Question Regarding Institutional Action

[nestiV]

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In sophomore year of undergrad, I took an introductory biology class with clicker quizzes. Although I had scored decently on the first couple weeks of material, the questions would often have curveballs that I didn't expect while preparing. As such I wanted to attend an earlier session on quiz day with the hopes that it would give me a better idea of what material would be tested, so I could review it prior to my session.

Well I was right in that the quiz would be representative. What I didn't realize was that the quizzes between sessions were identical. I don't recall exactly how they caught me, but I made no attempts to conceal the fact that I was from a different section - since at the time I didn't realize that I acted inappropriately, and wanted to correct my mistake. Afterward I was referred to my undergraduate institution's judicial affairs branch for academic dishonesty and rightfully so - albeit unintentional.

I hold myself to a high ethical standard, but I had acted against my better judgment. I should have at least asked the instructor before attending. I was shaken initially, but I completed my assigned community service (and continued there a while longer since it was fulfilling) before putting the incident to the back of my mind. I made a terrible mistake that time, but I had paid my dues, or so I thought.

To be honest, I all but forgot about this until I decided recently to step away from my career in engineering to pursue medicine. I abhor cheating, and integrity is one of my most important values. However I've read now in other threads how IAs for cheating can effectively shut down an application. I believe myself to be a strong candidate otherwise (although I'm still working on gaining more clinical experience). With that in mind, is there anything I can do to mitigate the effects of this mistake, or are medical school aspirations folly at this point?

Thanks so much for your input in advance.

 

[cantankerous]

Assigned community service? Did your school assign you with a parole officer too?

Basically you cheated but "didn't." You abhor cheating, so you deny you did any? Doesn't sound like you reflected too well on this experience.

 

[Goro]

In sophomore year of undergrad, I took an introductory biology class with clicker quizzes. Although I had scored decently on the first couple weeks of material, the questions would often have curveballs that I didn't expect while preparing. As such I wanted to attend an earlier session on quiz day with the hopes that it would give me a better idea of what material would be tested, so I could review it prior to my session.

Well I was right in that the quiz would be representative. What I didn't realize was that the quizzes between sessions were identical. I don't recall exactly how they caught me, but I made no attempts to conceal the fact that I was from a different section - since at the time I didn't realize that I acted inappropriately, and wanted to correct my mistake. Afterward I was referred to my undergraduate institution's judicial affairs branch for academic dishonesty and rightfully so - albeit unintentional.

I hold myself to a high ethical standard, but I had acted against my better judgment. I should have at least asked the instructor before attending. I was shaken initially, but I completed my assigned community service (and continued there a while longer since it was fulfilling) before putting the incident to the back of my mind. I made a terrible mistake that time, but I had paid my dues, or so I thought.

To be honest, I all but forgot about this until I decided recently to step away from my career in engineering to pursue medicine. I abhor cheating, and integrity is one of my most important values. However I've read now in other threads how IAs for cheating can effectively shut down an application. I believe myself to be a strong candidate otherwise (although I'm still working on gaining more clinical experience). With that in mind, is there anything I can do to mitigate the effects of this mistake, or are medical school aspirations folly at this point?

Thanks so much for your input in advance.

You need to own this if you have any hope of getting into med school.

 

[nestiV]

Assigned community service? Did your school assign you with a parole officer too?

Basically you cheated but "didn't." You abhor cheating, so you deny you did any? Doesn't sound like you reflected too well on this experience.

I cheated. I didn't realize I was cheating in the moment, but I did. Judicial affairs assigned 10 hours of community service, which I completed.

I'm not sure how I can demonstrate that I abhor cheating through text. You're probably correct that I didn't reflect on my actions as much as I could have, but that's in large part because I have never cheated before or after this. I tend to give myself stricter ethical guidelines than what the institutions around me assign, but I clearly failed here. Is there anything I can do to move past this?

To some extent, I'm asking because if pursuing medical school is a lost cause, then I should take my career off pause and resume engineering. But if not I believe that the best version of me will be practicing medicine.

 

[NicMouse64]

In sophomore year of undergrad, I took an introductory biology class with clicker quizzes. Although I had scored decently on the first couple weeks of material, the questions would often have curveballs that I didn't expect while preparing. As such I wanted to attend an earlier session on quiz day with the hopes that it would give me a better idea of what material would be tested, so I could review it prior to my session.

Well I was right in that the quiz would be representative. What I didn't realize was that the quizzes between sessions were identical. I don't recall exactly how they caught me, but I made no attempts to conceal the fact that I was from a different section - since at the time I didn't realize that I acted inappropriately, and wanted to correct my mistake. Afterward I was referred to my undergraduate institution's judicial affairs branch for academic dishonesty and rightfully so - albeit unintentional.

I hold myself to a high ethical standard, but I had acted against my better judgment. I should have at least asked the instructor before attending. I was shaken initially, but I completed my assigned community service (and continued there a while longer since it was fulfilling) before putting the incident to the back of my mind. I made a terrible mistake that time, but I had paid my dues, or so I thought.

To be honest, I all but forgot about this until I decided recently to step away from my career in engineering to pursue medicine. I abhor cheating, and integrity is one of my most important values. However I've read now in other threads how IAs for cheating can effectively shut down an application. I believe myself to be a strong candidate otherwise (although I'm still working on gaining more clinical experience). With that in mind, is there anything I can do to mitigate the effects of this mistake, or are medical school aspirations folly at this point?

Thanks so much for your input in advance.

Explain it like this on your medical school application and it will be toast. You are hiding something and it is obvious. Those who speak the loudest against something often times have something to hide.

If it is just as you say, going to another class and looking at the quiz, it could be deemed fine. Just remember a lot of schools will require you to give an explanation and will corroborate with the school on the offense (I had an IA and schools before matriculation called my undergrad dean's office to assure that my account and the school's account matched up). My IA was for underage drinking though so don't get too excited about your chances.

Edit: you said you were 5 years past the incident. You should be fine.

 

[LizzyM]

You will be mandated to report the "institutional action" on your AMCAS application. You'll tell your story: what you did and how the school handled it. Most people also include "what they learned" and how they changed their life around and got on the straight and narrow path after this lapse in judgment/integrity.

You were a sophmore... that's what, 19 or 20. Kids that age make a lot of dumb mistakes that don't take into account the bigger picture. Own it, report it, move on. A school might take a chance on you given that you are older, a career changer, and a grown-up who learned from this experience in your youth.

 

[nestiV]

You need to own this if you have any hope of getting into med school.

Thank you for your input Goro. I would like to own this, but I'd appreciate guidance on how to own it. Should I apply, I plan to report this and explain the context should the opportunity be available. But at the same time integrity for me also means not pretending like I made a bigger change than reality. As this incident is 5 years past, I can certainly reflect upon it, but I can't claim I made sweeping changes because I didn't.

Do you have any advice on how to own this?

 

[nestiV]

Explain it like this on your medical school application and it will be toast. You are hiding something and it is obvious. Those who speak the loudest against something often times have something to hide.

I'm honestly trying to be as transparent as possible. I'm telling it as I recall it - no more, no less. Like I stated in my original post, I even forgot about the incident altogether - although in my defense I've shoved most of my undergrad experience to the back of my mind.

The class was hosted in a large lecture hall with hundreds of students, and I made no attempt to take out a clicker during the quiz. I didn't attempt to sneak off after the quiz or claim I wasn't part of another section. What I forget was if they noticed during the quiz itself (with my lack of a clicker) or because I didn't try to leave the lecture hall, or if there was something else.

 

[nestiV]

You will be mandated to report the "institutional action" on your AMCAS application. You'll tell your story: what you did and how the school handled it. Most people also include "what they learned" and how they changed their life around and got on the straight and narrow path after this lapse in judgment/integrity.

You were a sophmore... that's what, 19 or 20. Kids that age make a lot of dumb mistakes that don't take into account the bigger picture. Own it, report it, move on. A school might take a chance on you given that you are older, a career changer, and a grown-up who learned from this experience in your youth.

Thank you Lizzy; this is relieving to hear. I absolutely plan to report and write about it. Like I mentioned previously, I can't claim sweeping life changes. But I did learn from my experience - something I've taken to this day is to simply ask when I'm unclear about a situation. The younger, naive me didn't want to inconvenience anyone, because I didn't value myself enough to feel I was worth other peoples' times. Fortunately I know there's no harm in asking now.

I do have a follow-up though; my desired schools are UCs (in-state) and Texas (worked there for a couple years). I know there's no fixed number, but what might be the approximate probability of not receiving an interview due to this infraction?

 

[TxFiretoMed]

Thank you Lizzy; this is relieving to hear. I absolutely plan to report and write about it. Like I mentioned previously, I can't claim sweeping life changes. But I did learn from my experience - something I've taken to this day is to simply ask when I'm unclear about a situation. The younger, naive me didn't want to inconvenience anyone, because I didn't value myself enough to feel I was worth other peoples' times. Fortunately I know there's no harm in asking now.

I do have a follow-up though; my desired schools are UCs (in-state) and Texas (worked there for a couple years). I know there's no fixed number, but what might be the approximate probability of not receiving an interview due to this infraction?

You have some serious persuasive chops. I would also consider a career as a politician 🙂

But seriously. C'mon.

There are two things going on here. Either you are so daft you couldn't realize what you were doing was wrong (in the moment) or you aren't. If you are that incompetent, medical school is not for you.

We know the former isn't the case. Therefore you MUST completely own the fact that you cheated. You literally saw the quiz before it was given. That's cheating. You intentionally attended a class you were not assigned to and looked at the quiz. Better yet, you didn't report the fact that you saw the quiz prior and waited to see if you got caught.

 

[nestiV]

You have some serious persuasive chops. I would also consider a career as a politician 🙂

But seriously. C'mon.

There are two things going on here. Either you are so daft you couldn't realize what you were doing was wrong (in the moment) or you aren't. If you are that incompetent, medical school is not for you.

We know the former isn't the case. Therefore you MUST completely own the fact that you cheated. You literally saw the quiz before it was given. That's cheating. You intentionally attended a class you were not assigned to and looked at the quiz. Better yet, you didn't report the fact that you saw the quiz prior and waited to see if you got caught.

To clarify here - I didn't realize the quizzes were the same when I was in the earlier session. I don't have a clear recollection of when the institution discovered that I attended the first session, but it was certainly before I had a chance to report it myself after realizing my wrongdoing.

I know that the me in that moment - upon noticing that the questions were the same - would do one of two things if not both:

1. Choose not to answer any questions on my actual quiz
2. Report what happened immediately afterward

But I suppose that's also the me of now speaking, and there's no way to prove I'm not an unreliable narrator.

 

[candbgirl]

So your school discovered that you saw the quiz before you went to the second session? And they still let you attend the second session? And 10 hours of community service? Really?

 

[nestiV]

So your school discovered that you saw the quiz before you went to the second session? And they still let you attend the second session? And 10 hours of community service? Really?

I don't recall quite what happened. The two scenarios I could envision were either that they noticed I didn't use a clicker during the first session, or that I stayed in the hall through the break period, but it could plausibly have been something else.

I was able to find the resolution contract signed (was looking up the wrong terms in my email earlier), but it doesn't say anything about the circumstances of discovery. It notes the violation, the guidelines, and the consequences both grade-wise (taking a 0 on the quiz, perfectly reasonable) and in terms of disciplinary record.

Two new discoveries upon finding this document:

1. It mentions that they explicitly told students to only attend their own session when quizzes are administered. Clearly I missed this, which is on me. If I had known, I would not have attended the earlier session.
2. I was placed on probation, but there will be no note in my transcript, and they explicitly mentioned that the record will be destroyed when I graduate. I still plan on disclosing this if I apply for medical school, but I'm actually slightly disappointed they destroyed all records, because I realize now I could have called up judicial affairs to see if they have a better timeline of what occurred.

Ten hours of community service was the assigned correction. People keep reacting to that number - does it seem too low or too high?

 

[LizzyM]

OK here's what I get from this:

Students in Biology 101 (or whatever the number was) were told to attend only their own section on days when clicker quizes were administered. In the hope of getting a better idea of the types of questions being included in the quiz, I attended an earlier section of the course and then attended my own section. I was caught having attended both sessions and sent to the judicial committee. I was placed on probation, received a grade of zero for the quiz and was required to complete 10 hours of community service.

Is this accurate? Would you add anything about lessons learned?

 

[TxFiretoMed]

To clarify here - I didn't realize the quizzes were the same when I was in the earlier session. I don't have a clear recollection of when the institution discovered that I attended the first session, but it was certainly before I had a chance to report it myself after realizing my wrongdoing.

I know that the me in that moment - upon noticing that the questions were the same - would do one of two things if not both:

1. Choose not to answer any questions on my actual quiz
2. Report what happened immediately afterward

But I suppose that's also the me of now speaking, and there's no way to prove I'm not an unreliable narrator.

You were 100% completely in the wrong when you turned in that quiz. Anyone who doesn't understand why doesn't belong in medical school. In order to square this circle, you need to dig really deep and figure out why you did what you did. Just stating you are sorry or that you messed up doesn't say much.

Physicians must be able to handle moral predicaments. Their judgement must be good. Do you prescribe a highly addictive opioid medication to a patient who 'lost' their last refill? Do you allow a patient to go home, knowing that the family wants grandpa to just pass away ASAP? Can you treat a mass shooter who just shot up a school if kiddos and got popped in the leg by the police?

Remember, it's not the mistakes that we make. It's what you do next. This is what I tell my 5-year-old twins, anyway.

So... What have you done since to rectify the situation? Other than acknowledging the mistake... Have you joined an ethics board at your school? Have you studied philosophy to figure out what was wrong? Have you sought therapy? What? Anything?

 

[DokterMom]

On a completely different track --

You mentioned you're in state for CA schools, who don't give much of a flip about IS / OOS, putting CA residents at a pretty severe disadvantage.

And you mentioned an interest in TX schools, who take the exact opposite track from CA schools and HEAVILY (90%+) favor IS students. Even though you lived in TX previously, if you don't technically qualify as IS, it would be a waste of an application to apply to TX schools.

 

[SterlingMaloryArcher]

 

[SterlingMaloryArcher]

In all seriousness we don't even know your stats.

How much do exceptional stats water down early "might be forgivable" IA's?

 

[Dr. Anonymouss]

Thank you for your input Goro. I would like to own this, but I'd appreciate guidance on how to own it. Should I apply, I plan to report this and explain the context should the opportunity be available. But at the same time integrity for me also means not pretending like I made a bigger change than reality. As this incident is 5 years past, I can certainly reflect upon it, but I can't claim I made sweeping changes because I didn't.

Do you have any advice on how to own this?

I think everyone could agree that we as humans have a lot more sympathy for individuals who made a mistake, but completely own up to in its entirety. Don't blame anyone else but yourself and hope for the best. If they sense you are hiding something they won't take the chance on you, this is the best advice I can give you. If it is as you say it is, going to an earlier class in order to get a head start on the material than that does not seem bad. But the moment you realized that the quiz material was the same a light should have wen't off that what you where doing was wrong. If you continued to attend the classes given the tested material was the same then that is cheating. Identify this and state your complete lack of judgement at the time... Best of luck.

 

[candbgirl]

When you saw the quiz in your section was the same as the quiz in the other section why didn’t you just stop and admit what you did? Especially since you said your school had already figured out what was happening. Was the directive to only attend your section on the syllabus? I know this was awhile ago but I doubt I’d ever forget something like this mess.

 

[jarednogeek]

Be completely upfront and honest take the blame for it and own up to it. Don’t in any way sound like you are mitigating your responsibility as your response makes it come across. Mistakes happen, apply broadly to a ton of schools

 

[nestiV]

OK here's what I get from this:

Students in Biology 101 (or whatever the number was) were told to attend only their own section on days when clicker quizes were administered. In the hope of getting a better idea of the types of questions being included in the quiz, I attended an earlier section of the course and then attended my own section. I was caught having attended both sessions and sent to the judicial committee. I was placed on probation, received a grade of zero for the quiz and was required to complete 10 hours of community service.

Is this accurate? Would you add anything about lessons learned?

Not quite, so I've outlined the scenario in my reply to TxFiretoMed. My key lessons from this were twofold:

1. I need to be more diligent regarding memos and/or announcements in class.
2. If I'm uncertain about what the best course of action to take is, actively seek guidance. In an academic setting reach out to the instructors; in a clinical setting, contact the IRB.

You were 100% completely in the wrong when you turned in that quiz. Anyone who doesn't understand why doesn't belong in medical school. In order to square this circle, you need to dig really deep and figure out why you did what you did. Just stating you are sorry or that you messed up doesn't say much.

Ah, I think I have a better understanding as to some of the reactions now. Based on what I've been reading, people are taking this as "I sit in on previous quiz; I submit my quiz; I get caught after the fact". To the best of my recollection that is wrong, but I can't guarantee what the exact order is. Because I don't fully remember myself, and I am not okay with asserting something with confidence if I cannot back up that confidence. For that I apologize - I wish I could give a concrete "this is what happened" as that would be even easier for me too.

• Students in Bio 101 were told to attend only their section on days where clicker quizzes were being administered.
• I missed or forgot that announcement <- mistake #1
• I attend an earlier section on quiz day without asking a TA or lecturer if it was okay ahead of time <- mistake #2
  • At this point, I did not know the quizzes would be identical
• (Most likely - these are the details I don't have a clear recollection of) Either during the quiz in the first section, in the period after the first section but before my section, they learn I've attended the earlier section
  • It could plausibly be another time - I don't recall exactly when

Note that neither of these scenarios do not involve me turning in a quiz. If I turned in a quiz knowing that it was identical to the previous quiz, then I would, as you say, be 100% in the wrong. At no point in my life would I have been okay with that behavior. Once I found out the quizzes were identical, I would have reported myself immediately following the lecture even if they hadn't caught me. My general recounting follows the overall outline of "I attended a session I shouldn't have; I was caught and reprimanded; I accepted the consequences." While I have in writing the details as to the consequences, I don't have the details for the first two aside from my thought process going in.

But again this is my assessment with the details forgotten, so it's possible that I've made a mistake in my recounting above. I wish I could offer absolute evidence, but I cannot because it does not exist. However I think there is something that speaks to the validity of what I stated - what do I stand to gain by being unclear here? My life would be much easier if I could confidently assert that I was caught in the first session (or between sessions), but I'm not okay with asserting what I cannot back up. Believe me - I would love for this to be cut-and-dry, but it's not.

Physicians must be able to handle moral predicaments. Their judgement must be good. Do you prescribe a highly addictive opioid medication to a patient who 'lost' their last refill? Do you allow a patient to go home, knowing that the family wants grandpa to just pass away ASAP? Can you treat a mass shooter who just shot up a school if kiddos and got popped in the leg by the police?

Remember, it's not the mistakes that we make. It's what you do next. This is what I tell my 5-year-old twins, anyway.

So... What have you done since to rectify the situation? Other than acknowledging the mistake... Have you joined an ethics board at your school? Have you studied philosophy to figure out what was wrong? Have you sought therapy? What? Anything?

I believe myself capable of handling moral and ethical predicaments. I'm not perfect, but I can identify ethical dilemmas and typically I like to believe I make the right choice. Clearly I made a mistake here. Specifically with regards to my scenario, here are some ethical considerations that I envision:

• Attending an earlier session to be better prepared
  • Nothing wrong but certainly not an excuse for other considerations
• Attending an earlier session without permission of the instructor
  • Morally gray, should have sought guidance/permission
• Attending an earlier session with intent to know the exact content of the quiz
  • Unequivocally unacceptable, but not applicable here
• Taking and submitting a quiz with unfairly gained prior knowledge of the content of the quiz
  • Unequivocally unacceptable, but not applicable here
• Taking a quiz, realizing you have gained knowledge unfairly, and reporting the infraction immediately
  • The right course of action if find yourself in that scenario, but I didn't have the opportunity to follow up with the last step.

I fully acknowledge my actions as cheating, even if that was not my intent. Plenty of terrible things occur with the best intentions. I have lessons learned that I posted above, but as previously mentioned no sweeping changes in my understanding of ethics and ethical practice.

 

[nestiV]

When you saw the quiz in your section was the same as the quiz in the other section why didn’t you just stop and admit what you did? Especially since you said your school had already figured out what was happening. Was the directive to only attend your section on the syllabus? I know this was awhile ago but I doubt I’d ever forget something like this mess.

I would have if I had the opportunity, or at least so I believe. I don't recall if I even had a chance to attend my own section.

Be completely upfront and honest take the blame for it and own up to it. Don’t in any way sound like you are mitigating your responsibility as your response makes it come across. Mistakes happen, apply broadly to a ton of schools

Thank you for the advice here. I really do not mean to mitigate my responsibility - the actions were unacceptable regardless. I agree 100% with TxFiretoMed for this:

You literally saw the quiz before it was given. That's cheating. You intentionally attended a class you were not assigned to and looked at the quiz.

But I will absolutely contest that I waited until I was caught. If I knew the quiz was the same before the first session, I would never have attended the session. If instead I found out while taking my own quiz, I would have reported myself immediately and forfeited the quiz, although the latter I can only say as a hypothetical. If I apply, I'll present the context as objectively as I can and own up to my mistakes.

 

[DokterMom]

OK - I've got a nasty cold and am taking some nasty cold medicines. Plus I've enjoyed a nice big glass of wine. (or two?) But what I think OP is trying to say is that s/he genuinely doesn't remember whether or not s/he took the quiz? Because s/he would never have done anything like that (!) because that would clearly have been 100% wrong. So his/her mistake was in not paying attention/reading the syllabus carefully enough to know s/he was not supposed to attend the earlier section.

Yeah. I'm not buying that. And neither is anyone else here.

I could buy (and maybe forgive) a "thought I was being clever by learning the topic of the sneak question" angle followed by an "Oh shirt! If I don't turn my own quiz in it'll be worse than had I not discovered the trick question" angle.

The "I never would have done it!" angle isn't playing well -- Try the "I thought I was being clever but didn't clearly think it through" angle instead.

 

[nestiV]

OK - I've got a nasty cold and am taking some nasty cold medicines. Plus I've enjoyed a nice big glass of wine. (or two?) But what I think OP is trying to say is that s/he genuinely doesn't remember whether or not s/he took the quiz? Because s/he would never have done anything like that (!) because that would clearly have been 100% wrong. So his/her mistake was in not paying attention/reading the syllabus carefully enough to know s/he was not supposed to attend the earlier section.

Yeah. I'm not buying that. And neither is anyone else here.

I could buy (and maybe forgive) a "thought I was being clever by learning the topic of the sneak question" angle followed by an "Oh shirt! If I don't turn my own quiz in it'll be worse than had I not discovered the trick question" angle.

The "I never would have done it!" angle isn't playing well -- Try the "I thought I was being clever but didn't clearly think it through" angle instead.

Honestly I appreciate this input too. What I have laid out is the truth as I remember it. If I wanted to craft a story, I would craft a story. But if my recollection isn't believable and would turn away adcoms, I'd still rather tell the truth than tell a false story.

I think I'll try to call up the judicial affairs department tomorrow and my old instructor to see if either of them have a better recollection of what happens. This is admittedly frustrating, but such is life.

 

[christiknow]

@nestiV this is certainly an unfortunate situation, but I wanted to make sure I understand what happened:

1) You probably missed a class or email, or didn't read the part of the syllabus where it said you couldn't attend another section on quiz days. Not smartest decision, but totally understandable. If not reading the syllabus was a crime, the vast majority of premeds would be in jail.
2) You wanted to attend another section to better prepare for your class section. Again, totally understandable, and perhaps even commendable under different circumstances.
3) The other section's iClicker quiz happened to be the same as yours. Maybe you should have anticipated that the questions would be the same if it was the same professor, but that level of foresight isn't necessarily expected.

The confluence of these three things placed you in a situation you did not intend to be in. In that sense, this IA incident was "unintentional." But,

4) You took the (graded) iClicker quiz, whose questions you already saw, and which you had an unfair advantage on. You did this instead of asking the professor for guidance or the opportunity to take a make-up quiz.

It seems like this is the mistake you'll have to explain. This was a chance to do the right thing, which would have been an excellent talking point for a secondary or interview question regarding a ethical/moral choice you had to make.

Speaking on purely personal terms, I don't think this disqualifies you from being a physician at all. It's been 5 years since this incident, and you've had plenty of time to show how you've changed and wouldn't make the same mistake in the future.

In addition, based on my experience in undergrad, I would wager that there is a sizeable number of people in med school who would have made the same choice, but never had the misfortune to be in your situation. I'm reminded of this quote from Ferdinand von Schirach:

"All our lives we dance on a thin layer of ice... The ice won’t bear the weight of some people and they fall through. ... If we’re lucky it never happens to us and we keep dancing. If we’re lucky."

 

[DokterMom]

@nestiV this is certainly an unfortunate situation, but I wanted to make sure I understand what happened:

1) You probably missed a class or email, or didn't read the part of the syllabus where it said you couldn't attend another section on quiz days. Not smartest decision, but totally understandable. If not reading the syllabus was a crime, the vast majority of premeds would be in jail.
2) You wanted to attend another section to better prepare for your class section. Again, totally understandable, and perhaps even commendable under different circumstances.
3) The other section's iClicker quiz happened to be the same as yours. Maybe you should have anticipated that the questions would be the same if it was the same professor, but that level of foresight isn't necessarily expected.

The confluence of these three things placed you in a situation you did not intend to be in. In that sense, this IA incident was "unintentional." But,

4) You took the (graded) iClicker quiz, whose questions you already saw, and which you had an unfair advantage on. You did this instead of asking the professor for guidance or the opportunity to take a make-up quiz.

It seems like this is the mistake you'll have to explain. This was a chance to do the right thing, which would have been an excellent talking point for a secondary or interview question regarding a ethical/moral choice you had to make.

Speaking on purely personal terms, I don't think this disqualifies you from being a physician at all. It's been 5 years since this incident, and you've had plenty of time to show how you've changed and wouldn't make the same mistake in the future.

In addition, based on my experience in undergrad, I would wager that there is a sizeable number of people in med school who would have made the same choice, but never had the misfortune to be in your situation. I'm reminded of this quote from Ferdinand von Schirach:

"All our lives we dance on a thin layer of ice... The ice won’t bear the weight of some people and they fall through. ... If we’re lucky it never happens to us and we keep dancing. If we’re lucky."

I was right there with you until point #4. I believe OP is saying they don't remember if they took the quiz or not, but are thinking they probably didn't because that would have been wrong. That's the part I don't find believable. If they hadn't taken the clicker quiz, I find it hard to believe there would have been an IA.

 

[LizzyM]

I was right there with you until point #4. I believe OP is saying they don't remember if they took the quiz or not, but are thinking they probably didn't because that would have been wrong. That's the part I don't find believable. If they hadn't taken the clicker quiz, I find it hard to believe there would have been an IA.

I see your point here.

It is a clicker quiz so anyone in the room, even if they don't take the test, is seeing the questions. So if the OP was in the room for the earlier class session, didn't click in (which would have given away his presence) but then showed up for the later session and saw that the questions were exactly the same... and didn't click in??? That would have resulted in a zero for the quiz anyway. I suspect he did click in, and then was discovered to have been present at the earlier session resulting in the IA.

Maybe got caught having been in attendance at the earlier session (a violation of the rules resulting in the IA) before he had the opportunity to sit for the quiz??