Institutional Action

[hereyehereye]

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[ceadmilefailte]

What type of action did the school take? Was this simply a pay a fine thing, or was this entered into your record and you received hefty sanctions? I would think if it was the former rather than the latter, you wouldn't need to even put the incident down. Also, was this just for a possession of alcohol or did you do something worse?

That being said, I would simply state what happened (and don't try and make excuses or say it was unfair) and make a brief statement on what you learned from it. If you don't explain it on the application be sure to be prepared to discuss it in an interview.

Overall, as long as it was a simple sanction for alcohol, and not you drinking and doing something crazy, I would think most admissions people would look past this as long as you had a mature, thoughtful explanation for what happened. Meaning that you can articulate that you were in the wrong and what you learned from the experience. Many other applicants and even the people interviewing you drank in college and were simply fortunate enough to not get caught.

 

[VeeTeeHokies]

In the process of explaining my institutional action (alcohol violation) on AACOMAS and could use some insight. Is this a box to explain the event such as where I was what happened, how I got caught? Or more of a section to touch on the situation, and really explain what I learned from it, etc.

I have a 3.9 cumulative, same for bio. I'm on a varsity sport where I hold school records and have multiple conference championships. I'm an honors candidate in biology for next year, completed field studies, shadowing, and am a health assistant for John's Hopkins: CTY summer camps. I also tutor, student advise, etc.

Still waiting on MCAT score (June 1)

I guess my question is, will this be a HUGE red flag on my app? Or are they good at looking at the whole picture and realizing that I did, after all, attend college in America.

Thanks!

I had a noise violation misdemeanor, which was also reported to my undergrad so I got the institutional action double whammy for one offense. I explained it briefly in a couple of sentences. It was never mentioned in a single interview, and only one school requested official court records of it and a formal letter detailing the event. I was actually accepted at the one school that seemed to really have an issue with it. I believe alcohol infractions are a bit more serious, but if it's anything less severe than a DUI I think you'll be fine as long as you give them an HONEST explanation of the situation without making excuses. Also even a DUI wouldn't kill your chances, but you would certainly be fighting an uphill battle on Everest at that point.

One thing to note that I have been told by the school I plan to matriculate at, is that if it's something minor, it likely won't ever come up or stand against you unless it's evident that it's a repeating pattern of misconduct. I.e. Don't screw up again.

 

[fiznat]

I can't imagine it is that unique. What adcom would be shocked to find out that some of their applicants *gasp* drank alcohol while underage in college?? I would detail the sanction very succinctly without excessive explanation -- assuming this isn't a DUI or anything involving honesty or violence.

 

[hereyehereye]

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[sublm128]

mine was much more serious...

i got a plagiarism charge in my sophomore year of college. That was 5 years ago. Now i have a c3.0 and an s3.25, with a 30 mcat.

What do u guys think about my chances?

 

[theone1979]

mine was much more serious...

i got a plagiarism charge in my sophomore year of college. That was 5 years ago. Now i have a c3.0 and an s3.25, with a 30 mcat.

What do u guys think about my chances?

I am more concerned by the fact that you have already made 2 identical threads on this subject and have now completely ignored the OP's question in this thread, and have instead decided to hijack the thread to serve your own needs.

I also see that in basically every thread you comment in, you attempt to steer the direction of the conversation to this plagiarism charge of yours. Sorry but plagiarism is taken VERY seriously, as it should be. Yes it sucks that this one mistake may cost you your shot at attending a US med school, but as others have pointed out, there are far more qualified applicants with no red flags than there are seats, so ask yourself, why should a med school accept someone with a record that suggests deceit and dishonesty?

I admit I am being a bit of a prick here, but you aren't helping your case by selfishly hijacking every thread to ask about your plagiarism charge.

 

[Vishna]

i am more concerned by the fact that you have already made 2 identical threads on this subject and have now completely ignored the op's question in this thread, and have instead decided to hijack the thread to serve your own needs.

I also see that in basically every thread you comment in, you attempt to steer the direction of the conversation to this plagiarism charge of yours. Sorry but plagiarism is taken very seriously, as it should be. Yes it sucks that this one mistake may cost you your shot at attending a us med school, but as others have pointed out, there are far more qualified applicants with no red flags than there are seats, so ask yourself, why should a med school accept someone with a record that suggests deceit and dishonesty?

I admit i am being a bit of a prick here, but you aren't helping your case by selfishly hijacking every thread to ask about your plagiarism charge.

+1

 

[Dissected]

I was caught consuming right after I started (I blew a 0.04). I paid the fine, completed another AlcoholEDU lesson and wrote a paper to our dean. It's only action through my college, never appeared before a judge or any of that stuff. This is the only time I've been in trouble with the institution.

A lot of my friends ran when the RA showed but I stayed and faced the consequence, which is something I've learned from greatly.

It was brought up in my committee interview, it's actually the last thing they asked so I don't think it was a huge deal to them. If the mentioned it in their letter, I think they would write something to the effect that this was a rare occurrence and is not reflective of my character.

Thanks for the insight!

Be honest and concise about it on your AACOMAS. Consider briefly mentioning it in your personal statement and explaining what you learned and how youve changed since then. Also expect it to come up in interviews, and be ready to answer questions about it. Adcoms will appreciate honesty above all else.

Do these things and it shouldnt affect you much if at all. GL!