So I was surprised to see somewhere on the 2011 application for us to mention any misdemeanors we have been convicted of. I was only expecting for amcas to ask about felonies, which thank goodness I have none of. However I have 4 misdemeanors from a 2 year perios and I am freaking scared that this will really hurt my chances.
When I was 19-21 yrs old, I was an idiot. I got drunk, and got in a few fights, and kicked a door. Had to go to some rehabilitation classes, which I missed a few times that led to another silly charge.
All in all I have 2 disorderly conducts, 1 destruciton of property, and 1 LOP (missing class) violations. I have strong GPA, decent MCAT, good PS, strong LOR’s and solid extracurriculurs.
This was over 13 years ago and I have not had any problems since. I stopped drinking alltogether many years ago, paid all my taxes, and been a good boy. Can anyone advise me on how this is going to affect me? I have worked so dang hard to get here, and I am freaking out.
Rule 1: Take a Breath
this going to be a good news, bad news, good news, bad news
Two different questions you need to be aware.
First, the good news acceptance to medical school should not consider any past criminal behavior as implied by AAMC background check, which is not released to schools until “point of acceptance” and implied by federal and state education laws as a possible disability discrimination. Example for this is alcoholism and drug addiction which are considered a disease. So if you get drunk, get into a fight, get arrested,this can be considered to the disability of alcoholism as a disease.
Second, now the bad news matriculation after being accepted can be denied based upon past criminal behavior. The presumed rational for this appears is two fold. First, hospitals that provide clinical rotations can claim possible patient safety issues and subsequent liability. Second is the probability of someone with a criminal record getting a license to practice after medical school.
Now the good news, most states have a provision for licensing those with past criminal behavior. For example, in New York, you cannot be denied solely on the basis of a past criminal conviction. You are entitled to a “good character” review and hearing. A few states, again New York being one, specifically prohibit any job discrimination based upon criminal record. This would imply that hospitals that provide clinical rotations.
Now the bad news, the reality would be quite difficult. I am not sure how much an adcom would know of a criminal past while reviewing an application. It would appear they should have no information until after you are accepted, but who knows. Assuming you get matriculated hospitals would be loath to have any risk and would likely require be specially supervised, which is a big flag, and will get around the faculty quickly, and subsequently greatly affect LOR, getting residency, getting a position, etc.
Even after all anyone can say is you will not have a final answer unless you try.
- gonnif Said:
Yes but s/he will have to divulge all past misdemeanors on the secondaries and often first tier screeners/adcoms will use that information to disqualify an applicant.
True, doing so is in violation of AMCAS/state guidelines, however, when a school receives 7000 applications for 150 spots, the preponderance of the decision making process is on disqualifying the applicant to move on to the next application rather than poring over minutiae of the applicant to find redeeming factors.
I am certainly not saying that the OP doesn't stand a chance, just that s/he will have to be forthright and do a good job of explaining their youthful indiscretions in the secondaries to avoid that initial applicant pruning.
- Dazed Said:
- gonnif Said:
Yes but s/he will have to divulge all past misdemeanors on the secondaries and often first tier screeners/adcoms will use that information to disqualify an applicant.
True, doing so is in violation of AMCAS/state guidelines, however, when a school receives 7000 applications for 150 spots, the preponderance of the decision making process is on disqualifying the applicant to move on to the next application rather than poring over minutiae of the applicant to find redeeming factors.
I am certainly not saying that the OP doesn't stand a chance, just that s/he will have to be forthright and do a good job of explaining their youthful indiscretions in the secondaries to avoid that initial applicant pruning.
I concur completely on that. The realities are against it in so many ways.
The only mindset to truly approach this with is one of acceptance that chances are statistically near zero. In that sense, an applicant who is willing to approach premed with having nothing to lose, who is willing to work hard for solely personal satisfaction of mastering material, courses, and MCAT, with the zen ideal of expectation and anticipation of nothing, then one could start this journey. If someone is not willing take that philosophy, then it would be folly to attempt.
You may want to check to see if these are charges for which you may move for an expunction. A guy in my pre-med club was telling me about his past, which let’s just say was “troubled.” He told me that he hired a lawyer who moved to expunge and it was granted. My understanding is that once an expunction is granted, then it’s as if the misdemeanor never happened, so you don’t have to report it on job/school applications. It’s like having the record sealed. (He said the process was expensive.)
Maybe someone with law experience can verify?
I don’t understand. Isn’t a traffic ticket a misdemeanor? Jaywalking? Do you really have to report those?
- spoxjox Said:
Those are petty misdemeanors. Those do not get reported. A misdemeanor is more serious than those.
I believe that generally you can only have one expungement on your record, being that there is multiple offenses you probably want to check your particular state guidelines. Also it depends on how the question is phrased. For instance if it says “list any and all convictions” then if you have something that is adjudication withheld you weren’t actually convicted and therefor do not have to list that, but if the question says “list any arrests” then you are obligated to divulge that information.
Honestly after working in the legal field, I think it’s best to disclose anything that you are unsure of and have a good explanation. I see people get admitted to the Bar all of the time that have far worse criminal records than that.
- Dazed Said:
- spoxjox Said:
Those are petty misdemeanors. Those do not get reported. A misdemeanor is more serious than those.
Jaywalking, traffic tickets, etc are in a category known as "violations" and are not classified as criminal behavior.
Crimes are generally classified as infractions, misdemeanors, which are more serious, and lastly, felonies. Often these can overlap depending on severity, situations, etc.
If you review page 32 of the AMCAS Instruction book
http://www.aamc.org/students/amcas/2011am casinstru…
it is very clear about misdemeanors and felonies. They must be reported.
Cheers,
Judy
To chime in and add my own experience here - I have a DUI (a misdemeanor) from 8 years ago which may have kept me out of some schools, but so could have several things on my application, including my age. However, I did get into a well regarded DO program. I put it on both AMCAS and AACOMAS and used the explanation space to tell my story as well as relay to the schools as best I could how this was a stupid, one-time mistake. I did the same on each secondary where it was required. Your series of bad behavior may require you mention it in your personal statement but I wouldn’t let it stop you from trying.
Thanks for your reply. I have also spoke with other people who have gotten in with misdemeanors and other silly indiscretions. I appreciate you for posting and your positivity. I intend on applying, and giving it everything I have. I will not let some silly mistakes from when I was an immature 20 year old cancel my dream.