Academic Misconduct

[premednerd]

I have been accused of academic misconduct! I am a UC Sophmore Neuroscience major premed. I was getting my o chem final back, turned in a regrade, and was accused of falsification.

I currently have a 3.7 GPA (3.8 sGPA). Practice MCAT was 36 last year. I will probably get an F in my ochem class. I tried to calculate the grade with the F, and my projected TOTAL GPA (with all community college classes taken in high school, 3.67 GPA) I will be graduating this fall quarter (graduating early)

-I have 7 years of academic research (published 1 -- worked in two labs)
- presented research in 2 national research symposiums, presented a talk in 1
-am going to be a strauss scholar,
- free clinic volunteer for 2 years (and counting) -- translator, clinic manager, database -engineer
-special olympics coach (3 years)
-Institute mentor and tutor for disadvantaged students-
-Starting up a NGO organization that finances for computers in hospitals (clientele in Mexico, India and now in China).
-muscian (13 years) played in concerts and received 3 awards
-Creating a publication for small children that introduces cool science experiments that they can do in class (will be distributing the magazine in the coming 3 months)
- Leadership scholar ($1000 scholarship)
etc....

With this stupid academic misconduct burn on my record, how do you guys think I will fare in terms of applying to med school? THis was the worst decision of my life, and it speaks truly to my personal integrity directly. There are no excuses, but I came back from India (environmental project), recovered from pneumonia and for some reason decided to turn in the regrade. I realized this was wrong, and within 14 minutes of turning in the regrade, I went back to the professor and apologized. Unfortunately, he accused me of falsification. I am fitting this thing out as I made a sincere mistake , but I went back to rectify the mistake and hopefully it will turn in my favor. In case it doesnt however, I am willing to add a whole section to my 'Children's Magazine' a section about academic misconduct. I realized making these stupid mistakes spawn from pressure...i believe people are inherently good, but are forced (externally, internally) to making bad decisions.

With this in mind, how will I fare? I am also thinking of alternate career choices, but I fell in love with the potency of medicine when volunteering at the free clinic, and am hoping I dont have to give up the hope quite yet...

any reassurance, advice, or concerns would be appreciated! Thank you so much.

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[Catalystik]

I have been accused of academic misconduct! I am a UC Sophmore Neuroscience major premed. I was getting my o chem final back, turned in a regrade, and was accused of falsification.

I currently have a 3.7 GPA (3.8 sGPA). Practice MCAT was 36 last year. I will probably get an F in my ochem class. I tried to calculate the grade with the F, and my projected TOTAL GPA (with all community college classes taken in high school, 3.67 GPA) I will be graduating this fall quarter (graduating early)

-I have 7 years of academic research (published 1 -- worked in two labs)
- presented research in 2 national research symposiums, presented a talk in 1
-am going to be a strauss scholar,
- free clinic volunteer for 2 years (and counting) -- translator, clinic manager, database -engineer
-special olympics coach (3 years)
-Institute mentor and tutor for disadvantaged students-
-Starting up a NGO organization that finances for computers in hospitals (clientele in Mexico, India and now in China).
-muscian (13 years) played in concerts and received 3 awards
-Creating a publication for small children that introduces cool science experiments that they can do in class (will be distributing the magazine in the coming 3 months)
- Leadership scholar ($1000 scholarship)
etc....

With this stupid academic misconduct burn on my record, how do you guys think I will fare in terms of applying to med school? THis was the worst decision of my life, and it speaks truly to my personal integrity directly. There are no excuses, but I came back from India (environmental project), recovered from pneumonia and for some reason decided to turn in the regrade. I realized this was wrong, and within 14 minutes of turning in the regrade, I went back to the professor and apologized. Unfortunately, he accused me of falsification. I am fitting this thing out as I made a sincere mistake , but I went back to rectify the mistake and hopefully it will turn in my favor. In case it doesnt however, I am willing to add a whole section to my 'Children's Magazine' a section about academic misconduct. I realized making these stupid mistakes spawn from pressure...i believe people are inherently good, but are forced (externally, internally) to making bad decisions.

With this in mind, how will I fare? I am also thinking of alternate career choices, but I fell in love with the potency of medicine when volunteering at the free clinic, and am hoping I dont have to give up the hope quite yet...

any reassurance, advice, or concerns would be appreciated! Thank you so much.

Let me get this clear:

You changed wrong answers on a graded test so they appeared to be correct, turned in the test to be regraded as if a mistake had been made by the grader, and turned yourself in 14 minutes later for cheating before you got caught. You had no reason to think you'd get caught from something the TA or professor said to the class, like, that all the exams had been photocopied and regrades would be compared to the original, is that right?

Has the prof said you would get an F on that test, or an F for the class? Will you also be suspended? Are there other consequences? Did this just happen?

 

[TriagePreMed]

It sounds like you did the crime, so now you have to do the time. If things went down the way that Catalystik describes (handed it back for regrade having changed answers), you are done for, son. Forget medical school completely. Nobody is going to touch something as radioactive. And having been in the UC system myself, I can tell you that everyone I saw walking into the academic affairs office was destroyed. Even if you don't do the crime, the UC system makes you guilty until proven innocent. Since your professor turned you in and you admitted to all this, there's no chance to recover from this. Way to take a dump on your life.

Good luck on the new career you choose.

 

[premednerd]

Yeah, it was unclear whether he would photocopy the exams. But yes they were photocopied. And the professor said that I would get an F in the class.

 

[TriagePreMed]

Yeah, it was unclear whether he would photocopy the exams. But yes they were photocopied. And the professor said that I would get an F in the class.

Plus you will get disciplinary probation. The UC system will tell you it disappears after you graduate, but answering honestly on the AMCAS doesn't allow you to neglect mentioning it. Keep that in mind.

 

[premednerd]

At this point, I am looking at a quarter suspension and probation. I was asking my college advisers about this and I know for a fact this will be a big problem in terms of 'being competitive'; however, the best thing about my situation is I have time to show that this was an honest mistake and a fault in judgment. Ironically, being a doc is about being clean, and upholding the utmost personal integrity. But I feel like me being honest about this whole thing may keep me from losing all hope. (Of course, I could be a bit naive...)

I am prepared to teach kids, even change my scholarship project entirely to fit a way in teaching kids to be wary of decisions. I feel like the critical mistake I made can serve as a model that life is going to be tough, and your ability to think straight and make correct decisions is a value that one must uphold. The way I see this, I feel like I have time to rebuild; I have time to show medical schools, that what I did was wrong, but i was honest about it. If I can may be show that this is a one time mistake (by extra-curriculars, and rec), is there a chance still for me?

 

[flodhi1]

Yeah, it was unclear whether he would photocopy the exams. But yes they were photocopied. And the professor said that I would get an F in the class.

Academic dishonesty is one of the major red flags. A lot of times medical schools will ask ethical questions pertaining to observing academic dishonesty let alone performing it yourself. I think you have hurt your future brutally by just this one mistake.

 

[premednerd]

I realize this was a stupid mistake, and well, I was still thinking, is let alone an interview a possibility?

 

[TriagePreMed]

I realize this was a stupid mistake, and well, I was still thinking, is let alone an interview a possibility?

What's the point of an interview if there is no admissions? If you really want to try medicine, you'll need to distance yourself from this for very long. We are talking about 5 or even 10 years before you can begin to contemplate medicine again. In that time, you'll have to somehow show that you are a person of good moral character. Even after all this, it is completely realistic to say that you won't get admitted. Even if things are the way you say they are, your entire record is now in question, especially since you did this basically on the cuspid of graduation.

 

[premednerd]

I was reading on some of the other academic misconduct discussions on SDN and the thing is that most people were guilty of academic misconduct (cheating, plagiarism etc) and it seems like the main consensus was that it would be difficult, but there may be a chance of acceptance somewhere.

It seems like whether the intention was there or not, those who were accused of academic misconduct could still have a chance at redemption. I guess I am kind of confused as to whether cheating on a test and my case are similar in severity, as both are under the same heading of 'academic misconduct'?

 

[TriagePreMed]

I was reading on some of the other academic misconduct discussions on SDN and the thing is that most people were guilty of academic misconduct (cheating, plagiarism etc) and it seems like the main consensus was that it would be difficult, but there may be a chance of acceptance somewhere.

It seems like whether the intention was there or not, those who were accused of academic misconduct could still have a chance at redemption. I guess I am kind of confused as to whether cheating on a test and my case are similar in severity, as both are under the same heading of 'academic misconduct'?

Also, many acknowledge that there are very, very low chances for this kind of redemption, and given that it just happened, the answer is simply no. Like I said, you need at least 5 to 10 years away from this before you attempt it, but you are welcome to take the MCAT and apply to see for yourself.

 

[flodhi1]

I was reading on some of the other academic misconduct discussions on SDN and the thing is that most people were guilty of academic misconduct (cheating, plagiarism etc) and it seems like the main consensus was that it would be difficult, but there may be a chance of acceptance somewhere.

It seems like whether the intention was there or not, those who were accused of academic misconduct could still have a chance at redemption. I guess I am kind of confused as to whether cheating on a test and my case are similar in severity, as both are under the same heading of 'academic misconduct'?

You will have to wait a long time for this to be something in the far past something like almost 4 years or more. The problem with this incident is that it questions your moral character. How do medical schools know that you didn't do this multiples times or that you've always cheated? That is why it becomes extremely hard. Applying even a couple years from now might even be out of the question since enough time will not have passed for all this to heal. I wouldn't say your career is over but you have a very uphill battle at front of you. You're looking at a serious charge which is equivalent to cheating- you tried to deceive the academic institute and it's faculty member. I really do wish you the best of luck!

 

[premednerd]

Damn. I can't believe i made that decision. I am going back and forth to India with regards to a environmental/health issue that has plagued quite a few villages near the bangs of the holiest river in India the Ganges. Is there maybe a possibility I go to India for my MD and have a chance at residency in the States?

 

[Political]

Damn. I can't believe i made that decision. I am going back and forth to India with regards to a environmental/health issue that has plagued quite a few villages near the bangs of the holiest river in India the Ganges. Is there maybe a possibility I go to India for my MD and have a chance at residency in the States?

If you are willing to ace the boards and settle for less competitive specialities then yes it is possible (but difficult).

To be honest, in regard for you applying to med school here, I think you should get the opinion of you premed advisor and other people you know instead of making your final decision to apply international, triagepremed, myself and many other anonymous members of sdn are just premedical students, please do not make you final decision based on the opinions of people you haven't met in real life.

 

[premednerd]

Thank you all for your replies. I know this is just a forum, and so I won't necessarily take this into heart; however, I need keep my options open. I did have a question though, do residency programs look at undergrad gpas? And lastly, am I really this screwed??

 

[TriagePreMed]

If you are willing to ace the boards and settle for less competitive specialities then yes it is possible (but difficult).

To be honest, in regard for you applying to med school here, I think you should get the opinion of you premed advisor and other people you know instead of making your final decision to apply international, triagepremed, myself and many other anonymous members of sdn are just premedical students, please do not make you final decision based on the opinions of people you haven't met in real life.

Both these statements are true, but I would add that you should call schools directly too. No need to give identifying information.

I'm sorry I was harsh here, but at first it seemed like you were in denial of the circumstances. I still hold that a 5 to 10 year period must pass before you try medical school. You can also try getting some type of masters (if they admit you) where you can get stellar letters of recommendation from people that know what happened and can speak directly of your character.

 

[Political]

I did have a question though, do residency programs look at undergrad gpas?

No at that point mostly the USMLE (specifically step 1) and EC's done during or after med school really count

And lastly, am I really this screwed??

That's something you have to ask yourself, If you think you're screwed then you have a very long and treacherous road ahead of you. If you think you can somehow pull through and accomplish you dream of being a Doctor then this an obstacle you have to overcome no matter what.

Either way, it wont be easy.


Also you should do as triage suggested and call the schools you are most interested in applying to and ask them for their opinion.

 

[AxeJ]

nvm.

 

[superdoctorman]

Im sure people have done worse and still have become doctors. I think you just have to make a case for why you would do something like that and demonstrate that you have changed. Also you would have to ace the rest of your classes and mcats and just be someone that would normally be a no brainer to accept. At least thats my guess.

 

[Goro]

We have interviewed people with similar offences, but our AdCom nearly always rejects them. I'm getting the sense that you're not fully owning up to what you've done. You mght need to do some growing first, try an SMP in the future, and just tell the truth, it was an immature, stupid thing to do and that person (in 2012) is NOT the same person as in 201X.

I realize this was a stupid mistake, and well, I was still thinking, is let alone an interview a possibility?

 

[DoctorLacrosse]

This is just unfortunate. Seeing such a bright mind who clearly has what it takes to succeed throw it all away for a few extra points on an O-chem exam.

My advice would also be to take some years in between undergrad and med school, do an SMP, and during that time try to take a bunch of extra steps to prove you know you made a terrible mistake, and you are now trying to correct it. Best of luck to you though, I truly mean that! Just remember that you aren't the only one who has had an uphill battle to fight, and many have succeeded before.

 

[DucktorQuack]

.

 

[DaddysDreamer]

Amongst all the negativity, i wantedto be the voice of hope and truth. I wanted to tell you that i underwent some life altering obstacles while at a UC school also and i also faced the consequences of academic misconduct. Although my situation was somewhat different, i was punished and suspended for a quarter. I know many advisors read these pages so i will not disclose where i have been invited to interview but i have been lucky in both allopathic and osteopathic schools (and no i did not kick ass on the MCAT)! What i will say is that i chose to remain brutally honest and accountable for my mistake and spoke in a vulnerable and genuine tone throughout my applications. My advice: Do not blame anyone else, just reveal what you learned from this experience on your application and remain humble. Nobody is perfect and with time you can prove that this incident is not indicative of who you are today. Don't lose sight of your dream, there are many students who have made a similar mistake and are yet to be caught; there are others who made the mistake, learned from it and are now healing patients. We learn through challenges and it makes us more relatable and empathetic. You are only human, so keep your head up and remember you are capable of succeeding without cheating.

 

[scaredlittlegirl]

totally agree with this statement. have also faced academic infraction, but used a genuine tone in my apps and explained myself. got many interviews. not sure what will happen but theres a chance!

Amongst all the negativity, i wantedto be the voice of hope and truth. I wanted to tell you that i underwent some life altering obstacles while at a UC school also and i also faced the consequences of academic misconduct. Although my situation was somewhat different, i was punished and suspended for a quarter. I know many advisors read these pages so i will not disclose where i have been invited to interview but i have been lucky in both allopathic and osteopathic schools (and no i did not kick ass on the MCAT)! What i will say is that i chose to remain brutally honest and accountable for my mistake and spoke in a vulnerable and genuine tone throughout my applications. My advice: Do not blame anyone else, just reveal what you learned from this experience on your application and remain humble. Nobody is perfect and with time you can prove that this incident is not indicative of who you are today. Don't lose sight of your dream, there are many students who have made a similar mistake and are yet to be caught; there are others who made the mistake, learned from it and are now healing patients. We learn through challenges and it makes us more relatable and empathetic. You are only human, so keep your head up and remember you are capable of succeeding without cheating.

 

[candbgirl]

totally agree with this statement. have also faced academic infraction, but used a genuine tone in my apps and explained myself. got many interviews. not sure what will happen but theres a chance!

And you bumped an almost six year old thread.