’s hard to maintain the passion for school work and the academic integrity of it all, but do not let that all disappear completely!

To maintain “academic integrity” it’s important to always go to class! Yes there are times where you do not want to get out of bed, but if you want to keep a routine and stay on the right track you have to push yourself (don’t stress out though!) Going to class always makes me feel accomplished because it shows the teachers that you are here and present in class! That includes participating in conversations and taking notes, etc! To me this sort of forms a bond with those who are helping you in your education! Another way to maintain “academic integrity”, is to keep up with your own work. That means using correct sources with papers, to never, ever act on plagiarism, and hand in assignments on time. Following these can help you be responsible for what you yourself has created. I believe you gain more knowledge when you take your own notes, write your own papers, and research for yourself. If you need another pair of eyes on something you can also always ask a teacher or friend!

All of this is so important to me because I was raised to do my best and work hard. I feel proud of myself when I turn in a paper that I did. In the moment I would feel like I was going crazy because I would spend days on an essay, but the final product is always worth it. I like the idea of knowing teachers trust me when they need something done. It goes to show how much I have done for my own academic career and for my own personal life.