All4MyDaughter said:
A classmate of mine approached me today with the following situation. He's also an aspiring pharmacist, wishing to apply for Fall 2006 admission. Two weeks ago he got arrested for DUI. Will this affect his chances of admission/getting a pharmacy job/being licensed?
Your thoughts are appreciated!
I haven't gotten thru all my app stuff, but my roommate is in her third year of pharmacy school (and frequently helps with admissions), and I asked her about this. She said there's no way to guarantee that it won't adversely affect an adcom's opinion of him, because getting caught DUI represents a serious lapse in good judgment where you put others' lives at risk, and pharmacy is a profession where strangers put their lives in your hands on a daily basis.
But that is also what it is: a
moment of weakness. We're all human. If he's kept his nose clean prior to this, then he may be able to explain himself. She also said that if he's a well-rounded student with excellent recommendations, an adcom may choose not to disregard his accomplishments.
However, pretty much all jobs in healthcare require that you undergo background checks, and I'm fairly sure that state boards of pharmacy will not look too kindly on such a thing as a DUI.
My roommate said she didn't know as much about the implications after he gets through pharmacy school, but she said that the bottom line is that yes, it is possible that he may have jeopardized his chances for admission. She said that an adcom may suggest he wait a year and prove that it really just was a moment of weakness, but for now he should really make a point of bringing up community service, etc.
