Edited

[Dreamerpa123]

**EDITED**

[hustleforthePAC]

Your stats are good, apply to over 12 schools to increase your chances of acceptance and keep doing what you're doing

[Wellness]

Well, first know that you will have to talk about this in your interview regardless if you get it expunged. You still have an F, which will most likely be brought up, and I would suggest being honest about it. I don't blame you for cheating, and I believe that many people right here on this forum have had plenty of temptations to cheat. It's crossed my mind multiple times, but I never did it. Desperation, high stress, lack of sleep... These can all make someone make horrible decisions, but right now this should be an opportunity to do some soul searching. You are about to enter a profession that is full desperation, stress, and lack of sleep. Will you be able to make accurate medical decisions under these circumstances? 

 

Your stats are fine, but the GPA and HCE can be more competitive. Make sure you get into at least the 50% on the GRE. I personally don't think it's super important, just a measure to make sure the school you are at isn't super easy on its students. You need to make the AdComm know you learned from your mistake and are better for it. How can you do that? What can prove that to them?

 

Disclaimer: I don't start PA school for 4 months.

[UGoLong]

Thank you for being so forthright in your explanation. I do blame you for cheating.

 

You will be stressed in practice -- let alone in a PA program -- so you are going to have to face up to it. I wouldn't try to excuse it with stories of abuse, depression, not having enough sleep, whatever. It makes it sound like you might do it again if stressed.

 

You will be stressed again.

 

Rather than hope this gets expunged, you may need to do something more proactive. Maybe admit your problem and deliver lectures on academic honesty or some such thing. Something that the dean who gave you the punishment would be impressed enough by that he might even write you a letter.

 

You may be able to overcome this and become a PA but it's going to require integrity. PAs prescribe for Schedule II drugs. Show that you can do that with integrity as well.

 

Good luck!

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

[Dreamerpa123]

2 hours ago, Wellness said:

Well, first know that you will have to talk about this in your interview regardless if you get it expunged. You still have an F, which will most likely be brought up, and I would suggest being honest about it. I don't blame you for cheating, and I believe that many people right here on this forum have had plenty of temptations to cheat. It's crossed my mind multiple times, but I never did it. Desperation, high stress, lack of sleep... These can all make someone make horrible decisions, but right now this should be an opportunity to do some soul searching. You are about to enter a profession that is full desperation, stress, and lack of sleep. Will you be able to make accurate medical decisions under these circumstances? 

 

Your stats are fine, but the GPA and HCE can be more competitive. Make sure you get into at least the 50% on the GRE. I personally don't think it's super important, just a measure to make sure the school you are at isn't super easy on its students. You need to make the AdComm know you learned from your mistake and are better for it. How can you do that? What can prove that to them?

 

Disclaimer: I don't start PA school for 4 months.

Thank you for your reply. I know that PA is a lot of stress, and I'm ready for that. My biggest issue is my family, they put me through a lot of abuse which is not normal, after ignoring my family most of the time, and hopefully moving out, that factor will be gone. I'm not afraid of stress from school, or lack of sleep (I didn't say lack of sleep or school was what made me cheat, it was sickness and being kicked out of my house). I was never going to lie about it either, I was going to tell them about it upfront regardless of whether or not it gets expunged.

I can handle the academic rigor, I was able to get a decent GPA regardless of all the hell my family put me through.

See, that's my question, what can I do to prove that to them? I don't know what I can do besides move out, which is what I plan on doing, and being self-sufficient and making good post-bac grades, and a good GRE score. My depression is because my family has never supported me, once I make enough to leave, then I know it's going to get a lot better.

I just don't know if I can take multiple gaps years, I'll already be taking two....

[Dreamerpa123]

On 8/25/2017 at 4:38 PM, UGoLong said:

Thank you for being so forthright in your explanation. I do blame you for cheating.

 

You will be stressed in practice -- let alone in a PA program -- so you are going to have to face up to it. I wouldn't try to excuse it with stories of abuse, depression, not having enough sleep, whatever. It makes it sound like you might do it again if stressed.

 

You will be stressed again.

 

Rather than hope this gets expunged, you may need to do something more proactive. Maybe admit your problem and deliver lectures on academic honesty or some such thing. Something that the dean who gave you the punishment would be impressed enough by that he might even write you a letter.

 

You may be able to overcome this and become a PA but it's going to require integrity. PAs prescribe for Schedule II drugs. Show that you can do that with integrity as well.

 

Good luck!

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

1

 

[jplmedic]

A couple things. After being in medicine for almost a decade that stress is a real thing. It makes everything harder. But if you caved under it once you might again. I would develop a strong relationship with either the dean or the professor of the class where you cheated. Getting a LOR from them stating that you are better from the experience is a good start.

In whatever venue you choose (personal statement, interview) be brutally honest about the whole thing. Why you did it, what you hoped to gain, and most importantly how ALL those factors have changed to make it impossible to happen again. Developer and speak to your support system and new found passion for honesty.

I think teaching a class is a good idea, maybe only a few lectures. Not a 10 min presentation. Something that shows schools that you are changed.

In general your stats are good. I would look for more HCE as you will need to be strong on all areas.

Honesty, honesty, honesty.




Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

[Dreamerpa123]

15 minutes ago, jplmedic said:

A couple things. After being in medicine for almost a decade that stress is a real thing. It makes everything harder. But if you caved under it once you might again. I would develop a strong relationship with either the dean or the professor of the class where you cheated. Getting a LOR from them stating that you are better from the experience is a good start.

In whatever venue you choose (personal statement, interview) be brutally honest about the whole thing. Why you did it, what you hoped to gain, and most importantly how ALL those factors have changed to make it impossible to happen again. Developer and speak to your support system and new found passion for honesty.

I think teaching a class is a good idea, maybe only a few lectures. Not a 10 min presentation. Something that shows schools that you are changed.

In general your stats are good. I would look for more HCE as you will need to be strong on all areas.

Honesty, honesty, honesty.




Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

Thank you for your reply, and I understand. Unfortunately, the professor left my university, but I will try contacting him at his new workplace, and the DOS to see if there is any advice they can give me. 

I will definitely be honest no matter what I do, though I'm wary of talking about this in my PS, wouldn't it be too derailing?

[19506]

7 hours ago, ikraa said:

I have been battling my depression for years, only for it to get even worse by the idea of being stuck doing research for the rest of my life. During the time I decided to cheat on my exam, I had been couch surfing at my aunt's house, was sick with bronchitis, was dealing with a lot of emotional and physical abuse from my mom, was on new antidepressant medication, lost my job and had gotten into a car accident. A lot of stressors led me to compromise my moral integrity, and I had never attempted anything like this before.  

So last semester, in my final undergrad semester, I was caught cheating on my final exam by collaborating with two other students who had cheated on prior tests. They recruited me into their little gig and I got tempted because I was so sick and disillusioned, and desperate for an A in the class, so I agreed. 

 

 

First off let me start by saying I hate cheaters.  It sounds like you are making a lot of excuses.  You need to know that there are people that are much worse off than you that don't have to rely on cheating.  From what you wrote it honestly doesn't sound like you want to take responsibility for what you did.  There are people here that have worked extremely hard to get where they are honestly so to even ask this is insulting.  If you thought undergrad was hard, PA school will be harder!  Sorry to be so harsh but I think you need a reality check.  

[Dreamerpa123]

Just now, 19506 said:

First off let me start by saying I hate cheaters.  It sounds like you are making a lot of excuses.  You need to know that there are people that are much worse off than you that don't have to rely on cheating.  From what you wrote it honestly doesn't sound like you want to take responsibility for what you did.  There are people here that have worked extremely hard to get where they are honestly so to even ask this is insulting.  If you thought undergrad was hard, PA school will be harder!  Sorry to be so harsh but I think you need a reality check.  

I understand. I know PA school will be very hard. I'm glad you hate cheaters, because so do I, and I have no intention of ever doing anything like this again. I have learned my lesson.

I have worked incredibly hard too, but unfortunately, I can't really prove that to you or anyone on the internet. I know I shouldn't have relied on cheating, it was incredibly stupid and wrong. I am taking responsibility by assessing what my next steps are. I can't keep wallowing in my misery. I want to work hard, but I'm unsure of my next steps beside what I already said I'm doing.

[boli]

My 0.02 is to forget about professional school and all that stuff for the time being and to work on creating a more positive and stable environment around yourself. Without addressing your support system (or lack thereof) you're setting up a similar circumstance to occur in the future. Full disclosure- I don't know that I believe you will get in, or should...but that's not my call. I do know that PA programs take this very negatively as it's a reflection of your character. As many people have mentioned, this will not be the only time you are stressed in your life. Good luck, I hope you grow from this and get into a better environment that's more conducive to fostering your development.  

[Dreamerpa123]

1 minute ago, boli said:

My 0.02 is to forget about professional school and all that stuff for the time being and to work on creating a more positive and stable environment around yourself. Without addressing your support system (or lack thereof) you're setting up a similar circumstance to occur in the future. Full disclosure- I don't know that I believe you will get in, or should...but that's not my call. I do know that PA programs take this very negatively as it's a reflection of your character. As many people have mentioned, this will not be the only time you are stressed in your life. Good luck, I hope you grow from this and get into a better environment that's more conducive to fostering your development.  

Thank you for your reply. I mentioned in my long text that I am working on moving out from my home, but it will take me a few months. So, I will be addressing my lack of support system. And if I do get into PA school, I would not be living at home anyway.

Thank you, I do hope to grow from this as well.

[Endeavor]

Idk all the details, but you cheated and messed up and it's great you can admit to it. The penalty was harsh but the rules are rules. First, get your life stable. I've heard multiple times (not exaggerating) from PA students that they literally cried them to sleep some days in PA school due to the high levels of stress. Secondly, go ahead pursue a master's degree in something relevant that can not only help your GPA but maybe can land you a job such as a masters in social work or even try an accelerated BSN degree. Third, it's hard to convince the adcom that you learned your mistake just by telling them, SHOW them. Show them that you're now lecturing/mentoring high school students for example. It's gonna take some genuine leadership/community involvement on top of pursuing a masters and accumulating PCE.

Like I mentioned it was a hard punishment, but that's life. Don't let it hold you back. Make it fuel for your fire, live and learn. Keep your head up and stay positive. DO NOT make the same mistake again. 

Best of luck!

[MT2PA]

You have two separate issues here:  the cheating, and how to improve your app.  Retaking courses or doing a master's program will not compensate for your academic dishonesty record.  Even if you had a 4.0 and 30,000 hrs of top level PCE you'd still have to face the academic dishonesty and you would STILL have a hard time selling yourself.

I think, in addition to improving your statistics, you need to find a way to improve your nonacademic/employment aspects of your app.  I don't have any concrete suggestions for that; that's for you to figure out.  Just keep in mind that there is not a 1 for 1 substitution when applying to programs; things like academic dishonesty can easily eliminate your chances regardless of the rest of your app.

 

[MilitarytoPA]

First, want to say I'm not a PA or PA student *unless my wife get her wishes*, though my wife is starting her 2nd year of schooling thru MEDEX. It's good you realize the mistake of cheating. I will say I've been thru a lot, military deployment, family issues etc and my wife hasn't been thru as much stressors. She was in school while we stayed in our home town and if you can't handle the stress of undergrad, PA school will break you. I'm not going to sugar coat it, I haven't experienced it first hand but my wife was at her breaking point at times. Little sleep, constant studying missing family etc. If you fail several tests you are recycled.  In fact a few students were recycled for failing tests and you have to start all over and pay all the fees again. If you have time, I would look at the few schools that still offer a BS. One of those is MEDEX, Anchorage and Tacoma still offer these for one more year. Same program but Masters take one additional class in the summer. 

You have a good background *per my wife* and you need to be stress free and need a good support system. I supported my wife and not telling her about all the things that happened to myself and our daughters since I wanted her to focus on school. She would spend hours and hours studying, to include weekends etc and if you have the pressure of your parents, that will only make things worse. 

[Wellness]

On 8/25/2017 at 10:12 PM, 19506 said:

First off let me start by saying I hate cheaters.  It sounds like you are making a lot of excuses.  You need to know that there are people that are much worse off than you that don't have to rely on cheating.  From what you wrote it honestly doesn't sound like you want to take responsibility for what you did.  There are people here that have worked extremely hard to get where they are honestly so to even ask this is insulting.  If you thought undergrad was hard, PA school will be harder!  Sorry to be so harsh but I think you need a reality check.  

You created an account just to make a harsh, unproductive post. Congrats. 

 

Ikraa, I hope you find more stability in your personal life. I know living in an abusive home makes everything difficult and your life is hard right now. The first step is identifying the problem; now you have to figure out how to fix it. That's plenty easier said than done, but it is in your hands and you do have the power to change things. I wish you luck with everything.

[8404PA]

Just wanted to let you know that I'm almost done with Didactic and I got into PA school with a 5 credit hour F on my transcript. Long story but I was set up for failure by my undergrad advisor.