How Will Academic Dishonesty Affect My Dental School Application?

[freezingsneezing]

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Hi everyone,
I’m hoping to get some advice and honest opinions from this community as I prepare for the next steps in my journey.

I just graduated this past spring and plan to take a gap year before applying to dental school. Here’s a quick summary of my stats and experiences:

• GPA: 3.53 cumulative
• DAT: Scoring around 460 (22 on practice exams)
• Dental Experience: ~400 hours as a dental assistant
• Research Experience: ~600 hours over 5 semesters
• Leadership: Held leadership positions in 3+ different student organizations

Unfortunately, I do have a red flag on my record that I want to be upfront about. During my freshman year, I was found responsible for two separate academic dishonesty incidents:

1. Collaborating with a friend on a homework assignment which resulted in a 0 on the assignment.
2. Copying a friend’s assignment which resulted in a one letter grade reduction for the course and one semester of academic probation (Deemed an "Institutional Action").

I deeply regret these mistakes, and I’ve used those moments as a turning point to grow, mature, and reflect on my character and integrity. Both of these incidents took place during a difficult time in my life, however I am aware that I should have been more mature than I was. Since then, I’ve had no further incidents and have worked hard to build a strong, well-rounded application. I am hopeful that the 4 years between the incident and my potential enrollment into dental school will be enough separation to display my maturity.

I’m curious:

• How significant will these academic dishonesty incidents be in the eyes of admissions committees?
• Will they automatically disqualify me or is there still a realistic path forward if I’m transparent, own my mistakes, and demonstrate personal growth?
• Any advice on how to address this in my application would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you all so much for taking the time to read this. I really value any insight or guidance you can offer.

 

[macsak]

Hi everyone,
I’m hoping to get some advice and honest opinions from this community as I prepare for the next steps in my journey.

I just graduated this past spring and plan to take a gap year before applying to dental school. Here’s a quick summary of my stats and experiences:

• GPA: 3.53 cumulative
• DAT: Scoring around 460 (22 on practice exams)
• Dental Experience: ~400 hours as a dental assistant
• Research Experience: ~600 hours over 5 semesters
• Leadership: Held leadership positions in 3+ different student organizations

Unfortunately, I do have a red flag on my record that I want to be upfront about. During my freshman year, I was found responsible for two separate academic dishonesty incidents:

1. Collaborating with a friend on a homework assignment which resulted in a 0 on the assignment.
2. Copying a friend’s assignment which resulted in a one letter grade reduction for the course and one semester of academic probation (Deemed an "Institutional Action").

I deeply regret these mistakes, and I’ve used those moments as a turning point to grow, mature, and reflect on my character and integrity. Both of these incidents took place during a difficult time in my life, however I am aware that I should have been more mature than I was. Since then, I’ve had no further incidents and have worked hard to build a strong, well-rounded application. I am hopeful that the 4 years between the incident and my potential enrollment into dental school will be enough separation to display my maturity.

I’m curious:

• How significant will these academic dishonesty incidents be in the eyes of admissions committees?
• Will they automatically disqualify me or is there still a realistic path forward if I’m transparent, own my mistakes, and demonstrate personal growth?
• Any advice on how to address this in my application would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you all so much for taking the time to read this. I really value any insight or guidance you can offer.

did you do a search of this forum?
this has been covered most every year
much more details are there
but in short, you will not be automatically disqualified, but you may be scrutinized more closely...

 

[Mr.Smile12]

How do you describe these institutional actions?

Reporting an Institutional Action | SDN

Last month, we discussed what constitutes an Institutional Action in the eyes of the American Association of Medical Colleges (AAMC). If you have one of

www.studentdoctor.net

Two strikes in freshman year isn't a great look. It won't disqualify you, but the rest of your application should make it clear you will not be taking shortcuts (ever) again. If you try to cover up a 0.5 mm mistake, you will get in serious trouble.