Telling the whole truth

[GOOPHUS]

First posting here, so here's a question that has been bothering me for quite some time now. If a student returns to school and earns a second undergraduate degree (over 90 semester hours) at a different college, in a different state than their original undergraduate tour of duty, could the students prior, unsubmitted dismal academic record surface to the attention of medical school ADCOMS?

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[moo]

If you didn't transfer any credits to your new college it's unlikely to surface BUT not impossible. (If you've applied to medical school before, they still may have records of your old achievements) If they catch you, kiss your chances of ever being accepted to medical school good bye. Thus I wouldn't risk it if I were you. I took ONE course at a college on the other side of the country and even I am including that one course in all of my application materials. Do NOT try to fake them. It's not worth it.

 

[lilycat]

moo gave you excellent advice -- there is a good chance the information wouldn't surface, but I wouldn't want to run that risk -- it just doesn't seem worth it.

 

[ewells]

Goofus, I am in the same boat. After 85 credits when I was younger, I had a 2.9. After a few years off, I decided to start over and have taken about 100 credits in a new major with a much better GPA. I think you should send in all your transcripts and try to choose schools that look at trends in your academic performance. I do not know if that is what you wanted to hear, but now you know you are not alone. Let me know how you are doing, either on this thread by email.

 

[dtreese]

Adcoms can respect someone who has overcome their past. DO NOT try to hide it, because they will crawl inside your life & pull it out anyway. Think IRS audit.

 

[Mikado]

I don't think it could surface. What you have done is a somewhat unusual and interesting thing, however if you don't want to make a feature of it, no one will ever know. Med schools are not the CIA.

 

[Stephen Ewen]

This reminds me some of the principles gotten at in Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter.

Sure, you can maybe get away with it...if you want to feel like a guilty fake for the rest of your life.

This is probably bothering you for good reason.

Bottom line: There is nothing so important as to sacrifice your integrity.

Instead, on your applications, show everything you have ever done academically. On your essay, explain your past situation, and what you have learned from it. This, of course, goes along with a stellar showing on your second major. Your showing a new history in overcoming past blunders is a truly valuable commodity indeed.