Thought test was open note

[vede]

Hello,
Earlier this year I had an online final in a math class. Due to COVID, previous exams in this class had been online, open note and take home. Additionally, the day the professor discussed the exam, I was out of class. As such, I took the exam believing that it would be open note as well. When the professor confronted me about this, I told him what I did. By school policy, he was required to report me, and I got an IA, as well as failing the exam, which caused me to fail the class as well. Because the infraction was unintentional and my first offense, there was no mark on my transcript; however, it is on my records, so I will be reporting it when I apply.

I recognize that this incident was ultimately my fault; even though the last exams had been open note, I should have confirmed that this one would be too, rather than assuming that it would be, especially since I missed class on the day the exam was being discussed. In hindsight, I would have been best if I had asked my professor beforehand just to be sure, since its better to be safe than sorry.

Overall, I know that a cheating IA is bad, and that, as Goro has said, my medical career is in stasis. I was looking for advice on where to go from here, and what to do now. I still want to be a doctor, but know that my path may require some time off in another career before trying again.

This incident occurred in my Freshman year of college.

I would especially appreciate feedback from experts such as @Goro , @gyngyn, and @LizzyM

Thank you for your time!

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[Goro]

FR year? You could be forgiven for being careless.

But don't screw up again. Your career is YOUR responsibility.

 

[LizzyM]

I agree if this happened in freshman year, and between February 2020 and June 2021, you may be given some slack given the very fluid nature of classroom management and student assessment during that time frame. Own it (as you have) and note that it was a one-time error on your part and not an attempt to cheat.

 

[vede]

FR year? You could be forgiven for being careless.

But don't screw up again. Your career is YOUR responsibility.

I agree if this happened in freshman year, and between February 2020 and June 2021, you may be given some slack given the very fluid nature of classroom management and student assessment during that time frame. Own it (as you have) and note that it was a one-time error on your part and not an attempt to cheat.

Thank you both for your input, it is very reassuring. This incident did occur in April 2021, so within the timeframe that @LizzyM mentioned. And I will take care to be more diligent in the future regarding these kind of things.

On a side note, do you think getting a letter from my dean would help my case? I know that some ADCOMS may not believe I am telling the truth about the incident being an accident, so I thought that if I could get the dean to back up my story, it may help. I don't think I want to ask the professor, as English is not his first language.

 

[Goro]

Thank you both for your input, it is very reassuring. This incident did occur in April 2021, so within the timeframe that @LizzyM mentioned. And I will take care to be more diligent in the future regarding these kind of things.

On a side note, do you think getting a letter from my dean would help my case? I know that some ADCOMS may not believe I am telling the truth about the incident being an accident, so I thought that if I could get the dean to back up my story, it may help. I don't think I want to ask the professor, as English is not his first language.

Getting a letter from the professor would convince me more.

 

[bcf_lasagna]

Wow OP, I was also in a situation that almost sounds like yours. Literally the same month (April 2021), which was in my freshman year.

We’re human beings, and sometimes we make mistakes like this. So I think staying clean for the rest of college will go a long way in proving that it was a one time offense.

when it comes time to apply, just own it and turn it into a positive. Write about how you’ve become stronger as a result of this, and in turn would remain a prime candidate for medical school.

if you can’t get a letter from that specific professor, that’s okay. I’d even recommend asking for letters from professors that you’ll have later on in college, since it can show the you of now is not the you of back then.

I think it would also be a good idea to become a tutor, volunteer going over class material with students, etc. Roles where you can educate younger students how to avoid mistakes like this that come with transitioning to online.

Do have a plan B, if you didn’t have one already. I’d say that to premeds without IAs too, since med school is that competitive.

Everything’s going to be alright. Best wishes!

 

[vede]

Thank you all for your replies. I know its a bit early, but when it comes time to apply, how should I explain this incident on my app? Is the explanation I gave above good? The thing is, as stated by @LizzyM, I want to emphasize that it was not deliberate, but at the same time don't want to come off as making excuses, deceiving or trying to "spin a story".

On a side note, would serving as a TA or on honor court help? I won't be able to TA for that professor, because he now teaches grad students, but I can do it for another one. Also, how many gap years would you recommend before applying?

Thank you for all your help!

 

[bcf_lasagna]

Thank you all for your replies. I know its a bit early, but when it comes time to apply, how should I explain this incident on my app? Is the explanation I gave above good? The thing is, as stated by @LizzyM, I want to emphasize that it was not deliberate, but at the same time don't want to come off as making excuses, deceiving or trying to "spin a story".

On a side note, would serving as a TA or on honor court help? I won't be able to TA for that professor, because he now teaches grad students, but I can do it for another one. Also, how many gap years would you recommend before applying?

Thank you for all your help!

Honor court or TA would help. Any position where you could help younger students avoid the same mistake would demonstrate maturity and growth. Although in addition to that, I think there should be something about what you did personally to ensure YOU won’t make that same mistake. In my case, I used my notes when I was supposed to, but I forgot the notes weren’t in my own words due to what I now know is a bad note-taking technique. So I changed the way I do them, now I focus on using my own interpretation and then use active learning to reinforce the material.

I wouldn’t explicitly mention that it was unintentional, that may come off as making an excuse. Use the details you provided here and I’m sure that adcoms will see it as a honest mistake. What you should mention is that you own the incident and take responsibility. But yeah when describing the scenario, just be straightforward. I will cite @GoSpursGo in a thought that he shared with me, which is that having a spotless record AFTER this will help more than what you write, since it will then be an isolated incident early in college.

Regarding the gap year question, as well as the actual incident that took place, I wouldn’t think you’ll need this 5-10 gap year sentence that some SDN people tell you to do. Just apply when you’re ready, and have a plan B.

 

[GoSpursGo]

I will cite @GoSpursGo in a thought that he shared with me, which is that having a spotless record AFTER this will help more than what you write, since it will then be an isolated incident early in college.

Yep, I agree with myself 🙂 Time and a spotless record will help. But another IA and it becomes a pattern, and then it's probably game over.