[gumpzilla]

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If it's the case that people don't understand that it makes a difference, why don't you explain the difference? Or do you just like sounding pompous on the internet?

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He's not kidding when he says the grades don't matter, which is the difference (not that it justifies cheating as an undergrad) - there really should be no incentive to cheat. Maybe if you're on an NSF fellowship or something grades matter, but for the most part the only distinction that's important is whether you're failing or not. And even that's pretty flexible. Numerous friends of mine had a GPA below what the university nominally allows at some point, and all that happens is you get a letter saying "Knock it off" and there's zero enforcement. Even the guy I know who has failed basically every class and has been fired from a research position once is still here three years later. This is neglecting that to fail these classes generally requires you to be seriously not trying. The professors don't want to fail you, because it's a pain in the ass for everybody, and the classes aren't what you're really there for.

At least in the sciences, what matters when you're done is what research you've done, who you know, etc. Nobody gives a rat's ass about your grades. Maybe the story is different if you're going for a master's degree in spirituality or something like that, but I doubt it pretty highly.

EDIT: Is everybody's concern with not talking to other people simply that you'll get ratted out? Man, that's lame.