How to STILL Get Into Med School After Cheating or Academic Dishonesty | Ask Dr. Gray: Premed Q&A

How should you write about institutional actions like cheating on your med school application? What else should you do to strengthen your application and reassure med schools that they can take a chance on you?
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In this week's Ask Dr. Gray: Premed Q&A, our student has an institutional action on his record for cheating in a physics class. As a consequence, he received an academic suspension and was dismissed from his program. But he's since transferred to another institution, retook the class, and got an A. He's also been taking other steps to continue his premed journey.
Our student explains that he's changed a lot since the incident, but he's not sure how to talk about it in his medical school application. As I always explain with institutional actions, the keys are owning it, showing that you've learned and grown from it, and reassuring the medical schools that it won't be an issue going forward.
Here are some specific things we cover:
- His explanation of what happened, and my feedback.
- How surprisingly common institutional actions actually are among premeds.
- Does time fix mistakes in your past, as far as applying to medical school?
- Would taking a few years in the Peace Corps help before applying?
- Are three "clean" semesters enough after a cheating incident?
- How to get letters of recommendation after an institutional action?
- Should you call med schools and ask about your institutional action before applying?
- Some advice I recommend taking from the movie Frozen!
For more episodes of Ask Dr. Gray: Premed Q&A, check out the playlist at • Ask Dr. Gray: Premed Q&A .

[@user-uc5ib3tz3q]

Everyone reading this that is in a similar predicament, please know there’s still a chance. I looked up this guy and he just got accepted to Medical School class of 2026.

[@amandahamel5638]

I can tell he's going to make a great doctor!

[@arreyt4864]

I understand but i feel like people can change. It's better to have a doctor that has grown and share their story to others. Especially acknowledgetheir wrong decision.Cheating is not right but people do make the wrong decision. To come out of it stronger is important. Again cheating is never right but it should not stop a person from continuing their journey to medicine.

[@isabellaahearn3548]

My heart goes out to this guy❤️

[@msmeez]

Love a Frozen 2 reference, great work. It takes a lot of humility to talk about mistakes you have made, appreciate this student talking about what they did and what they have learned since. Wishing them the best of luck in their future endeavors.

[@shellyb5014]

I think the pressure of all As is too much and should be extinguished. All As does not determine a good doctor.

[@alyssakrause9260]

does anyone have any advice regarding an institutional action that was wrongly charged? meaning the student is innocent but was charged and has to disclose the incident?

[@evilleprechaun5883]

I want to be a nurse and I’m really scared because I have a chance of getting a mark for academic dishonesty. This year with covid has been tough. And it was too late to drop out of the class for the semester. In November, I gave up and bought chegg to help me with my chem assignments and quizzes. I always was awful in math. Apparently, teachers can access who has used Chegg. I haven’t gotten a notification about it (yet) but now I feel like my chances are OVER.

[@atalehsan6120]

Can we get an update? Did they contact you?

[@dramsnndbr3169]

Did the exact same thing and now I’m caught and have an academic integrity hearing. I really fucked up😔 regret ever using that website

[@musicalrice7422]

I also regret using Chegg. But, let me be honest, my whole class who is majority pre-med has used it ever since COVID-19 hit.

[@musicalrice7422]

@@dramsnndbr3169 Did you get caught for something recent or something old?

[@thefenerbahcesk4156]

​@@musicalrice7422 Exactly. When I was taking Chemistry as a freshman, most of my classmates would get 100s on the homework whereas I would always get Bs. I'm almost certain they were using chegg because whenever I googled the homework questions, the answers were right there on chegg.

[@saiemamarium6749]

can we have an update this?

[@jensmalzer6344]

@Hayes Otis stfu

[@jensmalzer6344]

@Hayes Otis I tried that website and now I got chlamydia :/

[@jayrollo1352]

We are at a point where coming from jail is a plus on an application as it shows diversity, and even one academic dishonesty violation is an app killer. Lol med schools need to get their heads out of the gutter and start vetting for good doctors. Not trying to make a public or political statement. But I get it, they need to make money. Med school is a monopoly.

[@tybera1114]

People make mistakes, all the time. The job of a doctor is to help people no matter who they are or what mistakes they have made that put them in their current situation. Having people who came from bad situations and made mistakes thus being able to really empathize with patients is extremely important. Being a doctor is about serving and elevating others when and where you can, not sitting in an ivory tower looking down on society. Having those kinds of biases and attitudes has been proven to lead to medical errors, under treating certain patient populations, and the current abysmal healthcare inequalities that plague America. This is why there is a new approach that works. In any case good luck on your first Clinic, ER, and Trauma rotations sir, you will see it for yourself, I guarantee it.

[@jayrollo1352]

@@tybera1114 Gona have to agree with you there. Med schools only like to cherry pick situations that make them look good. But people can overcome obstacles in many ways. You don't have to be a minority or a specific gender to have been through hardship. Again, it's all about political statements. Where were these med schools before same sex marriage was legalized???? Exactly. They only parade their "diversity" flags now because it's acceptable or "woke". They didn't step up back then, but now they act like they single handedly lead the revolution to end racist and injustice.

[@tybera1114]

@@jayrollo1352 I don't know about that. I think it just followed the science and studies and those studies just came at a time when being "woke" was a thing. I think if the studies showed things the other way around we would be having a different discussion. It just stands to reason currently that diverse experiences make for more patient, understanding, and attentive doctors.

[@deandrebrown4521]

I thought if you’re a felon you can’t apply?

[@jayrollo1352]

@@deandrebrown4521 They ask you to disclose it. But these days it fills in that "diversity" quota if you have a good enough sob story to back it up.

[@israeliana]

Man I've missed your content

[@fairytayls1377]

I know it’s a stretch... but can I argue having frequent doctor visits for personal reasons as clinical experience?? Long story short, on average I have had 12-14 doctor visits per year for the past 5 years due to surgeries, hospitalization/treatments, check-ups, etc (I have physicians for 7 different specialties due to a condition I was born with). I have a solid argument in mind as to what I learned and gained from each one! I also have really good stats, non-clinical volunteer hours, research, rec letters (including one from one of these physicians), and have a good story and strong reason for wanting to be a physician even aside from my own condition. I know I can tie everything in my application together well and make it convey something, but will this be enough without true clinical hours (since starting college, I got a nice amount of both shadowing and clinical volunteer hours in high school)??? I even have proof that my clinical position was set up back in March and then cancelled due to COVID!

[@lemonade432]

I think that this could be a great thing to include in your personal statement, but I don't think that would count as the clinical experience that schools are specifically looking for.

[@jenjencurls]

Is a job as a behavioral health technician working in a eating disorders treatment facility considered clinical experience?

[@mikell.6064]

If you interact with the patient directly then yes.

[@jenjencurls]

@@mikell.6064 thank you 🙏🏻

[@mikell.6064]

@@jenjencurls np!

[@t-alimichael3363]

cheated becus too smart. Over achiever syndrome.