criminal record (class A assault and battery) medical school/medical license chances?

[dr.Doolittle_135]

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[allantois]

Considering that it was so recent, it is very bad for your application.

 

[slopes23]

Your struggle is real, and I feel for you. Perhaps others with more experience can give you more wisdom but from my modest perspective I would temper my expectations on making it into any medical school. That's a tough record to get past, and while the story is understandable and acceptable for most normal life things there are a few things in your explanation that don't help. Mainly, the fact that you chose violence during a time of stress (stress = medicine) and that you were thinking about cheating (even if you didn't do it). Combine that with average to slightly-below average stats for urm and an unknown MCAT, I just personally wouldn't count on it. If it's not too late, try and set up a good back up plan (not to say switch all together) if you are really that adamant about finding out for yourself.

I know life is tough, and there are certainly viable reasons to do the wrong thing. However, unfortunately after a certain point in our lives there are (sometimes unknown) consequences to our actions despite our reasoning or situation.

I wish you nothing but the best, and I hope you are able to find something that fulfills you.

 

[greenlion]

It's bad.

But you said you were charged- not yet convicted, yes? Did the victim file the charges or did the arresting police officer do it? If it's the former then the victim can easily dismiss the charges (ask your former friend for forgiveness). If its the latter, then a victim that wants to dismiss charges will still result in the prosecution offering you a much lesser charge (i.e. disorderly conduct). I'm not a lawyer though- but it looks like you could use a good one. Conceivably a good lawyer can bring it down to disorderly even without the support of the victim.

The problem with your story is that it contains two things that adcoms hate to see: violence and academic dishonesty (I know you didn't cheat but it's part of the story). If you can get it down to disorderly and avoid bringing up the "thinking of cheating" part in your application- then you'll be ok.

 

[mehc012]

It's bad.

But you said you were charged- not yet convicted, yes? Did the victim file the charges or did the arresting police officer do it? If it's the former then the victim can easily dismiss the charges (ask your former friend for forgiveness). If its the latter, then a victim that wants to dismiss charges will still result in the prosecution offering you a much lesser charge (i.e. disorderly conduct). I'm not a lawyer though- but it looks like you could use a good one. Conceivably a good lawyer can bring it down to disorderly even without the support of the victim.

The problem with your story is that it contains two things that adcoms hate to see: violence and academic dishonesty (I know you didn't cheat but it's part of the story). If you can get it down to disorderly and avoid bringing up the "thinking of cheating" part in your application- then you might be ok.

Yeah, definitely leave it at "I had xyz personal struggles going on. I confided in a friend, who then betrayed my confidence, which almost resulted in serious/lasting negative consequences for me. At a later event, while both of us were intoxicated, we got into a physical altercation and I was charged with abc. Blah blah blah I feel awful, would never seek violence again, have since made up with/avoided contact with the friend, addressed the stresses in my life which led to the situation, etc."

 

[deleted480308]

be careful how you explain this. you punched him because you were being an idiot (it happens to all of us to some degree), not because of your long story of circumstances. you need to show that you won't be acting like that next timw circumstances get crazy

 

[dr.Doolittle_135]

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[greenlion]

He's parents pushed him to press charges . After he had a month to let it sit on his conscious he tried to get the prosecutor to drop the charges. I ended up having to pled guilty to assault and battery, and served 4 out of a 5 days in jail

I would've been taking the MCATS this summer but since I'm behind now I'll be taking it next summer. . would that be enough time? I've even considered going to a Caribbean medical school which I'm sure I'll get into but I'm worried about getting licensed in the U.S.

That sucks. But anycase, this alone will not cause you any licensing problems. Generally, state boards do not prevent licensing to medical school grads unless it's something REALLY bad. This isn't. My main concern for you was about US med school admissions.

Here's an article that can give you an idea of what kind of criminal backgrounds do prevent licensure/require restrictions: http://www.amednews.com/article/20120402/profession/304029953/4/

 

[LizzyM]

That sucks. But anycase, this alone will not cause you any licensing problems. Generally, state boards do not prevent licensing to medical school grads unless it's something REALLY bad. This isn't. My main concern for you was about US med school admissions.

Here's an article that can give you an idea of what kind of criminal backgrounds do prevent licensure/require restrictions: http://www.amednews.com/article/20120402/profession/304029953/4/

Did you read the article yourself? The prime example provided was a medical student who had a first degree battery charge against him prior to med school who would not have been admitted to med school (they say) if they had known... he went on to kill his wife & later committed suicide. This was, IIRC, the impetus for the fingerprinting and criminal background check of most med students before matriculation. I appreciate that the OP has a lot of reasons (excuses?) why he has behaved the way he has but IMHO his admission to med school is in doubt because of this criminal record that included a stay in jail for assault and battery.

 

[dr.Doolittle_135]

Did you read the article yourself? The prime example provided was a medical student who had a first degree battery charge against him prior to med school who would not have been admitted to med school (they say) if they had known... he went on to kill his wife & later committed suicide. This was, IIRC, the impetus for the fingerprinting and criminal background check of most med students before matriculation. I appreciate that the OP has a lot of reasons (excuses?) why he has behaved the way he has but IMHO his admission to med school is in doubt because of this criminal record that included a stay in jail for assault and battery.

The way I see it I only have two options

1) attend grad school and then applying for medical school when more time has passed

2) Applying to a carribean medical school (which I'm starting to doubt my chances with even that)

Which is more feasible?

 

[LizzyM]

Caribbean schools are expensive and leave you with a substantial likelihood of not being able to get a US residency and medical license if you graduate. (These schools are notorious for student attrition -- that means not finishing the degree, dropping out.)

You could have killed that guy with a single punch - it happens ( http://www.huffingtonpost.com/tag/rj-vanecko/ ). It may be unlikely that enough time can pass to convince a school that they should take a chance on you. What is it about medicine that attracts you to it as a career? What other careers have similar attributes but don't require a state license? You might want to consider those careers.

 

[darkjedi]

2) Applying to a carribean medical school (which I'm starting to doubt my chances with even that)

Pretty sure if you can write a check, some caribbean school will be willing to take you. They are generally a bad idea.

Unfortunately with something like assault on your record, it is a slim to no chance a US MD will accept you

 

[Promethean]

I agree with others. I know doctors who have been licensed with worse on their record, including a pattern of aggressive behavior. I also think that keeping the story simpler would be better. Lizzy M is wise. Maybe grad school would be the better option, at least to put some time between you and the incident. Time in which you can be a model citizen and superior applicant to give schools reasons to overlook a youthful mistake.

Former JW, by the way? There are support groups for people who got out of that one. It is a hard thing to have everyone you were connected to shun you. But there are a lot of people who have gone through it who are willing to help. Be in touch if you need support.

 

[Primo Beats]

sucks man...i hope everything works out

 

[kthxbai]

Your best bet is to anonymously contact various medical schools to ask them about their policies on assault convictions.

Everyone here (rightfully so) says your chances are slim at best. I, however, wouldn't take anyone's word for it until I find out for myself.

What about owning your mistake and volunteering with at-risk kids to show adcoms this was a one time slip you'll never repeat again? There has to be a road to redemption for you. You just need to find it.

 

[greenlion]

Did you read the article yourself? The prime example provided was a medical student who had a first degree battery charge against him prior to med school who would not have been admitted to med school (they say) if they had known... he went on to kill his wife & later committed suicide. This was, IIRC, the impetus for the fingerprinting and criminal background check of most med students before matriculation. I appreciate that the OP has a lot of reasons (excuses?) why he has behaved the way he has but IMHO his admission to med school is in doubt because of this criminal record that included a stay in jail for assault and battery.

I was going by this part of the article:

In North Carolina, most criminal records the board sees are the result of “youthful indiscretions” that were committed many years ago, said Joy Cooke, director of licensing with the North Carolina Medical Board. Examples of such charges include indecent exposure, shoplifting or assault and battery. The Texas Medical Board's action depends on the case, including the type of crime committed, when it was committed and whether the physician was honest in his or her application. The crime is unlikely to affect a physician's license unless it is a felony, a crime of moral turpitude or a crime involving the practice of medicine, Robinson said.

That killer was a felony assault in the first degree - whereas my understanding is the OP has a Class A misdemeanor assault. I believe there is a big difference and I don't think any state medical boards would bar you unless you have felony charges. But tbh- I don't know for sure. Not my area. Maybe OP should ask a lawyer. Med school is different though I'm sure.

 

[slopes23]

Your best bet is to anonymously contact various medical schools to ask them about their policies on assault convictions.

Everyone here (rightfully so) says your chances are slim at best. I, however, wouldn't take anyone's word for it until I find out for myself.

What about owning your mistake and volunteering with at-risk kids to show adcoms this was a one time slip you'll never repeat again? There has to be a road to redemption for you. You just need to find it.

I believe the issue will come, and someone correct me if I am wrong, in that volunteering with at-risk kids doesn't really show that you are now less likely to recommit the same offense later on.

It really comes down to the fact that the violence was a result of intense stress in OP's life. As I mentioned earlier, this is understandable for most things in life, but when it comes to medicine it's a pretty big red flag secondary to the intense daily stress one must overcome throughout training and their career. Volunteering with at-risk kids does not put the OP back into stressful situations to show that it would not reoccur, it simply shows that he is non-violent in non-stressful situations and enjoys giving back. But once you cross that line it is very difficult to be sure that stress wouldn't induce another episode.

Even if you found a situation where you could put OP back into a stressful environment and he handles it well for a couple of years, it still very hard to predict how much stress is too much. A doctors career is a long one, and unfortunately it only takes one breaking point for a normal day to turn into worst mistake of my life, someone is injured or worse dead. That is why I believe LizzyM was pointing out even with time, it is still unlikely.

 

[Lamel]

That is really unfortunate; reactions like that are understandable, but I doubt medical schools will be happy about that.

What can actually redeem something like that for medical schools? Acitve military service?

 

[slopes23]

I was going by this part of the article:


That killer was a felony assault in the first degree - whereas my understanding is the OP has a Class A misdemeanor assault. I believe there is a big difference and I don't think any state medical boards would bar you unless you have felony charges. But tbh- I don't know for sure. Not my area. Maybe OP should ask a lawyer. Med school is different though I'm sure.

I believe we are at the earlier stages of the process where medical boards won't have to bar people with a class-A misdemeanor because they likely won't get admission to a US program, making it a nonevent.

Also, a Class-A misdemeanor is only 1 level below the felony charge assault and battery. Don't forget that there is a charge below Class-A misdemeanor which is just misdemeanor, so it's not nothing. Moreover, try and find an adcom that are going to rest on that distinction... The differences in risk between felony and class-A misdemeanor assault and battery to an adcom are likely marginal. This isn't minor in possession of alcohol charges, or even a DUI which is extremely difficult to overcome.
Like I mentioned a couple of times earlier, I am only trying to be realistic as idealism won't help OP with real world outcomes. He will have an opening statement to tell his story, adcoms will make judgements and before getting to the interview stage he will not be able to defend himself past that initial essay to answer their questions.

Imagine a defendant who is only allowed to give an opening statement to the jury and that's it, no more rebuttal. Then the prosecution gets to have an opening statement, examination, cross examination, and closing argument, while you got none of that.

For this same reason, when you are writing an essay and have someone else read it and they say this doesn't make sense you need to change it. You will not be able to sit in on the exchange when the committee reads your essay, and say wait no, it makes sense if you look at it from this perspective. Needs to be self-explanatory. In these situations, that would be very difficult to achieve and overcome. It's just a very unlikely situation unfortunately for OP.

edit: Also, to my point it is a different situation if you get the misdemeanor while attending medical school and can find a way to keep from being dismissed and then getting licensed where as if you do this before you are matriculated, you are likely to be overlooked completely to comply with their risk averse nature.

 

[slopes23]

Having a temper and then going into the military won't really help take away the notion that you solved your temper problem. Best bet in this case would perhaps military and within transition to the Uniformed Health Services program if they will accept you. Do not forget that these unfortunate events are being paired with average/below-average even for urm stats and an unknown MCAT. I am not saying there is absolutely no winding path that can somehow lead to him being a doctor in the US, but personally I wouldn't say that any normal path or even close to normal path leading to being a physician is in the cards. It would probably have to be a unique situation involving quite a bit of luck and good choices.

 

[Planes2Doc]

I believe the issue will come, and someone correct me if I am wrong, in that volunteering with at-risk kids doesn't really show that you are now less likely to recommit the same offense later on.

It really comes down to the fact that the violence was a result of intense stress in OP's life. As I mentioned earlier, this is understandable for most things in life, but when it comes to medicine it's a pretty big red flag secondary to the intense daily stress one must overcome throughout training and their career. Volunteering with at-risk kids does not put the OP back into stressful situations to show that it would not reoccur, it simply shows that he is non-violent in non-stressful situations and enjoys giving back. But once you cross that line it is very difficult to be sure that stress wouldn't induce another episode.

Even if you found a situation where you could put OP back into a stressful environment and he handles it well for a couple of years, it still very hard to predict how much stress is too much. A doctors career is a long one, and unfortunately it only takes one breaking point for a normal day to turn into worst mistake of my life, someone is injured or worse dead. That is why I believe LizzyM was pointing out even with time, it is still unlikely.

In regards to the volunteering, it sounds like one of those knee-jerk reactions that people do to diffuse the situation. For me personally, they don't necessarily look genuine, and I'm not sure how ADCOMs would view it.

I wish the best of luck to the OP though. Life is all about redemption, but at the same time, some choices we make burn potential paths as well.

 

[Goro]

OP would be rejected at my school.

 

[EsotericAlchemy]

You are not the victim in this situation. The person you assaulted is the victim. How did things escalate to this point and how can you make absolutely sure that this will never happen again? He won't be the last dingus that you have to deal with.

I understand you've had a rough and trying upbringing. This does not give one leeway to assault someone when things don't go well.

 

[dr.Doolittle_135]

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[xffan624]

Having a temper and then going into the military won't really help take away the notion that you solved your temper problem. Best bet in this case would perhaps military and within transition to the Uniformed Health Services program if they will accept you. Do not forget that these unfortunate events are being paired with average/below-average even for urm stats and an unknown MCAT. I am not saying there is absolutely no winding path that can somehow lead to him being a doctor in the US, but personally I wouldn't say that any normal path or even close to normal path leading to being a physician is in the cards. It would probably have to be a unique situation involving quite a bit of luck and good choices.

OP may have trouble getting into the military with that on his record. If he enters a high demand field, perhaps he could get a waiver, but the environment has changed from the fancy-free days when we were fighting two wars. Recruiters have much less leeway.

 

[Lawpy]

Sorry OP. You're practically screwed if you apply now or even 1-2 years from now. Best is to take a lot of time off, self-reflect on your goals, etc. do something else for several years (like 10+ years or so) and maybe apply from there. Of course, you could always go Caribbean, but honestly, I doubt you'll even finish med school from there.

 

[EMDO2018]

Earlier this year I was charged with a class A assault and battery misdemeanor because I punched a former friend of mine at the time in the face at a school run function(we were both intoxicated). Because of the incident, I also was expelled from school for one calendar year.

Background Information :

I attended a very prestigious\strict institution, one could say the administration was extremely militant. I got there on an athletic scholarship, worked very hard to get good grades and was in the top 20th percentile of my small class. Which for many athletes at my school is unheard of.

I am the last of six kids. My mother and 5 siblings were all born in a 3rd world country. When my mother moved to America she became involved with a religion/cult that disapproved of secular education and partaking in anything dealing with the government (voting ,joining the militarily,etc)

Why it happened:

When I left for college I only told my mother where I was going. 2nd semester sophomore year was one of the hardest semesters of my academic career. My mother was having financial troubles, I injured my kneck and the doctors said I should never play again, and the congregation that I grew up in had formally disowned me because they found out that I pursued an education outside of the church. My life unraveled during exam week.

I approached my "close" friend (the victim) about how much of a hard time I was having. I told him that i was THINKING about cheating on a final. Without my knowledge my "friend" took it upon himself to say something to the professor after the exam. The honor society came and investigated and found me not guilty.

Ever since that day we had bad blood between us which led to me knocking him out during a drunken altercation

How will this affect medical school??

cGPA:3.4
sGPA 3.3
"African" American
100 + volunteer hours
Medical internships
Summer Research

Dude im gonna be honest with you, as a young black man applying to professional school you can't make any mistakes NONE. Usually, if you come from a hard life, it is really easy to let crap get to you, you cant choose the situation you were born into, but you can control your actions. Honestly, If I were you, I would call the 3 HBCU schools Howard, Morehouse, Meharry, and see what they say about you situation. They Might show some sympathy.

 

[IL Pre Med]

Man I thought I had it bad with a few bad grades on my record...

 

[DokterMom]

Sorry OP. You're practically screwed if you apply now or even 1-2 years from now. Best is to take a lot of time off, self-reflect on your goals, etc. do something else for several years (like 10+ years or so) and maybe apply from there. Of course, you could always go Caribbean, but honestly, I doubt you'll even finish med school from there.

I think this poster is on the right track --

Right now, you're a high-risk applicant - one with a demonstrated history of violence in response to stress and a possible academic integrity weakness. You need to prove that these "character defining" incidents actually don't accurately represent who you are. That will take time and effort. There are many things you can do to show who you really are, but the time part will just take time. There are no short-cuts to letting time do its work.

In the meantime, (while you're waiting for time to pass), start on Plan B. If you're sure you really, really, really want to become a doctor, make sure your Plan B helps you along that path. EMT, nursing, maybe PA (though I hear that's really competitive), grad school, research? Or Peace Corp, Teach for America. Or graduate and get a 'real job' and experience life as most adult Americans know it, while continuing to volunteer and do the kind of things that will show your character in the best light.

You may also want to enroll in some anger-management or stress-management classes. A) You might benefit from what they're teaching; and B) It will demonstrate that you are taking concrete steps to cure the problem.

In the meantime, calling some schools to see if they would still consider you might not be a bad option. As one poster mentioned, the 3 HBCu programs, and possibly also the highly religious programs (Loma Linda, Liberty) since the abrupt ending of your religious involvement played such a pivotal role in your stress. The right spin could be sympathetic to those audiences.

Good luck to you OP --

 

[mysdnhandle]

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[Pattycake25]

...There has to be a road to redemption for you. You just need to find it.

This is a great summarization of the attitude that could potentially cost OP thousands of dollars, not to mention years of his life. While reading the following, keep in mind that I'm one of the most positive cheerleaders on this forum, and one who often sees a chance in even the most hopeless of premed situations.

Everyone who thinks along these lines, I want you to think of someone you care deeply about. Say a younger sister, or a beloved aunt. Now imagine that they start seeing someone new, someone that they are really interested in. This person is a catch. They have a great career (or, in younger demographics, an excellent foundation for building one). They're easy to get along with, quick with a joke and a smile. They're just all around a great person...for the most part.

But this person has a dark side. One night, they get into a heated argument with their boss - they're screaming at the top of their voice, the boss is hollering back, telling them to pack their **** and never set foot in the office/school again. That person has been brought to the edge, and they are seeing red. Then they got home, and your sister/aunt/buddy is annoyed about them leaving the damn faucet running in the bathroom that morning, or forgetting to pick up the milk again. This does get on Mr. Wonderful's nerves, but usually, it rolls off, he accept his error and makes things right.

But not tonight. Tonight, he rears back and puts your sister in the wall. She drops to the ground, leaving a hole behind where her head impacted. She's moaning, he's sobbing and calling the ambulance. Somehow, they convince the paramedics she "fell" or "tripped" or something, and the doctors buy it and fail to do an abuse screening, so the guy isn't arrested and all that happens is she has a nice tender scalp for a few weeks. But your aunt, while she loves him, still spills the beans to you one night, while you were helping her move furniture. She's of course making all sorts of excuses for his behavior - "He was having a bad day! He'll never do that again!"

Here's the question that proves your optimism wrong. I ask you, do you buy those excuses? Do you accept them? Or do you decide, then and there, that you will never again accept this person as your loved one's someone. I seriously doubt too many of you would be able to forgive or overlook such a grievous action. Not that it's impossible that this guy is so wracked with guilt that he got all the help he needed to bury that demon forever, but can you ever really take that chance that he didn't? What if next time, he kills her?

And that's the objectivity adcoms make their decisions with. But the difference is, unlike in the story where you can only beg your loved one to see reason, the adcoms DO make the decisions, with no emotional attachment deluding them. There might be that special premed who has a violent episode that they've fully addressed and put behind them, and otherwise have skills that would make them an invaluable asset to the medical community. But for every such premed like that, there are 20 others that, despite good scores or an impressive volunteering record or just the best damn sob story on the planet, really do have a serious problem with violence. The kind that, should a patient ever bear unfortunate witness to it, would cost a school or hospital MILLIONS of dollars...not to mention the safety of the patient who came to them in their darkest hour, now in jeopardy by the very people they came to for help. No school is gonna take a shot in the dark like that. At the end of the day, it's not about candidates proving they should be in medical school, it's about candidates proving they are a good, safe INVESTMENT for medical schools. And there is simply no coming back from this kind of violation.

Premeds, make no mistake. There are few absolute slam-the-door type offenses, but they ARE out there, and one of them IS enough to keep you out of American practice forever. Learn from this example. Remember it, the next time you start freaking out and start thinking about doing something awful, be it cheat on a test or attack someone. The OP is dead in the water...but you don't have to be.

 

[DokterMom]

What does being black have to do with any of this? This guy assaulted someone. Your actions have consequences and medical schools train professionals with a lot of responsibility. There are many more qualified applicants than seats and this guy has an extremely red flag on his record. OP, I don't think you should pursue a medical career for your own sake. Find something else.

Unfortunately, the criminal justice system isn't color-blind. Two college guys getting in a fight can be interpreted in different ways, and when the guy throwing the punch is black and the person on the receiving end of that punch isn't, 'the system' appears to be more likely to view it as a criminal assault. Two white upper-middle class frat boys might have had a different outcome. Not that this excuses the OP's violence. Just trying to explain my take on @EMDO2018 's 'no latitude' comments.

 

[EMDO2018]

The thing about going to professional school is you have to have a clean record. And if you are a young black man, people are just waiting for you to slip up so they can stereotype you and confirm all their beliefs that you are a violent thug. Two white middle class frat boys who get into a fist fight would probably be less likely to get an assault charge and jail time. Offenses are less likely to be brushed aside or forgiven if you are a black male. People assume it not a one time offense, its part of your nature, and you will do it again. So yes as a young black man you can't make ANY mistakes

What does being black have to do with any of this? This guy assaulted someone. Your actions have consequences and medical schools train professionals with a lot of responsibility. There are many more qualified applicants than seats and this guy has an extremely red flag on his record. OP, I don't think you should pursue a medical career for your own sake. Find something else.

 

[mysdnhandle]

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[restful]

talk to a lawyer

 

[hoihaie]

talk to a lawyer

how's a lawyer gonna know about med school applicaiton? he already pled guilty. theres nothing a lawyer can do

 

[kthxbai]

how's a lawyer gonna know about med school applicaiton? he already pled guilty. theres nothing a lawyer can do

And that, of course, stems from your intimate knowledge of the law?

Really. Talk to a lawyer at the very least.

 

[mysdnhandle]

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[Gastrapathy]

Dude had a motive, attacked a guy and blames the victims parents for his problems. That story will work out poorly.


Sent from my iPhone 6 using Tapatalk

 

[IL Pre Med]

Looks like your ex best friend got the last laugh

Also, totally random, but why was "African" American in quotations? lol

 

[greenlion]

Man I thought I had it bad with a few bad grades on my record...

Looks like your ex best friend got the last laugh

why did you post twice on this thread with nothing useful/info to give the OP other than taunts? One thing I've noticed is that many pre-meds LOVE it when other pre-meds fail/screw up. It's unlike any other pre-professional and a real pet peeve of mine.

 

[BMC11]

The way I see it I only have two options

1) attend grad school and then applying for medical school when more time has passed

2) Applying to a carribean medical school (which I'm starting to doubt my chances with even that)

Which is more feasible?

#1 is probably my biggest pet peeve when it comes to the pre-med community. You can't just attend grad school. Depending on what degree you want to pursue, getting in to a grad program can be just as hard as getting into medical school on an academic level (plus if you're thinking about the phd route, your prior bench research is the most important part of your application...so if you don't have significant bench research experience, you will not get in). Furthermore, grad adcoms will have the same issues with your assault conviction as the med adcoms. They're entrusted to protect their students. If you appear to be a loose cannon and someone gets hurt after they accept you...well, that bodes ill for the school in question.

 

[masaraksh]

I cannot imagine how hard what you have went through must have been. Anger and tensions can build up and people can snap under the pressure. However, assault will be difficult if not impossible to brush aside in such a competitive process where only 43% of applicants get in at all.

In Ben Carson's book Gifted Hands he recalls an incident during residency at Hopkins (where he was one of few, if not the only African American intern) and one of the other residents blew up at him, yelled at him, put him down, attacked his race. And Dr Carson was just like "you done?" and went on his way.

 

[IL Pre Med]

why did you post twice on this thread with nothing useful/info to give the OP other than taunts? One thing I've noticed is that many pre-meds LOVE it when other pre-meds fail/screw up. It's unlike any other pre-professional and a real pet peeve of mine.

Because the OP is a troll, and we don't want trolls on this forum.

 

[aklark]

What can actually redeem something like that for medical schools? Acitve military service?

Are you serious?

 

[aklark]

Ben Carson (almost) stabbed a guy and is now one of the world's leading neurosurgeons.

Jason Haffizulla stabbed his teacher in high school and is now a practicing physician in Florida.

 

[BMC11]

Ben Carson (almost) stabbed a guy and is now one of the world's leading neurosurgeons.

Jason Haffizulla stabbed his teacher in high school and is now a practicing physician in Florida.

Key words: 1. Almost (which means he restrained himself and did not commit a crime if your story is even true to begin with). 2. High school (under 18 and it generally can't ruin your life as an adult. Hooray juvenile records.)

 

[basketcase0a0]

Ben Carson (almost) stabbed a guy and is now one of the world's leading neurosurgeons.

Jason Haffizulla stabbed his teacher in high school and is now a practicing physician in Florida.

The difference, in my opinion, is that those are both outliers and different situations than this one. It's one thing to have committed a violent act/had anger issues as a child. It's very different when you're an adult who is planning on applying to medical school and end up with a criminal record for assault. I believe that, had this happened when OP was 15 and he kept his nose clean (and I mean squeaky clean) for his entire adult life, the scenario would be very different and he would have realistic options for getting a med school to overlook such a thing.

 

[basketcase0a0]

Key words: 1. Almost (which means he restrained himself and did not commit a crime if your story is even true to begin with). 2. High school (under 18 and it generally can't ruin your life as an adult. Hooray juvenile records.)

Beat me to it

 

[aklark]

Key words: 1. Almost (which means he restrained himself and did not commit a crime if your story is even true to begin with). 2. High school (under 18 and it generally can't ruin your life as an adult. Hooray juvenile records.)

It's in his book. He stabbed somebody with a knife, but the knife hit the guy's belt and didn't actually hurt him.

Other guy was charged and blamed it on stress because he really wanted to be a doctor and had a good lawyer, which is what OP needs.

Obviously some differences, but pre-meds love to mount the high horse and gallop across the prairie screaming "You are not worthy!" whenever someone commits a mistake that we are all capable of.