Guest crueltimes Posted July 4, 2004 Report Share Posted July 4, 2004 I am in need of some advice, if anyone has the time. I am under investigation for academic misconduct, involving the use of an unauthorized aid during a test for one of my summer classes. The instructor has asked for a meeting, and from there I think it will go to a meeting with the Dean. There would be a mark put on my transcript, and other punishments could range from a failing mark to a suspension. This is the only time that I have ever done anything like this, and I am truly sorry. It was brought on by a state of mind that was not entirely rational on the test day, due to a number of personal events before the test. I know alot of you are already looking down on me for doing this, and I don't blame you. I am also hating myself. For a few days I thought, this is it.. the end of my academic career. I seriously contemplated suicide. I've gotten over it, thankfully, and am focused on planning for the future. I am graduating next June. My question is, are my chances of grad or med school completely down the drain? I have prepared a statement explaining my actions, which I hope to attach to my applications, but I don't know how much that will do. Has anyone been in a similar situation, and how did you handle it? If not, just put yourself in the situation.. what would you do? Thanks for your time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest CaesarCornelius Posted July 4, 2004 Report Share Posted July 4, 2004 Hey I know on the Dalhousie application they give you the opportunity to write a letter that 'explains' something like this on your transcript/record. The best thing to do now is to be completely honest and accept the responsability of your actions. Denial/Blame shifting will only result in a more negative outcome. This certianly isn't the end of your academic career. It may be a big set-back, but you will get through it. Chin up. CC Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest thecod Posted July 4, 2004 Report Share Posted July 4, 2004 you would probably have to explain the reason for academic misconduct on the med. school application. maybe you still have a chance at med. school or gradschool. but, you would have to redeem yourself. commiting suicide wouldn't solve anything. maybe you could explain why you weren't in the "right state of mind" or what personal events caused you to cheat. if i were you, i would just tell the professor how sorry you are, how you never did anything like this before, and how you regret it. other than that, there is not much left to say. maybe you could ask the professor to give you a make-up test - it's worth a shot! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Lorae Posted July 4, 2004 Report Share Posted July 4, 2004 Hi there. I'm sorry to hear about your situation. First of all, if thoughts of suicide are still in the back of your mind you need to seek help - go to an emergency room or call a crisis line! Even if those feelings have passed, finding someone to talk to would be a great idea... it will help you process your emotions and help you analyze how you got to the point you're at. I'm sure all universities have a peer counselling program and a health services program that includes professional counselling/group therapy. This will not be the end of your academic career, but it will be a stain on your record. Most of us have something in our lives that we deeply regret - this is yours. Neither grad nor medical school are out of your reach, but you will have to explain your actions. Caesar is right about the schools not wanting to hear excuses. You will need to take responsibility for your actions and prove to them that you are very sorry and it won't happen again. There's nothing wrong with discussing some of the circumstances that led you to your actions, but in the end you need to say that it was just a bad, bad choice and no excuses can justify it. You need to have concrete plans for how to avoid making another decision: (for example) if you were under huge academic pressure, you need to have a detailed plan for how you have changed your coping mechanisms. You need to be able to discuss your new methods of dealing with things (with specific examples to show how you have already been practicing your new coping methods). They will want to see you have taken steps! As for how much this will affect your chances of admission into a grad/med program - no one can say for sure. It might delay things a bit... you might have to apply more times then a "typical" applicant to prove your dedication/perserverance. Your battle might be harder, but your educational options are not closed. Good luck! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest s sadry Posted July 4, 2004 Report Share Posted July 4, 2004 hi i think everyone is giving great advice... the most difficult thing to do is to be proactive and take this advice. dwelling on whats happened will not help the situation.. thinking about what could have been willl just drive you up the wall i'm sure you've had some time to reflect on the situation and what went wrong ..once that is done, you just need to move forward and keep yourself busy so that you dont let this one incident determine the rest of your life. if you know that the character you have built over your life wouldn't have done this...then why be so hard on yourself? whats done is done. and the person you were during the exam isn't reflective of the person you are and the doctor you want to be. everyone is going to make mistakes...but what we learn from them is very valuable. thank you for sharing your experience with us..becuase i think it helps a lot of ppl out there realize that the consequences of such actions are great and its ultimately not worth walking on thin ice. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest crueltimes Posted July 5, 2004 Report Share Posted July 5, 2004 Thanks very much for all the advice, I really appreciate it. I'm just hoping for the best with the meetings with the instructor/dean. This might sound wierd, but this is one of the best things that has happened to me. It has been a big wake-up call, though it's unfortunate it had to take this form. I am 150% more dedicated to becoming a doctor now. If anyone is thinking of doing anything like this, or is already doing it.. DON'T. I have been to the edge, and it's not worth it. Not only is it wrong, you're also just cheating yourself in the long run. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Kirsteen Posted July 5, 2004 Report Share Posted July 5, 2004 Hi there, Although the event is unfortunate, is the negative designation on your transcript an absolute at this point? If not, then there's hope that you might get through this learning experience without incurring the most disastrous of outcomes, i.e., a suspension or expulsion. Before your faculty meeting, think and jot down all of the circumstances surrounding your actions, what you have learned from them and how this will impact your actions in the future. By demonstrating that you have learned from this in a positive way, the faculty may be more forgiving and the outcome may subsequently be more positive. Cheers, Kirsteen Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest marbledust Posted July 6, 2004 Report Share Posted July 6, 2004 I have some experience here as I sat on the academic appeals committee at an undergrad institution for one year that dealt with all sorts of student misconduct, academic and otherwise. You aren't alone. People make mistakes, people screw up - otherwise such committees wouldn't exist. I don't know if that makes you feel any better.... Although official (and unofficial) policies vary at each institution, often if a note was attached to a student's transcript it wasn't permanent and hence academic career ending. In some cases it was stipulated the note would remain for a fixed period of time - I never saw any case where a recommendation of longer than 5 years was made, unless it was a very severe case or involved criminal prosecution. In other cases, the note could be removed if the student met certain conditions such as writing as essay, talking to other students about plagerism, volunteer work, and/or keeping out of trouble in the future. The only other point I would like to stress is that the students who confessed and were honest were almost always given a certain amount of lieniency. Those who tried to make excuses or cover their tracks were dealt with much more harshly. I don't believe that this has to end your academic career. Good luck Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest crueltimes Posted July 7, 2004 Report Share Posted July 7, 2004 Well I just had the meeting with my instructor. Now all that's left is to send a letter to the dean's office and wait for a reply. My guess is it will take a while, since it's summer, maybe even 3 or 4 weeks. In the meantime i've been advised to continue with the coursework. I'm not quite sure what to think, knowing that an F is waiting for me at the end of another 4 weeks of work :\ But the other side of me is thinking that they might let me finish the class, if the reply does come late, and just give me a zero for that one test. Here's hoping.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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