Advice: Friend May Copy Part of My App?

[Anxious Affect]

Hello everyone,

A former friend of mine recently copied exact statements from my LinkedIn account, which I used for my medical school application, for his LinkedIn, only re-arranged. I believe it is highly probable that he will use these in his AMCAS descriptions this upcoming cycle.

I know that it is my own fault for publicizing this information via social media. However, I am still slightly upset because I put a lot of time and thought into these descriptions, including an analysis of what I gained personally. He copied my intricate, reflective ideas, not just the basics ("scheduled appointments, took vital signs"), as I know these typical points are similar across apps.

We didn't work in the same offices and hospitals, but we were both EMTs and medical scribes.

Should I say anything, or just let it go?

Please only helpful comments; a friendly thread would be nice for once on SDN 🙂

Really appreciate you taking the time to read this, thank you!

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[Robracer89]

Maybe you could talk to him because not only is it fair to you because you did the work in the first place but also could hurt both of you during the app process

 

[efle]

I mean you already applied? Who cares?

 

[Robracer89]

Oh I misread. If you already applied doesn't really matter then I guess unless u don't get in.

 

[Fdsa2495]

Hello everyone,

A former friend of mine recently copied exact statements from my LinkedIn account, which I used for my medical school application, for his LinkedIn, only re-arranged. I believe it is highly probable that he will use these in his AMCAS descriptions this upcoming cycle.

I know that it is my own fault for publicizing this information via social media. However, I am still slightly upset because I put a lot of time and thought into these descriptions, including an analysis of what I gained personally. He copied my intricate, reflective ideas, not just the basics ("scheduled appointments, took vital signs"), as I know these typical points are similar across apps.

We didn't work in the same offices and hospitals, but we were both EMTs and medical scribes.

Should I say anything, or just let it go?

Please only helpful comments; a friendly thread would be nice for once on SDN 🙂

Really appreciate you taking the time to read this, thank you!

You must be that one student that hates giving previous exams/notes to other students. You're done, let it go...

 

[Anxious Affect]

You must be that one student that hates giving previous exams/notes to other students. You're done, let it go...

I really don't think you can compare helping someone out with their homework/studying vs. someone blatantly copying your resume/personal experiences... You are saying you wouldn't be bothered at all? Maybe it's just me then.

I wasn't sure if AMCAS keeps track of application content year to year (ex: what if a sibling uses their sibling's PS, who knows?). I don't want to get in trouble if the copying were to happen...

It's an honest question, was the hostility really necessary?

 

[holycrap]

I say if youre already accepted just let it go, but I understand where you're coming from.

 

[caffeinemia]

I doubt anyone checks, but think of life in the long run -- people without the ethic to do their own work, will repeat that pattern. And someday, they will get their just desserts.

 

[coffeeandcodeine]

It's not just you. What your friend is doing isn't okay -- it's a form of plagiarism. And he very well might get caught. That said, since you are already accepted, I would just nicely suggest to your friend that this is unwise and might negatively impact his application. If he still plans on using your statements, I would let it be -- usually people like him have a repeated pattern of unethical behavior, and get caught eventually. Unless he is a very close friend of yours, I wouldn't waste time discussing it further.

I really don't think you can compare helping someone out with their homework/studying vs. someone blatantly copying your resume/personal experiences... You are saying you wouldn't be bothered at all? Maybe it's just me then.

I wasn't sure if AMCAS keeps track of application content year to year (ex: what if a sibling uses their sibling's PS, who knows?). I don't want to get in trouble if the copying were to happen...

It's an honest question, was the hostility really necessary?

 

[PreMedStudent55555]

I actually have a question about this which I think OP also has too. Can he get in trouble if his friend plagiarizes or copy his PS? Just like how if a lab report is plagiarized by a friend both the copier and the person who let him/her copy are at fault. I think OP wants to know how much this could possibly hurt him in the future after getting accepted to medical school. @Goro @LizzyM

 

[sammiesings]

Once you put it on LinkedIn, you lost the right to throw a fit about it. For all you know, someone you don't know at all has copied your stuff too. You shouldn't have put it on LinkedIn if you didn't want to run the risk of someone copying it. I don't really see what you could do about it now but take all your personalized writing off LinkedIn. People copy that **** all the time.

 

[Goro]

The only way I can imagine this coming to bite someone ont he ass is if some Adcom member has both essays side by side to compare.

But you know, you can BUY essays.

I actually have a question about this which I think OP also has too. Can he get in trouble if his friend plagiarizes or copy his PS? Just like how if a lab report is plagiarized by a friend both the copier and the person who let him/her copy are at fault. I think OP wants to know how much this could possibly hurt him in the future after getting accepted to medical school. @Goro @LizzyM

 

[kraskadva]

So...I have no idea if AMCAS does this or not, and n=1, but...
I know someone who applied for Pharm School and had previously submitted her PS through Turnitin for a pre-health class assignment (my school has a 1 credit class where they help you work on your PS and lay out your study plan for MCAT/PCAT/whatever) The Pharm app flagged her PS as plagiarized and she had to go through a huge ordeal to prove that it was actually her original work. Since it was, it ended up okay, but if it hadn't been, that would have been the end of it for her.

 

[IlDestriero]

I actually have a question about this which I think OP also has too. Can he get in trouble if his friend plagiarizes or copy his PS? Just like how if a lab report is plagiarized by a friend both the copier and the person who let him/her copy are at fault. I think OP wants to know how much this could possibly hurt him in the future after getting accepted to medical school. @Goro @LizzyM

He posted it on social media. It's out there for the world to see, copy, paste, use, repost elsewhere, etc. He wasn't involved in any cheating, plagiarism, etc.
Nobody would ever know, and if anyone ever asked, that's his answer. I don't know anything about that, and I didn't give anyone permission to use it.
This was a good learning experience for you, and evidence that you probably shouldn't trust that "friend" anymore.

--
Il Destriero

 

[Anxious Affect]

Thanks everyone! Really appreciate it. Luckily, it isn't as personal as a PS, but this is a lesson for me as well as other pre-meds, as I have noticed that a lot of us use components of our apps to boost our LinkedIn profiles.