Plagarism on acceptance to med school

[Suprachiasmatik]

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I will apply during my junior year and if my chances are shot, it'll be too late to change majors...what health-related major do you suggest I should change to which will offer better job prospects?

If you're ok with being more of a midlevel provider, I would guess you won't have too much trouble getting into nursing or AA or CNRA. What you did [copying lab write ups] is extremely common. The medical community will shame you for it, but I know many doctors who cheated during undergrad who did not make the mistake of getting caught. Lots of dirty secrets in the medical industry. Best of luck.

 

[LebronManning]

I took a lab course in ochem once and we had online pre-labs. The problems were so insanely difficult that I got 40% on the pre-labs, even though so many others were getting 90% just by googling the problems. I ended up getting a B- in the class.

lol

 

[justlive1998]

Also in your opinion do you think I have chance to get into medical school with all of the stuff thats happened and show i've learned from my mistakes by joining my school's student conduct advisory committee and other leadership positions to show responsibility or if I maybe wait for some time to reapply I will have a chance?

I know a student who was caught cheating his senior year of undergraduate and is now a practicing dermatologist. IMO it's going to come down to how well your undergraduate institution is able to sweep your incident under the rug. In the aforementioned example, the undergraduate institution actually went above and beyond in helping the student obscure what happened. I was blown away and realized that the medical school applications process in the United States is at least somewhat corrupt and definitely not a meritocracy.

idk if my college is very lenient since they said they will keep a record of it for 7 years... so will that affect my chances?

 

[Suprachiasmatik]

idk if my college is very lenient since they said they will keep a record of it for 7 years... so will that affect my chances?

Looks like you might need to wait to apply until 2024 🙂

If you're dead set on being a doctor, just keep busting your balls on your coursework. Remember this simple formula for getting into medical school: High GPA + high MCAT + fluff (volunteer bull****, clubs, etc.) + a dash of cronyism/nepotism. Extra bonus points if your are black, hispanic, and female. TBH it's a bit of a crapshoot even without the plagiarism on your record. I personally know students with great GPAs and MCAT scores who never got an acceptance letter and had to move on to different career paths. You may even burn/flame out in ochem anyways or realize you don't even want to be a doctor. Even if you enter med school in your mid 20s, that's starting to become rather normal these days.

 

[justlive1998]

Looks like you might need to wait to apply until 2024 🙂

If you're dead set on being a doctor, just keep busting your balls on your coursework. Remember this simple formula for getting into medical school: High GPA + high MCAT + fluff (volunteer bull****, clubs, etc.) + a dash of cronyism/nepotism. Extra bonus points if your are black, hispanic, and female. TBH it's a bit of a crapshoot even without the plagiarism on your record. I personally know students with great GPAs and MCAT scores who never got an acceptance letter and had to move on to different career paths. You may even burn/flame out in ochem anyways or realize you don't even want to be a doctor. Even if you enter med school in your mid 20s, that's starting to become rather normal these days.

Thanks, i've received other replies saying that I should apply sometime during my junior year but If I don't get in I should wait and reapply later. Do you think thats good advice?

 

[Master Thinker]

Thanks, i've received other replies saying that I should apply sometime during my junior year but If I don't get in I should wait and reapply later. Do you think thats good advice?

Applying Junior year and not getting in means that when you reapply at a later date, you will be asked why you didn't get in and that will remind schools that you once had a negative notation. Applying after it expires will allow you to possibly sweep it under the rug and it will be unlikely to be brought up. But of course, the choice is your's and how much you want to start med school early.

 

[candbgirl]

Why are you so intent on applying at the end of junior year? Just about everyone has told you to put some time between this incident and your application. Three semesters isn’t long. Three semesters on the conduct advisory board isn’t impressive. You seem to be whirling around trying to find a quick fix for this mess. First off tell your parents. It will take a lot of pressure off of you. They might be disappointed but better now than when you aren’t accepted to med school. Work on your ECs. Keep your grades up . OWN this mess. You have to come to terms with the situation. You can’t fix this. You just have to accept it and move on.
What you have to realize and accept is that stellar students with near perfect applications are denied acceptance every cycle. Why should a school accept you when they have applicants with the same stats etc.and no IA for plagiarism? If you want to be a doctor slow down and do it right. Prove to the schools the you of then isn’t the you at application time. Good luck.

 

[justlive1998]

Why are you so intent on applying at the end of junior year? Just about everyone has told you to put some time between this incident and your application. Three semesters isn’t long. Three semesters on the conduct advisory board isn’t impressive. You seem to be whirling around trying to find a quick fix for this mess. First off tell your parents. It will take a lot of pressure off of you. They might be disappointed but better now than when you aren’t accepted to med school. Work on your ECs. Keep your grades up . OWN this mess. You have to come to terms with the situation. You can’t fix this. You just have to accept it and move on.
What you have to realize and accept is that stellar students with near perfect applications are denied acceptance every cycle. Why should a school accept you when they have applicants with the same stats etc.and no IA for plagiarism? If you want to be a doctor slow down and do it right. Prove to the schools the you of then isn’t the you at application time. Good luck.

I know that there isn't i can do to fix the situation but the reason why i'm worried to apply later is the fact that I would have to work for a few years in the time before applying and there aren't good job prospects for someone who has only a BS in cell and molecular biology degree.

 

[deleted804295]

I know that there isn't i can do to fix the situation but the reason why i'm worried to apply later is the fact that I would have to work for a few years in the time before applying and there aren't good job prospects for someone who has only a BS in cell and molecular biology degree.

And?
Majority of pre meds are in the biological sciences.
Many have to take a gap year after college and have to find work.
Mind you many of these students who take gap years didn't cheat or get caught cheating like you did.
Figure out your plan B- we all have them. Work on getting yourself closer to med school if you're even interested at this point and/or if you have what it takes.

 

[candbgirl]

I know that there isn't i can do to fix the situation but the reason why i'm worried to apply later is the fact that I would have to work for a few years in the time before applying and there aren't good job prospects for someone who has only a BS in cell and molecular biology degree.

And if you aren’t accepted you’ll still have the same BS with less than good job prospects. The only difference is you'll be a Med school reject who has to significantly improve his application befor he can reapply. But you seem to know a lot about the process so good luck. I’m not sure why you even posted. You have gotten lots of good advice though.

 

[Forever Geebs]

By “taking it too far”, I was really hoping for took over the lab, wrote the manual yourself, and invented new protocols/techniques. But you cheated. No excuses—own it.

Like others have said, not a death sentence but you have an even steeper uphill battle now.

Best of luck to you. And no more cheating. For real.


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[justlive1998]

By “taking it too far”, I was really hoping for took over the lab, wrote the manual yourself, and invented new protocols/techniques. But you cheated. No excuses—own it.

Like others have said, not a death sentence but you have an even steeper uphill battle now.

Best of luck to you. And no more cheating. For real.


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Thanks and I learned my mistake and I'm ready for the battle.

 

[justlive1998]

And if you aren’t accepted you’ll still have the same BS with less than good job prospects. The only difference is you'll be a Med school reject who has to significantly improve his application befor he can reapply. But you seem to know a lot about the process so good luck. I’m not sure why you even posted. You have gotten lots of good advice though.

Thanks for the advice and what do you mean by why I posted? Just asking out of curiousity...

 

[candbgirl]

Thanks for the advice and what do you mean by why I posted? Just asking out of curiousity...

I mean you seem to have all of the answers . You seemingly haven’t considered anything people have taken the time to post. You are still planning to apply after junior year despite numerous people(including ADCOMS) telling you to put time between your CHEATING and your application! But actually you are like others who post, get answers/advice, don’t like the advice and then choose to ignore the well thought out advice given in good faith.

 

[justlive1998]

I mean you seem to have all of the answers . You seemingly haven’t considered anything people have taken the time to post. You are still planning to apply after junior year despite numerous people(including ADCOMS) telling you to put time between your CHEATING and your application! But actually you are like others who post, get answers/advice, don’t like the advice and then choose to ignore the well thought out advice given in good faith.

I'm sorry that I seem that way. It's just a shock when you've had your entire life planned out and then you mess it up and everything just seems bleak as well as your future. I understand now that I do need to take a gap year or so and I appreciate the advice.

 

[Forever Geebs]

I'm sorry that I seem that way. It's just a shock when you've had your entire life planned out and then you mess it up and everything just seems bleak as well as your future. I understand now that I do need to take a gap year or so and I appreciate the advice.

It’s shocking that you have had a difficult time accepting accountability for your actions. Accept them, own them, and learn from them. Not doing so will mean your goals of becoming a physician will not be realized.


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[justlive1998]

It’s shocking that you have had a difficult time accepting accountability for your actions. Accept them, own them, and learn from them. Not doing so will mean your goals of becoming a physician will not be realized.


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I do accept accountability for my actions or else I would have lied and denied the accusations but that's just not me. I'm just mad at myself and dissapointed at my own actions and I do own what I did and i have learned from my mistakes. I haven't been having a good couple of months due to other problems as well so I kind of haven't been in a good place mentally. I'm ready to move on and work my butt off though to get into medschool.

 

[Suprachiasmatik]

This thread is funny.

Everybody's getting on their high horse and shaming the guy when this poor sap is clearly distraught about what happened to him. I know for a FACT, as a life sciences grad and TA, that cheating is RAMPANT in undergrad. I don't think it's a good thing but rather another symptom on the long list of symptoms of our broken education system. There are plenty of students in medical school and practicing physicians who cheated but did not make the mistake of getting caught. Medicine is chock FULL of dirty secrets.

OP just don't let this mess up your GPA outside of this class. Volunteer on some academic honesty committees/boards at your school. Find Jesus. REPENT, SINNER. I know a guy who cheated with the best of them, got caught, and nonetheless will be a practicing dermatologist this year making $400k/year.

 

[Lawpy]

This thread is funny.

Everybody's getting on their high horse and shaming the guy when this poor sap is clearly distraught about what happened to him. I know for a FACT, as a life sciences grad and TA, that cheating is RAMPANT in undergrad. I don't think it's a good thing but rather another symptom on the long list of symptoms of our broken education system. There are plenty of students in medical school and practicing physicians who cheated but did not make the mistake of getting caught. Medicine is chock FULL of dirty secrets.

OP just don't let this mess up your GPA outside of this class. Volunteer on some academic honesty committees/boards at your school. Find Jesus. REPENT, SINNER. I know a guy who cheated with the best of them, got caught, and nonetheless will be a practicing dermatologist this year making $400k/year.

I mean despite what adcoms say here, admissions is not perfect or rational. People regularly get accepted into medical school despite having a horrible personality and committing horrible crimes, simply because they can fake a personality in interviews and they did not make a mistake of being caught. Regardless of what adcoms and interviewers say, they are not that good in sensing the worst people on interview day. Malignant applicants can be rather sociopathic and they know how to fool adcoms/interviewers by faking a pleasant and friendly personality.

Unfortunately, OP got caught and has to pay the price. This means she should postpone her medical aspirations for a while and continue to do well academically and take positions of responsibility/altruism.

 

[deleted480308]

This thread is funny.

Everybody's getting on their high horse and shaming the guy when this poor sap is clearly distraught about what happened to him. I know for a FACT, as a life sciences grad and TA, that cheating is RAMPANT in undergrad. I don't think it's a good thing but rather another symptom on the long list of symptoms of our broken education system. There are plenty of students in medical school and practicing physicians who cheated but did not make the mistake of getting caught. Medicine is chock FULL of dirty secrets.

OP just don't let this mess up your GPA outside of this class. Volunteer on some academic honesty committees/boards at your school. Find Jesus. REPENT, SINNER. I know a guy who cheated with the best of them, got caught, and nonetheless will be a practicing dermatologist this year making $400k/year.

This didn’t happen to OP. OP did it

 

[Stagg737]

Not always. Case in point:

2012 Harvard cheating scandal - Wikipedia

Be careful of what you post. You don't want pre-meds lurking this forum getting the wrong idea.

Who the hell cheats on a take-home final? Seriously, I thought the kids at Harvard were supposed to be smart...

You mentioned that I should work for a year or two. What jobs are there for a BS in cell and molecular biology?

Lab tech/assistant, if you can get into a research lab even better. Tutor, benchwork at some chemical/bioengineering companies. Nothing that's going to be very lucrative. Imo, I'd get a license/certification as an EMT, CNA, or some other field where you'll get clinical exposure. Won't pay well, but if you're planning on shooting for medical school, having extra clinical experience isn't a bad thing. You can also apply for graduate degrees. Get a master's (or a PhD if you're willing) in a biological or chemistry related field. It won't magically open doors, but it'll drastically increase your job opportunities beyond what a bachelor's will.

 

[justlive1998]

Who the hell cheats on a take-home final? Seriously, I thought the kids at Harvard were supposed to be smart...



Lab tech/assistant, if you can get into a research lab even better. Tutor, benchwork at some chemical/bioengineering companies. Nothing that's going to be very lucrative. Imo, I'd get a license/certification as an EMT, CNA, or some other field where you'll get clinical exposure. Won't pay well, but if you're planning on shooting for medical school, having extra clinical experience isn't a bad thing. You can also apply for graduate degrees. Get a master's (or a PhD if you're willing) in a biological or chemistry related field. It won't magically open doors, but it'll drastically increase your job opportunities beyond what a bachelor's will.

Thanks for the advice and just to ask why get a master's degree in the time waiting if I want to apply for med school...or are you just saying if I opt out medical school? Also could I maybe apply for CAA or AA programs with graduate degree. Thats kind of my plan B for now?

 

[justlive1998]

This thread is funny.

Everybody's getting on their high horse and shaming the guy when this poor sap is clearly distraught about what happened to him. I know for a FACT, as a life sciences grad and TA, that cheating is RAMPANT in undergrad. I don't think it's a good thing but rather another symptom on the long list of symptoms of our broken education system. There are plenty of students in medical school and practicing physicians who cheated but did not make the mistake of getting caught. Medicine is chock FULL of dirty secrets.

OP just don't let this mess up your GPA outside of this class. Volunteer on some academic honesty committees/boards at your school. Find Jesus. REPENT, SINNER. I know a guy who cheated with the best of them, got caught, and nonetheless will be a practicing dermatologist this year making $400k/year.

Thanks for the advice, and I am also a girl btw lol. I'm going to take this as a learning experinece and become a better person/student from now on and work harder.

 

[justlive1998]

Yes and no.

And I say this as somebody who has spent many late nights grading thousands of chemistry lab reports as a TA. Truthfully, these classes are generally structured in a way that is conducive to cheating. I don't condone the cheating...I'm just saying that these bread and butter undergraduate premed courses are pump and dump money makers that provide little to no value to anybody outside of the university itself. The collaborative nature of the lab courses in addition to the nature of the lab reports fosters cheating.

I have witnessed several academic dishonesty cases in my day, and the root cause for all of them was fear. Premeds are fearful of getting anything less than an A because the system demands this level of performance in order to become a doctor. And the stakes are very high for american premeds. Not getting into medical school can be a psychological and financial disaster that reverberates in nasty ways throughout much of one's adult life. A biochemistry/biology/chemistry degree is barely worth the paper upon which it is printed in our wonderful post 2008 economy. And let's be honest: most people are going for these degrees to become doctors, not lab techs making 20k/year and other positions that are better suited for high school graduates and dropouts.

Just wanted to ask what you meant by that I'm an undergrad and that there is no postponement...just curious?

 

[Stagg737]

Thanks for the advice and just to ask why get a master's degree in the time waiting if I want to apply for med school...or are you just saying if I opt out medical school? Also could I maybe apply for CAA or AA programs with graduate degree. Thats kind of my plan B for now?

Don't apply as a junior, that's a dumb move for 99% of applicants in general, nevermind someone with an IA. Not sure what CAA or AA acronyms are, so you'd have to elaborate. I'm saying if you decide to apply as a senior, you should also apply to grad schools in bio or chem (if those are the types of jobs you want). A B.S. in cell and molecular bio will be good for getting a graduate education in that field, not a job. The graduate degree will help with getting a job (even if it is still a mediocre market). By doing so, you become more marketable to a wider set of employers and can say you have a more specialized skillset. You become more desirable as a potential teacher and could even get positions at some colleges with a master's. It just opens more job opportunities. If you just want to get into med school and are willing to reapply/wait to apply, I suggest getting a certification and doing a clinical job if you need money, as you'll be improving your application and earning some cash simultaneously.

I have witnessed several academic dishonesty cases in my day, and the root cause for all of them was fear. Premeds are fearful of getting anything less than an A because the system demands this level of performance in order to become a doctor. And the stakes are very high for american premeds. Not getting into medical school can be a psychological and financial disaster that reverberates in nasty ways throughout much of one's adult life. A biochemistry/biology/chemistry degree is barely worth the paper upon which it is printed in our wonderful post 2008 economy. And let's be honest: most people are going for these degrees to become doctors, not lab techs making 20k/year and other positions that are better suited for high school graduates and dropouts.

I only partially agree with that. I got my degree post-2008, and I had a half dozen friends that graduated with chem/biochem degrees that got decent jobs straight out of UG. In fact, I don't know any chem or biochem majors that didn't either go on to grad school or find a job after UG. They weren't glamorous 6 figure jobs, but I believe all of them were at least 40k, which is at least respectable right out of UG. If we're talking about straight-up bio degrees, that's a different story...

 

[justlive1998]

Don't apply as a junior, that's a dumb move for 99% of applicants in general, nevermind someone with an IA. Not sure what CAA or AA acronyms are, so you'd have to elaborate. I'm saying if you decide to apply as a senior, you should also apply to grad schools in bio or chem (if those are the types of jobs you want). A B.S. in cell and molecular bio will be good for getting a graduate education in that field, not a job. The graduate degree will help with getting a job (even if it is still a mediocre market). By doing so, you become more marketable to a wider set of employers and can say you have a more specialized skillset. You become more desirable as a potential teacher and could even get positions at some colleges with a master's. It just opens more job opportunities. If you just want to get into med school and are willing to reapply/wait to apply, I suggest getting a certification and doing a clinical job if you need money, as you'll be improving your application and earning some cash simultaneously.



I only partially agree with that. I got my degree post-2008, and I had a half dozen friends that graduated with chem/biochem degrees that got decent jobs straight out of UG. In fact, I don't know any chem or biochem majors that didn't either go on to grad school or find a job after UG. They weren't glamorous 6 figure jobs, but I believe all of them were at least 40k, which is at least respectable right out of UG. If we're talking about straight-up bio degrees, that's a different story...

By CAA and AA i mean Certified anesthesiologist assistants or just anesthesiologist assistants (they're the same thing). Thats my plan B for now where I will go to graduate school for the program. Do you think thats a good option as well?

 

[justlive1998]

Don't apply as a junior, that's a dumb move for 99% of applicants in general, nevermind someone with an IA. Not sure what CAA or AA acronyms are, so you'd have to elaborate. I'm saying if you decide to apply as a senior, you should also apply to grad schools in bio or chem (if those are the types of jobs you want). A B.S. in cell and molecular bio will be good for getting a graduate education in that field, not a job. The graduate degree will help with getting a job (even if it is still a mediocre market). By doing so, you become more marketable to a wider set of employers and can say you have a more specialized skillset. You become more desirable as a potential teacher and could even get positions at some colleges with a master's. It just opens more job opportunities. If you just want to get into med school and are willing to reapply/wait to apply, I suggest getting a certification and doing a clinical job if you need money, as you'll be improving your application and earning some cash simultaneously.



I only partially agree with that. I got my degree post-2008, and I had a half dozen friends that graduated with chem/biochem degrees that got decent jobs straight out of UG. In fact, I don't know any chem or biochem majors that didn't either go on to grad school or find a job after UG. They weren't glamorous 6 figure jobs, but I believe all of them were at least 40k, which is at least respectable right out of UG. If we're talking about straight-up bio degrees, that's a different story...

Also are you saying that a degree in chemistry or biochemistry will certify better job oppurtunities?

 

[Stagg737]

By CAA and AA i mean Certified anesthesiologist assistants or just anesthesiologist assistants (they're the same thing). Thats my plan B for now where I will go to graduate school for the program. Do you think thats a good option as well?

Sounds reasonable to me if you think you can get that job, and definitely pays better than EMT or CNA.

Also are you saying that a degree in chemistry or biochemistry will certify better job oppurtunities?

Yes, though this is just from personal experience and I am certainly not an expert in the area. This would likely depend on geographic area, job availability, market saturation, and slough of other factors that I can't really speak to.

 

[justlive1998]

Sounds reasonable to me if you think you can get that job, and definitely pays better than EMT or CNA.



Yes, though this is just from personal experience and I am certainly not an expert in the area. This would likely depend on geographic area, job availability, market saturation, and slough of other factors that I can't really speak to.

Sorry for asking so many questions, but I'm asking if you think I might get into the CAA program with warts and all...Since you seem to know the process pretty well

 

[justlive1998]

Sounds reasonable to me if you think you can get that job, and definitely pays better than EMT or CNA.



Yes, though this is just from personal experience and I am certainly not an expert in the area. This would likely depend on geographic area, job availability, market saturation, and slough of other factors that I can't really speak to.

Do you think I should maybe then change majors to biochemistry then?

 

[Robin-jay]

Do you think I should maybe then change majors to biochemistry then?

If you want my opinion OP, I would probably be stubborn enough to try and still get into medical school with a mild form of plagiarism on my record.

If you are perfectly fine pursuing other options as mentioned above, then by all means go for it. Having that plan B is perfectly fine.

 

[deleted480308]

Yes and no.

And I say this as somebody who has spent many late nights grading thousands of chemistry lab reports as a TA. Truthfully, these classes are generally structured in a way that is conducive to cheating. I don't condone the cheating...I'm just saying that these bread and butter undergraduate premed courses are pump and dump money makers that provide little to no value to anybody outside of the university itself. The collaborative nature of the lab courses in addition to the nature of the lab reports fosters cheating.

I have witnessed several academic dishonesty cases in my day, and the root cause for all of them was fear. Premeds are fearful of getting anything less than an A because the system demands this level of performance in order to become a doctor. And the stakes are very high for american premeds. Not getting into medical school can be a psychological and financial disaster that reverberates in nasty ways throughout much of one's adult life. A biochemistry/biology/chemistry degree is barely worth the paper upon which it is printed in our wonderful post 2008 economy. And let's be honest: most people are going for these degrees to become doctors, not lab techs making 20k/year and other positions that are better suited for high school graduates and dropouts.

That’s a lot of words to say, “op cheated because they really want to be a doctor”

 

[justlive1998]

That’s a lot of words to say, “op cheated because they really want to be a doctor”

I take full responsibility with what I did and I'm willing to move on and work my butt off.

 

[justlive1998]

If you want my opinion OP, I would probably be stubborn enough to try and still get into medical school with a mild form of plagiarism on my record.

If you are perfectly fine pursuing other options as mentioned above, then by all means go for it. Having that plan B is perfectly fine.

Do you think I should change majors to biochem like what stagg737 about better job prospects or stick with biology/cell and molecular?

 

[Suprachiasmatik]

That’s a lot of words to say, “op cheated because they really want to be a doctor”

No. You missed the point entirely.

OP cheated because she is dishonest AND because our education system incentivizes cheating...as long as you don't get caught.

 

[justlive1998]

No. You missed the point entirely.

OP cheated because she is dishonest AND because our education system incentivizes cheating...as long as you don't get caught.

I don't think I am a dishonest person as whole. But I was dishonest AT THE MOMENT when i plagarized. if I was a completely dishonest person I would have denied the accusations against me and lied but thats not me. I took accountability and I regret what I did and i'm going to work harder now.

 

[Suprachiasmatik]

I only partially agree with that. I got my degree post-2008, and I had a half dozen friends that graduated with chem/biochem degrees that got decent jobs straight out of UG. In fact, I don't know any chem or biochem majors that didn't either go on to grad school or find a job after UG. They weren't glamorous 6 figure jobs, but I believe all of them were at least 40k, which is at least respectable right out of UG. If we're talking about straight-up bio degrees, that's a different story...

40k is respectable in certain areas yet not enough to eat in others. Not sure what year you graduated but I was job hunting in 2010, and I only was hired due to cronyism. The position had 30 applicants with masters degrees and payed about 22k/year.

 

[Suprachiasmatik]

I don't think I am a dishonest person as whole. But I was dishonest AT THE MOMENT when i plagarized. if I was a completely dishonest person I would have denied the accusations against me and lied but thats not me. I took accountability and I regret what I did and i'm going to work harder now.

You may want to consider law school.

 

[rabbott1971]

Speaking of cheating, I had a funny feeling about something, curious what people think. Basically it is just the phenomenon of sharing exams. So you take for example microbiology, get your exams back, and share them with someone taking the same class, same professor the next semester. Since the professor recycles exams, this is extremely helpful.

It seems hinky. I declined to share exams, but one strong argument was made, saying, when professors hand back exams, they must know that students will circulate the exams. There was no prohibition in the syllabus against letting a friend see your exam. So there is perhaps tacit permission. In addition, I have had professors who did not let exams leave the classroom, presumably for this exact reason. I don't know.

 

[Lannister]

I don't think I am a dishonest person as whole. But I was dishonest AT THE MOMENT when i plagarized. if I was a completely dishonest person I would have denied the accusations against me and lied but thats not me. I took accountability and I regret what I did and i'm going to work harder now.

I believe you, OP, but you have to remember that adcoms don't know you. They don't know how nice or kind or honest you usually are. They just see that IA right away when they open up your application, and it calls the rest of your achievements into question.

 

[Suprachiasmatik]

Speaking of cheating, I had a funny feeling about something, curious what people think. Basically it is just the phenomenon of sharing exams. So you take for example microbiology, get your exams back, and share them with someone taking the same class, same professor the next semester. Since the professor recycles exams, this is extremely helpful.

It seems hinky. I declined to share exams, but one strong argument was made, saying, when professors hand back exams, they must know that students will circulate the exams. There was no prohibition in the syllabus against letting a friend see your exam. So there is perhaps tacit permission. In addition, I have had professors who did not let exams leave the classroom, presumably for this exact reason. I don't know.

This is very common in the greek organizations. Frats and sororities keep pristine file cabinets loaded with previous exams. Just another example of America's pay to play system.

 

[justlive1998]

You may want to consider law school.

I don't know why you are attacking me. I took accountability for what I did and I'm paying the price. I agree that i was being dishonest when I chose to plagarize but I learned from my mistakes and i'm going to move forward from this. Instead of attacking me, I would really appreciate advice and you belittling me about what I did isn't helping when I know what I did was wrong.

 

[Suprachiasmatik]

I don't know why you are attacking me. I took accountability for what I did and I'm paying the price. I agree that i was being dishonest when I chose to plagarize but I learned from my mistakes and i'm going to move forward from this. Instead of attacking me, I would really appreciate advice and you belittling me about what I did isn't helping when I know what I did was wrong.

It was a joke. Don't take what people say on the internet too seriously.

 

[justlive1998]

I believe you, OP, but you have to remember that adcoms don't know you. They don't know how nice or kind or honest you usually are. They just see that IA right away when they open up your application, and it calls the rest of your achievements into question.

Do you suggest I wait to apply then after some time and show the adcoms i've changed by joining student conduct committes at my school to teach others to not cheat and other things to show i've learned from my mistakes?

 

[justlive1998]

It was a joke. Don't take what people say on the internet too seriously.

Sorry If i was being a little mean. I'm a little new to internet forums and its hard to know what a person actually means when they are just posting it.

 

[Stagg737]

Sorry for asking so many questions, but I'm asking if you think I might get into the CAA program with warts and all...Since you seem to know the process pretty well

I honestly don't know the process for that at all. However, if you could do it then it seems like a valid career route, and if the average salary is 6 figures as it looked like, it may be a completely valid substitution for medical school. Something you'll have to ponder yourself.

Do you think I should maybe then change majors to biochemistry then?

Depends on your plan. Do you want to be a CAA? If that's the case, idk. Are you going to leave school and work for a few years and then apply for med school? In that case it depends. There are plenty of clinical jobs you could get that only need a certification or minimal licensure. In those cases your major won't matter at all. If you're thinking about forgoing medical school altogether, I'd say finding a major other than bio is a good idea unless you're willing to pursue a PhD. Job market for pure bio without a clear focus just isn't great imo (this is coming from a former bio major with multiple gap years).

If you want my opinion OP, I would probably be stubborn enough to try and still get into medical school with a mild form of plagiarism on my record.

If you are perfectly fine pursuing other options as mentioned above, then by all means go for it. Having that plan B is perfectly fine.

Having a plan B is essential for everyone. I don't care if you're getting a 4.0 at Harvard with a 525 MCAT and outstanding ECs. You should still have some form of plan B.

40k is respectable in certain areas yet not enough to eat in others. Not sure what year you graduated but I was job hunting in 2010, and I only was hired due to cronyism. The position had 30 applicants with masters degrees and payed about 22k/year.

Eh, I've lived off of less than 15k/yr in two separate major cities. Granted, they weren't like NYC or SF, but still, 40k is enough for an individual to live off of pretty much anywhere. If you're supporting a family or something it may be a different story, but 40k straight out of UG isn't bad. My friends were searching for jobs at the same time (+/- a year), all of my chem and biochem friends had no problems finding jobs and most were employed before graduation. Many earning over 70k without ridiculous connections. I cannot say the same about my friends who graduated with general bio degrees and withoCould be geographic reasons, but had I not gotten into medical school I would have very seriously regretted getting a bio degree instead of chem/biochem based on my friends' experiences.

 

[justlive1998]

I honestly don't know the process for that at all. However, if you could do it then it seems like a valid career route, and if the average salary is 6 figures as it looked like, it may be a completely valid substitution for medical school. Something you'll have to ponder yourself.



Depends on your plan. Do you want to be a CAA? If that's the case, idk. Are you going to leave school and work for a few years and then apply for med school? In that case it depends. There are plenty of clinical jobs you could get that only need a certification or minimal licensure. In those cases your major won't matter at all. If you're thinking about forgoing medical school altogether, I'd say finding a major other than bio is a good idea unless you're willing to pursue a PhD. Job market for pure bio without a clear focus just isn't great imo (this is coming from a former bio major with multiple gap years).



Having a plan B is essential for everyone. I don't care if you're getting a 4.0 at Harvard with a 525 MCAT and outstanding ECs. You should still have some form of plan B.



Eh, I've lived off of less than 15k/yr in two separate major cities. Granted, they weren't like NYC or SF, but still, 40k is enough for an individual to live off of pretty much anywhere. If you're supporting a family or something it may be a different story, but 40k straight out of UG isn't bad. My friends were searching for jobs at the same time (+/- a year), all of my chem and biochem friends had no problems finding jobs and most were employed before graduation. Many earning over 70k without ridiculous connections. I cannot say the same about my friends who graduated with general bio degrees and withoCould be geographic reasons, but had I not gotten into medical school I would have very seriously regretted getting a bio degree instead of chem/biochem based on my friends' experiences.

On another thread I learned about perfusionist school which has a minimum gpa of 2.75 and you don't need to take the MCAT or any other exams to get into the program. The salary is also really high and the program lasts from 12-24 months and doesn't cost too much. I'm also looking at that for an option.

 

[Suprachiasmatik]

Eh, I've lived off of less than 15k/yr in two separate major cities. Granted, they weren't like NYC or SF, but still, 40k is enough for an individual to live off of pretty much anywhere. If you're supporting a family or something it may be a different story, but 40k straight out of UG isn't bad. My friends were searching for jobs at the same time (+/- a year), all of my chem and biochem friends had no problems finding jobs and most were employed before graduation. Many earning over 70k without ridiculous connections. I cannot say the same about my friends who graduated with general bio degrees and withoCould be geographic reasons, but had I not gotten into medical school I would have very seriously regretted getting a bio degree instead of chem/biochem based on my friends' experiences.

Understand and behold the power of compound interest. 15k may be enough for the bare necessities, but the more one can sock away as a young man/woman the better. And 15k, hell even 40k, is **** in the face of the student loan debt that many people are servicing.

I have a feeling you went to a better program than I did btw.

 

[Stagg737]

Understand and behold the power of compound interest. 15k may be enough for the bare necessities, but the more one can sock away as a young man/woman the better. And 15k, hell even 40k, is **** in the face of the student loan debt that many people are servicing.

I have a feeling you went to a better program than I did btw.

Oh I completely agree about the financial part. Just saying 40k isn't a bad starting point, even if it's nowhere close to ideal. Idk where you went to UG, but mine certainly wasn't elite as most people's response to finding where I went to UG is along the lines of "never heard of it" and "where's that?" It actually had less students than my high school did, and I certainly didn't do myself any favors for my career by going there.

 

[Suprachiasmatik]

Oh I completely agree about the financial part. Just saying 40k isn't a bad starting point, even if it's nowhere close to ideal. Idk where you went to UG, but mine certainly wasn't elite as most people's response to finding where I went to UG is along the lines of "never heard of it" and "where's that?" It actually had less students than my high school did, and I certainly didn't do myself any favors for my career by going there.

Your classmates did great if they fetched 70k coming straight out of undergrad with a biochemistry degree. The two of just are just comparing anecdotes at this point. All I can say is that most people from my class either got **** lab tech positions, ended up in food/beverage, or were lucky/smart enough to get into medical school.