Be openly honest about suspension?

This forum made possible through the generous support of SDN members, donors, and sponsors. Thank you.
M

mackdaddy

New Member
10+ Year Member
15+ Year Member
Joined
Oct 3, 2006
Messages
9
Reaction score
0
Members do not see this ad.
I was suspended from my university because along with a number of other students worked together on a optional extra credit assignment when the directions said to work alone.

In my time off, I've reflected upon the mistakes I've made, attended 2 ethics seminars, wrote a 5 page research paper on medical ethics and have spent my free time studying, volunteering and working.

Several advisers have told me to switch majors and look into another career. But this is the only thing I've ever wanted to do, I can't even think about switching. I'm applying this summer and am going to ask a few professors for letters of recommendation. Should I openly state to them what happened to me this past spring semester, or should I leave that information to myself. I don't know if maybe further down the line, schools question me to as to whether or not I disclosed my suspension to the authors of my LORS. Thoughts, opinions would be sincerely appreciated.
 
Professors have access to your transcripts. If you hide that from them, they will know and probably won't be too happy about it.
 
mackdaddy said:
I was suspended from my university because along with a number of other students worked together on a optional extra credit assignment when the directions said to work alone.

In my time off, I've reflected upon the mistakes I've made, attended 2 ethics seminars, wrote a 5 page research paper on medical ethics and have spent my free time studying, volunteering and working.

Several advisers have told me to switch majors and look into another career. But this is the only thing I've ever wanted to do, I can't even think about switching. I'm applying this summer and am going to ask a few professors for letters of recommendation. Should I openly state to them what happened to me this past spring semester, or should I leave that information to myself. I don't know if maybe further down the line, schools question me to as to whether or not I disclosed my suspension to the authors of my LORS. Thoughts, opinions would be sincerely appreciated.
Click to expand...

Honesty is the best policy
 
Actually, I'm not sure if I agree with the others' advice to be honest.

Your professor's letter is supposed to reflect what that person thought of you. If they have good impressions of you from class, then there's no need to tell your other professors right up front about something that they never encountered (after all, if all of your professors mention this incident in their letters then it'll look like that incident defined what people thought of you). If they ask, then you should absolutely tell them, but focus on what you've learned.

Don't let some stupid extra credit assignment stand in the way of your dreams!
 
I agree. By telling these professors "extra" info, you risk them not be willing to write you letters. Obviously you're gonna have to include the suspension in your AADSAS application, so you're definitely not going to be hiding it from any ADCOMs. It was one mistake that you've clearly tried to make right, so you yourself should tell about that mistake in your application, and let your professors highlight your strengths.
 
you should definitely tell the professors. if they start talking about how ethical you are, it would discredit the entire LOR. You need to own up for your cheating and try to get in the honest way.
 
snuffie said:
you should definitely tell the professors. If they start talking about how ethical you are, it would discredit the entire lor. You need to own up for your cheating and try to get in the honest way.
Click to expand...

+1
 
i don't think it will be expected of you by schools to have told your LOR writers about it, and hence it's a personal call. i wouldn't lie or try to hide it from them, but i wouldn't volunteer it if you don't think it will make for a better letter.
 
Because you are thinking about hiding your past suspension, it shows that you clearly have not learned from your past mistakes. You are trying to find a way to get away with it, which is not ethical.

Being openly honest with your suspension and owning up to it is the first step to show people you have learned from your mistakes and you are now a more ethical person, who won't commit the same mistakes in the future.

I've seen too many people say that they regret their unethical actions only to later commit new ones, clearly showing that they are only sorry because they got caught. If you truly learned from your mistakes and want to prove to yourself and others that you are a more ethical person, then you should be honest.
 
iralex801 said:
Because you are thinking about hiding your past suspension, it shows that you clearly have not learned from your past mistakes. You are trying to find a way to get away with it, which is not ethical.

Being openly honest with your suspension and owning up to it is the first step to show people you have learned from your mistakes and you are now a more ethical person, who won't commit the same mistakes in the future.

I've seen too many people say that they regret their unethical actions only to later commit new ones, clearly showing that they are only sorry because they got caught. If you truly learned from your mistakes and want to prove to yourself and others that you are a more ethical person, then you should be honest.
Click to expand...

+1 +1 +1 +1 +1 !
🙂😳🙂
 
I'd also add, I don't think telling them will make for a worse letter, or make them not write one. If they like you and think highly of you, telling them about the suspension probably only makes them more likely to mention how responsible and upstanding of a person you are now, which they might not think is worth mentioning or focusing on if they didn't know about the suspension.
 
Sounds like you went far out of your way to work on the issue personally.

I see absolutely no reason to talk about that suspension to anyone. I'm not saying to hide it... if it were to be in a file somewhere and someone read it and brought it up somewhere along this whole process, then you be completely open and honest about the event and what you've done since. But there's no reason to wave it around like a flag.

Those letter writers can write your letters based on their personal experiences with you, that's the whole point, not them getting a pile of your dirty laundry and having to write with that in mind.
 
You should try and get an LOR from the prof that caught you in the first place. Try to show how sincere you have been in learning from your mistakes and what you have done to move past the situation.

If you somehow manage to get that LOR, don't address the issue with other Profs.
 
sacapuntas said:
You should try and get an LOR from the prof that caught you in the first place. Try to show how sincere you have been in learning from your mistakes and what you have done to move past the situation.

If you somehow manage to get that LOR, don't address the issue with other Profs.
Click to expand...

Don't do this.
 
woox said:
Don't do this.
Click to expand...

Why? It seems to me that if the issue comes up at an interview, having an LOR directly from the Prof. involved is the best solution possible. What am I missing?
 
sacapuntas said:
Why? It seems to me that if the issue comes up at an interview, having an LOR directly from the Prof. involved is the best solution possible. What am I missing?
Click to expand...

the extent of the old professor's knowledge of him is that he cheated in the class, was given an F, and suspended from school. this professor doesn't know him or like him. they could outright give a bad recommendation, and at best will write one that dwells too much on this one negative part of his application that he should be downplaying and trying to get admissions not to think about. the only way i'd consider doing this is if he has since gotten to know the old professor and they had a great relationship now, otherwise donotwant.jpg
 
Dont disclose it to your letter writers. If you're asked explain it and tell how you've improved.

I agree with others that have said that it is not dishonest because these letters are not related to your suspension years ago. It is about who you are today and if these profs feel comfortable with you going to dental school.

PS - It's odd to me how tough your school was on you. Seems like the infraction doesnt meet the punishment.
 
notin said:
the extent of the old professor's knowledge of him is that he cheated in the class, was given an F, and suspended from school. this professor doesn't know him or like him. they could outright give a bad recommendation, and at best will write one that dwells too much on this one negative part of his application that he should be downplaying and trying to get admissions not to think about. the only way i'd consider doing this is if he has since gotten to know the old professor and they had a great relationship now, otherwise donotwant.jpg
Click to expand...


Yeah I totally agree with this. I was thinking the bold portion but didn't type it. I would spend time repairing and building the relationship, if possible, with the OP. As far as we know the OP could have had a 96 going in the class but the profs hands were tied by school policy and feels terrible about having to turn the OP in.
 
yappy said:
Dont disclose it to your letter writers. If you're asked explain it and tell how you've improved.

I agree with others that have said that it is not dishonest because these letters are not related to your suspension years ago. It is about who you are today and if these profs feel comfortable with you going to dental school.

PS - It's odd to me how tough your school was on you. Seems like the infraction doesnt meet the punishment.
Click to expand...

i'm pretty sure the student policy states that you cant cheat [at least it's like that at my school]. since the student in question cheated, it is likely that he got off easy, as the punishment for cheating is often expulsion.
 
Just skimmed this but why would you tell someone writing an lor for you bad things about yourself....if they dont know its not your fault
 
UCLAzy said:
i'm pretty sure the student policy states that you cant cheat [at least it's like that at my school]. since the student in question cheated, it is likely that he got off easy, as the punishment for cheating is often expulsion.
Click to expand...

yup. my school had a single sanction, expulsion. i knew an honors student with a 3.9 that was kicked out for much less than OP.
 
Thank you everyone for the feedback!! I really appreciate it. A lot of people have suggested not mentioning it unless asked about it. I am definitely going to state the entire incident on AADSAS. To the person who said I have not learned anything by attempting to hide this, it's not true. I have already disclosed this information to one professor who had written a letter for me in the past but now is unwilling to write one for me again. I just wanted to know others opinions. I am retaking the course again this summer, the professor is the only one that teaches it and it is required for my major. I've been considering asking him for a while for a letter. However I don't think that's happening. I've been to his office hours for help but he still seems hostile towards me. The last time I was in his office he told me straight up that students like me don't deserve to be in the medical field.

To the person who thought it was a harsh punishment over extra credit (worth 1% of entire grade. doesn't do much unless u were at like a 89% in the class), that's what everyone thinks. The professor is on the academic misconduct board at my school. However, the process was supposed to be unbiased. As I was told and now I understand, whether extra credit or not, I attempted to get away with a grade that wasn't right.

Does anyone know how badly this will affect my chances. I mean I know the suspension helps me in no positive way. I applied last year and didn't get in anywhere. my gpa is 3.3 and DAT was a 19. I'm retaking it again in July.
 
I think your GPA, DAT are on the lower side and the suspension doesn't help your credentials. But you can't changed the past GPA/misconduct, so I would aim for a higher DAT. Good luck!
 
i missed this before, but you applied last year and didn't get in, and this suspension happened spring of this year?

how many schools did you apply to last year and has your GPA improved since then? honestly, it seems like your application is going to be almost exactly the same as one in which you got no interviews, except now you have an academic suspension on it. i have trouble imagining a scenario in which you are accepted this year. how much time are you willing to devote to this?
 
I emailed the professor about writing me a letter of recommendation after retaking the course this summer.

He said he understands that people make mistakes and was glad to see me do well this time around. He said he usually writes letters for students who make an A in his class ( I got a B ) but that doesn't mean he hasn't written or will write a letter for students who got B's.

He told me to come by his office when the fall term starts in August and see where we can go from there.

Should I wait for august and see if I can get the letter or is that too late? I already have other professor's who said they will write me an LOR. I think though waiting for a letter from this professor would help me more in the long run. What do you guys think?
 
LORs and suspension are two completely separate things. You will need to document that you were placed on academic probation or suspension in your application. The other people on this forum are right -- the professors should write your LORs based on what they know about you and the time they've spent working with you, irrespective of your academic record. Telling them about the suspension is unnecessary, and perhaps even unfair to you given that you will already be talking about it elsewhere.

And professors do not have access to your transcripts at all schools. Each university is different in this respect.



Lane138 said:
Actually, I'm not sure if I agree with the others' advice to be honest.

Your professor's letter is supposed to reflect what that person thought of you. If they have good impressions of you from class, then there's no need to tell your other professors right up front about something that they never encountered (after all, if all of your professors mention this incident in their letters then it'll look like that incident defined what people thought of you). If they ask, then you should absolutely tell them, but focus on what you've learned.

Don't let some stupid extra credit assignment stand in the way of your dreams!
Click to expand...
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

jaytner
Question about LOR?
Replies
1
Views
1K
lebronjamesofdentistry
L
elle k
question about ai
Replies
2
Views
1K
Mr.Smile12
Mr.Smile12
TheeRockChewer
Questions about SMPs
Replies
2
Views
820
TheeRockChewer
TheeRockChewer
anon2002
  • Locked
WORD OF ADVICE be as critical pls help
Replies
1
Views
668
macsak
M
Mr.Smile12
Spring 2025 Applicant Experience Survey Open!
Replies
1
Views
468
Mr.Smile12
Mr.Smile12
Top