Need serious help please

[js0105]

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I was recently marked with plagiarism, is it still possible to get into pharmacy school? I have a decent gpa (3.5) and will be taking my PCATS at the end of this summer. I have about a years worth of pharmacy experience. Can anyone help me with this please.

 

[Passion4Sci]

Did you plagiarize?

And if you were just "recently"marked with plagiarism, your entire academic record comes into question. Did you really earn/deserve your 3.5? Or did you cheat through those classes and just not get caught?

That's the stuff that'll be on everyone's mind when they see it on whatever record that kind of thing is stored on (Transcript notation?). Academic dishonesty is a really big problem, here in CA anyway, and anyone found to have plagiarized is almost unswervingly reported to the Dean for at the very least, academic probation.

I am curious, though, if it'll directly adverse your Pharmacy school chances. At an intuitive level, I think it would - Even if you plagiarized "without meaning to" (e.g., incorrectly paraphrasing or accidentally leaving out one or two citations for some reason), you were careless and carelessness doesn't go very far as an attribute in Pharmacy.

BUT, things aren't always intuitive, so I guess the short answer for me is: I have no idea, but it can't be a good thing.

More details?

 

[koercive]

I agree with Passion4Sci. It's not a good thing, but it won't be impossible for you to get into pharmacy school. I remember for some supplemental applications, they allow you to write an essay on explaining problems with the law or other negative marks on your academic record. I would definitely call pharmacy schools and talk to them directly about this issue.

 

[tomk]

i would suggest you do something that makes you an extreme standout and show change in behavior. Also timetable of when the plagiarism occured probably will count too (did it happen within the first year of college, or within the past year or two, it does make a difference) There are alot of applicants with your stats without a plagiarism mark on their permanent file. even if you do explain it, it becomes a "So-what" when compared to a similar applicant who doesn't have it.

you could.
1. do a crapload of research for someone and be published.
2. Life changing lor from a professor willing to discuss your situation and vouch for you (preferably the one who graded your plagiarised paper)
3. extensive community service working with disadvantaged children/minorities/homeless etc. also leadership in clubs
3. cure cancer/HIV/ rescue baby orphans from fire.

you probably need all of the above.

they will question your integrity, and wonder, if this guy was plagiarising papers, did he cheat on anything else (probable answer is yes, just talking statistically, a cheater is a cheater).

what i would do is write somethign about how you cheated due to immaturity and that incident changed your life. How because of it, you matured and became a leader in the community/club/whatever, doing community service/saving babies/curing cancer/writing research papers.

if you didn't do any of that, i dont know how you will recover. Honestly, pharm is pretty competitive, any bad marks is gonna ruin your chances. Cheating is pretty much as bad as it gets. you are gonna have to show the admissions committee not only change from teh bad behavior, but that something good came out of it.

i dont think, i cheated, and now i dont is gonna cut it, because there are people who have never cheated (or atleast gotten caught).

now if your plagiarism is that you forgot to footnote something and the teacher was being extremely strict is one thing. but most professors will only damage your academic reputation if you copied someone else's paper or didn't footnote anything and tried to pass off someone else's intellectual property as your own.

 

[tomk]

also more info would help.

did you contest the incident and go through a hearing? or did you admit and waive all your rights?

did they decide to put a permanent mark on your records, or just fail your paper, or give you a W or F for the class.

if you got a permanent mark on your file, honestly from what i heard, its grad school death.

if you do have a permament mark on your record, I would do everything i possible could to get it expunged, including getting a lawyer.

just trying to help you out (dunno why i am helping you since i detest cheaters). But i guess i feel bad for you that you made a poor decision.

 

[AKN16]

I don't know what to tell you... the only thing that I have to say is that you should consult with each school and see what they say about it.. and what one other person earlier said, you can turn this situation into your personal statement(especially if this was a stupid mistake)... but I'd first talk to the schools.

 

[tommyVoltage]

My neighbor in the dorm rooms last year got caught for plagiarism. He was kicked out of school, even though he was transferring to a different school. Since he got kicked out of school, Rutgers University pulled his acceptance and now he works for his dad.

 

[busyizzy]

I agree with Passion4Sci. It's not a good thing, but it won't be impossible for you to get into pharmacy school. I remember for some supplemental applications, they allow you to write an essay on explaining problems with the law or other negative marks on your academic record. I would definitely call pharmacy schools and talk to them directly about this issue.

I also agree with him ....especially that more details are needed to assess the situation. Although from the OP's post, it sounds like the OP has accepted it, and thus, they probably did participate in some form of major cheating (ie. not a minor infraction blown out of proportion). because if it was minor, then I feel the OP's post would be more panic-y and defensive and OMG I GOT MARKED FOR CHEATING WHEN I DIDN'T REALLY ACTUALLY CHEAT - AM I SCREWED FOR PHARM SCHOOL? WHAT CAN I DO? ..... but maybe I'm reading too much into it.

I'm not sure what can be really explained about cheating. I got desperate? I had 5 other exams that day? I had a mental breakdown? There are NO explanations for cheating in my head that make it acceptable - any explanation (/excuses) you have, that I can think of at least, just show that you're not capable of dealing with the curriculum of pharm school. Maybe I'm being harsh, but I'm just saying what's on my mind - and I doubt any admissions committee will see it any less harshly. They'll probably think worse of it, as in the scientific community, any sign of dishonesty such as cheating is a career killer.

Is this mark on your permanent record? I know that at my school, if it is only the first time for you, they will put it on your school record and expel you the second time (and it is on your permanent record), but if you do not do it again, then when you graduate, all records of the cheating are gone. You should know precisely how you were "marked," as it can be a big difference.

Still, the best you can do is try to put a positive spin on it, and show what you learned. I think it's best not to put excuses to the cheating unless you have a SUPER DUPER GREAT excuse for the cheating. Just own up to your actions - your records say you did it, and any weedling and whining on your supplemental applications that it wasn't your fault or that you didn't deserve it will probably be looked on negatively as if this was true.... then it wouldn't be on your record. Be mature - own up to it, and then stress the positive things learned from this negative experience. That you learned cheating is not the answer, no matter what the excruciating circumstances of the situation, and that you learned how to cope with the stress that made you turn to cheating. Stress on the aftermath and the learning part - don't focus on the cheating part. You don't want to keep reminding them that you cheated, you want the admissions committee to remember that you learned from this experience. That's how I would go about it if this was me.

 

[thephoenician88]

I think academic misconduct is different at every school. It might not be on your main record, only your school record, if that makes sense. For the most part though, if it comes up during an interview, make sure you explain your mistake, accept it, and how you'll prevent it.

busyizzy he didn't cheat as in cheat on a test, he probably copied a paragraph from somewhere and got caught.

 

[ksksks]

in our school, you get expulsion right from the gecko for cheating or plagiarism (for plagiarism, I think it depends on the severity)

i saw someone from our class write her test even after the invigilator told everyont to stop writing. She kept on writing when the invigilator screamed right beside her to STOP. She wrote maybe 5-10 seconds more?

The invigilator snatched the test paper away and she was given a 0 for the entire course. Apparently she was a 3.9 GPA junior student applying to med school, she is now clueless on what to do. It's amazing how some simple thing can change the course of one's entire life.

 

[Passion4Sci]

From the "gecko", and "invigilator"? I am so confused, help me out here?

A zero for the entire course seems beyond extreme for writing 5-10 seconds after time was called. A zero on the exam, absolutely... But for the entire course? Hard to believe that couldn't be appealed, especially if her other grades were sterling. She'll probably still get into medical school even with an F in that one class, if she's got a 3.9... so I wouldn't worry too much about her!

But yes, indeed... Little things can really change big things.

 

[ksksks]

From the "gecko", and "invigilator"? I am so confused, help me out here?

A zero for the entire course seems beyond extreme for writing 5-10 seconds after time was called. A zero on the exam, absolutely... But for the entire course? Hard to believe that couldn't be appealed, especially if her other grades were sterling. She'll probably still get into medical school even with an F in that one class, if she's got a 3.9... so I wouldn't worry too much about her!

But yes, indeed... Little things can really change big things.

I think one of the biggest reasons why she couldnt appeal was because the invigilator (person who monitors you during exam) was the chair of the department and if she gave in and forgave her, her reputation would also be at stake. She did get 0 on the course, and yes i hope that she still gets in, although i dont know her.

 

[FarscapeGirl]

ksksks, I think you mean "from the get go (sp?)" instead of "from the gecko." Unless it's slang somewhere?

Kind of reminds me of that scene in Friends where Joey says it's a "moo point" instead of "moot point."

I presume you're from the UK? Apparently, an invigilator in America is referred to as a moderator or proctor. I just had to look it up; I've never seen that word used here!

 

[aboveliquidice]

I haven't dealt with this issue as a member of the ADCOM yet - but I would imagine that you would have to spend a lot of time correcting the issue. Both in academics, outside of academics, and certainly in the admissions process.

Integrity / Ethics run deep in the health professions - and it won't be a small issue to deal with. I would likely pass on you - assuming that it was a recent infraction. I would want to see several years removed from the situation with a marked history of community involvement or something before I signed off on you.

 

[busyizzy]

busyizzy he didn't cheat as in cheat on a test, he probably copied a paragraph from somewhere and got caught.

That's true. When I was typing, I was just thinking cheating in general, as that is what plagerism amounts to for me, but I ended up writing more about cheating on tests.

I'd honestly say I believe that plagerism is worse than test-cheating in scientific/health professions - it is heavily research based, and if you can't be trusted to write a proper article without copying something, who is going to believe your research? Even if it was only a paragraph, you're trying to get into a very professional field, and you have to show that you are at a professional level. Plagerism shows the exact opposite of this.