How to talk about 2 related prior misdemeanors?

[gut_feelings_92]

Hello, I will be applying next year with 2 misdemeanors. Several people here and IRL have told me that it won't kill my chances for med school, but some schools will definitely filter me out. I'm okay with that, but I definitely want to become a doctor.

The first and oldest is a DUI Cannabis about 15 years ago, I was in high school. The other is a Possession charge, will be about 10 years old.

That being said, everyone I've spoken to IRL has said that the biggest challenge will be successfully explaining / talking about BOTH misdemeanors, since I should have known better, and I agree. If I had only one, I could say "I learned my lesson" and own up to it and probably satisfy most adcoms. But since I have a second related charge, how should I talk about it? The question I imagine people will ask is "why didn't you learn your lesson the first time?"

My honest assessment of the DUI charge is that I was very immature and didn't recognize the seriousness of driving while high. To an extent, I had also fallen in with the wrong crowd. I swore off pot for several years. Honestly, the DUI was the best thing that ever happened to me, because I was on a fast road to nowhere when it happened, and afterwards I focused on school and trying to get into college. For the Paraphernalia though, I was in college - so many people I knew were using marijuana and not worried at all about getting caught, and it just felt like people didn't get in trouble for it. I stupidly started smoking again. I have no excuses for this and I take responsibility for this.

Truthfully, the biggest lesson I learned from these events was that I have to be very careful who I surround myself with, and I have been ever since. It's been a long time and since then I've done a lot - started and built a successful career, and done well in school.

Just looking for some ideas about how I can talk about this, as I reflect more on what happened and what lessons I learned.

Edit: I will have to report both of these.

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[mediocrestudent97]

If either of these charges are sealed/expunged you don’t have to report it on AMCAS

Edit: depending on your state of residence I believe

 

[gut_feelings_92]

If either of these charges are sealed/expunged you don’t have to report it on AMCAS

Edit: depending on your state of residence I believe

I've looked into it and I will have to report both of these. Plus even if I didn't have to, they'll still show up on a background check and I would probably lose any offers I get because there would be a discrepancy.

 

[Goro]

I've looked into it and I will have to report both of these. Plus even if I didn't have to, they'll still show up on a background check and I would probably lose any offers I get because there would be a discrepancy.

As the you of 10-15 years ago is so far in the past, my take is that you're a different person now. There are Adcom members that believe in redemption.

 

[mediocrestudent97]

I've looked into it and I will have to report both of these. Plus even if I didn't have to, they'll still show up on a background check and I would probably lose any offers I get because there would be a discrepancy.

Order a certifphi background check yourself prior to AMCAS requesting one once your accepted. You’ll see exactly what will be reported to schools.

Look into getting them sealed at least tho

 

[LunaOri]

If you have to explain them, please take full responsibility and don’t justify it by saying you hung out with the wrong people in college (that might excuse your first misdemeanor, but not your second).

 

[Moab_BASE]

Has anyone talked to you about getting a DEA number with multiple drug related offenses? You should contact a lawyer who deals with this stuff so you don’t finish med school only to find out you can’t prescribe.

 

[Proudfather94]

That was a long time ago with a drug that many are saying should not be criminalized. Just be honest and you should get in somewhere

 

[gut_feelings_92]

Has anyone talked to you about getting a DEA number with multiple drug related offenses? You should contact a lawyer who deals with this stuff so you don’t finish med school only to find out you can’t prescribe.

I've spoken with lawyers about whether I'd be able to be licensed by the board of medicine in several states, all stated there would be no issue. I can't recall if I've inquired about the DEA angle, do you know where I could find out more?

 

[Acapedia]

I think you are OK. I got in no problem with a 10 year old shoplifting arrest (although no charges were ever filed). I didnt mention it on any application.

 

[Moab_BASE]

I've spoken with lawyers about whether I'd be able to be licensed by the board of medicine in several states, all stated there would be no issue. I can't recall if I've inquired about the DEA angle, do you know where I could find out more?

Maybe just go to the website and see if you can find a link to email or call. I have no idea where you would look.

 

[LizzyM]

AMCAS specifies what must be reported and in part it depends on the laws in your state. If there is a discrepancy with that and the criminal background check, you can't be faulted if the state law basically prohibited the asking of the question. So, check AMCAS.

If you have to report, I would not look askance at someone who as a teenager said that they used because it was a common-place behavior in the peer group (in HS and college) and you eventually woke up to the damage that your involvement in illegal behavior was having on you and your well-being and the future that you wanted for yourself. This happened a long time ago and you have obviously grown and matured. Let us know how it turns out for you as this is important information for those coming up behind you.

 

[Keepcalmpremd]

I've looked into it and I will have to report both of these. Plus even if I didn't have to, they'll still show up on a background check and I would probably lose any offers I get because there would be a discrepancy.

Just curious, they’re so old you can’t request through the courts to have the records expunged if not for both then for one?

 

[PhD_to_DO]

Hello, I will be applying next year with 2 misdemeanors. Several people here and IRL have told me that it won't kill my chances for med school, but some schools will definitely filter me out. I'm okay with that, but I definitely want to become a doctor.

The first and oldest is a DUI Cannabis when about 15 years ago, I was in high school. The other is a Possession of Paraphernalia, will be about 10 years old.

That being said, everyone I've spoken to IRL has said that the biggest challenge will be successfully explaining / talking about BOTH misdemeanors, since I should have known better, and I agree. If I had only one, I could say "I learned my lesson" and own up to it and probably satisfy most adcoms. But since I have a second related charge, how should I talk about it? The question I imagine people will ask is "why didn't you learn your lesson the first time?"

My honest assessment of the DUI charge is that I was very immature and didn't recognize the seriousness of driving while high. To an extent, I had also fallen in with the wrong crowd. I grew up in a really poor urban community, without much parental supervision, and to be honest drugs were everywhere around me. I swore off pot for several years. Honestly, the DUI was the best thing that ever happened to me, because I was on a fast road to nowhere when it happened, and afterwards I focused on school and trying to get into college. For the Paraphernalia though, I was in college - so many people I knew were using marijuana and not worried at all about getting caught, and it just felt like people didn't get in trouble for it. I again was susceptible to my peer group - my roommates were all smoking and eventually I gave in and started smoking again.

Truthfully, the biggest lesson I learned from these events was that I have to be very careful who I surround myself with. To an extent, I also feel that I was vulnerable due to the tough circumstances in which I was raised and what kind of people I was around growing up.

Just looking for some ideas about how I can talk about this, as I reflect more on what happened and what lessons I learned.

Edit: I will have to report both of these.

When I applied, I had a Texas Class B misdemeanor (Nov. 1993) on my record. The biggest differences are that I only had the one issue on my record and I literally had decades between the crime and when I applied. One of the issues that will influence how adcoms will see these two issues is how many years you have between them and the time you apply to medical school. They will also consider what you have tangibly done in the intervening years to show that you have changed. In my case, I started a program in the town where I was arrested that was designed to give youth alternatives to the same pressures that led me to make the choices that I made that led to my arrest. I started the program after completing my probation in Spring ‘94 and still participate to this day. I was able to get a letter of rec from the prosecuting DA that discussed this. Adcoms also have to consider, if you are admitted, would the hospitals/clinics in their rotation system allow you to rotate given your charges; much of this will depend on how detailed the background check the school does, will be. I divulged my misdemeanor for my primary application but the schools background check only went back 10 years (Ditto for my VA-HPSP scholarship; only went back 7 years) so the crime didn’t show and I’ve been told that I should not have any issues with being credentialed for clinical rotations.

So there are several pieces that adcoms have to consider. For you, you don’t have a ton of space on your primary applications to discuss this (I think on AACOMAS, It was 500 to 750 characters); I explained what happened in two sentences and then used the rest of the space to talk about what I learned, how I’d changed / grown, and what I’ve done to ensure that I use the experience as a positive to teach others. If you can get a favorable letter from the prosecuting attorney, judge, or probation officer to support what you say, that could help. If you are asked during the interview about these events, spend less time talking about how you succumbed to peer pressure and more about you having made a regrettable mistake that you’ve learned and grown from (i.e., take responsibility for YOUR actions). You have a shot at earning some interviews and acceptances (I had five interviews and four acceptances; have a friend who had a whole felony and is now finishing her MS2 year at a US MD program); it all depends on what you have done to distance yourself from these events and how you display your growth when explaining these things. Best of luck.

 

[PhD_to_DO]

Just curious, they’re so old you can’t request through the courts to have the records expunged if not for both then for one?

That is going to be jurisdiction dependent. I had a Texas Class B misdemeanor that could have been expunged if 1) I had been 21 or younger at the time if the crime; I was 22; and 2) If I’d requested it within 3 years of completing my sentence. A lot of times, these rules are obscure and if you don’t have an attorney, you may not even know expungement is an option (again, depends on jurisdiction). OP should look into it if they haven’t.

 

[gut_feelings_92]

That is going to be jurisdiction dependent. I had a Texas Class B misdemeanor that could have been expunged if 1) I had been 21 or younger at the time if the crime; I was 22; and 2) If I’d requested it within 3 years of completing my sentence. A lot of times, these rules are obscure and if you don’t have an attorney, you may not even know expungement is an option (again, depends on jurisdiction). OP should look into it if they haven’t.

It's definitely not possible. I've exhaustively researched all my options, talked to dozens of lawyers including experts in expunction; basically I maxed out on bad luck and there's no recourse for either charge in either state, besides appealing to the governor for a pardon, which would cost about $15k (for each charge) that I don't have and is almost guaranteed not to work.

My biggest worry is that I will have gone through all this process, earned good grades, shown my worthiness in extracurriculars, given up tons of time and money helping people, and taken on a large chunk of debt, only to learn that I never had a shot in the first place. It definitely keeps me up at night. I've done so much to redeem myself, and that past is so far behind me that it's like an entirely different universe exists between who I was then and who I am now. I never did anything like you did in RE talking to kids and helping them avoid the same issues - although I've always thought it would be a good idea for my app - I just never had much passion for it, and I'm a nerdy scrawny person, I don't think these youth would find me credible at all. I just love to help people in need and donate my time toward helping those who are poor and struggling and would rather spend time doing that, so that's what I do, that's just me though.

I'm on this path because I can't imagine myself doing anything else. If I could imagine it, I'd be doing that other thing, you know what I mean? Even fields of medicine that others say are "boring" like managing hypertension and diabetes and so on - sounds so rewarding to me. If I can help give someone a few extra years with their family by helping them to manage their blood pressure and diabetes better? I'll die a happy person. But I guess I am just going to struggle through the uncertainty of it all until I'm either accepted or forced to give up after 2+ app cycles. Hopefully the former

PS- One question I've had that maybe you can answer - do you think DO schools are more forgiving about this kind of thing? Not that DO isn't competitive, but I've wondered if I should apply DO even if I have higher stats, because of these red flags. I hope that comes across the right way. I have a lot of respect for DOs.

 

[PhD_to_DO]

It's definitely not possible. I've exhaustively researched all my options, talked to dozens of lawyers including experts in expunction; basically I maxed out on bad luck and there's no recourse for either charge in either state, besides appealing to the governor for a pardon, which would cost about $15k (for each charge) that I don't have and is almost guaranteed not to work.

My biggest worry is that I will have gone through all this process, earned good grades, shown my worthiness in extracurriculars, given up tons of time and money helping people, and taken on a large chunk of debt, only to learn that I never had a shot in the first place. I'm an older student, I'm in a relationship that might progress toward marriage, and not getting into school would be a huge blow to my future, it's hard not to see it as catastrophic. It definitely keeps me up at night. I've done so much to redeem myself, and that past is so far behind me that it's like an entirely different universe exists between who I was then and who I am now. I never did anything like you did in RE talking to kids and helping them avoid the same issues - although I've always thought it would be a good idea for my app - I just never had much passion for it, and I'm a nerdy scrawny person, I don't think these youth would find me credible at all. I just love to help people in need and donate my time toward helping those who are poor and struggling and would rather spend time doing that, so that's what I do, that's just me though.

I'm on this path because I can't imagine myself doing anything else. If I could imagine it, I'd be doing that other thing, you know what I mean? Even fields of medicine that others say are "boring" like managing hypertension and diabetes and so on - sounds so rewarding to me. If I can help give someone a few extra years with their family by helping them to manage their blood pressure and diabetes better? I'll die a happy person. But I guess I am just going to struggle through the uncertainty of it all until I'm either accepted or forced to give up after 2+ app cycles. Hopefully the former

PS- One question I've had that maybe you can answer - do you think DO schools are more forgiving about this kind of thing? Not that DO isn't competitive, but I've wondered if I should apply DO even if I have higher stats, because of these red flags. I hope that comes across the right way. I have a lot of respect for DOs.

There is a lot that we have a common and a lot that we should talk about. I’m going to send you a private message with my phone number snd emaill address.

 

[TragicalDrFaust]

With the amount of time passed, I think this is doable. I had something "worse" but only one. Similar amount of time passed. You can PM for details. Was accepted to DO school. Didn't apply MD because my stats were low. Stats were even low for the school where I was accepted which leads me to believe that my IA & charge were considered in a binary way (ok or no) then my app was evaluated the same as any other app. Ie I didn't have to "make up" for my IA by having higher stats or better ECs, at least at this particular institution.

 

[Z2911BME]

Hello, I will be applying next year with 2 misdemeanors. Several people here and IRL have told me that it won't kill my chances for med school, but some schools will definitely filter me out. I'm okay with that, but I definitely want to become a doctor.

The first and oldest is a DUI Cannabis when about 15 years ago, I was in high school. The other is a Possession of Paraphernalia, will be about 10 years old.

That being said, everyone I've spoken to IRL has said that the biggest challenge will be successfully explaining / talking about BOTH misdemeanors, since I should have known better, and I agree. If I had only one, I could say "I learned my lesson" and own up to it and probably satisfy most adcoms. But since I have a second related charge, how should I talk about it? The question I imagine people will ask is "why didn't you learn your lesson the first time?"

My honest assessment of the DUI charge is that I was very immature and didn't recognize the seriousness of driving while high. To an extent, I had also fallen in with the wrong crowd. I grew up in a really poor urban community, without much parental supervision, and to be honest drugs were everywhere around me. I swore off pot for several years. Honestly, the DUI was the best thing that ever happened to me, because I was on a fast road to nowhere when it happened, and afterwards I focused on school and trying to get into college. For the Paraphernalia though, I was in college - so many people I knew were using marijuana and not worried at all about getting caught, and it just felt like people didn't get in trouble for it. I again was susceptible to my peer group - my roommates were all smoking and eventually I gave in and started smoking again.

Truthfully, the biggest lesson I learned from these events was that I have to be very careful who I surround myself with. To an extent, I also feel that I was vulnerable due to the tough circumstances in which I was raised and what kind of people I was around growing up.

Just looking for some ideas about how I can talk about this, as I reflect more on what happened and what lessons I learned.

Edit: I will have to report both of these.

The most important thing here is to illustrate your road to present day - being very purposeful in highlighting anything you’ve done to change, the continued separation from the person you were then to the person you are now, and anything you’ve done to give back to the community as a result of lessons learned. You’ve got plenty of time between the last arrest so showing a longitudinal history of doing the right thing consistently is important. I would be cautious in focusing too much on the reasons why you did, or think you did, these things because it will sound like making excuses and if you show in your application that the main reasons are because you are easily influenced by peer groups…you can see the other side of that coin you know? I can comment on this because I’m a current 2nd year US medical student who’d been arrested for possession of cocaine, heroin twice, and larceny over $700 from a store over the course of 6 years (it had been 7yrs from my last arrest when I applied), among many other petty charges but those were the big ones - battled addiction for 15 years and had come from upper middle class so discussing the environment you were raised in as a causal factor for what could have contributed to your mishaps may not get the results you want. Biggest thing I can tell you is to address the issue, take ownership, what you’ve learned, and how it’s made you a better person and future physician. If I can make it there’s hope for anyone haha. Good luck man feel free to message me with any questions if you’d like.

 

[gut_feelings_92]

The most important thing here is to illustrate your road to present day - being very purposeful in highlighting anything you’ve done to change, the continued separation from the person you were then to the person you are now, and anything you’ve done to give back to the community as a result of lessons learned. You’ve got plenty of time between the last arrest so showing a longitudinal history of doing the right thing consistently is important. I would be cautious in focusing too much on the reasons why you did, or think you did, these things because it will sound like making excuses and if you show in your application that the main reasons are because you are easily influenced by peer groups…you can see the other side of that coin you know? I can comment on this because I’m a current 2nd year US medical student who’d been arrested for possession of cocaine, heroin twice, and larceny over $700 from a store over the course of 6 years (it had been 7yrs from my last arrest when I applied), among many other petty charges but those were the big ones - battled addiction for 15 years and had come from upper middle class so discussing the environment you were raised in as a causal factor for what could have contributed to your mishaps may not get the results you want. Biggest thing I can tell you is to address the issue, take ownership, what you’ve learned, and how it’s made you a better person and future physician. If I can make it there’s hope for anyone haha. Good luck man feel free to message me with any questions if you’d like.

Yeah, going back and looking at my original post, I definitely focused a lot on external factors, more than I intended. Ultimately it was me who made these dumb choices. I guess I just feel like I will have to explain myself, but trying to explain is always going to veer too closely into sounding like I'm justifying it or making excuses. Because ultimately, there is no good reason why I did any of the things I did. Just because I was young and immature and didn't realize how big of an impact my actions could have, I guess.

So should I basically just say that I made some mistakes, I learned such and such lessons, and I've done XYZ since then to grow and change for the better?

 

[Z2911BME]

I would and if they do ask something like, “why do YOU think these things happened?,” then you can say things like, “it may have been a culmination of XYZ but honestly it’s probably multi factorial and the important thing is…” and then utilize some of what you said on the reply about making decisions and understanding responsibility for those decisions. If I was an ADCOM I would want to see a continued ownership of decisions and how this person is taking the necessary steps to not make the same ones again. Time is on your side given the length of duration so less is more as long as you address the problem…remember you only have I think 500 characters or so to get the charges in and a brief commentary plus a supplemental application section for addressing those things as well…so less has to be more in this case

 

[neurodoc]

You may have a tougher row to hoe than you might have had in the past due to the recent trial of Dr. Husel for murder. Some journalists have questioned how he managed to get admitted to medical school and later get licensed to practice with his criminal history. See for example the following from USA Today:

Fentanyl overdose deaths: Why was this doctor allowed to study and practice medicine?

We are ashamed that William Husel managed to become a doctor. Applicants with serious criminal behavior in their pasts do not belong in medicine.

www.usatoday.com

Your conviction doesn't sound as bad, but you do have two of them. Good luck.

 

[TragicalDrFaust]

You may have a tougher row to hoe than you might have had in the past due to the recent trial of Dr. Husel for murder. Some journalists have questioned how he managed to get admitted to medical school and later get licensed to practice with his criminal history. See for example the following from USA Today:

Fentanyl overdose deaths: Why was this doctor allowed to study and practice medicine?

We are ashamed that William Husel managed to become a doctor. Applicants with serious criminal behavior in their pasts do not belong in medicine.

www.usatoday.com

Your conviction doesn't sound as bad, but you do have two of them. Good luck.

Interesting article but if crime was a sport OP played varsity a few years in high school and this guy's a QB in the NFL.

 

[neurodoc]

Interesting article but if crime was a sport OP played varsity a few years in high school and this guy's a QB in the NFL.

Wow, you read the article pretty quickly.

 

[TragicalDrFaust]

Wow, you read the article pretty quickly.

I admit I stopped at the subheading "Doctors have terrifying power"

 

[SCallergydoc]

Could you pass a drug screen now? My son worked a summer for P&G and all applicants had to have drug testing with a hair sample. Maybe med schools should do the same.

 

[anarchymed]

I think you will be fine. Try not to dwell on what med schools will initially think about these misdemeanors because there's nothing you can do about that. I had a similar misdemeanor for which I went to jail for a short period of time and I was accepted to three medical schools. Every school I interviewed at asked about it but I do not think it hurt my chances. I talked about what I learned from the experience and how it actually has helped me relate better to those who are incarcerated. Given your situation, I think this is a good opportunity to show you can learn from your mistakes and move forward, a key skill to possess in medical school and as a physician. If you can show that adequately, I don't believe it will be a detriment, especially since these convictions were so long ago. Best of luck to you!

 

[gut_feelings_92]

Could you pass a drug screen now? My son worked a summer for P&G and all applicants had to have drug testing with a hair sample. Maybe med schools should do the same.

Oh yeah, absolutely, and I always will. In fact for my current job I had to get a hair test, that goes back 3 months or so? Got a free armpit shave I guess. I haven't used in years and have no intention of doing so ever again, even if it was legalized and allowed by my hospital. So no, I'm not worried about passing any tests.

 

[MDMechEngr]

There are too many good candidates out there without even a speeding ticket on their record so why take a chance with a pre-med who has, not one, but 2 criminal convictions on their record.

 

[PhD_to_DO]

There are too many good candidates out there without even a speeding ticket on there record so why take a chance with a pre-med who has, not one, but 2 criminal convictions on their record.

Thank God medical school admissions is not so Black & White. I had a Texas Class B Misdemeanor on my record, one step below a felony in Texas. Fortunately, five medical schools looked beyond my past. I’ve got a friend who is starting her 3rd year at a Midwestern med school; she had a felony on her record. There are plenty of stories out there regarding medical students who did something stupid but were able to redeem themselves. OP has work to do and if he does it well enough, someone will give him his shot.

 

[LizzyM]

There are too many good candidates out there without even a speeding ticket on there record so why take a chance with a pre-med who has, not one, but 2 criminal convictions on their record.

Because it makes no sense to say to every single person who has a criminal record, "you are ineligible to be trained as a physician (because you did something that society says is illegal, and you were caught and convicted) because we have too many people who want to be physicians who have not been convicted of any offence."

Has everyone who has ever broken the law been caught and convicted? Why not? Is there an element of luck and and element of bias in who is caught and convicted and who is not? Should luck and bias play a part in medical admissions?

While I do believe that there are some institutional actions and criminal convictions that make it very unlikely for an adcom to take a chance of admitted an applicant with such a record, I think that making a blanket statement that the abundance of people who have not been convicted (perhaps due to luck or bias) is justification for not admitting someone with a criminal record is itself unjust.

 

[anarchymed]

There are too many good candidates out there without even a speeding ticket on there record so why take a chance with a pre-med who has, not one, but 2 criminal convictions on their record.

Because making mistakes, especially with something as benign as cannabis, does not disqualify anyone from becoming a great physician. I think most adults are mature enough to realize this.

 

[LeaveNoTrace]

have a friend who had a whole felony and is now finishing her MS2 year at a US MD program); it all depends on what you have done to distance yourself from these events and how you display your growth when explaining these things. Best of luck.

If you don't mind my asking: how do you get into medical school with a felony? I thought that barring very rare circumstances (like a governor's pardon) it was Game Over for convicted felons.

 

[PhD_to_DO]

If you don't mind my asking: how do you get into medical school with a felony? I thought that barring very rare circumstances (like a governor's pardon) it was Game Over for convicted felons.

Goes to show that there are no absolutes when it comes to med school admissions. I won’t say the students name, their crime (beyond saying that it was a serious felony), or the school they are attending but what I will say is that the length of time between the offense and their application was crucial, as was remaining on the right side of the law. My wife mentored this student and advised them to get letters of support from the prosecuting attorney, judge who oversaw the case, and the probation officer. They also had a great application and a really strong MCAT. They are now a 3rd year student. They may have issues with medical licensure but they’ll cross that bridge when they gets to it.

 

[AgouraBtheS]

It's definitely not possible. I've exhaustively researched all my options, talked to dozens of lawyers including experts in expunction; basically I maxed out on bad luck and there's no recourse for either charge in either state, besides appealing to the governor for a pardon, which would cost about $15k (for each charge) that I don't have and is almost guaranteed not to work.

My biggest worry is that I will have gone through all this process, earned good grades, shown my worthiness in extracurriculars, given up tons of time and money helping people, and taken on a large chunk of debt, only to learn that I never had a shot in the first place. I'm an older student, I'm in a relationship that might progress toward marriage, and not getting into school would be a huge blow to my future, it's hard not to see it as catastrophic. It definitely keeps me up at night. I've done so much to redeem myself, and that past is so far behind me that it's like an entirely different universe exists between who I was then and who I am now. I never did anything like you did in RE talking to kids and helping them avoid the same issues - although I've always thought it would be a good idea for my app - I just never had much passion for it, and I'm a nerdy scrawny person, I don't think these youth would find me credible at all. I just love to help people in need and donate my time toward helping those who are poor and struggling and would rather spend time doing that, so that's what I do, that's just me though.

I'm on this path because I can't imagine myself doing anything else. If I could imagine it, I'd be doing that other thing, you know what I mean? Even fields of medicine that others say are "boring" like managing hypertension and diabetes and so on - sounds so rewarding to me. If I can help give someone a few extra years with their family by helping them to manage their blood pressure and diabetes better? I'll die a happy person. But I guess I am just going to struggle through the uncertainty of it all until I'm either accepted or forced to give up after 2+ app cycles. Hopefully the former

PS- One question I've had that maybe you can answer - do you think DO schools are more forgiving about this kind of thing? Not that DO isn't competitive, but I've wondered if I should apply DO even if I have higher stats, because of these red flags. I hope that comes across the right way. I have a lot of respect for DOs.

Hey man I’m in the same position and I’m freaking out right now. I got 2 DUI’s. One of them was 11 years ago and the other was 18 years ago. I came to these boards to see if anyone knew anything similar. I have NO idea what I’ll do if I don’t get into Med School. I’ll be totally screwed. I basically left everything behind in my life that made life worth living for to chase this dream. If I can’t pull this off I’ll have nothing.

 

[LeaveNoTrace]

Hey man I’m in the same position and I’m freaking out right now. I got 2 DUI’s. One of them was 11 years ago and the other was 18 years ago. I came to these boards to see if anyone knew anything similar. I have NO idea what I’ll do if I don’t get into Med School. I’ll be totally screwed. I basically left everything behind in my life that made life worth living for to chase this dream. If I can’t pull this off I’ll have nothing.

Ask @Goro for advice. It's been a long time since those DUIs.