"Yes" or "No" to CASPA's Academic Infraction Question?

[futurePA001]

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[cop to pa]

Yes. The question is "have you ever", not "do your records show". This is an integrity question.

[MT2PA]

^^ Yep.  Lie here and if a program finds out about it later - you could easily be dismissed.  You didn't learn enough from your mistake if you think hiding it is an acceptable option.

[GreyhoundGirl]

Hmm... did they remove it from your transcript because they thought the initial grade was wrong? If so, I would say you don't have to report it. It would be like getting a B and petitioning to have a question thrown out to get you up to an A. In that case I would just put A on my transcript. However, if they only removed it because you asked... then I would put it. Is there a place for you to describe what happened?

[HoundsfieldHero]

Since you petitioned the infraction and it was successfully removed from your transcript I would think that there isn't any need to report it since nothing is reflected on your transcript except for the grade. Technically, you have not been disciplined. It would be like reporting that you have been arrested for and convicted of a felony even though the charges were dropped in court.  I'm all for being honest, but this doesn't seem to be an issue of integrity. If there is anything anywhere in your transcript that mentions the charge, then you should report it. Is anyone else having these thoughts?

[fflores98]

I think it has everything to do with integrity. If you go ahead and not report it, IMO you are deceiving the ADCOM. What would happen if they are interested in your application, look past the F, and bring you in for an interview and during the interview they ask what was the reason for you receiving an F in a history class but better grades in challenging science courses?

 

Are you going to answer truthfully? If so then you will have another problem in your hands for lying and wont be considered anymore. I think it's better to disclose anything that can potentially unravel in the future to avoid it. This isn't a case where it's better to ask for forgiveness than permission but to be truthful while you have the chance.

[HoundsfieldHero]

I think it has everything to do with integrity. If you go ahead and not report it, IMO you are deceiving the ADCOM. What would happen if they are interested in your application, look past the F, and bring you in for an interview and during the interview they ask what was the reason for you receiving an F in a history class but better grades in challenging science courses?

 

Are you going to answer truthfully? If so then you will have another problem in your hands for lying and wont be considered anymore. I think it's better to disclose anything that can potentially unravel in the future to avoid it. This isn't a case where it's better to ask for forgiveness than permission but to be truthful while you have the chance.

The OP is going to have to explain the F regardless of the circumstances. If the F is related to the situation described above, then that would warrant a full explanation. I was simply interpreting what was asked by the question in CASPA. As it stands, the OP has not been "charged" with academic dishonesty.

[fflores98]

OP's original question was not if they were charged. The original question is "Have you ever been disciplined by any college, university, or professional school for: (1) unacceptable academic performance (academic probation, suspension, dismissal, etc.) or (2) conduct violations?" and if you should list in on CASPA.

 

If the school gave OP a grade of XF for academic dishonesty that is being disciplined. Regardless if you went ahead and appealed it and have it removed, you were still disciplined. OP states that they received the XF for missing an in-text citation which, regardless if they forgot, the school wanted to make an example of that person, or purposely did it, it's plagiarism.

 

Luckily it was successfully appealed and now appears as an F but that does not mean that you were not disciplined.

 

As Cop to PA mentioned the question asked "have you ever" not "does your records show".

[HoundsfieldHero]

OP's original question was not if they were charged. The original question is "Have you ever been disciplined by any college, university, or professional school for: (1) unacceptable academic performance (academic probation, suspension, dismissal, etc.) or (2) conduct violations?" and if you should list in on CASPA.

 

If the school gave OP a grade of XF for academic dishonesty that is being disciplined. Regardless if you went ahead and appealed it and have it removed, you were still disciplined. OP states that they received the XF for missing an in-text citation which, regardless if they forgot, the school wanted to make an example of that person, or purposely did it, it's plagiarism.

 

Luckily it was successfully appealed and now appears as an F but that does not mean that you were not disciplined.

 

As Cop to PA mentioned the question asked "have you ever" not "does your records show".

Have you ever been convicted of a felony? If you were not convicted, then you would answer no. You wouldn't check yes if you were arrested and the charges were dropped.

 

The same logic applies here. He successfully appealed the XF therefore he has not been disciplined (from the information provided). Failing a class is just failing a class.

[fflores98]

Your argument makes no sense.

 

If you want to compare this to a "felony" look at this way. The "felony" in question is plagiarism.

 

OP was "charged" of academic dishonesty, and the school "convicted" the OP with an XF thus meaning you are guilty. Then after being found GUILTY, OP appealed the decision and therefore is found NOT guilty of the initial "charge" but found ultimately guilty enough to still give a harsh punishment (F). If OP had successfully appealed the punishment to the grade prior receiving the XF, I would agree with you Houndsfield.

 

OP stated originally that receiving the XF was due to missing in text citations (plagiarism) not due to struggling with the class. 

[lanime]

I can definitely see both sides to this... and it may end up being just a personal "battle" of your own moral and ethical compass, rather than a hard and fast yes or no on this one.  My thoughts are that this one could get you in a bit of trouble in that it sounds like the reason you received an "F" was because of the academic dishonesty.  So, even though the "XF" was removed, you still have an "F" based on this situation - so it didn't really go away and your academic dishonesty is still reflected on your transcript.  If it had totally been forgiven and wasn't an issue, I would expect your grade would have been changed as well.  In the end, it will really be up to you to interpret the situation correctly since you were there and know all the details.  If you do feel that you should report it, just make sure to explain it somewhere (if there is space provided or in your PS) and show that you learned from it... Life is full of lessons and adcoms know that!  Good luck to you and I hope you feel good about whatever decision you make!

[futurePA001]

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[newton9686]

Yeah, I was back and forth on this one, but after reading the OP's last comment I am leaning more towards deceiving. You are using poor academic performance as cover up for a plagiarism charge that was only semi dropped (seemingly out of sympathy).

[fishbum]

"Have you ever been disciplined....?"

 

Yes, you have been disciplined. 

 

I don't understand the confusion here. 

[AliB]

^^^  exactly.  You made a mistake.  Own it.  Demonstrate your maturity and responsibility.  It doesn't matter if it shows up on your transcript.  There's a record somewhere.  Or someone knows someone who knows.  You don't have to wear a scarlet letter, but trying to hide it or pass it off as poor academic performance is wrong on so many levels.  To be blunt, I don't want a colleague with that lack of integrity.  

[PM_UR_PTs]

^^^  exactly.  You made a mistake.  Own it.  Demonstrate your maturity and responsibility.  It doesn't matter if it shows up on your transcript.  There's a record somewhere.  Or someone knows someone who knows.  You don't have to wear a scarlet letter, but trying to hide it or pass it off as poor academic performance is wrong on so many levels.  To be blunt, I don't want a colleague with that lack of integrity.  

 

 

I'm in a situation similar to OP's and I have a question on what kind of lesson I could have learned.

 

Cliff notes: My professor caught an email that I sent out to my entire class of 70+ students trying to sell my notes I made for the class. My notes included drawings and diagrams from the textbook & google, words from the powerpoint, textbook, and wikipedia, and mnemonics I created to help memorize the material. I say this to emphasize that i did NOT include any answers to quizzes or exams in my notes. The professor called me into the dean's office and I was hit with an academic irregularity for "plagiarizing" on my internal transcript, for taking the professors words (from his power points) and paraphrasing his work in my own words without citing him in my notes. 

 

I want to be honest about this on my CASPA application for this cycle, but I'm having a hard time coming up with a meaningful lesson for me to learn from this. Could you offer some guidance on how I can address this professionally on my CASPA application?? 

[fishbum]

I want to be honest about this on my CASPA application for this cycle, but I'm having a hard time coming up with a meaningful lesson for me to learn from this. Could you offer some guidance on how I can address this professionally on my CASPA application?? 

 

I don't know where you'd explain this in your CASPA application...it's not like explaining a weak freshman GPA in a PS. Have you met any representatives at schools you're applying to? I would think that you could email them, give a brief synopsis, and ask them how they'd prefer that you proceed. That may be enough in and of itself, but I really wouldn't know what to expect. 

[PM_UR_PTs]

I don't know where you'd explain this in your CASPA application...it's not like explaining a weak freshman GPA in a PS. Have you met any representatives at schools you're applying to? I would think that you could email them, give a brief synopsis, and ask them how they'd prefer that you proceed. That may be enough in and of itself, but I really wouldn't know what to expect. 

 

 

I've met with many admissions counselors for the PA programs, but I'm deathly afraid of explaining my situation and being labeled with a kiss of death. During undergrad, I spoke to many advisors about my situation and they all agreed that my situation was "interesting", i.e. the punishment was unfit for the crime. I'm still very hesitate about bringing it up at all because i'm afraid if they see "plagiarism" they will associate me with cheating, or stealing someone else's work for to pass a class, which I feel was not what I did. 

[MT2PA]

I've met with many admissions counselors for the PA programs, but I'm deathly afraid of explaining my situation and being labeled with a kiss of death. During undergrad, I spoke to many advisors about my situation and they all agreed that my situation was "interesting", i.e. the punishment was unfit for the crime. I'm still very hesitate about bringing it up at all because i'm afraid if they see "plagiarism" they will associate me with cheating, or stealing someone else's work for to pass a class, which I feel was not what I did. 

 

The punishment (plagiarism) doesn't fit bc it was probably the only thing they could nail you with.  Nothing you can do now but accept it for what it is.

 

Think of it this way - you can either own up to it up front and find a program that looks past it or you could hide it and have a program learn about it much later and kick you out.  I think it's best to operate under the assumption that a program WILL find out about it; don't take a chance, put all the time, money, and hard work into PA school just to get dismissed.  Being dismissed from a program will REALLY halt your future compared to being upfront and laying all the cards on the table.  (Same goes for the original OP with the XF)

[fishbum]

I've met with many admissions counselors for the PA programs, but I'm deathly afraid of explaining my situation and being labeled with a kiss of death. During undergrad, I spoke to many advisors about my situation and they all agreed that my situation was "interesting", i.e. the punishment was unfit for the crime. I'm still very hesitate about bringing it up at all because i'm afraid if they see "plagiarism" they will associate me with cheating, or stealing someone else's work for to pass a class, which I feel was not what I did. 

 

I wouldn't be surprised if you did get labeled and disqualified at some programs. I also wouldn't be surprised if some programs would understand your situation, appreciate your forthright honesty, and give you a fair shot. I think this is especially likely if you are mature, contrite, and humble about it and accept responsibility. Personally, I'm a lot more impressed by a person who admits his mistakes than one who apparently hasn't made any.

 

Could you leave it out and not get caught? Maybe...or even probably. Having had the dubious experience of sometimes choosing right and sometimes wrong, I've found that whether or not I do the right thing matters far, far more than the consequences to me. But you've got to figure out those priorities for yourself.  

[AMP15]

Hello PA Forum Community,

 

In my freshmen year of undergraduate I received an XF (failure due to academic dishonesty) in a history class for missing in-text citation for one the resources I used. I petitioned to have a grade of an "XF" removed and it was granted, so now my transcript only reports "F" for that particular class. My question is, is it necessary for me to report "Yes" when asked about academic infraction below? I truly learned from my mistake and so I do not want to highlight that part of the my academic history. Any help would be appreciated.

 

"Have you ever been disciplined by any college, university, or professional school for: (1) unacceptable academic performance (academic probation, suspension, dismissal, etc.) or (2) conduct violations?"

 

Thank you so much for your advice!!

I'm going to take a wild guess and assume you're pretty young. For that reason I won't bother lecturing you on the ethical side of things because I really don't believe you can debate a solid sense of morality into someone. Hopefully that changes on its own as you gain some life experience.

 

I will, however, remind you of the consequences of what you're thinking of doing so you can at least understand the gravity of lying on an application. CASPA makes it clear that what you describe must be reported, so there is no ambiguity there. Even if you gain an acceptance, if your IA is uncovered, you will not only have your acceptance rescinded but you will also be blackballed from ever using CASPA again. The company that runs the CASPA platform also runs many other admissions portals (AACOMAS, etc), so your future in medicine would pretty much be completely over.

 

As for getting caught, I don't think you realize how weird a random F is on a transcript of otherwise good grades. It's really only seen in your situation exactly, and Adcoms absolutely know this. It'd be one thing if you failed the whole semester, which is more often seen with students who had personal/family issues, but a single F is pretty much a dead giveaway that you were probably reprimanded for plagiarism, which would prompt an inquiry your undergraduate disciplinary record. Also, while the XF may have been removed from your final grade, there is a good chance that it's noted elsewhere on the transcript. My school labels semesters in which disciplinary action is taken regardless of their nature. Also, I guarantee that your plagiarism is noted in your disciplinary records at your undergrad school, which is usually held with the Dean of students. While this record isn't *usually* sent with a transcript, one phone call would easily uncover it as I explained above.

[newton9686]

My opinion is no matter what, if you answer yes, bring it up in your personal statement. Even if it was a bogus situation, better to own it, than leave it be and let potential schools make their own conclusions, because I promise you they won't be in your favor.

[AMP15]

My opinion is no matter what, if you answer yes, bring it up in your personal statement. Even if it was a bogus situation, better to own it, than leave it be and let potential schools make their own conclusions, because I promise you they won't be in your favor.

If you select yes, you are given the chance to explain yourself in a separate box. I definitely agree with you that it should be explained.

[AliB]

Unless it was significant to your decision to pursue being a PA, I would NOT make an issue of it in a Personal Statement.  I would explain, very briefly and succinctly, in the space provided to explain - something like "Disciplined and course failure for missing in-text citation for one of the resources I used.".  No excuses.  You did it.  You understand you did it.  You understand what you did.  You will not do it again.  

 

You may be asked about it in an interview.  You may not.  It probably depends on the rest of your application.  If you are asked, again, own it, without excuses or shifting blame.  That would likely be the end of it, especially if you repeated the course successfully and your transcript reflects it (which is also why you should expect the question - an atypical F and then successful completion of the same course? some program would very likely inquire about the reasons).

[newton9686]

As someone who's been through the process with a checked yes box I can tell you how much it impacts your application. I had schools extremely interested in me until they heard about my history. It resulted in be being denied from 11 schools without interview even though my stats were more than competitive. It wasn't until I met with admissions, explained my situation in person and wrote an additional statement before I was offered an interview. Then during my interview it became the main talking point. I'm not saying this will be everyone's experience. You may think your experience wasn't that worth talking about. You may think I must of done something so outrageous to have such an experience, but it really wasn't, not on the level of plagiarism IMO. So if I were you I would emphasis how it changed you in my PS. If anything talk about how it humbled you and really showed you what is important. Because God know it does. Just someone's two cents who's been there.