Institutional Action Question

[calzonemoonrise]

Hi, long time lurker here.
I was reading through the 2023 AMCAS applicant guide and saw under institutional action that examples of institutional actions include academic standings warning. I’m really concerned because I received an official warning by my school like 4 years ago because I had received a D. I am currently trying to get a hold of my school to see what it necessarily means. Thankfully, it helped me receive the clarity that I really needed to get my act together to better myself, but right now, I’m trying to figure out what it means on my AMCAS application. I’ve heard that institutional actions are not good, but I’ve also heard they are varying in degrees of severity. Anyone have a clue of what I should make out of this? Is it going to even matter considering they can see that D and the accompanying not so great grades surrounding that period of my life on my transcript?
Thanks in advance.

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[Goro]

Hi, long time lurker here.
I was reading through the 2023 AMCAS applicant guide and saw under institutional action that examples of institutional actions include academic standings warning. I’m really concerned because I received an official warning by my school like 4 years ago because I had received a D. I am currently trying to get a hold of my school to see what it necessarily means. Thankfully, it helped me receive the clarity that I really needed to get my act together to better myself, but right now, I’m trying to figure out what it means on my AMCAS application. I’ve heard that institutional actions are not good, but I’ve also heard they are varying in degrees of severity. Anyone have a clue of what I should make out of this? Is it going to even matter considering they can see that D and the accompanying not so great grades surrounding that period of my life on my transcript?
Thanks in advance.

We ignore those if one can get their academic standing in order.

Failing multiple classes because your mom got cancer or your best friend was killed is not the same as plagiarism or cheating, after all.

 

[calzonemoonrise]

We ignore those if one can get their academic standing in order.

Failing multiple classes because your mom got cancer or your best friend was killed is not the same as plagiarism or cheating, after all.

Alrighty, thank you, but it makes sense to put it on there even though when asking the registrar, they say they have no institutional action on record. I just don’t want to eliminated because I checked the no-no box lol.

 

[candbgirl]

And that’s exactly how you explain it. That “IA” saved your dream of medical school. They will see one bad semester. It’s really not a big deal because you straightened yourself out. Good luck.

 

[LizzyM]

Were you on academic probation or academic suspension. Schools usually have a threshold for undergrads of a GPA of < 2.0 that triggers academic probation. If that was your predicament, you report it, say it was a wake-up call and you straightened yourself out. No.big.deal.

 

[GoSpursGo]

I really would just ask your school what you should do, and then do that. To me it doesn't sound like an IA, but rather, "Hey if you don't get your act together you will get an IA." An almost-IA is not an IA. In reality it doesn't matter because as others have said this isn't the kind of IA that jeopardizes an application, but I see no reason to check the box if you don't have to.

 

[calzonemoonrise]

I really would just ask your school what you should do, and then do that. To me it doesn't sound like an IA, but rather, "Hey if you don't get your act together you will get an IA." An almost-IA is not an IA. In reality it doesn't matter because as others have said this isn't the kind of IA that jeopardizes an application, but I see no reason to check the box if you don't have to.

Gotcha, so the final say would be the school I went to and whether or not they say it is considered institutional action, not the aamc guideline examples, correct?

 

[GoSpursGo]

Gotcha, so the final say would be the school I went to and whether or not they say it is considered institutional action, not the aamc guideline examples, correct?

I think in this case that's what I would go with I don't always say that, because not infrequently schools are wrong. But this is so minor and seemingly informal that it just isn't apparent to me that this really qualifies as an IA. It doesn't sound like you were put on probation, or lost your scholarship, or had any actual action taken.

All that said, you'll certainly never be wrong to mark yes and explain.