Toto, we're not in high school anymore...

"Ignorance is not an excuse." Those are the words that were branded in my brain from the beginning of orientation here at the University of Richmond. When it comes to plagiarism at UR, ignorance is no excuse. When I was in high school plagiarism and paraphrasing were most definitely not taken lightly, but there were certain situations where it could be...overlooked. I still had a bibliography at the end of every paper and knew MLA citations down to a T, but if I had made a small mistake teachers generally just took a point or two off my final grade. I don't know why, but I'm pretty sure that if I make those same mistakes here I would get more than a few points deducted.

I think that even with those few "acts of kindness" on the behalf of my teachers I am already pretty well educated in the art of citing. Since being here, I have experienced my first college paper and seen that what's expected is different, but I know I can adjust. In high school, the main sources I used were passages from primary sources, which are exactly what I will be using with my Core papers. However, in both my International Relations and English classes, I am sure I will be using other sources, such as academic papers and periodicals. I have had some experience with those sources, yet I feel that I am going to have to become a bit more rehearsed in that method. For now, I will rely on my previous knowledge from high school, and I think with some practice, some trial and error, I will be able to become a great college level writer.