Worried about possible academic dishonesty/plagarism on Transcript

[Predental12134]

Longtime looker, first time poster. I need desperate help or advice. Is dental school near impossible to get into if you happen to get accused of plagiarism/academic dishonesty on a homework assignment in one of your classes during your junior year? I am still going through it but what happens if it goes on your record/transcript or you get a 0 on the assignment or fail the course? I have a very high GPA at this point with very good EC's and everything else needed. How would you overcome something like this? Hire a lawyer to get it minimized as much as possible if you can? I am very worried since I have no idea what to do and I've never been in a situation like this in my life and it was a stupid mistake. Do you know of anyone with a similar situation and ever get accepted? I have worked for years to become a dentist and it is the only thing I will ever consider doing.

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[JLT223]

Dental schools don't mess around with that at all. I'm not sure I'd say impossible but it will definitely be a red flag.

 

[Hysteria95]

You have to write about this on your AADSAS application. Assuming you get interviews, it is absolutely certain that you well get asked about this. I consider that a very good thing because it gives you another chance to explain in person what happened, what you learned from it, and why you won't do it again.

 

[Predental12134]

Dental schools don't mess around with that at all. I'm not sure I'd say impossible but it will definitely be a red flag.

Thank you for your reply. What do you feel I need to do to move on from this and show that I am a strong candidate? I was thinking about applying this summer but I will probably take a gap year.

 

[JLT223]

Thank you for your reply. What do you feel I need to do to move on from this and show that I am a strong candidate? I was thinking about applying this summer but I will probably take a gap year.

If your grades are solid and everything else is as well, there's no need for a gap year. You won't be able to hide the academic dishonesty if you end up having it. The best thing you can do is be honest and make sure the rest of your application is near perfect. If you land an interview you will most definitely have to explain yourself and convince the dental school that it will not happen at their institution. A lot of ethical questions schools ask at interviews pertain to cheating, so the best thing you can do is explain that you made a dire mistake and that you learned something from it.

 

[Predental12134]

If your grades are solid and everything else is as well, there's no need for a gap year. You won't be able to hide the academic dishonesty if you end up having it. The best thing you can do is be honest and make sure the rest of your application is near perfect. If you land an interview you will most definitely have to explain yourself and convince the dental school that it will not happen at their institution. A lot of ethical questions schools ask at interviews pertain to cheating, so the best thing you can do is explain that you made a dire mistake and that you learned something from it.

Ok thank you for your advice. Do you know of anyone never getting accepted because of a blemish on their transcript? I have worked for years for this and don't want this to be a reason of never getting in or having to do years of graduate work to finally get accepted.

 

[JLT223]

Ok thank you for your advice. Do you know of anyone never getting accepted because of a blemish on their transcript? I have worked for years for this and don't want this to be a reason of never getting in or having to do years of graduate work to finally get accepted.

I'm not sure about academic dishonesty, but tons of people get in on these forums with multiple W's and one or two F's.

 

[Queen Beach]

So your bout that life? Don't do it ever again!

Anyways, if there has not been a decision that it will be on your transcripts then negotiate with your professor. If it will be and you know for sure, then what else can you do? Make sure you have a damn good explanation for the application and maybe ready to explain in person. Also, the rest of your app should be spotless. I think someone will take you.

 

[Queen Beach]

Actually, I take that back. I don't know if you'll get accepted. It's huge what you did esp being recent, except you shouldn't worry about it until you know for sure that it'll be on your transcripts.

 

[Master Yoda]

Dental schools are very serious about this kind of stuff. I don't think it is impossible to get into a dental school with that kind of record but it is extremely difficult. If it goes on your transcript, it will not be erased, and it will stay there (highly unlikely in your situation). Having a high GPA will not help you if there is a IA notation on your record. Adcoms probably think this person cheated in his/her other courses and finally got cut. If you get a 0 and end up getting an F in the course you have to repeat the course, and that F will count towards your GPA.