Term Paper Writing

During my Junior and Senior years of college (back in 1988 and 1989), I made extra money by writing papers for my fellow students.

I charged $10.00 per double spaced page – which included the contents of the paper and the actual typing. (Back then, I only typed about 40 words per minute. At my peak in 2000, I typed 93 words per minute. These days, I’m out of practice and am down to about 55 words per minute.)

Over that two year period in college, I composed about 40 papers. My clients originated as my fraternity brothers, quickly branching out to anyone else on campus. I guaranteed the student at least a B, but I reserved the right to refuse any subject or deadline.

I was thinking of this tonight because I came across one of “my” papers for a Marketing 4100 class called “Blacks and Higher Education: Strategies to Increase Enrollment”. That may be the only paper that has survived. I didn’t think I had copies of any of my work.

My business wouldn’t work these days; students have the internet to write their papers for them.

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For quite awhile back around the time we both graduated college, Steve and I used to hang out at Avenue Pub every Wednesday night. Getting drunk, telling stories, and concocting schemes.

One of the plans we devised was that he and I were going to open a term paper writing service. Advertising for clients on the local college campuses, he and I would start small – he would write the English/Literature papers; I would write the Business/Marketing/Management papers.

Once we got going, we would bring in other friends of ours who had their own specialized knowledge. Maybe a Shakespeare scholar who needed money, and so on.

We even had a pricing structure and a business plan formulated. After a few Wednesdays of serious talks and serious beer drinking, we moved on to another scheme.

We had a good idea, but no follow through. I wonder if we would have been successful.