Brother was expelled from Dental School, any chance of Grad School now?

Graduate School
1

<p>Hi everyone, my family is pretty devastated and we are trying to pick up the pieces. My brother was expelled from Dental School last year after attending for 2 years. Now he has $80k in debt and nothing really to show for it. I'll give you some background on how this all came about. But my ultimate question is does he have any chance of getting back into Grad School? He still wants to be a dentist or a doctor but he was also thinking about getting his masters in public health. Is it worth it even trying to get into any school in the US?</p>

<p>Background:
My brother was accepted into a 7 year dental program (3 years undergrad + 4 years grad) out of high school. During college he struggle for a while and barely maintained the GPA required for the program. He was diagnosed in the second year of college with ADD, which explained why he was having trouble focusing. After he began taking medication he turned things around was able to get a very good score on his DAT exam and began Dental School in his fourth year with now issue.</p>

<p>He graduated undergrad approx. 3.5 GPA with a bachelors in biology. But as soon as he started Dental School he was not doing as well as he had hoped. The classes were difficult and he failed Gross Anatomy. I'm not making excuses for him but there was a lot things going on in our personal lives which contributed to his troubles (my grandfather passed away after a battle with cancer). Also he was the youngest person in his class, not even 21 yet and most people at Dental School were at least 24-26. He was put on academic probation and was barely getting by but managed to pass Gross Anatomy on his second try.</p>

<p>This is where he ran into some trouble and was ultimately expelled. Long story short, he took 4 online quizzes from his apartment instead of the classroom because he woke up late and couldn't make it into class on time. These quizzes were 5 questions each and worth less than 1% of his grade. He actually failed 3 of these quizzes (meaning he didn't even cheat or have his notes/textbook next to him). My brother thought, getting any score would be better than a 0 to bring up his grades, hence why he took the quizzes. His professor figured out what he had done and brought him up on academic dishonesty charges. My brother didn't tell my parents or me and just pleaded guilty to the charge and the professor pushed for the biggest penalty, expulsion. Normally it would just be suspension or retaking the class but since he pleaded guilty and was already on probation then expelled him. Although my brother appealed through the university, nothing came of that process.</p>

<p>After he left school, he still wanted to be a dentist, he started working as a dental assistant and enjoyed it. He decided that he wanted to do more than that so he finally came clean to us and we are trying to figure out if there are any options left to him.</p>

<p>Any advice would be very helpful. Anyone who has gone through a similar experience. I have tried looking on Google but haven't found anything similar to his situation. Does he have any chance at all if he applies to a grad program?</p>

<p>Thanks in advance for your thoughts.</p>

2

<p>I understand where the professor is coming from. Cheating is cheating no matter what the form and there is no excuse for it. </p>

<p>I recently read a post about a 4.0 student who got caught cheating. He plagiarized something and got caught and most people said he had no chance of grad school. It is a slightly different situation but I thought the two were comparable. That being said, I think your brother certainly has a better shot at grad school than that person. </p>

<p>Unfortunately, I still can’t say whether he has any chance of getting into a grad program with any certainty. Even if he was the top student by a mile, getting caught cheating, even on something that seems trivial, will always bring into question the legitimacy of his work. </p>

<p>My only advice is to apply somewhere else, try and explain the whole situation, and hope for the best. Best of luck to your brother.</p>

3

<p>Has your brother attempted readmission to the school he was expelled from? That should be his first step. Some schools will allow readmission under certain circumstances if you have spent a specified amount of time away - usually a year.</p>

<p>Then he could try to apply selectively to a few dental schools, and explain what happened and that he learned from the experience.</p>

4

<p>Wow, that is so tough. It’s a good sign that he’s come clean - first, to his professor and the school, and now to his family. You said your brother is working as a dental assistant. Has he looked into getting certifications? That could be a good starting point (as well as a very reasonable salary) that would demonstrate his commitment. Plus he will probably not be intimidated by the exams, given what he’s already gone through. (More info on dental assistant exams: [4</a> Certifications for Dental Assistants](<a href=“http://www.jobs.net/Article/CB-115-Talent-Network-Healthcare-4-Certifications-for-Dental-Assistants/]4”>4 Certifications for Dental Assistants)) </p>

<p>Remember: No matter how bad things look right now, they can get better. There is hope.</p>