am i screwed?

[bryanjb]

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i'm now a junior in college and i'm probably going to start applying to pharmacy schools in the near future. during my freshman year i committed two offenses (being in the presence of alcohol/minor marijuana charge) and i was put on academic probation for 2 years. how badly will this hurt my chances for applying to pharmacy school? considering i have a clean record with the law, a 3.68 gpa, extracurricular activities, and an internship? any advice/information is greatly appreciated!

 

[YiYaoYue]

i'm now a junior in college and i'm probably going to start applying to pharmacy schools in the near future. during my freshman year i committed two offenses (being in the presence of alcohol/minor marijuana charge) and i was put on academic probation for 2 years. how badly will this hurt my chances for applying to pharmacy school? considering i have a clean record with the law, a 3.68 gpa, extracurricular activities, and an internship? any advice/information is greatly appreciated!

There are areas in the application where you can explain these offenses, if you work on it now and really provide a good explanation and how you've change I don't think it will hurt your chances all that much.

 

[Farcus]

if you were convicted then you got to explain, but if you were just arrested but the charges were drop like me (fradulent ID possession) then you don't have to write it since they only worry about convictions, unless they specifically ASK YOU about something.

 

[bryanjb]

well, for the alcohol offense we were caught by RA's and with the marijuana i was arrested by campus police but the charges were dropped since i didn't give them the run around and the school handled the situation.

 

[YiYaoYue]

well, for the alcohol offense we were caught by RA's and with the marijuana i was arrested by campus police but the charges were dropped since i didn't give them the run around and the school handled the situation.

most likely it is not in your permanent record, but i would go and get it checked to make sure you don't get in trouble for withholding information.

 

[bryanjb]

here's what the pharmcas application says:

Were you ever the recipient of any action (e.g. dismissal, disqualification, suspension, probation etc.) by any college or university for unacceptable academic performance or conduct violations?

If you answered "Yes" to the previous question, enter an explanation in the box below. Include 1) a brief description of the incident, 2) specific charge made, 3) consequence, and 4) a reflection on the incident and how the incident has impacted your life.

doesnt my situation fall under that category?

 

[fatevsdestiny]

Application process...I don't think it will hurt you that significantly,but after getting into pharm school and applying for an intern license, that might be a problem. But I still encourage you to keep trying regardless, everyone deserves a second chance.

 

[bryanjb]

so essentially if the fact that i was on probation isn't on my permenant record than i wont have to disclose that information?

 

[IrishRxMan]

I'm not sure about the PharmCAS, but a state board will not find anything that was handled on a college campus because most likely it was not put onto a record they look at.

 

[panzer]

here's what the pharmcas application says:

Were you ever the recipient of any action (e.g. dismissal, disqualification, suspension, probation etc.) by any college or university for unacceptable academic performance or conduct violations?

If you answered "Yes" to the previous question, enter an explanation in the box below. Include 1) a brief description of the incident, 2) specific charge made, 3) consequence, and 4) a reflection on the incident and how the incident has impacted your life.

doesnt my situation fall under that category?

^ By probation, do you mean for non-academic related charges since the points you made seem like something like a criminal or civil offense OR does failing course and going on probation also count here?

 

[bryanjb]

yes, it is non-academic as i haven't failed a course yet (knock on wood). perhaps i should clarify. there were two separate offenses my freshman year (one alcohol related and one marijuana related). the first time i was simply put on probation and for the marijuana offense which happened the next semester i was "arrested" but the police dropped the charges. my probation was therefore extended by the school for another year and i had to attend a class and drug therapy.

 

[RxWildcat]

If the school found out about the marijuana charge then they may be wary about admitting someone with past drug charges.

 

[bryanjb]

who do i need to talk to to determine if i need to put this information on the application? and if this is not on my permanent record does that mean it is safe to withhold the information?

 

[bryanjb]

i just found this information on my school's student conduct website:

Q: What happens to my student records if I am found in violation of the Rules of Conduct?
A: The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act makes a student's disciplinary record part of the educational record. The University will not release or permit access to educational records and personally identifiable information kept on a student except as otherwise permitted by law and this rule. This record may be accessed by the student, the parent of a minor or dependent student, with the student's authorization, or in response to a court order. This educational record may also be shared with other members of the academic community with a legitimate need to know. Decisions resulting in suspension and/or expulsion will be noted on the student's academic transcript.



apparently that means my offenses would not appear on my transcript. so would the pharm school still have access to this information?

i also found this on the same site:

Sealing of a Student Conduct Record

A student’s conduct record is eligible to be sealed if the incident(s) in question are minor and do not result in suspension or expulsion and where further violations would not likely result in suspension or expulsion from the university. A student conduct record may be sealed upon the successful submission and review of appropriate paperwork to the Office of Student Conduct. The factors influencing the decision by the Director of the OSRR for sealing are the severity of the violation, effect of the violation on the University community, sanctions applied, completion of sanctions, and ethical development demonstrated by the student. There is no appeals process regarding student conduct record sealing.


would this help me/apply to me?

 

[panzer]

yes, it is non-academic as i haven't failed a course yet (knock on wood). perhaps i should clarify. there were two separate offenses my freshman year (one alcohol related and one marijuana related). the first time i was simply put on probation and for the marijuana offense which happened the next semester i was "arrested" but the police dropped the charges. my probation was therefore extended by the school for another year and i had to attend a class and drug therapy.

So one has to explain if he or she failed acadamically [went on probation] on PharmCAS? I think that is what I meant to ask..

 

[mrblah]

bryanjb: go and order a copy of your transcript. You will see what the adcom will see. Go and pay someone to run a background check on you, if you really want to know whats on file.

Most universities will not release any information unless you requested it, or you signed a disclosure form for the school to release it to the adcom. Even then, they can only release very specific info (whats on the transcript and nothing else).

Pharmacy school will request transcripts, and do a criminal background check. You might as well find out whats on record before some total stranger does.

 

[timbutt2]

Has the marijuana "issue" affected your financial aid at all? I know a marijuana conviction can prevent you from receiving financial aid...

 

[bryanjb]

no, i have a 75% bright futures scholarship and it has not been affected.