So I applied last year for pharmacy schools and submitted by pharmcas application but my pharmcas application was put on hold due to plagiarism found in my personal statement. I appealed but still they didn't let me proceed for last year and told me that I can apply again next year and told me that I'll have to click yes to this question in the background section.. "Were you ever the recipient of any action (e.g., a grade lowering penalty, failing grade, disqualification, suspension, probation, dismissal, etc.) by any faculty member, college, or university, PharmCAS or health licensing board for academic or professional misconduct (e.g., cheating, plagiarism, harassment, misuse of university facilities, stealing destroying or damaging university property etc.)?" Now the thing is the I wrote my personal statement in my OWN words. I didn't copy anything. I just looked at some examples online and I don't know how only one sentence was invertedly copied. It accounted for only 11% plagiarized, but they still put my application on hold and didn't let me go ahead in the process and I had to wait one more year. Now I am starting a new pharmcas application and this year, they weren't able to carry on the information from last year's pharmcas because of the new technology platform change for this year. So I had to create a new profile and I have a new CID and everything now. My question is that do you think that they will still be able to tell if I violated the code of conduct with pharmcas last year considering that I had to start a whole new application this year? I am just trying to avoid any type of problems that might arise if I answer yes to that question. I am not exactly sure how the AACP and PharmCas work in such issues. If I answer No for the question, how will they be able to tell that I ever got in trouble? I know this is about being honest and the best thing to do is to explain my situation but at this point, I was just wondering about how PharmCas keeps tracks of any past violations? Thank you for your help.
PharmCas application and code of conduct violation question
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Just curious as to when they flagged your essay. Was it right after you submitted, or was it a couple weeks after you submitted?
I reused big portions of my essay from the previous year. The first paragraph and last paragraph are nearly word-for-word the same, but I never got any thing flagged. My application was verified and sent to the schools yesterday.
I reused big portions of my essay from the previous year. The first paragraph and last paragraph are nearly word-for-word the same, but I never got any thing flagged. My application was verified and sent to the schools yesterday.
It was like more than a month after it was verified and sent to schools. I believe one of the schools decided to run the essay through turnitin and reported it to pharmCas and then pharmCas put my app on hold. Everything was done and going smooth until that happened so I don't know what to say in your case.. they don't flag anything right away. Was the essay from previous year yours or did you use someone else's example?
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It was the first and last paragraph of my essay from last year.
Well, I think you'd better explain it somehow. I remember that pharmCAS clearly says that it will use turnitin to check the essay and if you start a new application in next year, you mush write a NEW essay. word by word copy will definitely count as plagiarism b/c the system doesn't know it's your previous essay.
Moreover, I was told that even I copied my previous essay, it's still called plagiarism. At least my English writing teacher told me in her class. So hopefully I'm wrong or I remember incorrectly.
sorry I'm not the professional person who knows the mechanism. Once you turned it in, you can't change anything. Try to stay positive, maybe my English teacher was too harsh on us. Maybe there database didn't include your previous essay. Or maybe you can write an email to ask them.
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When did you submit your application and when did they put it on hold? Also was the only thing you reused only the first and last paragraphs?
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I submitted it about 3 weeks ago. It was place on hold 3 day ago. And i used some stuff from aacp. Is that they said u cant apply or the schools didnt your application
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What do you mean some stuff from aacp?
My essay was a narrative of what lead my to pharmacy school so all events in it directly pertain to me. The first and last paragraph that I reused literally have my full name in it so I hope my application will be ok. Nothing has happened to my application but it was only verified 10 days ago.
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when was your application verified? how long was it verified for before it was put on hold? I assumed pharmcas would run it through whatever database they use when it's submit.
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I'm confused, did you reuse portions of an old essay, or did you copy stuff from AAP website.
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I ran my essay through WriteCheck. WriteCheck supposedly compares your document to the Turnit In database without adding it to the database. My essay from this year had at least 5 sentences completely reused from my essay last year and it popped up as no matches on WriteCheck. So maybe PharmCas doesn't automatically add your essay to the TurnIt In database, unless a school chooses to run it through.
Did you hear back from them yet? The committee meets once a month and gives you a chance to appeal.
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Hi, I was wondering how did your appeal go? What did you do to appeal? What proof did you send? I am currently waiting on their response regarding my hold for plagiarism. I also got an 11% plagiarism. What percent did you get? It kind of sucks the way it works because I received interviews before they put my account on hold. I got three interviews, and two postponed my interviews until they hear back from pharmacas. Fortunately, one school was kind enough to allow me to interview since I was qualified before Pharmcas placed that hold. But they will not give me any acceptance as of yet until they hear back from Pharmcas.
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I was just notified today that my Pharmcas application was placed on Hold pending investigation of plagiarism. My application was submitted in October last year. I interviewed with a school on the 19th. I'm suppose to find out the result within two weeks. A few sentences from my previous essay (last years cycle) were flagged. They are my own words and they were used again because they were defining moments in my life that lead me down this path. They part of what makes me-me. I plan on sending them the creation screenshot on when I wrote that essay...but they are my words. This is really frustrating because now the schools I have interviewed with might have a biased image because of something I wrote last year. Please let me know what happens, Ill keep you updates too.
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Turnitin - Is Recycling Your Own Work Plagiarism?
Self-plagarism is still plagarism. I believe they use turnitin to check for plagarism on personal statements and turnitin considers using your own published essay again in another paper as plagarism.
Self-plagarism is still plagarism. I believe they use turnitin to check for plagarism on personal statements and turnitin considers using your own published essay again in another paper as plagarism.
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That makes no sense that recycling from one's own personal essay would count as plagarism. Nor does it fit the definition of self-plagarism given on the turnitan site. That is ridiculous that Pharmcas is calling plagarism, if people reuse parts of their personal statement--most people's lives don't change that much from year to year, so it should be expected that most people's personal statements would be pretty much the same.
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They probably just expect the writer to say the same story in different words. They're not going to care if your PS is 15% plagiarized since, like you said, people's motivations and stories don't change that much, but if the number goes up to 70% or something, they won't like that.
Carolinagirl94
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Hey I was in the same situation and now I want to appeal, how did that go for you ?
