How much will this IA hurt me? How should I measure my expectations?

[Koala2022]

A summary of my app:

• 522 (132/128/130/132) MCAT
• 4.0 GPA
• 1000+ hours of basic/pre-clinical research (1 publication + Honors thesis)
• ~1000 hours as a clinical research coordinator at a children's hospital
• 10 months as a Fulbright ETA
• ~30 hours of shadowing
• Tutor, TA, editor, etc.

But, I have a student conduct IA (reprimand, which is a warning letter at my school) for not reporting that my roommates were in possession of stolen school property, which they had stored in our suite. This is from my junior year of undergrad., so about 2 years ago.

How much should I expect this to impact my application?

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[fightingillini122]

Full disclosure I applied in 23 and am an incoming M1 so I am by no means an expert. However, this should literally do nothing to impact your application. The IA barely involves you. I would just be honest and upfront about what happened, don’t make any excuses. I would be beyond shocked if this impacted you negatively

 

[Mr.Smile12]

Did your student conduct office keep a copy of the sanction? What items were stolen? What consequences come from the reprimand?

 

[Koala2022]

Did your student conduct office keep a copy of the sanction? What items were stolen? What consequences come from the reprimand?

They have internal records of the reprimand -- no sanctions were actually imposed. I just had to write a short essay reflecting on my role in the situation, and the roommates who did actually steal the signs were required to also write this short essay plus make a presentation for underclassmen to deter them from doing the same (from what I can recall). And the stolen items were dorm hallway exit signs.

 

[xffan624]

They have internal records of the reprimand -- no sanctions were actually imposed. I just had to write a short essay reflecting on my role in the situation, and the roommates who did actually steal the signs were required to also write this short essay plus make a presentation for underclassmen to deter them from doing the same (from what I can recall). And the stolen items were dorm hallway exit signs.

This has got to be one of the stupidest things I've ever heard. Why would they do this? Seems like they got off easy. Exit signs are kind of important items if there's a fire or other emergency. Smh. Disclaimer: I'm not an adcom, and you're not the thief, but I wouldn't take this too lightly.

 

[LizzyM]

"in [month, year], I received a reprimand (a type of warning) for failing to report my suitemates who had removed dorm hallway exit signs and hidden them in our suite. I was required to write a short essay reflecting on my role in the incident. [add a statement of regret or lesson learned as to how you might handle something like this in the future.]

I used the word removed rather than stolen.... subtle difference. Also, I think that it is important to say what the items were. Yes, they are important for safety in the event of an emergency evacuation but somewhat different than stealing expensive items that would have resale value.

 

[AJS59]

A summary of my app:

• 522 (132/128/130/132) MCAT
• 4.0 GPA
• 1000+ hours of basic/pre-clinical research (1 publication + Honors thesis)
• ~1000 hours as a clinical research coordinator at a children's hospital
• 10 months as a Fulbright ETA
• ~30 hours of shadowing
• Tutor, TA, editor, etc.

But, I have a student conduct IA (reprimand, which is a warning letter at my school) for not reporting that my roommates were in possession of stolen school property, which they had stored in our suite. This is from my junior year of undergrad., so about 2 years ago.

How much should I expect this to impact my application?

Unless you were the one who stole it, just report it (as LizzyM so neatly summarized) and move on. Most IAs, other than ones involving academic misconduct, sexual harassment/assault, racism/sexism/other bias or criminal behavior are just for adcoms to laugh at and say "so that's what colleges are reporting kids for nowadays." Obviously don't make light of it and give a full and complete explanation but I would not worry in the slightest here.

 

[Goro]

Own it, report it, and you'll be okay.

 

[Starr_key]

They have internal records of the reprimand -- no sanctions were actually imposed. I just had to write a short essay reflecting on my role in the situation, and the roommates who did actually steal the signs were required to also write this short essay plus make a presentation for underclassmen to deter them from doing the same (from what I can recall). And the stolen items were dorm hallway exit signs.

What tf was their thought process for this? Did you actually not know they stole it?

I agree to explain and move on. Your app is stellar otherwise and you didn't steal it, so they're not gonna punish you for something you didn't do.

Don't get roommates in the future.

 

[LeaveNoTrace]

Yeah, this sounds like college hijinks. You didn't steal it. Is it possible that you yourself didn't know about the stolen exit signs because your roommates had hidden them and you had no way of knowing until they showed off their bounty to other college students, who then reported you? Own it, sure - but it seems like there's a way to spin this as having been railroaded by college BS. Of course - if you saw the signs and kept quiet, just 'fess up, don't try and spin anything, and go on. It's not too big a deal.