Is copying and pasting certain things from my other secondaries plagiarism?

[PotGoblinsales10]

---

Members don't see this ad.

For example, my AMCAS personal statement has an extra paragraph discussing xyz. An AACOMAS secondary application has a question that can be answered quite well from that paragraph in the AMCAS personal statement: Would including that in my AACOMAS secondary application be plagiarism?

How about secondary applications from other schools. School X has a secondary similar to School Y. Is copy paste of the secondary appropriate? Realistically speaking, even if it weren't copy-pasted, it would have the same exact content and probably sound the same.

Obviously, schools may not find out, however, in the case they do: will this be detrimental to the application or grounds to have my acceptance rescinded?

How should I approach nearly identical secondary essays?

 

[Skarl]

No.


Sent from my iPhone using SDN mobile

 

[tekkenman11]

No

 

[Mad Jack]

Nope

 

[Chromium Surfer]

Just make sure that you don't submit a secondary to a school with the name of another school! Also if you can try to tailor all secondary responses to fit the mission and vision of the school.

 

[Pizza12]

The neuroticism begins!

 

[LizzyM]

Just make sure that you don't submit a secondary to a school with the name of another school!

Oh, if you only knew how often that happens!

 

[Goro]

Oh, if you only knew how often that happens!

Makes our job a lot easier!

 

[Catalystik]

Obviously, schools may not find out, however, in the case they do: will this be detrimental to the application or grounds to have my acceptance rescinded?

When the wrong school is named in an essay, there are adcomms that won't further consider the application.

 

[chemdoctor]

Oh, if you only knew how often that happens!

does that get apps trashed?

 

[OneTwoThreeFour]

does that get apps trashed?

Immediately

 

[chemdoctor]

Immediately

Yeah I can imagine...

 

[MareNostrummm]

You better cite yourself... use AMA style.

 

[LoveBeingHuman:)]

When the wrong school is named in an essay, there are adcomms that won't further consider the application.

In my opinion is it dishonest and hypocritical for schools and ADCOMS to claim to have “holistic review” but then nuke an applicant’s chances based on a single thing such as 1) an LOR that mentions an applicant’s weakness or 2) the example you mentioned. Things like academic cheating, very low MCAT score, or complete lack in important EC’s I understand though.

I understand that you can make the claim that these small mishaps indicate bigger things but why not give the benefit of the doubt to someone?

 

[OneTwoThreeFour]

In my opinion is it dishonest and hypocritical for schools and ADCOMS to claim to have “holistic review” but then nuke an applicant’s chances based on a single thing such as 1) an LOR that mentions an applicant’s weakness or 2) the example you mentioned. Things like academic cheating, very low MCAT score, or complete lack in important EC’s I understand though.

I understand that you can make the claim that these small mishaps indicate bigger things but why not give the benefit of the doubt to someone?

Twice as many applicants apply as are spots overall. There has to be some way to cut down from 10,000 applicants to 500 interviews to 100 seats.

EDIT: I should add: I'm oversimplifying. When things like this happen, I continue to read the whole application. There is a section marked "red flags" and in that section go big flags (2.5 GPA, no clinical ECs) and small flags (misspelled words, poor grammar, minimal research). Not changing the name is a medium flag. You'd still get a "score" but it will likely be low enough that you won't be competitive for an interview unless there is a (green flag? Checkered flag?) big bonus part of your application (raised $1,000,000 bucks, have a first author in nature, military medic). See? We're holistic after all.

 

[LoveBeingHuman:)]

Twice as many applicants apply as are spots overall. There has to be some way to cut down from 10,000 applicants to 500 interviews to 100 seats.

EDIT: I should add: I'm oversimplifying. When things like this happen, I continue to read the whole application. There is a section marked "red flags" and in that section go big flags (2.5 GPA, no clinical ECs) and small flags (misspelled words, poor grammar, minimal research). Not changing the name is a medium flag. You'd still get a "score" but it will likely be low enough that you won't be competitive for an interview unless there is a (green flag? Checkered flag?) big bonus part of your application (raised $1,000,000 bucks, have a first author in nature, military medic). See? We're holistic after all.

Thanks! While we’re on the topic, what counts as minimal research?

 

[OneTwoThreeFour]

Thanks! While we’re on the topic, what counts as minimal research?

Something like 30 hours freshman year with no explanation for why you left the lab and no effort made towards joining a different one. You'd be surprised the things I've seen put to paper.

 

[SpoiledMilk]

small flags (misspelled words, poor grammar, minimal research)

Guilty on all three counts. Found about three grammatical mistakes in my diversity and adversity essays after submission.

 

[LoveBeingHuman:)]

Twice as many applicants apply as are spots overall. There has to be some way to cut down from 10,000 applicants to 500 interviews to 100 seats.

EDIT: I should add: I'm oversimplifying. When things like this happen, I continue to read the whole application. There is a section marked "red flags" and in that section go big flags (2.5 GPA, no clinical ECs) and small flags (misspelled words, poor grammar, minimal research). Not changing the name is a medium flag. You'd still get a "score" but it will likely be low enough that you won't be competitive for an interview unless there is a (green flag? Checkered flag?) big bonus part of your application (raised $1,000,000 bucks, have a first author in nature, military medic). See? We're holistic after all.

Regarding grammar, do you mean a switch between “there”, “they’re” and “their” that have more to do with carelessness on the part of the applicant? Or more complex grammar?

 

[LizzyM]

We get >40 applications for every slot. Do we want someone who is sloppy, hasty,and lacks attention to detail when we could have someone who has not demonstrated those characteristics?

 

[Goro]

Twice as many applicants apply as are spots overall. There has to be some way to cut down from 10,000 applicants to 500 interviews to 100 seats.

EDIT: I should add: I'm oversimplifying. When things like this happen, I continue to read the whole application. There is a section marked "red flags" and in that section go big flags (2.5 GPA, no clinical ECs) and small flags (misspelled words, poor grammar, minimal research). Not changing the name is a medium flag. You'd still get a "score" but it will likely be low enough that you won't be competitive for an interview unless there is a (green flag? Checkered flag?) big bonus part of your application (raised $1,000,000 bucks, have a first author in nature, military medic). See? We're holistic after all.

My schools gets some 6000 apps for ~100 seats