MD DUI + Medical Application w/; GPA 3.6; MCAT 36; sGPA 3.8

[DoctorAspire]

Hello, I am interested in Applying to Medical Schools ASAP. But I have a DUI from May 2015. Actually I have criminal charges for Marijuana Possession and Paraphernalia, however I made a deal with the DA to lower it to a DUI. I am terribly sorry for what I have done.

cGPA: 3.6, sGPA: 3.8, MCAT: 36

B.S. Neurobiology from UW Madison, Worked in 2 Research Labs for 1 year each. Volunteered as a College Tutor and at the Madison Children's Museum. In High School I worked min wage as an after school Tutor/PeerMentor. Shadowed 40 hours of Cardiology and Cardiac Surgery (saw Mitral valve replacement and Bypass) Ran a Marathon at 16. Asian

I applied during the 2014-2015 cycle and was rejected from various school such as the Medical College of Wisconsin. After rejection from schools I spent some time unemployed, mostly traveling to see family, Volunteered at Hospice care for a few months.
A variety of factors lead to my DUI in late May of 2015, primarily my final application rejection and a rough break-up.
Since June of 2015 to present (April 2016) I have been employed as an Honorary Associate in a Neurosurgery Lab at the UW Madison Hospital. I also work part-time at the Children's Museum and I volunteer at the Madison VA Emergency Dept.

I truly wish to become a doctor. I will have to take the new MCAT since my 2014 score will expire in 2017. What are my chances of getting in to a US School? More so, what can I do further to improve my chances given my DUI and record?

Thanks for your interest!

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[GrapesofRath]

There are far better people that can give input here but since I dont anticipate this type of thread getting a ton of responses Ill say a few things.

1) The details here are important. This is hardly my area of expertise or something I am very familiar with but from the sound of it on the outside you were probably under the influence of what you were charged of having if you are getting a DUI? So is the official charge a simple DUI that just lists what you were under the influence of? Also we are talking about a misdemenaor here(again really not my area of expertise)?

2) I think the thing that sticks out is that you got rejected with some high stats even BEFORE this incident happened. Something was off if with a 3.7/36 you cant get an acceptance from a decent state. So now on top of having to deal with the fallout from this, you are a high stat reapplicant which in and of itself makes you a riskier candidate. So between this incident and your previous app cycle, you are rather risky candidate at multiple levels.

Im going to be careful/vague on how detrimental something like this is because frankly unless you have years/decades of experience serving on a medical school admissions committee, it's hard to really give a somewhat accurate and reasonable answer to that. And even amongst ADCOMs, a situation like this is rather uncommon that it still can be somewhat difficult to give a good gague of the situation. What Ill say is in theory there is very little you can do to completely permanently kill your chances for 100% good. People have gotten into medical school in the past with DUIs, although this in and of itself is a unique situation that doesnt fit your typical DUI scenario. And it really helps you have big stats(although being a reapplicant on top of this is not a good combination). Generally speaking though, these types of mishaps are a lot easier to swallow when it's a naive 18 year old freshmen doing this, not a college graduate doing this after applying to medical school and accumulating high stats.

The best remedy for something like this is often creating enough time buffer between the event and reapplying and doing acts of service and showing lengthy exemplary behavior. So yes, youll have to retake the MCAT. Honestly if you are capable of hitting 36 that shouldnt be that big of a concern. Having a Plan B is also rather advisable, as is considering DO schools.

In terms of how long a gap you need, what you should do specifically, whether medicine is anything more than a long shot etc. I cant really answer well. But the general principle of creating time between this gap, showing service and exemplary behavior, and at least thinking about Plan B is the best input I can give here. Good luck.

 

[DoctorAspire]

Thanks for responding, your analysis is greatly appreciated.

My DUI is a misdemeanor, and I don't believe it lists the cause. I rejected a blood test and a breathe test which is a misdemeanor in itself, but this charge was dropped. The criminal charge was part of the deal to be expunged from my record.

Would it be better if I explained the DUI as a drunk driving offense? Should I mention the Marijuana charges? Would states like CA, CO, OR, etc. view this situation differently?

Do you recommend a private advisor or a way to contact admissions committees of my concerns?

Also the first time I applied was in haste. I was pressured by my parents after having graduated 3 years. I believe I missed a period in my Personal statement. Is it right to believe that a punctuation error caused my essays rejection?

Thanks again!

 

[piii]

Thanks for responding, your analysis is greatly appreciated.

My DUI is a misdemeanor, and I don't believe it lists the cause. I rejected a blood test and a breathe test which is a misdemeanor in itself, but this charge was dropped. The criminal charge was part of the deal to be expunged from my record.

Would it be better if I explained the DUI as a drunk driving offense? Should I mention the Marijuana charges? Would states like CA, CO, OR, etc. view this situation differently?

Do you recommend a private advisor or a way to contact admissions committees of my concerns?

Also the first time I applied was in haste. I was pressured by my parents after having graduated 3 years. I believe I missed a period in my Personal statement. Is it right to believe that a punctuation error caused my essays rejection?

Thanks again!

Do you have a conviction or just charges that were expunged/dropped? This is up to opinion but I think driving drunk is worse.

As for your previous rejection, there is NO WAY that a missed period caused it.. But if you were hastefully submitting your app, then is is logical to assume that poorly written essays and a sloppily put together profile had a major cause.

 

[Goro]

A DUI listed as occurring last year (when you should be older and wiser than the typical 18-19 year old) might be of concern of Adcoms.

You ARE going to have to explain this on your app, like it or not.

Did you ever get feedback on your rejections?

 

[bobdog20]

A DUI listed as occurring last year (when you should be older and wiser than the typical 18-19 year old) might be of concern of Adcoms.

You ARE going to have to explain this on your app, like it or not.

Did you ever get feedback on your rejections?

Hi I am currently applying to medical school and filling out secondaries. In 2016 I was charged with an OWI and possession of paraphernalia. The charges were expunged, but I was left with a simple misdemeanor reckless driving conviction. For secondary questions that ask about misdemeanor convictions, should I just mention the reckless driving conviction? Or should I mention the charges as well? Thanks.

 

[Goro]

Hi I am currently applying to medical school and filling out secondaries. In 2016 I was charged with an OWI and possession of paraphernalia. The charges were expunged, but I was left with a simple misdemeanor reckless driving conviction. For secondary questions that ask about misdemeanor convictions, should I just mention the reckless driving conviction? Or should I mention the charges as well? Thanks.

Mention both, because the the reckless driving charge may show up somewhere.

When in doubt, ask a lawyer