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Hi, I was wondering about getting into medical school if you have a blemish on your record - I've always had a high GPA (3.8-3.9), do lots of activities, etc. The thing is, I made a huge mistake freshman year of college, cheated on a test, and got caught and put on probation. I'd never done anything like it before or since. What will this do to my chances of getting into medical school? Thanks.
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Having a blemish on your academic record of course isn't going to enhance your candidacy. But a mistake you've made does not necessarily have to mean that you will not be able to become a physician. The question is whether you can demonstrate that you have learned from your mistakes, realized the graveness of what you have done and that the admissions committee trust you not to do anything like it in medical school.
This may sound like quite a challenge and it probably is. Yet, doctors who serve on admissions committees as few other people, aside maybe from priests, understand human frailty and do not tend to discount individuals solely on the basis of one or two mistakes that have been made in a lifetime.
I cannot speak with any degree of certainty. Many medical schools will ask you whether you have engaged in academic dishonesty--which is cheating, and you will need to give a good explanation. Your particular situation may also depend on whether the premedical committee at your school that will write your recommendation trusts you and can put a word for you. If they write a good letter despite the notation on your transcript, I think it may help you a lot.
In short, I do not think that you will be necessarily prevented from getting into medical school, but trust and responsibility are important factors in practice of medicine and you will need to show that you have transcended you mistakes.
Hope this helps a bit,
Alex
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© Alex Shteynshlyuger 1999