Student Conduct Situation - Warning

[MyotisMacrotus]

Hello.

I am applying to both DO and MD schools at this time, and came across the "Institutional Action" and "Student Conduct Violation" sections on the AMCAS and AACOMAS, respectively.

I have received a Written Warning for Violation of the "Key Use" Policy during my sophomore year.

I had a private room my sophomore year (I paid a lot of money not to have roommates in the dorms), and I gave my friend my key card in order to access my room while I was in class a few different times. The policy at my school was to never allow another student to access your room if you were not present, and generally don't give people your keycards. One time, I gave him my keycard when I was hurrying to class and he was going to use it to retrieve a textbook for me for my next class that I had forgotten in my room. My RA at the time saw him accessing my room without me being present, and notified the Hall Director, at which time I was given a Written Warning for Violating the Key Use Policy.

Do you think this will hurt my chances for getting into Medical School?

My preliminary MCAT 2015 score indicates I scored between the 83-93 percentile, and my total GPA is a 3.83 with a 3.67 Science and 3.95 Non-Science GPA.

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[DrHart]

Not in the slightest, I would think

*edit* also, that seems like a pretty dumb rule

 

[MyotisMacrotus]

Not in the slightest, I would think

*edit* also, that seems like a pretty dumb rule

It was a new residence hall, and I think they wanted to make sure it was kept orderly by not allowing a ton of outside students into the hall.

Regardless, is there a specific way you would recommend wording this such that it won't sound negative?

I currently have it worded on my AMCAS as:

"In 01/2012, I received a written warning for violating the key use policy while living in a residence hall my sophomore year of college. At this time, I had given a friend my key card to access my dorm room, as I had forgotten a textbook in my room and my friend offered to go retrieve this book. The policy at my university was that no person was allowed to access a room that was not the student assigned to the room, unless accompanied by that student. My friend had offered to get the book and bring it to my next class. I was in a hurry to get to class, and at the time, I did not think about violation of the policy, but rather about ensuring I had all of my textbooks in preparation for the day's lectures and labs. I regret that I did not allow myself more time to prepare for class that day, as I was excited to see a friend I had not seen in months. This incident allowed me to better prepare for my classes well in advance, and I did not give my key card to another person again following this circumstance. "

 

[DrHart]

If adcoms are willing to accept students with underage drinking warnings, I highly doubt your situation will warrant any concern. You explained it well. I wouldn't worry about it.
I go to a huge university where people take and use each other's key cards not only to access halls but to buy food for each other. Ex: I give my friend my ID to go buy us food. Although my freshman/sophomore dorm building held 2,000 kids so maybe keeping track of us all wasn't their biggest concern.

 

[Goro]

100% agree.
After reading this and the other IA post today, it seems like we need a "Stupid School Rules thread!

Not in the slightest, I would think

*edit* also, that seems like a pretty dumb rule

 

[jqueb29]

No Adcom would ever hold this against you.



Also that's one of the worst rules I've ever heard. Pretty sure it is illegal, too.

 

[NeuResurgens]

Is the MCAT giving out preliminary score estimates now?

 

[MyotisMacrotus]

Is the MCAT giving out preliminary score estimates now?

The MCAT 2015 score estimates for students who took it in April and May of this year are preliminary first, and finalized second. I will receive my final score on June 16, 2015 and it is in an entirely new score range with a new section added. 7.5 hours of MCAT for the win.

 

[NeuResurgens]

The MCAT 2015 score estimates for students who took it in April and May of this year are preliminary first, and finalized second. I will receive my final score on June 16, 2015 and it is in an entirely new score range with a new section added. 7.5 hours of MCAT for the win.

Nice. I'm taking in August so I was curious. Did they give you this rough percentile estimate when you finished or did you have to wait for it for a while? What did you do to prepare and did you feel prepared while taking the exam? General difficulty?

 

[MyotisMacrotus]

No Adcom would ever hold this against you.



Also that's one of the worst rules I've ever heard. Pretty sure it is illegal, too.

I'm not sure why the rule is in place, I just know that apparently I broke it. There's a reason I don't live in the dorms anymore! Thanks for your reply though! =)

 

[MyotisMacrotus]

Nice. I'm taking in August so I was curious. Did they give you this rough percentile estimate when you finished or did you have to wait for it for a while? What did you do to prepare and did you feel prepared while taking the exam? General difficulty?

I believe you will not be given a preliminary score, as this was only done for those students taking the first 3 offered dates for the new MCAT due to the lack of statistical data the AAMC has on the new MCAT. I received my prelim three weeks after taking my MCAT, so I only knew two days ago.

I prepared by taking an in-person Princeton Review Prep Course and studying extensively (20-30 hours/week) both on my own and with a study group. I utilized the AAMC resources and made a ton of flashcards in addition to the review materials provided by the Princeton Review.

I felt that the Chemistry and Physical Sciences section was pretty comparable to the old MCAT, the CARS section was relatively easier than the Princeton Review's CARS (thankfully), and the Psych/Sociology section I scored apparently in the 85-100 percentile range, and therefore couldn't have been hard (and I haven't even taken a psych course!). However, the Biology section itself was realllly difficult, and I was a Biology and Chemistry double major. It was a lot of data analysis and paper presentation information and a lot less "know this biology concept". So it was kind of like CARS 2.0 but with science words. Good luck on taking it!!

 

[NeuResurgens]

I believe you will not be given a preliminary score, as this was only done for those students taking the first 3 offered dates for the new MCAT due to the lack of statistical data the AAMC has on the new MCAT. I received my prelim three weeks after taking my MCAT, so I only knew two days ago.

I prepared by taking an in-person Princeton Review Prep Course and studying extensively (20-30 hours/week) both on my own and with a study group. I utilized the AAMC resources and made a ton of flashcards in addition to the review materials provided by the Princeton Review.

I felt that the Chemistry and Physical Sciences section was pretty comparable to the old MCAT, the CARS section was relatively easier than the Princeton Review's CARS (thankfully), and the Psych/Sociology section I scored apparently in the 85-100 percentile range, and therefore couldn't have been hard (and I haven't even taken a psych course!). However, the Biology section itself was realllly difficult, and I was a Biology and Chemistry double major. It was a lot of data analysis and paper presentation information and a lot less "know this biology concept". So it was kind of like CARS 2.0 but with science words. Good luck on taking it!!

Thanks for the info! I've heard that the bio section is actually pretty difficult, so I'm going to just practice reading super dense science passages about research to get used to reading and interpreting the information. Hope you get the score you wanted!

 

[Psai]

I wouldn't even include it. Stupid rule and your ra needs to stop taking himself so seriously

 

[Incis0r]

.

 

[MyotisMacrotus]

I'm super confused as to how three people have voted this will hurt my chances, and yet all the replies state it won't. =/ Does anyone have a differing opinion that this might hurt my chances, or do we have trolls in our midst?

 

[Lawpy]

I'm super confused as to how three people have voted this will hurt my chances, and yet all the replies state it won't. =/ Does anyone have a differing opinion that this might hurt my chances, or do we have trolls in our midst?

You shouldn't believe a poll, especially since 2 people (not 3) voted it'll affect your chances

It's a stupid rule and it wont affect your chances at the slightest

 

[Inventor of Post-Its]

I'm super confused as to how three people have voted this will hurt my chances, and yet all the replies state it won't. =/ Does anyone have a differing opinion that this might hurt my chances, or do we have trolls in our midst?

Probably people who didn't bother reading the rest of this thread - or even your entire post - and are just of the opinion that any student conduct violation will hurt your chances. If they haven't come into this thread to write out a legitimate reasoning, don't worry about it.

 

[StudyLater]

Is the MCAT giving out preliminary score estimates now?

You know you could....nevermind.

Relevant to thread: Strange (and completely senseless) rule. Does that really qualify as a legitimate IA?

 

[deleted577188]

Some RA's are so stupid and anal. They really look for any reason to screw up the records of freshman students. My RA got me in trouble because she "smelled" alcohol and then another time cause my roommates and I had a heated debate- not even a physical altercation or argument. So stupid man. Like she was targeting the most academically fit students on our floor and trying to give us all IA's. Wtf

 

[MyotisMacrotus]

You know you could....nevermind.

Relevant to thread: Strange (and completely senseless) rule. Does that really qualify as a legitimate IA?

I think it does qualify as an IA just because it shows up when I call the Dean of Students (I called them to double-check). It's not on my transcript though, and it is a warning, so I worry that it's a "better safe than sorry" thing I should put on my apps =/

 

[MyotisMacrotus]

Some RA's are so stupid and anal. They really look for any reason to screw up the records of freshman students. My RA got me in trouble because she "smelled" alcohol and then another time cause my roommates and I had a heated debate- not even a physical altercation or argument. So stupid man. Like she was targeting the most academically fit students on our floor and trying to give us all IA's. Wtf

My RA was exactly the same! She just really had it out for me and didn't seem to like my friend much, so I got in trouble for some random violation. I was really upset.

 

[MyotisMacrotus]

Why is this reportable at all? A written warning without any kind of procedural due process does not strike me as institutional action.

You know, that's actually a great question. I have asked my adviser about whether I should report this, and the wording therein if I do, and she has yet to reply. I did have to sign a form as it was a written and not verbal warning, but I had literally no penalties other than signing a form that stated "yes, I'm aware of the policy and gave someone my key card. It won't happen again". In your opinion, does this count as an IA?

 

[ridethecliche]

If you have a panel letter, will they write about it on there?

 

[MyotisMacrotus]

Institutional action generally means action taken against a student via a formal policy or procedure that likely in your student handbook, website, etc. That usually outlines some sort of "judicial" process; its composition (how many students, faculty, etc); details how a student is notified, how long for responses, how to appeal a decision, etc. This done under the concept of due process. Actions, decisions etc are reported somehow in the student's record, which can mean many different things varying widely by school. While this sounds like some sort of housing regulation and equivalent to a traffic ticket and really barely qualifies, it should be reported on AMCAS.

The reason for that is, though highly unlikely to raise anything other than a chuckle by an adcom, if your dont report and it shows up on something, you are now in violation of the agreement to report IA. That would be unethical behavior and could have you banned from applying ever again and may in fact get an acceptance rescinded. While the probability of the risk is incredibly small, the impact of this risk is potentially huge. So why take any risk whatsoever over this silly nonsense of a rule?

Thank you for your input! I will definitely include this on my application, and hope that they will read the explanation and not just throw it in a "no" pile based on the fact that I clicked "Yes" in that section.

I really appreciate all the comments I've received on this issue. Thanks guys!