Strange Institutional Action...Need Advice

[PreMedRookie]

So during the first semester of my freshman year I had a really awful roommate. I requested to have a new roommate but was denied. I talked to my RA about my concerns of getting in trouble for her actions and she assured me that her actions couldn't effect me. I later got in trouble for something she did.

How do I go about talking about this on my application? I want explain the situation without seeming like I am not taking responsibility for my action but honestly I don't feel like I did anything wrong. Any advice is welcome!

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[OCDOCDOCD]

If she stole your car, how the hell was she still in college? Shouldn't she have been in prison for grand theft auto?

Anyway, that's really messed up if it's true. I had a roommate my freshman year who got busted by the cops in our apartment-style dorm for having weed as well (and a felony quantity of weed at that) and my university never mentioned it at all to me or any of my roommates. Do you go to some sort of ultra-conservative Christian college or something?

 

[235009]

a warning is not an institutional action. leave it off....unless it will be mentioned in a premed committee letter or something

 

[PreMedRookie]

I didn't call the cops on her for the car thing. And no I am not at a religious college at all.

Everyone I have talked to since thinks it is the most unfair situation but since all decisions after my appeal are final there is nothing anyone can do about it now.

 

[PreMedRookie]

I called the deans office and they say I have to report it.

 

[Lamel]

Wow...that is absolute BS, I'm sorry about this. Appeal any way that you can.

 

[LizzyM]

I have seen this sort of thing in the past and it has NO effect on one's chances of getting into medical school. Just explain why you were placed on probation and it will be a non-issue.

 

[PreMedRookie]

I can't appeal it again unfortunately. How do I explain this on my application? I don't want to come across as not taking responsibility for my action but I don't know what to take responsibility for. I am thinking about talking about that I learned to stand up for myself or something.

 

[aspiring20]

I can't appeal it again unfortunately. How do I explain this on my application? I don't want to come across as not taking responsibility for my action but I don't know what to take responsibility for. I am thinking about talking about that I learned to stand up for myself or something.

i think it is absurd that the school held you partly responsible for SOMEONE else's mistakes? how can anyone do that? you have no responsibility over how your roommate/other people behave, but sometimes, life throws **** at us.

having said that, clear explain what happened, and like LizzyM (an adcom from a top school) just said, this will have approximately zero impact. if anything, it'll put you in a positively light as it shows your honesty.

 

[OCDOCDOCD]

I can't appeal it again unfortunately. How do I explain this on my application? I don't want to come across as not taking responsibility for my action but I don't know what to take responsibility for. I am thinking about talking about that I learned to stand up for myself or something.

This isn't a normal IA. It obviously wasn't your fault and it's kind of hard to say you learned anything from the experience (aside from "don't stay in a dorm with a psychotic drug user"). As LizzyM said, it's unlikely to be an issue in admissions. Just say what happened and leave it at that. Something like "my roommate got busted for pot and I was given a warning by my college for not curing her of her drug habits".

 

[aspiring20]

here's an explanation:

"When I was a freshman, I had a roommate who stole my car and frequently smoked marijuana in our dorm. I requested a new roommate, but my request was denied. One day, two male students (guests of my roommate) were arrested in my apartment for marijuana, and I had no knowledge of their presence or behavior. The university gave me a written warning for "allowing my roommates guest to possess marijuana in my on campus apartment."

often times, people tell you to explain "what you learned" from an IA, but in this case, the only thing you learned is how unreasonable your school is. But i wouldn't put that down.

if a med school adcom trashes your app because of what happened, then that's not a med school you want to attend.

 

[PreMedRookie]

.

 

[aspiring20]

Does it change anything if I knew they were there? They were there went I went to sleep and I knew they smoked but I ignored them because last time I tried to tell my roommate to smoke somewhere else we had a huge fight about how I need to stay out of her business. My RA told me to ignore her actions because I wouldn't be held responsible for them....how wrong she was.

nope. you knew your roommate was a trouble magnet, and you requested a new roommate - a very mature move. however, the school denied your request. the rest is out of your hands.

the only possible thing that anyone can possibly hold against you is that some may say you should have reported your roommate's friends before the police came. but that "mistake" is probably less than that $20 parking ticket my friend got two months ago.

 

[MedPR]

So during the first semester of my freshman year I had a really awful roommate. She stole my car, smoked marijuana in our apartment (my college ran out of room in dorms but I still had an RA and everything), and constantly had parties on weekdays. I requested to have a new roommate but was denied. I talked to my RA about my concerns of getting in trouble for her actions and she assured me that her actions couldn't effect me. Then one day I am woken up by the police at 2 in the morning and see two guys getting arrested in my apartment for marijuana. I was contacted by the university and by university housing to discuss the incident. I was found completely innocent by university housing but was put on disciplinary probation by the university. I appealed this and it was brought down to a written warning for "allowing my roommates guest to possess marijuana in my on campus apartment."

How do I go about talking about this on my application? I want explain the situation without seeming like I am not taking responsibility for my action but honestly I don't feel like I did anything wrong. Any advice is welcome!

Seems legit. You should've called the cops in the first place.

 

[PreMedRookie]

I asked guy that originally put me on probation what more I could of done to avoid the situation and he told me I should have gone outside and sat on the curb until they were done smoking.

 

[matanpucla]

I asked guy that originally put me on probation what more I could of done to avoid the situation and he told me I should have gone outside and sat on the curb until they were done smoking.

what state was this in if i may ask? and very sorry to hear about this situation, seems completely ridiculous. i hope the schools you apply to will overlook it, and like LizzyM said, they should.

 

[MedPR]

I can't appeal it again unfortunately. How do I explain this on my application? I don't want to come across as not taking responsibility for my action but I don't know what to take responsibility for. I am thinking about talking about that I learned to stand up for myself or something.

You write in the IA explanation box exactly what happened.

You had a roommate with problems. You were denied roommate reassignment. Your roommate got in trouble for drugs and the university held you accountable because you did nothing to stop the drug activity.

 

[MaenadsDance]

Oh, man. I am having flashbacks to my freshman year roommate from hell... she had sex on my bed with an off-campus drug dealer, asked me at 12 am to get out of bed and sleep in the common room so she could have sex with a prospective student while I was sick with the flu... she transferred at the end of the year to another college to become a "sexologist" and I later found out she had become an anabaptist (!), complete with the weird bonnets.

I wish you all the best in your application process; I think brevity and no apologies is your best bet.

 

[PreMedRookie]

what state was this in if i may ask? and very sorry to hear about this situation, seems completely ridiculous. i hope the schools you apply to will overlook it, and like LizzyM said, they should.

Out East

 

[matanpucla]

Oh, man. I am having flashbacks to my freshman year roommate from hell... she had sex on my bed with an off-campus drug dealer, asked me at 12 am to get out of bed and sleep in the common room so she could have sex with a prospective student while I was sick with the flu... she transferred at the end of the year to another college to become a "sexologist" and I later found out she had become an anabaptist (!), complete with the weird bonnets.

I wish you all the best in your application process; I think brevity and no apologies is your best bet.

damn...i hope you didn't go to sleep in the common room when she asked you??

 

[PreMedRookie]

Oh, man. I am having flashbacks to my freshman year roommate from hell... she had sex on my bed with an off-campus drug dealer, asked me at 12 am to get out of bed and sleep in the common room so she could have sex with a prospective student while I was sick with the flu... she transferred at the end of the year to another college to become a "sexologist" and I later found out she had become an anabaptist (!), complete with the weird bonnets.

I wish you all the best in your application process; I think brevity and no apologies is your best bet.

Haha that sounds awful.. I used to come home from a weekend away to puke in my bed

 

[MedPR]

My freshman roommate and I weren't the best of friends, but we didn't have any major issues. Glad I dodged that bullet.

 

[MaenadsDance]

damn...i hope you didn't go to sleep in the common room when she asked you??

HELLLLL no. Though I admit by second semester I was practically living in my then-boyfriend's room.

 

[OCDOCDOCD]

Oh, man. I am having flashbacks to my freshman year roommate from hell... she had sex on my bed with an off-campus drug dealer, asked me at 12 am to get out of bed and sleep in the common room so she could have sex with a prospective student while I was sick with the flu... she transferred at the end of the year to another college to become a "sexologist" and I later found out she had become an anabaptist (!), complete with the weird bonnets.

I wish you all the best in your application process; I think brevity and no apologies is your best bet.

Reminds me of my freshman roommate from hell (not the pot smoker I described before; he was cool even if he was as dumb as a bag of rocks). The guy had a habit of throwing parties in our dorm at random times of the week, without giving anyone a heads up. His friends (many of whom were obviously not from the school judging by their ages) would always trash the common area and he would refuse to clean up after them because "I didn't make the mess". One time I made the mistake of coming out at 2 am to tell them to quiet down, only to get a knife held up to me while I looked at two ugly lesbians having sex on our couch.

He also had loud sex with his boyfriend and often did it in the shower. And when he eventually broke up with his boyfriend they had a nasty lovers quarrel that involved non-stop wailing and screaming the entire night and also got our walls covered in blood (long story).

 

[aspiring20]

haha the good times. i only had ONE roommate my entire 4 yrs of college...but we got along incredibly well. at least that's one thing that undergrad worked in my favor.

and OP, you'll be fine.

 

[matanpucla]

reminds me of my freshman roommate from hell (not the pot smoker i described before; he was cool even if he was as dumb as a bag of rocks). The guy had a habit of throwing parties in our dorm at random times of the week, without giving anyone a heads up. His friends (many of whom were obviously not from the school judging by their ages) would always trash the common area and he would refuse to clean up after them because "i didn't make the mess". One time i made the mistake of coming out at 2 am to tell them to quiet down, only to get a knife held up to me while i looked at two ugly lesbians having sex on our couch.

He also had loud sex with his boyfriend and often did it in the shower. And when he eventually broke up with his boyfriend they had a nasty lovers quarrel that involved non-stop wailing and screaming the entire night and also got our walls covered in blood (long story).

w.......t........f.....................................

 

[aspiring20]

Reminds me of my freshman roommate from hell (not the pot smoker I described before; he was cool even if he was as dumb as a bag of rocks). The guy had a habit of throwing parties in our dorm at random times of the week, without giving anyone a heads up. His friends (many of whom were obviously not from the school judging by their ages) would always trash the common area and he would refuse to clean up after them because "I didn't make the mess". One time I made the mistake of coming out at 2 am to tell them to quiet down, only to get a knife held up to me while I looked at two ugly lesbians having sex on our couch.

He also had loud sex with his boyfriend and often did it in the shower. And when he eventually broke up with his boyfriend they had a nasty lovers quarrel that involved non-stop wailing and screaming the entire night and also got our walls covered in blood (long story).

jesus....what school did you attend?

 

[MedPR]

Reminds me of my freshman roommate from hell (not the pot smoker I described before; he was cool even if he was as dumb as a bag of rocks). The guy had a habit of throwing parties in our dorm at random times of the week, without giving anyone a heads up. His friends (many of whom were obviously not from the school judging by their ages) would always trash the common area and he would refuse to clean up after them because "I didn't make the mess". One time I made the mistake of coming out at 2 am to tell them to quiet down, only to get a knife held up to me while I looked at two ugly lesbians having sex on our couch.

He also had loud sex with his boyfriend and often did it in the shower. And when he eventually broke up with his boyfriend they had a nasty lovers quarrel that involved non-stop wailing and screaming the entire night and also got our walls covered in blood (long story).

That's intense. Interesting coincidence that out of 32 guys on my freshman dorm floor, 7-10 were homosexual. I don't know the statistics (or even if there are any), but I don't tihnk 1/3 of the males on the planet are homosexual.

 

[MaenadsDance]

AHAHAHA...

My sophomore year there was a girl on our floor who had her boyfriend sleep over all the time. And they would have sex in the women's shower. At 8 am. While everyone else was getting ready for class. nasty, nasty, nasty...! I don't care about your sex life as long as you do not make me a participant in it; exhibitionism is basically violating everybody else's boundaries for your own pleasure. ICK.

Living with my parents gets a bit old (though only paying 6.5k a year for school is very nice), but at least I'm not dealing with people having sex in the shower every morning any longer, or the reek of booze in the stairwell from somebody's Tuesday kegger.

 

[aspiring20]

when i was a freshman, a girl on our floor (co-ed dorm) would always use the guy's bathroom for NO APPARENT reason even when the girl's bathroom was closer to her room.

now, none of the guys complained about the situation, of course.

 

[MedPR]

when i was a freshman, a girl on our floor (co-ed dorm) would always use the guy's bathroom for NO APPARENT reason even when the girl's bathroom was closer to her room.

now, none of the guys complained about the situation, of course.

The women I work with always complain that the women's bathroom is disgusting and that other women are also disgusting. Perhaps the men's bathroom was cleaner on your floor.

 

[aspiring20]

The women I work with always complain that the women's bathroom is disgusting and that other women are also disgusting. Perhaps the men's bathroom was cleaner on your floor.

haha, it's exactly the opposite. the RC/RA on our floor posted a written note in the men's bathroom mirror basically telling the residents (in a surprisingly non-sarcastic manner) to "aim better" and "clean after ourselves" after pissing on the floor.

 

[matanpucla]

someone pooped in the drier on the floor below me. lawl

 

[MaenadsDance]

someone pooped in the drier on the floor below me. lawl

Did they then run the dryer????? Did they at least share whatever fabulous drugs they were on that would inspire them to poop on a dryer?

I remember a guy peed on the conveyer belt for used dishes in the dining hall my freshman year. He also pooped on one of the books he wrote his thesis on in the middle of the quad. I do not understand people who feel the need to share their scat fetishes with the whole community.

 

[gookies]

I would suggest contacting AMCAS directly through email. SDN isn't much help dealing with topics pertaining to "IAs". I contacted them about mine and they told me I don't have to report it. Saving the email for future references.

 

[aspiring20]

I would suggest contacting AMCAS directly through email. SDN isn't much help dealing with topics pertaining to "IAs". I contacted them about mine and they told me I don't have to report it. Saving the email for future references.

this is a wise move, but keep in mind that the OP DID receive a disciplinary warning (lowered from probation), and a disciplinary warning DOES COUNT as an IA. I wish it doesn't, but that's not how it works.

having said that, LizzyM already said that this will not have any impact on the OP's chances.

in fact, i think reporting this incident shows tremendous honesty and maturity on the OP's part.

 

[LizzyM]

i think it is absurd that the school held you partly responsible for SOMEONE else's mistakes? how can anyone do that? you have no responsibility over how your roommate/other people behave, but sometimes, life throws **** at us.

So true. I saw an IA once that was taken because a student's roommates had a party with booze in their on-campus apartment in the States while she was on a semester abroad! Obviously, the adcom was merciful and disregarded the IA.

 

[Planes2Doc]

So true. I saw an IA once that was taken because a student's roommates had a party with booze in their on-campus apartment in the States while she was on a semester abroad! Obviously, the adcom was merciful and disregarded the IA.

Amazing.

 

[MedPR]

So true. I saw an IA once that was taken because a student's roommates had a party with booze in their on-campus apartment in the States while she was on a semester abroad! Obviously, the adcom was merciful and disregarded the IA.

lol'd. At the risk of identifying myself to ADCOMs, I got an IA for having a safe in my dorm. The school said they had the right to search everything in my dorm at their leisure and a safe prevented them from doing that.

 

[aspiring20]

lol'd. At the risk of identifying myself to ADCOMs, I got an IA for having a safe in my dorm. The school said they had the right to search everything in my dorm at their leisure and a safe prevented them from doing that.

that's insane. you can't have a safe in your room to store your own valuables/whatever?

how did the school find out in the first place? did you have to report this nonsense?

 

[MedPR]

that's insane. you can't have a safe in your room to store your own valuables/whatever?

how did the school find out in the first place? did you have to report this nonsense?

Roommate had a party while I was somewhere else. RAs caught them and wanted to search for alcohol, drugs, and other contraband. When they found the safe, they assumed things were being hidden in there. I stayed with a friend that night (I wasn't avoiding my dorm, I just didn't feel like walking back) so the next day when they came to search (and found nothing illegal in the safe) they said that we just removed it during the night to not get in trouble.

I reported it on AMCAS. I think most/all adcoms dismissed it though.

 

[487806]

Reminds me of my freshman roommate from hell (not the pot smoker I described before; he was cool even if he was as dumb as a bag of rocks). The guy had a habit of throwing parties in our dorm at random times of the week, without giving anyone a heads up. His friends (many of whom were obviously not from the school judging by their ages) would always trash the common area and he would refuse to clean up after them because "I didn't make the mess". One time I made the mistake of coming out at 2 am to tell them to quiet down, only to get a knife held up to me while I looked at two ugly lesbians having sex on our couch.

He also had loud sex with his boyfriend and often did it in the shower. And when he eventually broke up with his boyfriend they had a nasty lovers quarrel that involved non-stop wailing and screaming the entire night and also got our walls covered in blood (long story).

Well... this is interesting...

Oh, man. I am having flashbacks to my freshman year roommate from hell... she had sex on my bed with an off-campus drug dealer, asked me at 12 am to get out of bed and sleep in the common room so she could have sex with a prospective student while I was sick with the flu... she transferred at the end of the year to another college to become a "sexologist" and I later found out she had become an anabaptist (!), complete with the weird bonnets.

I wish you all the best in your application process; I think brevity and no apologies is your best bet.

Your roommate was definitely on a roll.

 

[TriagePreMed]

I appealed this and it was brought down to a written warning for "allowing my roommates guest to possess marijuana in my on campus apartment."

What a bull**** charge. I would hate your university so much. How can someone be told that they have a responsibility over the actions of others?

 

[487806]

What a bull**** charge. I would hate your university so much. How can someone be told that they have a responsibility over the actions of others?

OP I would strongly advise you to transfer. Your university seems to be completely distasteful.

 

[PreMedRookie]

OP I would strongly advise you to transfer. Your university seems to be completely distasteful.

I love my school but I blame the guy I met with. He wouldn't listen to my side of the story. He had the idea that I was guilty before he even met me.

I am just worried that my application will automatically get screened for the IA before anyone gets a chance to read it. Does that really happen?

 

[PreMedRookie]

What a bull**** charge. I would hate your university so much. How can someone be told that they have a responsibility over the actions of others?

In the student handbook it says that we are responsible for everything and everyone in our apartment. That is the only rule that "broke."

 

[PreMedRookie]

Thanks that was really helpful. Should I include the facts that my RA told me to ignore my roommates action and that I was found innocent by university housing? Or does that sound like making excuses?

 

[MedPR]

Thanks that was really helpful. Should I include the facts that my RA told me to ignore my roommates action and that I was found innocent by university housing? Or does that sound like making excuses?

"Although I was found innocent by university housing, blah blah blah take responsibility blah blah blah" imo.

 

[gookies]

This is the response I received from AMCAS about mine,

"Thank you for contacting AMCAS.

According to the information you've provided you can answer no to this question. You contacted your registrar or appropriate personnel at your institution and they've told you there is or will not be a record of the incident recorded on your records, this is sufficient confirmation you have no institutional action to report."

 

[aspiring20]

I love my school but I blame the guy I met with. He wouldn't listen to my side of the story. He had the idea that I was guilty before he even met me.

I am just worried that my application will automatically get screened for the IA before anyone gets a chance to read it. Does that really happen?

i also share this fear, but after asking more people than i can remember (mostly on here), this definitely does not seem to be the case. there might be a handful of schools that delay apps marked with IAs, but i dont think any school will auto reject an application just because one box has been marked; this doesn't seem remotely fair since it lumps together IAs like yours with IAs that involve cheatings and explusions.

so the specific fear that your application won't even be read because you marked the IA box is probably baseless.

now, if your GPA is under a 3.0 and MCAT is under a 30...then there IS a possibility that your app will head straight to the garbage bin. much greater chance than a reported IA, many of which, according to people on SDN, have little to no impact in the grand scheme of things.