MD Academic Dishonesty: Is Medical School still a possibility for me?

[deleted1034782]

I am a freshman in college, currently in my second semester.

In my first semester of college, I was overwhelmed by everything there was to do at college (got involved with research first semester, joined a lot of orgs, etc) and wasn’t managing my time properly. I began to do badly in my classes, and ended up trying to use “the easy way” to take one of the online quizzes for one of my classes, namely, I took it with a friend who was also taking the class.

Both of us were caught and received academic honesty violations. It won’t be on my transcript, and the discussion/ consequences was between my teacher and the two of us. I felt very ashamed because I had never done such a thing in high school and resorted to it because I was scared of letting my grades fall for med school admissions. Unfortunately some of my friends had also cheated their way through first semester and I rationalized it to myself then but now I feel like I’ve compromised not only my integrity but also my chances of getting into medical school.

I am an Honors student at my college, and I had a B in the class, due to the 0 on the assignment. My GPA is currently a 3.5, I can definitely pull it up and I am working very hard to do well in my classes and extracurriculars etc.

I have dreamt of being a doctor my entire life and I really don’t want to give that up for a really foolish, careless mistake I made freshman year. From the time the incident happened I have been rethinking the steps I had taken to stoop that low and will not let it happen again. I have understood the mistake and realized that no matter what others are doing it is important to stay on the path of integrity in order to be true to myself and the profession I have chosen.

Would this be considered an IA? Will I be able to get into any medical school? How can I improve my chances of getting in? What should my next steps be?

Thank you so much in advance!

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[deleted480308]

Stop all the extra crap if it impedes your grades

 

[Mr.Smile12]

I am a freshman in college, currently in my second semester.

In my first semester of college, I was overwhelmed by everything there was to do at college (got involved with research first semester, joined a lot of orgs, etc) and wasn’t managing my time properly. I began to do badly in my classes, and ended up trying to use “the easy way” to take one of the online quizzes for one of my classes, namely, I took it with a friend who was also taking the class.

Both of us were caught and received academic honesty violations. It won’t be on my transcript, and the discussion/ consequences was between my teacher and the two of us. I felt very ashamed because I had never done such a thing in high school and resorted to it because I was scared of letting my grades fall for med school admissions. Unfortunately some of my friends had also cheated their way through first semester and I rationalized it to myself then but now I feel like I’ve compromised not only my integrity but also my chances of getting into medical school.

I am an Honors student at my college, and I had a B in the class, due to the 0 on the assignment. My GPA is currently a 3.5, I can definitely pull it up and I am working very hard to do well in my classes and extracurriculars etc.

I have dreamt of being a doctor my entire life and I really don’t want to give that up for a really foolish, careless mistake I made freshman year. From the time the incident happened I have been rethinking the steps I had taken to stoop that low and will not let it happen again. I have understood the mistake and realized that no matter what others are doing it is important to stay on the path of integrity in order to be true to myself and the profession I have chosen.

Would this be considered an IA? Will I be able to get into any medical school? How can I improve my chances of getting in? What should my next steps be?

Thank you so much in advance!

So if I had to interview you on this, I would ask:

1) Your IA for cheating isn't going to necessarily stop you from getting into medical school, but what remediation was imposed on you? Was it just getting a zero?
2) What are you going to do knowing that in many of your classes you have so many of your peers who are cheating who aren't getting caught and may ostensibly be earning higher marks than you or pushing the grade curve against you?

 

[LeaveNoTrace]

Is there any formal record of this whatsoever at your institution, or did you and your teacher simply agree that you'd get a zero on the assignment and that was truly the end of it? If there is any doubt at all, you may want to consult a lawyer when it is time to apply.

You are three to five, maybe more, years from applying. If you have an IA for cheating the rest of your app will need to be stellar and depending on how bad this is you might need years in some virtuous position of responsibility such as the Peace Corps, teaching in the inner city, or something similar before medical school is an option.

 

[deleted1034782]

Is there any formal record of this whatsoever at your institution, or did you and your teacher simply agree that you'd get a zero on the assignment and that was truly the end of it? If there is any doubt at all, you may want to consult a lawyer when it is time to apply.

You are three to five, maybe more, years from applying. If you have an IA for cheating the rest of your app will need to be stellar and depending on how bad this is you might need years in some virtuous position of responsibility such as the Peace Corps, teaching in the inner city, or something similar before medical school is an option.

For a first offense my institution doesn't put it on your transcript but has it on the records in the academic honesty office. These records can only be accessed if the student gives permission to the organization, and it is erased from the record after five years.

 

[LeaveNoTrace]

Probably best to disclose; consult an adcom or maybe even a lawyer when the time comes if it's been erased. Good luck.

 

[WaterFlow]

Even if it’s been erased, it still happened. Ethically, OP should report it.

 

[deleted1034782]

Do I still have a chance at getting in despite this offence? Is there anything I can do to improve my chances?

 

[deleted480308]

Do I still have a chance at getting in despite this offence? Is there anything I can do to improve my chances?

Do all the things everyone else is doing and don’t cheat anymore. It’s kind of a simple process

 

[Mr.Smile12]

For a first offense my institution doesn't put it on your transcript but has it on the records in the academic honesty office. These records can only be accessed if the student gives permission to the organization, and it is erased from the record after five years.

No IAs are noted on transcripts with grades, but records are kept in case there are any issues, especially with repeat offenders. Those records are subject to FERPA.

Sent from my SM-N960U using SDN mobile

 

[deleted1034782]

So if I had to interview you on this, I would ask:

1) Your IA for cheating isn't going to necessarily stop you from getting into medical school, but what remediation was imposed on you? Was it just getting a zero?
2) What are you going to do knowing that in many of your classes you have so many of your peers who are cheating who aren't getting caught and may ostensibly be earning higher marks than you or pushing the grade curve against you?

1) It was getting a zero on the quiz and losing 3 total points in my numeric grade for the class. I felt like the repercussions were much worse than that- I knew it had hurt my integrity, and would also affect medical school admissions.

2) As of now and in the future, I am doing my work honestly and have decided to never resort to unethical tactics. Most of my classes do not have grade curves, but even otherwise, rejecting dishonesty even when my friends ask to cheat together on a quiz that I know I'll do poorly on is the attitude I have adopted. I also ask my teachers what practices are acceptable for tests/ quizzes/ assignments before I do them just in case it could be considered dishonesty. Instead of focusing on what others do, I am focusing on doing my best and actually learning the material.

 

[Goro]

1) It was getting a zero on the quiz and losing 3 total points in my numeric grade for the class. I felt like the repercussions were much worse than that- I knew it had hurt my integrity, and would also affect medical school admissions.

2) As of now and in the future, I am doing my work honestly and have decided to never resort to unethical tactics. Most of my classes do not have grade curves, but even otherwise, rejecting dishonesty even when my friends ask to cheat together on a quiz that I know I'll do poorly on is the attitude I have adopted. I also ask my teachers what practices are acceptable for tests/ quizzes/ assignments before I do them just in case it could be considered dishonesty. Instead of focusing on what others do, I am focusing on doing my best and actually learning the material.

If you lead an immaculate life from now on, you'll be fine.

You'll need to disclose this, and own it.

 

[LeaveNoTrace]

Yeah. Don't get caught doing anything - no misdemeanors, no more IAs, no drinking alcohol when you shouldn't be or other kinds of youthful stupidity. This was your mulligan, at best. You'll need to do well - solid stats, solid ECs, and ideally some virtuous position of responsibility. The fact that you did this as a freshman and that the penalty imposed was relatively minor will work in your favor. Consider a gap year or two doing something like Americorps or City Year after you graduate...although if you're lucky it may not quite be this bad.