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Hi,
I really need some help with a big issue Im facing. I was dismissed during my undergrad for misconduct and had to spend 2 terms out of the university.
I returned back and graduated with a bachelors.
I plan on applying to medschools however, I have a low GPA (3.08). To circumvent this problem, Im currently pursuing a second bachelors at another university and should be done by 2008. Currently I have a 3.65 and have three more semesters to go.
Im studying for the MCAT and will be taking it in September. I expect to submit my AMCAS as soon as I get my scores. I plan to enter to start medschool in 2008.
My question is:
1) How will a dismissal on my record affect me ?
2) How should I address this issue?
3) Should I mention this in my personal statement or in the section where they ask about any conduct violations ?
Hi!
1) How will a dismissal on my record affect me? Well, I guess it is really going to depend on what you got dismissed for. Of course, since you were dismissed from your university, it was probably a pretty major offense. I would say that it will completely depend on how you dealt with the dismissal. For one, never blame anyone but yourself for your offense. I had heard of a situation where someone did something and then blamed their roommate for their actions. This definitely did not look good to the admissions committee. They want to know that you are a responsible, mature individual. They want to see if you sought help or counseling or if you learned from your mistake. Of course, some actions may be nearly impossible to get beyond, but if you seek the guidance of an admissions counseler at the med school that you are really looking at, they may be able to give you some pointers. If they do give you some pointers, be sure to do them and let them know how it has helped you develop as an individual and how it has helped you since the dismissal. Those are just some thoughts that you might try. You may even be able to go to your undergrads pre-med counseler if you don't feel comfortable contacting the med school directly. I knew that our undergrad pre-med counseler would call and ask questions for us if we didn't feel comfortable.
2) How should I address the issue? Well, I kind of discussed this in 1). I definetely would not hide it, and I doubt that you can. Usually you have to have your undergrad programs (including the first one that you attended) send some sort of academic misconduct form from your dean that says that you did something or did not. They usually have you do this with your secondary application or with your acceptance forms. Either way, they need to know from you prior to receiving this information.
3) Should I mention this in my personal statement or in the section where they ask about any conduct violations ? This is going to depend on you. I would mention it twice. The personal statement is a great place for you to mention it and tell them how you have developed as a person from the situation and how you have grown in general. Also, if it will help you become a better physician, this is a great place to mention it. You'll probably also have to mention it in the conduct violations area, but I think it would be best for you to explain yourself in your personal statement. Remember not to blame anyone but yourself even if you believe it was someone else's fault. They will think of you as a mature, responsible individual by taking complete blame for the situation.
I hope that will help you out a little bit. But, I would definitely contact your premed counseler or a med school admissions counseler on how you can make your application better and see if there is anything you can do that will look more favorable to the admissions committee when you do apply. Also, I would get your AMCAS application out ASAP. You can submit it now, and that is the best way in my opinion. They'll wait for your scores, but the sooner that they have your application the better. If you take the test in September, they won't get your scores until November most likely. It takes AMCAS maybe 6 weeks to complete it since you will be applying later in the semester. You just don't want to push your application much later especially if you are going to have any potential problem of being accepted. Also, you mentioned you have 3 semesters left. Do you mean fall, spring and summer session 2008? I answered based on that thinking. I wouldn't delay submitting your AMCAS application past August. The schools will wait for your scores. That will just give AMCAS enough time to get your application to your schools, and then as soon as your scores come in, you'll hopefully start getting your secondary applications. Hope that helped! Best of luck!