Suspension in undergrad, chances of med school acceptance?

[sunflowerchickadee]

---

Members don't see this ad.

This student was suspended for the summer after their sophomore year of college for cheating. Another student copied test answers, got caught, and gave this student's name so they got suspended too. The suspension is no longer on their transcript, but it will be part of a Dean's letter of academic record if one is requested by a med school. Also, the student plans to report it honestly in the primaries of med school applications and own up to it and hopefully have the chance to explain what happened.
Will this make it significantly harder to get acceptances from med schools? What can this student do in the meantime to show growth from the accident and increase the likelihood of consideration from med schools?

 

[Mr.Smile12]

Details matter and it's futile to conjecture without them. In general, you need a lot of time between the incident and your application.

 

[LizzyM]

The time to explain what happened was when the applicant was called out as a fellow cheater when they were, in fact, innocent. If the applicant were innocent, there should have been no institutional action after a thorough investigation by the school (including an appeal of any institutional action).

If the student accepted the false accusation and accepted the suspension, they we have a record of a cheating incident that we can presume was verified by the school before issuing the suspension. Cheating is something that is taken seriously. Every med school is going to consider the IA, how much time has elapsed since it occurred, how old the applicant was when it happened, and any remorse/learning that has taken place as a result.

 

[esob]

This is anecdotal, but I've seen the general timeframe of 10 years thrown around for big red flags (in the context that the individual has a marked history of demonstrating that the event was a one-time lapse in judgment). Even then, however, it likely will still be an automatic disqualifier for many places.

 

[sunflowerchickadee]

Details matter and it's futile to conjecture without them. In general, you need a lot of time between the incident and your application.

I understand. Here's what happened: it was an online test, first quarter of sophomore year. A classmate asked if she could take her test at my apartment since she didn't have a quiet space to take it. I planned so that I would take the test alone, leave for work, and then she could come use the space for her test once I was gone. It was one of those tests that submits automatically when the time is up, so after finishing the test (completely independently) I was getting ready for work, and this girl came over early (didn't think anything of it at the time). My test submitted, I left for work, and left the girl in my apartment to take her test.
Months later I was contacted by the Dean because this girl had been caught for submitting her test in a crazy short amount of time, and she told the dean that I had willingly given her all of my test answers. During my conversation with the Dean, I explained exactly what had happened, and he agreed that it was unfair and I had been taken advantage of academically, but that he had to follow the rules of assigning me the summer suspension because this other girl had given my name.
So that was the situation. The integrity of my own academic work was never under scrutiny and has always been my own. It was the framing of this other girl's story, who really cheated, that threw me under the bus.
To @LizzyM 's point, I accepted the punishment because the alternative was an entire student court procedure and investigation that would have continued to negatively impact my life and quality of academics for an assuredly very long length of time.

 

[Goro]

I understand. Here's what happened: it was an online test, first quarter of sophomore year. A classmate asked if she could take her test at my apartment since she didn't have a quiet space to take it. I planned so that I would take the test alone, leave for work, and then she could come use the space for her test once I was gone. It was one of those tests that submits automatically when the time is up, so after finishing the test (completely independently) I was getting ready for work, and this girl came over early (didn't think anything of it at the time). My test submitted, I left for work, and left the girl in my apartment to take her test.
Months later I was contacted by the Dean because this girl had been caught for submitting her test in a crazy short amount of time, and she told the dean that I had willingly given her all of my test answers. During my conversation with the Dean, I explained exactly what had happened, and he agreed that it was unfair and I had been taken advantage of academically, but that he had to follow the rules of assigning me the summer suspension because this other girl had given my name.
So that was the situation. The integrity of my own academic work was never under scrutiny and has always been my own. It was the framing of this other girl's story, who really cheated, that threw me under the bus.
To @LizzyM 's point, I accepted the punishment because the alternative was an entire student court procedure and investigation that would have continued to negatively impact my life and quality of academics for an assuredly very long length of time.

How was this person able to see your answers?

 

[sunflowerchickadee]

The test stayed open until automatically submitted, with a couple of minutes left, and I was in the bathroom getting ready. The girl was in the other room where I told her to stay until I left the apartment. She copied answers from my computer which was left open- she told me this months later when she was caught for it (but off-record, because her story to the Dean was different ).
I take responsibility for being overly trusting and not protecting my academic material better.

 

[Goro]

The test stayed open until automatically submitted, with a couple of minutes left, and I was in the bathroom getting ready. The girl was in the other room where I told her to stay until I left the apartment. She copied answers from my computer which was left open- she told me this months later when she was caught for it (but off-record, because her story to the Dean was different ).
I take responsibility for being overly trusting and not protecting my academic material better.

Your last sentence will need to be in your explanation of the IA.

The age at when this happened will work in your favor.

 

[xffan624]

The test stayed open until automatically submitted, with a couple of minutes left, and I was in the bathroom getting ready. The girl was in the other room where I told her to stay until I left the apartment. She copied answers from my computer which was left open- she told me this months later when she was caught for it (but off-record, because her story to the Dean was different ).
I take responsibility for being overly trusting and not protecting my academic material better.

If I was an ADCOM reading your story I would wonder idly what advantage the girl gained by lying and throwing you under the bus (by saying you gave the answers willingly) instead of the "true story" you describe here. Did this person have some sort of vendetta against you? But I suppose years of good behavior needed to overcome the IA would also overcome any uncertainty that this story presents.

 

[LizzyM]

If I was an ADCOM reading your story I would wonder idly what advantage the girl gained by lying and throwing you under the bus (by saying you gave the answers willingly) instead of the "true story" you describe here. Did this person have some sort of vendetta against you? But I suppose years of good behavior needed to overcome the IA would also overcome any uncertainty that this story presents.

She was both a thief and a cheat. By saying that the other student shared and gave her the answers, she is only someone who grabbed a lifeline when tempted by someone who was willing to "help" and she seems to lessen her culpability. "I am not a crook." That would be my assessment if a fellow adcom member brought up your question.

 

[xffan624]

She was both a thief and a cheat. By saying that the other student shared and gave her the answers, she is only someone who grabbed a lifeline when tempted by someone who was willing to "help" and she seems to lessen her culpability. "I am not a crook." That would be my assessment if a fellow adcom member brought up your question.

Sure. Maybe she thought she'd get a lesser sentence if there were two conspirators instead of one. Someone who would do to your that seems like someone who would be willing to do anything to get ahead and definitely someone to cut off all ties with.

 

[sunflowerchickadee]

Sure. Maybe she thought she'd get a lesser sentence if there were two conspirators instead of one. Someone who would do to your that seems like someone who would be willing to do anything to get ahead and definitely someone to cut off all ties with.

Yep, and I've spent the past years since it happened struggling with a lot of anger towards her due to exactly this. I'm sure she thought it would make her seem like a victim of temptation rather than someone who took advantage of a friend, and help her case. The irony is it didn't help her at all, it just resulted in me getting the same punishment. The Dean even sympathized with me during our meeting and was regretful that he couldn't help reduce or remove the sanction. At least the record is clear that all of my work was my own and the test grade lined up well enough with my average, a high A, that it's obvious I didn't need any help for my own sake.

 

[Mr.Smile12]

Yep, and I've spent the past years since it happened struggling with a lot of anger towards her due to exactly this. I'm sure she thought it would make her seem like a victim of temptation rather than someone who took advantage of a friend, and help her case. The irony is it didn't help her at all, it just resulted in me getting the same punishment. The Dean even sympathized with me during our meeting and was regretful that he couldn't help reduce or remove the sanction. At least the record is clear that all of my work was my own and the test grade lined up well enough with my average, a high A, that it's obvious I didn't need any help for my own sake.

I'll empathize because your student conduct administrators and student board's inability to properly investigate misconduct is horrible, and I'm sure you can't do much. Work with the Dean to craft an appropriate statement that includes his inability to help reduce or remove the sanction. Find out what the policy is when the charge is expunged (how many years after graduating).

This punishment is a "one person broke the rules, everyone gets punished" justice philosophy used in early grade school. Sorry it happened to you, but move past the anger and move with intention and integrity.

 

[LizzyM]

Yep, and I've spent the past years since it happened struggling with a lot of anger towards her due to exactly this. I'm sure she thought it would make her seem like a victim of temptation rather than someone who took advantage of a friend, and help her case. The irony is it didn't help her at all, it just resulted in me getting the same punishment. The Dean even sympathized with me during our meeting and was regretful that he couldn't help reduce or remove the sanction. At least the record is clear that all of my work was my own and the test grade lined up well enough with my average, a high A, that it's obvious I didn't need any help for my own sake.

Story as old as Genesis 3:12-13.

 

[LeaveNoTrace]

Your last sentence will need to be in your explanation of the IA.

The age at when this happened will work in your favor.

Agreed; also, is it possible to get the Dean to write a letter or something stating that it very likely could have been an innocent mistake, a naive underclassman being taken advantage of...and then procedure needing to be followed? From what I'm hearing, you seem innocent here; the only thing I can think of is that you made an amateurish attempt at "forgetting" to log out of your test in order to help a classmate and then got busted for it. I don't think this is as terrible as many think, but I'm no adcom. I don't think you'll need a full decade of exemplary behavior; more like five to eight years since the incident. If you can get it expunged after graduation - which may be a real possibility given your desire to go to medical school and a sympathetic Dean - you might be good. However, if it is expunged, consult a lawyer before deciding to omit it from your application!