A Few Questions

[Henchman21]

Hey guys, just finishing up my primary before submission and I have a few last minute questions:

1) I Have a letter writer from the former office manager at a non profit I did a considerable amount of volunteering at. My understanding is that it needs to be a pdf on official letterhead. However, as this was a couple of years ago, he has moved on to a different career. He was the office manager at this organization for a decade. How should I go about this?

2) I got a DUI in spring 2011. I was granted a withheld judgment and the case was later dismissed. I have no other criminal charges on my record and no IA.

The AMCAS primary states:

"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)?"

#3 sounds like my situation. However, this seems contrary to everything I've read on here. At this point, I've decided to say YES I was convicted of a misdemeanor and use the following details box to state my admission of guilt, that it made me seriously reflect on the matter, and no such behavior has occurred since. I was confronted with the reality of the offense and what could have happened and it made a huge impact on me.

Please do not take this as me trying to avoid disclosing. I have done a lot to own up to this and have no desire to downplay its significance. I know that schools also ask and am prepared to answer openly and humbly. I'm just another neurotic premed that is bothered by the AMCAS wording. Why would they add this when it certainly will show up later? I guess I'm looking more for an answer to this question than anything else and will be keeping my answer as follows:

I have YES checked on AMCAS. I just want to be open about it now and hereafter than trust their prompt and end up with a situation I never intended to happen.

3) My MCAT score won't be released until early July. My understanding is that I can submit my primary for verification with just one school and then add appropriately once my score is released. Is this so?

I think that's it. Thank you very much in advance!

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[Henchman21]

Oh, I should add another:

4) I have a couple hundred hours at that non profit. They were involved in sexual health and ran a clinic that gave free testing and counseling. My duties there were mostly clerical. However, I'm not sure whether to list this as medical/clinical or not medical/clinical on the work/activities section.

I have a good amount of shadowing hours if that matters at all for diversifying my clinical/non-clinical ECs.

Thanks!

 

[hoihaie]

For #4, depending on how you describe that activity. If you described it as mostly clerical, then you should prob put not medical/clinical work. Just be consistent.

 

[mehc012]

1. Just have him use letterhead for the institution he is currently associated with. It's really there to ensure that the letter is legit (and it's pretty useless at that).
2. About the DUI - I would ask a lawyer, but given that your 'case was later dismissed', you likely fall under the exclusion you highlighted.
3. Your understanding is correct.
4. Did you frequently see doctor/patient interactions or directly help facilitate the provision of healthcare? That's the best metric, tbh, though LizzyM helpfully simplifies it to "If you can smell patients, it's clinical experience"

 

[slopes23]

1. Just have him use letterhead for the institution he is currently associated with. It's really there to ensure that the letter is legit (and it's pretty useless at that).
2. About the DUI - I would ask a lawyer, but given that your 'case was later dismissed', you likely fall under the exclusion you highlighted.
3. Your understanding is correct.
4. Did you frequently see doctor/patient interactions or directly help facilitate the provision of healthcare? That's the best metric, tbh, though LizzyM helpfully simplifies it to "If you can smell patients, it's clinical experience"

I would disagree about the DUI. Like you said, to be sure consult a lawyer. However, it sounds like you have to go through probation and have it dismissed. While granted OP was not completely clear whether he did in fact go through probation, if he did not and his case was just dismissed after the judge initially withholding judgement, I imagine that they put an and in the wording and not an or for a reason.

YMMV

 

[mehc012]

I would disagree about the DUI. Like you said, to be sure consult a lawyer. However, it sounds like you have to go through probation and have it dismissed. While granted OP was not completely clear whether he did in fact go through probation, if he did not and his case was just dismissed after the judge initially withholding judgement, I imagine that they put an and in the wording and not an or for a reason.

YMMV

He was not convicted, that's the key.
'Probation' = given a period of time to demonstrate good behavior
'Withheld judgement' = instead of convicting OP, they gave them time...and then decided not to convict.
Different wording, same principle...and the main point is that OP was NEVER CONVICTED of a DUI.

Consult the lawyer to make sure that neither AMCAS nor your court phrased it deliberately to prevent nondisclosure, but on the outside, barring any surprises (OP not having told it straight, or missed a detail somewhere) it all adds up to no need to disclose.

 

[Henchman21]

Sorry if I wasn't clear. Yes I went through what my state refers to as "unsupervised probation" (no PO, but if you mess up again while on it, you're in pretty deep water) and other requirements which included community service and an alcohol class. After completing the requirements, the charge was dismissed.

Thank you for the responses so far! If that changes how any of you read the situation, please let me know.

 

[mehc012]

Sorry if I wasn't clear. Yes I went through what my state refers to as "unsupervised probation" (no PO, but if you mess up again while on it, you're in pretty deep water) and other requirements which included community service and an alcohol class. After completing the requirements, the charge was dismissed.

Thank you for the responses so far! If that changes how any of you read the situation, please let me know.

All any of us can do is give you our best guess...if you are concerned about how this will play, you really need to ask a lawyer to ensure that you don't miss a tricky wording somewhere. Personally, I think you'd be fine not disclosing, but my opinion is about as meaningful as repaying someone with Leprechaun gold

 

[Henchman21]

Fair enough, I appreciate the candor. I'll give me attorney a call. Sadly, I called AMCAS, but their representative wasn't much help with the issue. Schools ask this separately anyway yes? And one of my letters comes from someone who oversaw this whole process. Again, I'd rather just get it out in the open and address it. Still, I wanted to follow AMCAS's instruction, but it seems to conflict.

Any other points of view?