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I am a sophomore who has just completed his fall semester at ........ University. For my third exam in Introductory Biology, I had initially earned a grade of a 94. However, I made the mistake of adding 5 words to the end of the paragraph of one of the answers and submitting the test for a re-grade. I was caught in violation of the honor code. I had originally received 2 of the 4 possible points for the question, and the re-grade in which I tried to gain the rest of the 2 points ended up costing me the exam. As a result, I received no credit for the test and a C+ for my grade in the course, which would have otherwise been an A given my other test scores in the course if it were not for this incident. The pressures of trying to impress the medical school admissions board and the feeling that I had to get all A's in the pre-med courses drove me to do something that was completely illogical. In hopes of trying to bring myself closer to gaining admission into medical school, I actually deprived myself of such an opportunity. I know this incident will be of great detriment in securing my future in medicine. I feel terrible about what I did, and it is something I truly regret. I was completely engulfed by my grades and lost sight of my other values. However, despite the damage that this event may have on my path to medical school, I truly hope to continue this endeavor. Originally, I thought my dreams of going to medical school would be over and my future appeared like a blur. Nevertheless, through some self-reflection, I realized that I can not give up, and that I must pick myself up and continue to strive for what I hope to accomplish. My overall GPA for the first year was a 4.0 but after this semester it will likely drop to about a 3.90. I made a terrible mistake, and I hope that someone can provide me with some helpful advice. Any suggestions about how I could recover from this and improve my chances of admission would be greatly appreciated.
First of all, you can be assured that there are plenty of folks in medical school who got a C+ in a premed class. The bigger concern is the honor code violation on your record. This too can be overcome, but you'll need to demonstrate over the next several years your increasing maturity and that you feel as remorseful then as you do now. In other words, if it sounds like your greatest remorse is that you got caught, this won't be as impressive as if you have learned that a 94 (or even lower...) would have been a good score and that even premeds don't get 100 on everything. A clear understanding of the ethical implications of your actions is important too. Never attempt to blame the school or someone else for what was clearly your responsibility.
The path into medicine and through a medical education and training program is a long one. Although there is no reason you can't overcome this in time to apply and be successful in a traditional mode, consider whether taking things a bit more slowly and giving yourself time to mature might not be a good idea.