Was Charged Last Night, Conviction A Certainty [Do I Report To Schools??!]

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rosenblum

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Long time visitor to SDN, first time poster.

Last night I was charged with a pretty serious offense. And although I can take it to court, I have no case, and I will be convicted. Now, when I applied to schools I didn't report any convictions since I didn't have any. But now what do I do? I mean, technically I haven't been convicted yet, but it will probably come by the end of the month (so my lawyer says if I don't take this to court). I applied late to med school, I'm competetive (35P & 3.7 GPA at a pretty reputable school), and I know I'll have a bunch of interviews after then. Do I have to update my application and tell them?!! :eek:

Any advice?! :oops: :( :thumbdown:

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i dunno and i wouldn't report it if I were you but im just curious as to what you were charged for

rosenblum said:
Long time visitor to SDN, first time poster.

Last night I was charged with a pretty serious offense. And although I can take it to court, I have no case, and I will be convicted. Now, when I applied to schools I didn't report any convictions since I didn't have any. But now what do I do? I mean, technically I haven't been convicted yet, but it will probably come by the end of the month (so my lawyer says if I don't take this to court). I applied late to med school, I'm competetive (35P & 3.7 GPA at a pretty reputable school), and I know I'll have a bunch of interviews after then. Do I have to update my application and tell them?!! :eek:

Any advice?! :oops: :( :thumbdown:
 
Sorry, but I think you're screwed. The medical schools will find out eventually, and even if you do get in, they may just kick you out later for not telling.
 
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IMO, for applications and such, full disclosure is the key. They ask, you have to answer fully and honestly. But what if they don't ask (again)?

If it's a felony you really have to consider licensing and residency as well. Not sure how that would work, I'm sure it's still doable but you may have some extra hoops to jump through.

A felony will also disqualify you for federal student aid.
 
Ask a good lawyer. Maybe one who helps doctors when they are in danger of losing their license for DUI's, etc...
 
rosenblum said:
Long time visitor to SDN, first time poster.

Last night I was charged with a pretty serious offense. And although I can take it to court, I have no case, and I will be convicted. Now, when I applied to schools I didn't report any convictions since I didn't have any. But now what do I do? I mean, technically I haven't been convicted yet, but it will probably come by the end of the month (so my lawyer says if I don't take this to court). I applied late to med school, I'm competetive (35P & 3.7 GPA at a pretty reputable school), and I know I'll have a bunch of interviews after then. Do I have to update my application and tell them?!! :eek:

Any advice?! :oops: :( :thumbdown:

It really depends on the offense. Rape, robbery, serious assault: you're screwed. With a DUI, you're probably okay. First of all, fight it just to delay it going on your record. When it finally goes on your record, don't report it to the schools until they ask. If they do ask, then tell the truth.

I disagree with the last posting, you're probably fine. I know a highly competitive school that let a guy stay in after being convicted of child abuse. Relax, everyone has made a mistake or two.
 
BTW, how do you know it's a certain conviction?

Do have the money for a better attny?

There's always the Cochran Wookie defense.

Ok the last part is a joke, but the rest of it's serious.
 
thesauce said:
It really depends on the offense. Rape, robbery, serious assault: you're screwed. With a DUI, you're probably okay. First of all, fight it just to delay it going on your record. When it finally goes on your record, don't report it to the schools until they ask. If they do ask, then tell the truth.

I disagree with the last posting, you're probably fine. I know a highly competitive school that let a guy stay in after being convicted of child abuse. Relax, everyone has made a mistake or two.


EXCUSE ME--DRUNK DRIVING AND ABUSING YOUR CHILDREN ARE NOT MISTAKES--people who commit crimes like this have absolutely no place in medical school. rosenblum--how bout this--why don't you go report it--face what you did and take responsiblity for your actions instead of trying to get out of it.
 
rosenblum said:
Long time visitor to SDN, first time poster.

Last night I was charged with a pretty serious offense. And although I can take it to court, I have no case, and I will be convicted. Now, when I applied to schools I didn't report any convictions since I didn't have any. But now what do I do? I mean, technically I haven't been convicted yet, but it will probably come by the end of the month (so my lawyer says if I don't take this to court). I applied late to med school, I'm competetive (35P & 3.7 GPA at a pretty reputable school), and I know I'll have a bunch of interviews after then. Do I have to update my application and tell them?!! :eek:

Any advice?! :oops: :( :thumbdown:

Hi there,
You were not charged until after you submitted your application so I would not update with this info. If you are convicted, you probably will have to report if felony but anything else, consult an attorney that is well-versed in these matters.

In the meantime, try not to let any more trouble find you.

njbmd :)
 
If it is not something where you have to appear in court, then it almost certainly is not a serious offense.
 
rosenblum said:
Long time visitor to SDN, first time poster.

sorry to hear your predicament, however I think you are a former poster using a new account. Nonetheless, look into the licensing part first. Even if you don't report it, not being able to get licensed would not be cool at all. Best regards.



.
 
Nikki2002 said:
EXCUSE ME--DRUNK DRIVING AND ABUSING YOUR CHILDREN ARE NOT MISTAKES--people who commit crimes like this have absolutely no place in medical school. rosenblum--how bout this--why don't you go report it--face what you did and take responsiblity for your actions instead of trying to get out of it.

Wow, the last thing I said (about everyone making mistakes) should have been its own paragraph. I certainly didn't mean that child abuse is a mistake, but I believe that some cases of DUI are. True, repeated DUI's are definately not mistakes, but there are cases that aren't so cut and dry (much like those ethics dilemmas that they ask you during med school interviews).

Why report it if they don't even ask? Nicki2002, can you honestly say that have you told your school everything that you've ever done? What about your parents? I disagree with you completely, if someone pays their debt to society through the legal system, then that should be it. And not all doctors are as lilly-white as you might think.
 
if you tell us what you did we can help you more. What did it involve?
 
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They won't find out, and they certainly won't check after you are admitted.
 
Beg for mercy, the judge may let you off if she knows you're sorry, and your life is on the line.. make your best case, and hope for the best - you don't have to report until after the decision, so do what you can to make the most of it.
 
rosenblum said:
Long time visitor to SDN, first time poster.

Last night I was charged with a pretty serious offense. And although I can take it to court, I have no case, and I will be convicted. Now, when I applied to schools I didn't report any convictions since I didn't have any. But now what do I do? I mean, technically I haven't been convicted yet, but it will probably come by the end of the month (so my lawyer says if I don't take this to court). I applied late to med school, I'm competetive (35P & 3.7 GPA at a pretty reputable school), and I know I'll have a bunch of interviews after then. Do I have to update my application and tell them?!! :eek:

Any advice?! :oops: :( :thumbdown:

If you are pleading guilty to a felony, you are in trouble. Get a new (better) lawyer and try to plea bargain.

If this isn't a felony - then maybe it isn't too bad.

Be honest and report this conviction when asked. If you need help for substance abuse or anger management, get it now. It can only help.
 
thesauce said:
Wow, the last thing I said (about everyone making mistakes) should have been its own paragraph. I certainly didn't mean that child abuse is a mistake, but I believe that some cases of DUI are. True, repeated DUI's are definately not mistakes, but there are cases that aren't so cut and dry (much like those ethics dilemmas that they ask you during med school interviews).

Why report it if they don't even ask? Nicki2002, can you honestly say that have you told your school everything that you've ever done? What about your parents? I disagree with you completely, if someone pays their debt to society through the legal system, then that should be it. And not all doctors are as lilly-white as you might think.

Not cut and dry? Someone is drunk and gets behind the wheel. I don't care how or why--if they get into an accident then none of that matters. Sure there are a lot of doctors out there who have committed crimes. But that doesn't mean that we shouldn't hold ourselves to higher standards and be accountable for our actions.
 
I would get an attorney (any attorney) but a good one if possible. See if you can plea this down to some misdemeanor. In the end if you did something bad 1) the MD school might boot you and if it doesnt you better believe Residencies will be looking for this and they ask. Make sure you plea this down to something that is a misdemeanor. Also you should totally get an atty my dad had a guy working for him who got a crappy atty who counseled him poorly, now the guy hasnt worked for over 1 yr because he pled guilty to a felony (running away from the police) which likely could have been pled down. If you really did something that bad.. like rape etc. well IMO you dont have place in a profession where trust comes first. My advice if you were my bro or sis.. Fight it to no end until you get this down to a misdemeanor.. Since you are given a public defender use it if you cant afford something better.. Good luck
 
also realize that if you do not show this, even if you become an m.d., you could lose your m.d. degree any time if the college ever found out. Would you be able to live the rest of your life wondering if your conviction could ever be found out?
 
EctopicFetus said:
I would get an attorney (any attorney) but a good one if possible. See if you can plea this down to some misdemeanor. In the end if you did something bad 1) the MD school might boot you and if it doesnt you better believe Residencies will be looking for this and they ask. Make sure you plea this down to something that is a misdemeanor. Also you should totally get an atty my dad had a guy working for him who got a crappy atty who counseled him poorly, now the guy hasnt worked for over 1 yr because he pled guilty to a felony (running away from the police) which likely could have been pled down. If you really did something that bad.. like rape etc. well IMO you dont have place in a profession where trust comes first. My advice if you were my bro or sis.. Fight it to no end until you get this down to a misdemeanor.. Since you are given a public defender use it if you cant afford something better.. Good luck

Definitely. Plea like you've never pled before. Get the pity points and bring this down to the lowest level you can get, if it means you have to beg for it...

Good luck, and I hope whatever serious offense this was, didn't wind up harming someone else drastically...
 
im sorry i can forgive DUI if one time, but child abuse???? come on. I'm sorry I could not forgive that one and I am a very forgiving person.
...also i mean something like someone got drunk whatever ok I can see that as a really big screw up, but child abuse is sick in my opinion and thats not "just a mistake"
 
instead of taking up valuable time posting on sdn, get a good lawyer.... and instead of asking people on sdn what they think, ask a lawyer...
 
Generally once you matriculate to your chosen medical school they will do a criminal background check. If a serious conviction appears on your record that you failed to inform them about they will kick your butt to the curb. If you tell them now you may still have a slight chance of getting accepted. If you don't tell them, you stand no chance of making it past your first year in med school. Good luck.
 
Honestly, my standard is that I consider even spanking to be child abuse. Any parent that spanks a child should be imprisoned. I was never once spanked as a child. To me, the act of spanking might not do much physical damage but the bottom line is that by spanking a child you are teaching him or her that it is ok to use violence to achieve something (in this case, control of behavior).

When I visited Taiwan, I saw someone hit their child in public in the hallway of a hospital. I almost lost it and was about to charge at her. She actually started heading my way down the hallway and I kind of just stepped quickly into her way and bumped her aside. She looked at me in bewilderment and kept walking.

But anyway, Rosenblum, you should come out with it I think. Admissions committees are like cops, it's better that they find out now rather than later.
 
This is an interesting thread. I don't think it will matter much unless its some capital offense. I mean if I see you on the news later tonight I wouldn't bother with finishing the process, but otherwise I think this thing will not be an issue until later in life when you like most doctors get sued. At this point they will question and scrutinize your record and here is where the problems will be. The trial lawyer will say he did this dastardly deed on so and so night of November 2005 and this makes him a terrible physician today. So lets sue the crap out of this bum. Your wife will then cheat on you and then you will get sued again for divorce. If I'm not mistaken there will also be subsequent litigation over child custody and alimony which are separate trials here in Louisiana.
I would ask LAW2DOC for more info.
 
91Bravo said:
Generally once you matriculate to your chosen medical school they will do a criminal background check. If a serious conviction appears on your record that you failed to inform them about they will kick your butt to the curb. If you tell them now you may still have a slight chance of getting accepted. If you don't tell them, you stand no chance of making it past your first year in med school. Good luck.

Yes, many schools do a criminal backgroud check when they accept you. I recently heard a speech from a guy pretty high up in the AAMC that says they're going to eventually integrate this, so that they only check once after your first acceptance, and this will be at all schools. Not all schools check yet though, and it depends a lot on state law.

Still I think even if they find out after you've graduated, they can revoke your degree if you lied to them.
 
OP is probably getting a kick out of the discussion he/she has spurred.
 
I'm still waiting for the OP to describe what exactly happened, instead of all us SDNers jumping to assumptions and feeding fuel to an interesting yet perhaps unecessary flame...
 
Noeljan said:
im sorry i can forgive DUI if one time, but child abuse???? come on. I'm sorry I could not forgive that one and I am a very forgiving person.
...also i mean something like someone got drunk whatever ok I can see that as a really big screw up, but child abuse is sick in my opinion and thats not "just a mistake"

You're absolutely right! See the retraction that I wrote.
 
Pewl said:
Honestly, my standard is that I consider even spanking to be child abuse. Any parent that spanks a child should be imprisoned. I was never once spanked as a child. To me, the act of spanking might not do much physical damage but the bottom line is that by spanking a child you are teaching him or her that it is ok to use violence to achieve something (in this case, control of behavior).

When I visited Taiwan, I saw someone hit their child in public in the hallway of a hospital. I almost lost it and was about to charge at her. She actually started heading my way down the hallway and I kind of just stepped quickly into her way and bumped her aside. She looked at me in bewilderment and kept walking.

But anyway, Rosenblum, you should come out with it I think. Admissions committees are like cops, it's better that they find out now rather than later.

Seems like you think it's ok to use violence. Otherwise why would you charge a complete stranger or assault her? You hoping to be sure her child learns the lesson?
 
Pewl said:
Honestly, my standard is that I consider even spanking to be child abuse. Any parent that spanks a child should be imprisoned. I was never once spanked as a child. To me, the act of spanking might not do much physical damage but the bottom line is that by spanking a child you are teaching him or her that it is ok to use violence to achieve something (in this case, control of behavior).

When I visited Taiwan, I saw someone hit their child in public in the hallway of a hospital. I almost lost it and was about to charge at her. She actually started heading my way down the hallway and I kind of just stepped quickly into her way and bumped her aside. She looked at me in bewilderment and kept walking.

But anyway, Rosenblum, you should come out with it I think. Admissions committees are like cops, it's better that they find out now rather than later.

Any parent who spanks their kid should be imprisoned? What about a man who is physical with a woman because he does not agree with the way she teaches her child?
Obviously beating a child has absolutely no place in any society, but in my opinion, spanking got my attention when I was a kid, and I plan on giving my kids a quick swat on the behind when appropriate.
 
tacrum43 said:
Yes, many schools do a criminal backgroud check when they accept you. I recently heard a speech from a guy pretty high up in the AAMC that says they're going to eventually integrate this, so that they only check once after your first acceptance, and this will be at all schools. Not all schools check yet though, and it depends a lot on state law.

Still I think even if they find out after you've graduated, they can revoke your degree if you lied to them.

You bring up an interesting point: a medical license, respect, and even personal freedoms can be taken away, but not a degree! Dr. Hannibal Lecter is STILL a doctor.

There was a Harvard medical school graduate a while back that murdered his wife and he got life in prison, but no one, not even Harvard can revoke his degree. A degree means education and an institution can't say "oh, wait, we lied, he/she never got that education from our institution after all."
 
Pewl said:
Honestly, my standard is that I consider even spanking to be child abuse. Any parent that spanks a child should be imprisoned. I was never once spanked as a child. To me, the act of spanking might not do much physical damage but the bottom line is that by spanking a child you are teaching him or her that it is ok to use violence to achieve something (in this case, control of behavior).

When I visited Taiwan, I saw someone hit their child in public in the hallway of a hospital. I almost lost it and was about to charge at her. She actually started heading my way down the hallway and I kind of just stepped quickly into her way and bumped her aside. She looked at me in bewilderment and kept walking.

You have got to be kidding me.....
 
thesauce said:
You bring up an interesting point: a medical license, respect, and even personal freedoms can be taken away, but not a degree! Dr. Hannibal Lecter is STILL a doctor.

There was a Harvard medical school graduate a while back that murdered his wife and he got life in prison, but no one, not even Harvard can revoke his degree. A degree means education and an institution can't say "oh, wait, we lied, he/she never got that education from our institution after all."

Yikes. But I think they can. Maybe only for certain reasons though. There was that recent case where one of the Wal-mart heiresses got her undergrad degree revoked from USC because she paid someone else to do her homework. They also didn't name some stadium after her parents that they were going to because of some big donation they made.

edit: Dr. Hannibal Lecter is also still a fictional character.
 
Pewl said:
Honestly, my standard is that I consider even spanking to be child abuse. Any parent that spanks a child should be imprisoned. I was never once spanked as a child. To me, the act of spanking might not do much physical damage but the bottom line is that by spanking a child you are teaching him or her that it is ok to use violence to achieve something (in this case, control of behavior).

Wow... I've never met anyone that feels that strongly about spanking. My parents spanked me, and I can't see any way that it has negatively affected me. I'm in no way a violent person. I've never hit anyone before.... (assuming that slapping a few terrible ex-boyfriends doesn't count).
 
Talk to a lawyer, and take njmd's (sp?) advice. Only report if you have to, delay conviction as long as possible (which means have lawyer work for you to keep it off record as long as possible). However, if it's that serious is jail time involved? And would this interfere with starting school? Just b/c you don't have a case doesn't mean a lawyer can't buy you time. Anyhow, consult a good attorney and stay out of trouble, do what he tells you to do not us. What was it for I also ask?
 
If its sure to be a felony, won't there be jail time involved? How will you attend classes if your locked up?
 
Pewl said:
Honestly, my standard is that I consider even spanking to be child abuse. Any parent that spanks a child should be imprisoned. I was never once spanked as a child. To me, the act of spanking might not do much physical damage but the bottom line is that by spanking a child you are teaching him or her that it is ok to use violence to achieve something (in this case, control of behavior).

When I visited Taiwan, I saw someone hit their child in public in the hallway of a hospital. I almost lost it and was about to charge at her. She actually started heading my way down the hallway and I kind of just stepped quickly into her way and bumped her aside. She looked at me in bewilderment and kept walking.

1. I would bet that you don't have any children yet. Your outlook may change if you ever have kids. They may learn to walk all over you and have no respect for any authority.

2. Reasoning doesn't work in every situation. Sometimes, you have to get a child's attention. I'm not saying to thrash the kid, but a nice, focusing pop on the butt does wonders for the attention sometimes.

2. For never having been spanked as a child, it seems that you were ready to resort to violence with the woman you saw spank her child. Did you learn that in your child-rearing expert class? :rolleyes:
 
tacrum43 said:
Yikes. But I think they can. Maybe only for certain reasons though. There was that recent case where one of the Wal-mart heiresses got her undergrad degree revoked from USC because she paid someone else to do her homework. They also didn't name some stadium after her parents that they were going to because of some big donation they made.

edit: Dr. Hannibal Lecter is also still a fictional character.

Yeah, I'm pretty sure that he's fictional, too, but it was a direct way to communicate my point.

Now I'm curious about this USC person. If she paid someone to do her work, then she didn't earn her education and it makes sense that they took it away.

Anyway, if they start yanking degrees from people, there is no saying how far they can go with it. Down the road, universities could have control over how people live their lives with the threat of taking their degrees away. Maybe they can do it for an issue of academic integrity, but I doubt for any other reason.
 
I don't know what the conviction was for, but I'd say that how it affects you depends on what the offense was.....

For instance, no one would let a rapist or killer in medical school, but if your offense was something minor I doubt it would affect you.
 
tacrum43 said:
Yes, many schools do a criminal backgroud check when they accept you. I recently heard a speech from a guy pretty high up in the AAMC that says they're going to eventually integrate this, so that they only check once after your first acceptance, and this will be at all schools. Not all schools check yet though, and it depends a lot on state law.

Still I think even if they find out after you've graduated, they can revoke your degree if you lied to them.

is this all schools -- grad, law, and med? and do they only check for convictions? what if someone filed only a police report?
 
OOOOH.. two bandwagons of angry SDNers... which one should I jump on... OK, I have nothing positive to contribute, but am curious what the OP was arrested for.
 
Everyone is overlooking one thing, MOST medical schools run a background check before you matriculate. So if it was something serious its gonna show up when they run that check prior to August.
 
Pewl said:
Honestly, my standard is that I consider even spanking to be child abuse. Any parent that spanks a child should be imprisoned. I was never once spanked as a child. To me, the act of spanking might not do much physical damage but the bottom line is that by spanking a child you are teaching him or her that it is ok to use violence to achieve something (in this case, control of behavior).
This has to be one of the most intolerant, arrogant, presumptious, disrespectful posts I've ever seen, on any forum, including a lot of pretty heated political and/or religious ones. Must have come from a true left-wing moonbat. It's not just that such a radical position has been taken, but that you followed it up with an example where you, non-spanked (and by your logic non-violent) as a child, responded to witnessing a public spanking with extremely violent thoughts. Such self-hypocrisy.

First, don't presume to know the best way to raise every kid, in every situation, everywhere in the world. Different kids are often worlds different in behavior, and what works for one may not work for all. Second, don't be so naive with your cause/effect assumptions. Child rearing isn't a step A, step B procedure. There are always lots of issues, lots of compromises, lots of consequences for each of your decisions that must be carefully weighed. Absolutist positions such as yours frankly have no place in civilized society. Maybe the child picks up on the idea that agression sometimes works... maybe they also pick up on the idea that parents should be respected and rules should be followed; therin is the compromise. But even that greatly oversimplifies the problem: what are they learning, specifically, about agression? That wife beating gets results? Where are they seeing that evidence in the act of spanking? That thuggery can be profitable? Where in spanking are they witnessing that? Perhaps what they are learning, specifically, is that spanking forces children to observe rules. Man, now isn't that a crime... let's lock up the parents.
 
snobored18 said:
Everyone is overlooking one thing, MOST medical schools run a background check before you matriculate. So if it was something serious its gonna show up when they run that check prior to August.

No one has overlooked that fact. You would be absolutely shocked how long you can prolong a trial, especially on a serious offense. This could easily drag out until after the school asks for a background check. It could be 8 months or a year before the case is decided.
 
Flopotomist said:
OOOOH.. two bandwagons of angry SDNers... which one should I jump on... OK, I have nothing positive to contribute, but am curious what the OP was arrested for.

You should jump on the child abuse bandwagon. It's starting to get good!
 
osli said:
First, don't presume to know the best way to raise every kid, in every situation, everywhere in the world. Different kids are often worlds different in behavior, and what works for one may not work for all.
I think the problem stems from the fact that the line between "disciplining" and "abusing" your child is pretty thin and varies from person to person. So a firm slap on the behind is okay...what about bending the child over and giving a hard slap on his/her naked behind? is 5 slaps ok? how about 10? what about slapping for 30 minutes? or maybe just once with a belt? how about 5 times with a belt? for 30 minutes with a belt? and so on. Everyone's line is different, whether it's your hand versus another object, or # of slaps, or duration of slapping. I agree that Pewl probably shouldn't have generalized like that and said all parents who spank should go to jail, but a difficulty that can arise from what you're saying is a parent who uses a belt and claims they're just "disciplining" their children...after all, based on your logic, not all children are the same and some just respond better to a belt.

I'm not saying spanking should be illegal, but I can definitely see why Pewl doesn't believe in any degree of it.

Now, back to the OP's question...
 
Joonie said:
is this all schools -- grad, law, and med? and do they only check for convictions? what if someone filed only a police report?

I was only talking about medical school. I don't know about the others. I think only convictions matter, not a police report, but you would need to ask a lawyer.
 
Pewl said:
When I visited Taiwan, I saw someone hit their child in public in the hallway of a hospital. I almost lost it and was about to charge at her. She actually started heading my way down the hallway and I kind of just stepped quickly into her way and bumped her aside. She looked at me in bewilderment and kept walking.

pewl- you're f-ing hilarious. i know what you're talking about but bumping into the woman? she probably just thought you were another crazy american that never did military training and consequently can't walk straight.

btw.. i've gotta say i HATE when an OP just starts a thread and walks away from it. why haven't you posted since? are you even reading all this friendly advice you're getting? oh ya, and let us know what you were convicted for. lets make this the SDN version of the OC. thanks
-mota
 
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