mentioning plea bargained reckless driving

[premed67783]

I was charged with a DUI a while back. The DUI charge was dropped, but I was plea bargained down to a reckless driving misdemeanor. I did not have my license suspended either (DMV threw the DUI out as well). I'm filling out my AMCAS right now and I'm not sure how I should disclose this. I wasn't convicted of any alcohol related offense, but i was charged with it. Should I just say I was convicted of reckless driving, and omit the DUI part? or should I just explain that it was a DUI, and then throw in that it was plea bargained down?

I don't want to be untruthful, but I don't want to draw unnecessary attention to the DUI after having had it dismissed.

Any thoughts/advice on this?

Thanks!

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[sector9]

I was charged with a DUI a while back. The DUI charge was dropped, but I was plea bargained down to a reckless driving misdemeanor. I did not have my license suspended either (DMV threw the DUI out as well). I'm filling out my AMCAS right now and I'm not sure how I should disclose this. I wasn't convicted of any alcohol related offense, but i was charged with it. Should I just say I was convicted of reckless driving, and omit the DUI part? or should I just explain that it was a DUI, and then throw in that it was plea bargained down?

I don't want to be untruthful, but I don't want to draw unnecessary attention to the DUI after having had it dismissed.

Any thoughts/advice on this?

Thanks!

It sounds like you only need to disclose the reckless driving misdemeanor based on your story

 

[macsta]

Same boat as you. The primary app says have you ever been CONVICTED of a crime. In my case, my case was thrown out (dismissed) after I completed my community service and paid my fines. So, in the primary you can say NO.

However, in the secondary app almost every school will ask you disclose anything other than a minor traffic incident (arrests, dismissals, expungements). In the secondary you would have to say yes. Then elaborate on your situation.

In any case, you might want to talk to your lawyer if you have questions. That will be your best source of reliable information.

Sucks to have a record... Mine was moe than four years ago, but still it's haunting me.

 

[FattySlug]

Same boat as you. The primary app says have you ever been CONVICTED of a crime. In my case, my case was thrown out (dismissed) after I completed my community service and paid my fines. So, in the primary you can say NO.

However, in the secondary app almost every school will ask you disclose anything other than a minor traffic incident (arrests, dismissals, expungements). In the secondary you would have to say yes. Then elaborate on your situation.

In any case, you might want to talk to your lawyer if you have questions. That will be your best source of reliable information.

Sucks to have a record... Mine was moe than four years ago, but still it's haunting me.

I got 8 secondaries so far and only one of them, GWU, asked about arrests. The others did not even mention anything related to criminal record.

To OP: why don't you run a background check and disclose info accordingly?

 

[flatearth22]

I got 8 secondaries so far and only one of them, GWU, asked about arrests. The others did not even mention anything related to criminal record.

To OP: why don't you run a background check and disclose info accordingly?

Everyone should do this regardless of if they think they have had run ins with the law. Keep no stone unturned and see for yourself what adcoms will when they do a background check on you. The worst thing to happen is you not mention something that you overlooked or forgot but still somehow turns up on a background check.

 

[premed67783]

I got 8 secondaries so far and only one of them, GWU, asked about arrests. The others did not even mention anything related to criminal record.

To OP: why don't you run a background check and disclose info accordingly?

I did run a background check. It shows that I was charged with "driving impaired" and "driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol". The first one says "dismissed" and the second one says "not guilty". It also shows that I was convicted of reckless driving. I know I should mention the DUI charges, but I guess the question is how.

There weren't any complicated factors. The cop pulled me over for going 10 miles over the speed limit, and my BAC was very borderline (0.08%). I'm thinking of just saying that I was pulled over for speeding, and mentioning that I was cited for DUI, but start the description by saying "I was convicted of reckless driving on *insert date*"

 

[FattySlug]

I did run a background check. It shows that I was charged with "driving impaired" and "driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol". The first one says "dismissed" and the second one says "not guilty". It also shows that I was convicted of reckless driving. I know I should mention the DUI charges, but I guess the question is how.

There weren't any complicated factors. The cop pulled me over for going 10 miles over the speed limit, and my BAC was very borderline (0.08%). I'm thinking of just saying that I was pulled over for speeding, and mentioning that I was cited for DUI, but start the description by saying "I was convicted of reckless driving on *insert date*"

The wording on the GWU was like this "have you ever been arrested for a felony or misdemeanor?" I disclosed my arrest that led to a dismissal. Don't know if I was being too honest for my own good since the background check I ordered from certiphi did not show anything.

For your case I think if asked for arrests or charges you have to disclose everything that can be seen on your record. If asked for conviction obviously only disclose the reckless driving.

 

[premed67783]

I've done research on this, and the conclusion I've come to is that a reckless driving misdemeanor conviction is generally not a big deal for med school adcoms. I've spoken to my lawyer, and he thinks it's likely that I'll get it expunged before med school classes start in 2012. I'm just scared that I'll take an ok situation and shoot myself in the foot by either saying too much or not enough.

 

[macsta]

I only applied to two instate schools last cycle and they both had the criminal history part on them. Sorry for assuming that all secondaries had them. Maybe someone that has gotten a bunch of secondaries can chime in.

AMCAS chose their words very carefully in saying "convicted" instead of "arrested" or "charged with". I am going to follow their official language of "convicted" and say no I was not convicted of a crime.

The reason they ask about convictions is because ANYONE can be charged with ANY crime. A conviction means that court found you guilty of doing the crime. In our cases, we were arrested, plead guilty, and the charges were dismissed. In your record it will NOT say you were convicted (It might say you were arrested and charged with...).

 

[macsta]

I've done research on this, and the conclusion I've come to is that a reckless driving misdemeanor conviction is generally not a big deal for med school adcoms. I've spoken to my lawyer, and he thinks it's likely that I'll get it expunged before med school classes start in 2012. I'm just scared that I'll take an ok situation and shoot myself in the foot by either saying too much or not enough.

If you were ever arrested, then it will be brought up at some point prior to matriculation. Medical schools want to know about your criminal background because it may impair your chances of getting a license. There is no point of accepting a medical student if they were arrested 20 times for trafficking narcotics because they won't be able to get a license.

Hopefully if you were arrested for a crime, it was a long time ago. Then you can say that you've changed... blah blah blah... you don't drink anymore. Mine happend when I was in HS, so I think I'm in better shape than a person that got a DUI yesterday.

 

[alwaysaangel]

Disclose it and be completely honest about the situation.

It is unlikely to be a dealbreaker on your application if you are otherwise a good applicant.

And you might as well get used to disclosing it now. For licensing, residency, etc you are going to have to start explaining it constantly. And if you're caught lying on those forms you really will never be licensed.

Just disclose it all so you don't have any risk of being accused of being dishonest.

 

[premed67783]

I think I've come up with what I will say. Here goes....

On July 13, 2010, I was convicted of a reckless driving misdemeanor. The details of the conviction follow:

The officer wrote that I was speeding (60mph in a 50mph zone) on the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge, that I weaved within my lane, and that I drove on the center lane line for 50 feet (at 60mph that would be about 2/3 of 1 second). The incident happened on April 4, 2010 at 2:20am. I accepted a plea agreement of non-alcohol related reckless driving. The charge of driving impaired was dismissed, and I was found not guilty of driving with a blood alcohol level of 0.08% or more. I was placed on 2 years of informal probation, did not serve any jail time, and was not sentenced to any jail time. My driver's license was not suspended.

any thoughts?

 

[alwaysaangel]

On July 13, 2010, I was convicted of a reckless driving misdemeanor. The details of the conviction follow:

The officer wrote that I was speeding (60mph in a 50mph zone) on the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge, that I weaved within my lane, and that I drove on the center lane line for 50 feet (at 60mph that would be about 2/3 of 1 second). The incident happened on April 4, 2010 at 2:20am. I accepted a plea agreement of non-alcohol related reckless driving. The charge of driving impaired was dismissed, and I was found not guilty of driving with a blood alcohol level of 0.08% or more. I was placed on 2 years of informal probation, did not serve any jail time, and was not sentenced to any jail time. My driver's license was not suspended.

any thoughts?

Sounds defensive, a little too much detail (were all three of those things in your arrest report?) and you don't explain why there was a DUI at all...

 

[sector9]

Is this for your AMCAS application or a secondary?

 

[premed67783]

is this for your amcas application or a secondary?

amcas

 

[alwaysaangel]

Try this:
On July 13, 2010, I was convicted of a reckless driving misdemeanor. In April 2010 I was pulled over by a police officer for speeding (60mph in a 50mph zone) and my blood alcohol level measured right at 0.08%. I accepted a plea agreement of non-alcohol related reckless driving. The charge of driving impaired was dismissed, and I was found not guilty of driving with a blood alcohol level of 0.08% or more. I was placed on 2 years of informal probation, and was not sentenced to any jail time. My driver's license was not suspended.

 

[premed67783]

Try this:
On July 13, 2010, I was convicted of a reckless driving misdemeanor. In April 2010 I was pulled over by a police officer for speeding (60mph in a 50mph zone) and my blood alcohol level measured right at 0.08%. I accepted a plea agreement of non-alcohol related reckless driving. The charge of driving impaired was dismissed, and I was found not guilty of driving with a blood alcohol level of 0.08% or more. I was placed on 2 years of informal probation, and was not sentenced to any jail time. My driver's license was not suspended.

THANKS that sounds much better than what I wrote. Simpler, less defensive, and less dramatic.

 

[alwaysaangel]

THANKS that sounds much better than what I wrote. Simpler, less defensive, and less dramatic.

I don't recall the details of the question on amcas but you may also want to talk about what you learned from the experience.

 

[macsta]

I think I've come up with what I will say. Here goes....

On July 13, 2010, I was convicted of a reckless driving misdemeanor. The details of the conviction follow:

The officer wrote that I was speeding (60mph in a 50mph zone) on the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge, that I weaved within my lane, and that I drove on the center lane line for 50 feet (at 60mph that would be about 2/3 of 1 second). The incident happened on April 4, 2010 at 2:20am. I accepted a plea agreement of non-alcohol related reckless driving. The charge of driving impaired was dismissed, and I was found not guilty of driving with a blood alcohol level of 0.08% or more. I was placed on 2 years of informal probation, did not serve any jail time, and was not sentenced to any jail time. My driver's license was not suspended.

any thoughts?

WAYYYY to much detail. These applications are sent to adcoms not your priest (why would you say you were driving on the highway drunk? In my head I image a police pulling over a person outside a bar when I think of a DUI). You can make this situation sound better while remaining honest. Just say you were arrested for DUI, however the charges were later reduced due to a plea bargain. You were given __ hrs of community services . After completion your case was dismissed. Then say what you have learned from it. I'm just worried because it happend recently, but I wish you the best.

 

[premed67783]

I don't recall the details of the question on amcas but you may also want to talk about what you learned from the experience.

I was thinking about that, but the AMCAS does not say anything about talking about your experience. It just asks for the details of the conviction.

pasted from AMCAS:
Please explain the circumstances of your conviction, including the number of conviction(s), the nature of offense(s) leading to conviction(s), date and location of conviction(s), the sentence(s) imposed, and the type(s) of rehabilitation (maximum 1325 characters):

 

[postbacpremed87]

I have a speeding problem. Hopefully adcoms don't care. My Mustang has a mind of her own

 

[alwaysaangel]

I was thinking about that, but the AMCAS does not say anything about talking about your experience. It just asks for the details of the conviction.

pasted from AMCAS:
Please explain the circumstances of your conviction, including the number of conviction(s), the nature of offense(s) leading to conviction(s), date and location of conviction(s), the sentence(s) imposed, and the type(s) of rehabilitation (maximum 1325 characters):

Hmm then I would add back in that it occurred in Alameda County (or whichever county) also you don't mention what the sentence was (community service? AA?).

 

[alwaysaangel]

I have a speeding problem. Hopefully adcoms don't care. My Mustang has a mind of her own

Nope, but keep paperwork on all of them. Many residency job applications (eg the paperwork after the match) and licensing ask for all offenses including traffic. You'll need to have all the dates and offenses.

 

[premed67783]

Hmm then I would add back in that it occurred in Alameda County (or whichever county) also you don't mention what the sentence was (community service? AA?).

How is this?

On July 13, 2010, I was convicted of a reckless driving misdemeanor. In April 2010 I was pulled over by a police officer for speeding (60mph in a 50mph zone) on the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge, and my blood alcohol level measured right at 0.08%. I accepted a plea agreement of non-alcohol related reckless driving. The charge of driving impaired was dismissed, and I was found not guilty of driving with a blood alcohol level of 0.08% or more. I was placed on 2 years of informal probation, paid a fine of $1036, and agreed to take a 3-month drinking-driver program. My driver's license was not suspended.

 

[postbacpremed87]

By the time I am in residency, they will be in the distant past. I am still a pre-med here.

Nope, but keep paperwork on all of them. Many residency job applications (eg the paperwork after the match) and licensing ask for all offenses including traffic. You'll need to have all the dates and offenses.

 

[alwaysaangel]

By the time I am in residency, they will be in the distant past. I am still a pre-med here.

Yup. I realize that. Which is why I suggested you keep the paperwork. They will be distant past and you may forget about them. Then if a state licensing board finds them and thinks you "lied on an official form" you're screwed.

Its happened. I suggest you keep all your traffic convictions (including those you went to traffic school for and had 'dismissed') with dates so you will have them when you need them in 8-10 years.

 

[alwaysaangel]

How is this?

On July 13, 2010, I was convicted of a reckless driving misdemeanor. In April 2010 I was pulled over by a police officer for speeding (60mph in a 50mph zone) on the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge, and my blood alcohol level measured at 0.08%. I accepted a plea agreement of non-alcohol related reckless driving. The charge of driving impaired was dismissed, and I was found not guilty of driving with a blood alcohol level of 0.08% or more. I was placed on 2 years of informal probation, paid a fine of $1036, and agreed to take a 3-month drinking-driver program. My driver's license was not suspended.

Honestly I would take out the bridge and just say "in such and such county" for some reason doing it on the bridge sounds worse to me.

I took out the "right at 0.08" to "at 0.08"

If you have space for it I would put in what you learned from the program, if you still drink etc. but thats me. Maybe LizzyM can weigh in on that.

 

[Kphrogg]

On July 13, 2010, I was convicted of a reckless driving misdemeanor.

How much detail does AMCAS request? Unless they ask for details or the sentence, I would leave that out and just list the above (perhaps with the state and county included).

 

[premed67783]

How much detail does AMCAS request? Unless they ask for details or the sentence, I would leave that out and just list the above (perhaps with the state and county included).

They specifically ask for that information. As per this quote:

pasted from AMCAS:
Please explain the circumstances of your conviction, including the number of conviction(s), the nature of offense(s) leading to conviction(s), date and location of conviction(s), the sentence(s) imposed, and the type(s) of rehabilitation (maximum 1325 characters):

 

[macsta]

They specifically ask for that information. As per this quote:

HERE IS THE QUESTION THEY AS.

Have you ever been convicted of, or pleaded guilty or no contest to, a Misdemeanor crime, excluding 1) any offense for which you were adjudicated as a juvenile, 2) any convictions which have been expunged or sealed by a court, or 3) any misdemeanor convictions for which any probation has been completed and the case dismissed by the court (in states where applicable)?
Before responding, click the "Help" button and review the instructions labeled "Misdemeanor". You will find important information about your responsibility to notify medical schools if your answer to this question changes after submission, as well as state-specific notifications that have been mandated for inclusion alongside our question

You need NOT disclose any instance where you:

* were arrested, but not charged;
* were arrested and charged, but the charges were dropped;
* were arrested and charged, but found not guilty by a judge or jury;
* were arrested and found guilty by a judge or jury, but the conviction was overturned on appeal; or
* received an executive pardon.

IF YOU ANSWER YES

Please explain the circumstances of your conviction, including the number of conviction(s), the nature of offense(s) leading to conviction(s), date and location of conviction(s), the sentence(s) imposed, and the type(s) of rehabilitation (maximum 1325 characters):

 

[Lil Mick]

What worked for the essays I had to do was this: what happened (briefly name the charge), what led up to it, what I learned/changed after it. It shows what happened, why it happened, and what you're doing to make sure it doesn't happen again. That sufficed for all of the schools to which I applied. Good luck

 

[Flower70954]

what schools are the ones that did NOT ask you on their secondaries about criminal history ? Thank you for your response !

 

[Flower70954]

I got 8 secondaries so far and only one of them, GWU, asked about arrests. The others did not even mention anything related to criminal record.


Hi , which secondaries did not ask you about a criminal history ? Thank you !