F in Lab

[scarymunchkin]

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I am a freshman that is interested in the pre-optometry route. I recently got an F in my lab class and was suspended one semester on an honor code violation. It was not a violation on a test; it was a violation in the exchange on a written assignment worth less than 10% of the final grade. I plan on retaking the lab class however. It won't cover up the F, but the grade I would get next time would be averaged.

The reason for the F in the class and the suspension does not appear on the external transcript. It would only appear on the internal transcript, which stays in my university. How does this affect my chances of getting into optometry school?
Could I just tell the admission office that there was a family circumstance that occurred and that's why I went to a community college that one semester. And as to the reason I got an F could I say that it's because I missed two labs that I couldn't make up or something like that? Or is honesty the best policy?

 

[Veritas23]

I am a freshman that is interested in the pre-optometry route. I recently got an F in my lab class and was suspended one semester on an honor code violation. It was not a violation on a test; it was a violation in the exchange on a written assignment worth less than 10% of the final grade. I plan on retaking the lab class however. It won't cover up the F, but the grade I would get next time would be averaged.

The reason for the F in the class and the suspension does not appear on the external transcript. It would only appear on the internal transcript, which stays in my university. How does this affect my chances of getting into optometry school?
Could I just tell the admission office that there was a family circumstance that occurred and that's why I went to a community college that one semester. And as to the reason I got an F could I say that it's because I missed two labs that I couldn't make up or something like that? Or is honesty the best policy?

On OPTOMCAS there is a section (MY APPLICATION --> SCHOOL DESIGNATIONS --> ADDITIONAL QUESTIONS) that you can use to "explain" any circumstances that may have affected the successful/unsuccessful outcomes of a class or semester.

On my current application however, which is basically all said-and-done now that I've heard from all schools and chosen to interview/not at all of them, it only has the Additional Questions section for NECO and SUNY.

If I do recall correctly however there might have been a section similar to these for the other schools I applied to but it must have been on their respective "secondary" applications, along with the $50-75 "processing fee".

Also remember that in the interview they give you a chance to explain any poor marks that you may have had over your undergraduate career and/or explain why you might have taken any courses at a Community College or other institution. Every school I interviewed at mentioned this at one point or another. I understand your hesitations in applying with that bad mark and no initial explanation but I wouldn't worry as long as you make sure you note it in your applications in the right section.

 

[nc2tarheels]

wow. looks like your just trying to weasel your way out of it. be honest with the schools, don't leave any room for them to "discover" something about you. And, quit making excuses.

 

[Mewcakes]

Yeah...don't lie. At the end of it all, you have to do an agreement that says you swear all this information is true and accurate. Violating that wouldn't be a very good way to start off your optometric career.

I applied for the 2010 school year, so when I did OptomCAS, there was a question about whether you had been involved in any like... judicial affairs with your school. So I think they do specifically ask you something about cheating. But if you believe your circumstance was such that they over reacted to it, then you should be honest, put "yes" and then explain it.

 

[netmag]

Look, to be honest only you can make that determination. The simple answer that most will give you is that the right thing to do is to just be honest about it and explain it the best you can (without sounding like you're making too many excuses or blaming others too much). However, that's something that everyone already knows and I think you probably already know that yourself. Therefore, I'm not going to tell you to do that either because again it's up to you to weigh the cost/benefits and determine what you think you need to do to get into one of these schools. No one here is standing in your shoes so you'll probably only get the most common sense answer. Perhaps some people who have been in a similar situation could give you some things to think about and mention what they did. Even then though, the final decision is yours.

So I'm not going to tell you to just tell the truth even though it's usually the right thing to do and probably easier to do. It could have no ill effects or it could make it a lot harder for you to get into some (or any) schools. Who knows? So I feel it's probably not my place to give you advice on whether you should or shouldn't. On the flip side, I'm not telling you to lie or make up a story either. If you do, you'd better be 99.9999% sure that no one will find out the truth externally or it'll cause more trouble than just telling the truth just due to the fact that you went through the trouble of making up an elaborate story.

 

[cults]

I'm assuming it's not blatant plagiarism, in which case I think you should just be honest and explain yourself. It happens.