Insider Trading Felony & Medical/Dental School

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pivot97

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Thank you in advance for any constructive feedback and I request you only reply if you have direct evidence/examples that can help make my decision.

I went to a top Ivy League university, graduated with a near 4.0, and had a sterling business career which went down in flames due to insider trading. Insider trading is a federal felony, not a misdemeanor. I am quite sorry this all happened. It is & was inexcusable and tragic.

I am trying to resuscitate my life and earlier in my life worked in health care where I had tremendous respect for the doctors I worked with. Medicine is a noble career & since I am financially secure, my hope is to work with Doctors without Borders and in impoverished areas where I can make the greatest impact/difference without concern for maximizing compensation.

Though I am in my thirties, I started the preparation to take pre-reqs so that I can apply to medical & dental school.

The more I read I realize my efforts might be futile, because I might automatically be 'dinged' for the scarlet letter of a 'Felony'. Does anyone have advice (informed by concrete knowledge)?

I understand that many may stop at the word 'felony'. However, insider trading is a very odd crime. I was caught up in something much larger than me, and like most situations, things aren't exactly how they seem. Insider trading is also a non-violent & arguably victimless offense.

I see what happened as a chance to turn my life around - I had wanted to for years but the compensation on Wall Street kept pulling me further deeper into an abyss of moral relativity.

Thank you.

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Check with state licensing boards as well, it's possible you can't get a medical license with a felony
 
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Check with state licensing boards as well, it's possible you can't get a medical license with a felony
Exactly. Crimes of moral turpitude are likely to put such a student in a position in which the expense of their medical education (both their own and society's) cannot be repaid due to inability to become licensed.

Overthinkers have even postulated that the school could then be liable since we would reasonably have known this upon acceptance.
 
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Thanks for replying to my question.

To gyngyn: Lying, cheating or stealing as a trifecta - I could argue with you here but to be clear you are advising me that it's a waste of time to consider medical school? And doing so based on fact (please do not be trite, it's someone's life you're dealing with even if you judge me to be beneath you for my mistake.)

I'm not a bad person. Insider trading is a very strange offense to be categorized as a felony. I wouldn't call it lying cheating or stealing. Someone told me something & I was negligent to consider whether it was OK to trade on. (Note my job was to research and talk to people all day long, while rumors fly around all the time and people speak with conviction about stuff they have no idea about 'I'm sure __ company stock is going to go up!) I traded without thought to whether it was OK. And because the government wanted to build a larger case beyond me, they compelled/coerced me to plead guilty in exchange for virtual certainty of probation.

I never had any run-in with the law before and knowing what I know now (that this would close so many doors) I would not have plead guilty because I sincerely don't believe I had criminal intent. But unfortunately that ship has sailed.

Please understand I played by the rules by entire life and am beyond crushed to see so many doors closed off for me when I am still young and still have so much desire to do something good in the world.

To sb247: I think you are wrong. I only say this because one of my role models in my life is a doctor who was somewhat of an idealist zealot in the 70s/80s and who was incarcerated for nearly a decade due to armed robbery & possession of explosives (true story). Following his release from prison he did a post-doctorate at a top university, started one of the first AIDS treatment clinics in a poor neighborhood. He had unwavering belief in his ideals and his responsibility as a doctor - always a healer, never judging people. Note he was a doctor before he went to prison.

So I'm fairly convinced (depending on state), medical licensing can be resolved (note again, I hope to do work abroad, not in the U.S.) What I want is a chance to become a doctor.
 
Yes, I am saying that your felony would make you an unacceptable candidate at my school. Medicine requires integrity. You may have acquired it since your conviction, but the facts speak for themselves.

I deal with matters that affect people's lives every day. I take that reponsibility quite seriously.
 
OP I don't think an internet forum can give you all the answers you need to help figure out whether medicine is a path you can pursue. You should contact a lawyer and talk with him/her about whether it is feasible for you to become a physician given your offense.
 
Insider trading isn't a victimless crime. Money does not appear out of nowhere. Buying/selling stock pushes the price up/down, albeit ever so slightly. You are essentially stealing a millionth of a penny from everyone who sold/bought stock after the insider trade. It is similar to an ATM hack that skims off 1/10000 of a cent off every transaction. Robbing a penny from everyone is no better than robbing a single person for all his worth.
 
To: histidine

I don't think this forum is appropriate to discuss insider trading & was afraid someone would react to that comment. Let's just say you are right. However, legally, that is not the case - legal theory postulates that the victim is the corporation from whom information is 'misappropriated'. It's very convoluted.

I 'get' that Americans are upset about what they view a 'rigged' system and insider trading is a very understandable poster-child for that.
 
I have to agree with @nemo123 above. I don't think this is the right place to ask this type of question for a comprehensive answer.
 
I'm sympathetic to your situation, that sucks. I have a few relatives involved in finance and while they aren't in the trading side of things I hear tales of how easy it is to break laws by just doing what you're told there. That being said, unfortunately adcoms will likely be very unsympathetic. Here is an example of insider trading recently involving a physician: http://annarborobserver.com/articles/the_corruption_of_sid_gilman_3.html

I'd imagine it would be very hard to gain admission simply due to the fact that adcoms will likely see it as a lack of sound moral judgment..whether it truly was or not, I doubt it. But I do think your chances are going to be greatly diminished. There's 2 people I would talk to if I were you: @LizzyM and a lawyer. Wish you the best of luck OP!
 
There was a famous book written by a sociologist in the 1970s about medical errors (specifically in surgery). He posited after observation, that the types of errors deemed "blameworthy" (and often unforgivable) were normative or quasi-normative errors - errors that indicate a moral or character deficiency. I think most physicians, often unconsciously, still follow that line of thinking.

Insider trading would fall under that blanket label, and I think would be a very difficult hurdle to overcome in the eyes of an admissions committee.
 
Can you get it expunged? That would make things a whole lot easier with medical school admissions, but there's no guarantee that you will be licensed as a physician, since everything (including expunged convictions) needs to be disclosed.
 
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Can you get it expunged? That would make things a whole lot easier with medical school admissions, but there's no guarantee that you will be licensed as a physician, since everything (including expunged convictions) needs to be disclosed.

It will turn up on the hospital's federal background check on admission (should one be given).
 
To: Planes2Doc

I cannot. Felonies cannot be expunged, only pardoned (by the President of the United States). My hope was that as a doctor I could do amazing selfless work & then earn a pardon in 15 years...

For those who read this thread, please see this as a cautionary tale and one of compassion. People who make mistakes are probably some of the people who receive the least amount of compassion in our society (b/c folks see them as 'deserving' a lack of sympathy). But for all types of mistakes, from blue collar to white collar, everyone deserves a chance to redeem themselves. And yet we setup the rules so that they can't. It's beyond disheartening, it fills me with a sense of despair I cannot describe.

To gyngyn: You may see me as having lacked integrity, but I know myself. I wish I had done more to help society in my twenties but I did much more than many others. Many of my classmates are doctors and while I have plead guilty to a federal crime, I know I am more ethical & care more about others than many of them. I'm hurt that you judge so harshly, but I'm appreciative of your bluntness. I read your messages and you speak from a position of experience & knowledge.
 
To gyngyn: You may see me as having lacked integrity, but I know myself. I wish I had done more to help society in my twenties but I did much more than many others. Many of my classmates are doctors and while I have plead guilty to a federal crime, I know I am more ethical & care more about others than many of them. I'm hurt that you judge so harshly, but I'm appreciative of your bluntness. I read your messages and you speak from a position of experience & knowledge.

You may well be a fine person. You asked for facts. I honored you with the truth.
 
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To: Planes2Doc

I cannot. Felonies cannot be expunged, only pardoned (by the President of the United States). My hope was that as a doctor I could do amazing selfless work & then earn a pardon in 15 years...

For those who read this thread, please see this as a cautionary tale and one of compassion. People who make mistakes are probably some of the people who receive the least amount of compassion in our society (b/c folks see them as 'deserving' a lack of sympathy). But for all types of mistakes, from blue collar to white collar, everyone deserves a chance to redeem themselves. And yet we setup the rules so that they can't. It's beyond disheartening, it fills me with a sense of despair I cannot describe.

To gyngyn: You may see me as having lacked integrity, but I know myself. I wish I had done more to help society in my twenties but I did much more than many others. Many of my classmates are doctors and while I have plead guilty to a federal crime, I know I am more ethical & care more about others than many of them. I'm hurt that you judge so harshly, but I'm appreciative of your bluntness. I read your messages and you speak from a position of experience & knowledge.

If you are financially stable and have good business skills you can do a lot of good without being a clinician. Possibly more good, as a doctor can treat only the patient in front of them but the policymaker and administrator effect many more people. It may take more work to find it but I am sure a path to redemption still exists for you; it just won't be via obtaining an MD or DO degree.
 
OP, I don't have a horse in this race either way. I'm just pointing out that you would be well served to actually communicate with state licensing boards to determine if this will stop you from getting the license you want...you don't want to get in and graduate just to find you wasted 4 years
 
For those who read this thread, please see this as a cautionary tale and one of compassion. People who make mistakes are probably some of the people who receive the least amount of compassion in our society (b/c folks see them as 'deserving' a lack of sympathy). But for all types of mistakes, from blue collar to white collar, everyone deserves a chance to redeem themselves. And yet we setup the rules so that they can't. It's beyond disheartening, it fills me with a sense of despair I cannot describe.
.

We have a natural right to attempt to redeem ourselves. We do not have a natural right to medical school. Allopathic schools don't even forgive bad grades that you have retaken. We all have mistakes and those mistakes all have varying degrees of consequences. Keep your head up, factually determine the impact of those consequences on your plan, and then determine if you need a new plan. You are smart enough to do well once you determine what plan is realistic.

Gyngyn is adcom and does you a great service by offering such raw critique, I was fortunate to have some of that handed to me by others and my acceptance of it saved me from making a pretty bad mistake in my application tactics.

Good luck to you in the future
 
To: Planes2Doc

I cannot. Felonies cannot be expunged, only pardoned (by the President of the United States). My hope was that as a doctor I could do amazing selfless work & then earn a pardon in 15 years...

For those who read this thread, please see this as a cautionary tale and one of compassion. People who make mistakes are probably some of the people who receive the least amount of compassion in our society (b/c folks see them as 'deserving' a lack of sympathy). But for all types of mistakes, from blue collar to white collar, everyone deserves a chance to redeem themselves. And yet we setup the rules so that they can't. It's beyond disheartening, it fills me with a sense of despair I cannot describe.

To gyngyn: You may see me as having lacked integrity, but I know myself. I wish I had done more to help society in my twenties but I did much more than many others. Many of my classmates are doctors and while I have plead guilty to a federal crime, I know I am more ethical & care more about others than many of them. I'm hurt that you judge so harshly, but I'm appreciative of your bluntness. I read your messages and you speak from a position of experience & knowledge.

There are a few things that you can probably do. First, I would send this to one of the moderators in confidential consult forum, and see what they have to say. They have some good advice in there.

I'm sure that people with felonies have gotten into medical school before. It's an uphill battle, but there are things you can do. Why not try something like this: "After this, I realized that , and since I've come to appreciate the serioud effects of insider trading on such and such people through my volunteer work with ." Usually when someone does something to lower their chances, they are told to volunteer by maybe speaking out to young kids why they shouldn't do such and such. I'm sure there are such things out there for peoplr who were victims of fraud in the financial markets. It might also look good if you can speak out to people working in the field on why they shouldn't do such things. I'm sure ADCOMs would appreciate something like this.

Also, things might be difficult when movies like "The Wolf of Wallstreet" are fresh in peoples' minds. I think that would paint you in the worst way possible, as silly as it may sound. Since the American public has severe ADHD when it comes to the media, I don't think it will come to bite you after the Academy Awards this year. And I don't think anyone would think Gordon Gekko at this point (hopefully) when reviewing your application.

I believe in redemption, especially with some of these white collar crimes. You sound very smart and genuine. I wish you the best of luck at overcoming these obstacles!
 
It's very hard to be told "you can't there from here", but with a felony, it's one of the brick walls you won't jump over. Medical schools have too many strong students they already have to turn down. Why would they take a chance on you, when already your first career ended in court?

Your frustration is clear, but I advise you to investigate other avenues. Ask an employment agency or even your probation officer for careers that don't start by checking your criminal background. Seriously, there are careers that simply won't allow you to proceed, such as education, healthcare is another. But that's not the only places to consider. Try instead something like computer science or sales. Heck, with your research skills, you might be very suited for an IT direction. Or consider sales. Since you "talked to people all day" in your previous jobs, that might be a good direction for you too.
 
Medicine is a noble career & since I am financially secure, my hope is to work with Doctors without Borders and in impoverished areas where I can make the greatest impact/difference without concern for maximizing compensation.

You say you want to work in impoverished areas through doctors without borders. That may still be possible -- though perhaps not via the route you prefer. While your federal felony conviction might prevent you from obtaining licensure in the U.S., that may not be the case in other countries -- see a lawyer. And you still may be able to obtain the training and MD credentials via the Caribbean if you can show you will be able to pay your way.

I understand that many may stop at the word 'felony'. However, insider trading is a very odd crime. I was caught up in something much larger than me, and like most situations, things aren't exactly how they seem. Insider trading is also a non-violent & arguably victimless offense.

I see what happened as a chance to turn my life around - I had wanted to for years but the compensation on Wall Street kept pulling me further deeper into an abyss of moral relativity.

It sounds like you haven't quite escaped the "abyss of moral relativity" yet though, judging from your tone.
 
To: Planes2Doc

I cannot. Felonies cannot be expunged, only pardoned (by the President of the United States). My hope was that as a doctor I could do amazing selfless work & then earn a pardon in 15 years...

For those who read this thread, please see this as a cautionary tale and one of compassion. People who make mistakes are probably some of the people who receive the least amount of compassion in our society (b/c folks see them as 'deserving' a lack of sympathy). But for all types of mistakes, from blue collar to white collar, everyone deserves a chance to redeem themselves. And yet we setup the rules so that they can't. It's beyond disheartening, it fills me with a sense of despair I cannot describe.

To gyngyn: You may see me as having lacked integrity, but I know myself. I wish I had done more to help society in my twenties but I did much more than many others. Many of my classmates are doctors and while I have plead guilty to a federal crime, I know I am more ethical & care more about others than many of them. I'm hurt that you judge so harshly, but I'm appreciative of your bluntness. I read your messages and you speak from a position of experience & knowledge.

Just my thoughts, but it seems like the kinda thing you're going to want to own (i.e., accept that you made serious mistakes and do not introduce any sort of excuses like 'insider trading is a very odd crime. I was caught up in something much larger than me, and like most situations, things aren't exactly how they seem. Insider trading is also a non-violent & arguably victimless offense.') before even approaching the medical school application process... or else you might be getting a reaction very similar to @gyngyn

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Yes, but some schools don't use Certiphi so it would then turn up when the school tried to send the student for a hopital badge.

Oh so schools would pretty be using a similar company to Certiphi though, correct?
 
I understand that many may stop at the word 'felony'. However, insider trading is a very odd crime. I was caught up in something much larger than me, and like most situations, things aren't exactly how they seem. Insider trading is also a non-violent & arguably victimless offense.

This post may sound judgmental, but that is not my intent. I just disagree with some of your characterizations.
  • It is incredibly ironic to describe yourself as compassionate, yet trivialize the consequences of your offense. There are countless people who have lost, lose, and will lose their life savings due to all the selfish b.s. that goes on Wall Street. Do you really think those people who spent 25+ years enduring a difficult job and delaying gratification are not victims? Is it non-violent if some of those people commit suicide?
  • In many ways, I think white collar crimes are worse than blue collar crimes. The former arises from abuse of a privileged position, and they are easier to rationalize since the effects of your actions are dispersed across many people to make it impersonal and tempt its perpetrators towards a feeling of non-accountability.
  • There are people who avoided going to Wall Street because of the situation you describe.
  • While I think you have the right to seek redemption, I don't think you can dictate the terms of it.
 
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Just my thoughts, but it seems like the kinda thing you're going to want to own (i.e., accept that you made serious mistakes and do not introduce any sort of excuses like 'insider trading is a very odd crime. I was caught up in something much larger than me, and like most situations, things aren't exactly how they seem. Insider trading is also a non-violent & arguably victimless offense.') before even approaching the medical school application process... or else you might be getting a reaction very similar to @gyngyn

This. It's not a time for excuses. I trust the advice that has been given in this thread re: licensing, so I don't know if you should even pursue medicine at this point, but if you do decide to go through with it and explain what happened, you need to change your tone. Your posts come off as if you're playing the victim of the system and downplaying the severity of what happened. You didn't commit a murder or anything, but it's still a serious offense, as I'm sure you know. You would need to 100% own up to your role in it and come up with a way or several ways to demonstrate that you are a changed person.
 
To solitarius:

1) I feel badly about how people lose money due to twisted incentives on Wall Street. However, insider trading has zero to do with the causes of the financial crisis, zero to do with Ponzi schemes, etc. I'm actually upset with the DoJ - instead of prosecuting much more difficult negligence and failure to supervise cases at large institutions that led to the financial crisis (and yes, led to folks losing tons of money & yes, committing suicide), the DoJ has mis-directed public opinion in their comparatively much easier to prosecute insider trading campaign (which has zero to do with the financial crisis). I'm not excusing insider trading. But to use a medicine-analogy, it's like trying to treat a knee injury with a heart stent - totally unrelated. There have been many critical articles about this.

2) Yes, I am compassionate. Let me share a story with you. When my baby was born, the delivering gynecologist/obstetrician asked me what I did for a living and then started asking me if I had any 'hot tips' to share with him. I had no 'inside information' but what if I did and I told it to him - he was asking - I'm fairly certain under certain circumstances he might have traded on it. That is insider trading, a federal felony and a go to prison felony. My crime was similar to that. I care about others - when I heard something and thought "Oh that must be good for stock _" and traded on it, I didn't think I was breaking the law. It was so similar to thousands of calls I've received, where folks will present data or research or some view/angle and I thought "That must be good or bad for __ stock." Insider trading is nuanced.

3) It's easy for folks to say that white collar crimes are worse. Maybe they are. But you need to understand the specifics of each crime. A Ponzi scheme is terrible because it preys on people's savings. Selling mortgages you know someone can't pay back is terrible but harder to visualize. That behavior, magnified many times over, created a systemic problem when defaults started happening in ever larger waves to threaten the stability of the financial system. It's hard for someone selling one mortgage to think of the broader system like that. I think you have to consider intent whether blue or white collar.

4) Yes, there are folks who avoided going to Wall Street and I would have as well had I known it would destroy my life.

5) You are being judgmental. I don't think you have the right to speak down to me like that. Something bad happened, and yes I would like to fix it. I have every right to determine the terms of my life, as you do yours. Redemption is not anyone but for me to decide, on precisely the terms I choose. If it can't be medicine then it will be somewhere else. But on my terms.
 
I have every right to determine the terms of my life, as you do yours. Redemption is not anyone but for me to decide, on precisely the terms I choose. If it can't be medicine then it will be somewhere else. But on my terms.

Perhaps I mis-spoke. I did not say you had no choice in the matter. Nonetheless, you live in a society where other people and institutions will have their right to limit your choices.
 
This. It's not a time for excuses. I trust the advice that has been given in this thread re: licensing, so I don't know if you should even pursue medicine at this point, but if you do decide to go through with it and explain what happened, you need to change your tone. Your posts come off as if you're playing the victim of the system and downplaying the severity of what happened. You didn't commit a murder or anything, but it's still a serious offense, as I'm sure you know. You would need to 100% own up to your role in it and come up with a way or several ways to demonstrate that you are a changed person.


Fair point. I do take responsibility for it. But as I said, not everything is how it seems and I don't know how to explain that without coming off as defensive. You should hope to never be the target of a prosecutor. If you commit a mistake, it doesn't mean everything you did was just as others said or characterized it as. But thank you.
 
We have a natural right to attempt to redeem ourselves. We do not have a natural right to medical school. Allopathic schools don't even forgive bad grades that you have retaken. We all have mistakes and those mistakes all have varying degrees of consequences. Keep your head up, factually determine the impact of those consequences on your plan, and then determine if you need a new plan. You are smart enough to do well once you determine what plan is realistic.

Gyngyn is adcom and does you a great service by offering such raw critique, I was fortunate to have some of that handed to me by others and my acceptance of it saved me from making a pretty bad mistake in my application tactics.

Good luck to you in the future

What do you mean by the part in bold? If you could elaborate without giving out your personal details that would be nice. Do you mean you just changed the way you worded things on your app?

To the OP I agree with everyone else who said to call your state licensing board. I was worried about a minor misdemeanor I got when I was 17 so I called before I decided to start taking pre reqs and getting into the process. The lady I spoke to said that I would be fine and she gives licenses to people with felonies every year. I didn't ask what type of felonies because I don't have any but I was able to describe my situation and she told me I would be fine and go for it.
 
You may be judged more harshly because of the nature of the predicament you were in. As a creme of the crop Ivy League graduate you're held to a different standard when it comes to crimes. You were also the one on top of the entire system benefiting financially from everything that is happening. You had more choice than the vast majority of people and ended up putting yourself in a position where committing a crime was an easy line to cross.
 
I would call individual schools, but on AMCAS it will tell you to list all your felonies so every school will see it. Also doesn't it preclude OP form receiving financial aid?

I'm not sure if it is impossible, but you asked the question if its worth it and I truthfully don't think so. You'll be up against ~50k applicants for less the 25k seats and most have very high stats. On top of that, most of them don't have a felony charge so why should a school pick you?

People will always trivialize their negatives and I'm glad that you've changed your life around, but you can help others and participate in social work without needing to a physician if that is what you want to do.
 
You may be judged more harshly because of the nature of the predicament you were in. As a creme of the crop Ivy League graduate you're held to a different standard when it comes to crimes. You were also the one on top of the entire system benefiting financially from everything that is happening. You had more choice than the vast majority of people and ended up putting yourself in a position where committing a crime was an easy line to cross.

I very much doubt that you could cite evidence for the apparent claim that a different legal standard exists for Ivy League graduates. :bullcrap:
 
I very much doubt that you could cite evidence for the apparent claim that a different legal standard exists for Ivy League graduates. :bullcrap:
Where did I say legal? It's all about moral responsibility and public perception.
 
I will just reiterate what you have already heard:
Most medical licensure boards will not license someone who has a felony on their record. A licensed physician who is later convicted of a felony might get some help from the licensure board to maintain his/her ability to practice medicine and make a living but someone who has not yet obtained a medical education and a license is in a different boat.
You knew, or should have known, when you made a plea bargain that some rights and privileges afforded to others would no longer be yours because of your felony. You committed a crime, you copped a plea and now you have to live with the consequences.
Adcoms might not be familiar with the Wolf of Wall Street but many will recall that Martha Stewart did time for insider trading and/or they've heard the Sid Gilman story (cited above).
If you want to help people in dire circumstances, does it have to be through physical one-on-one healing? Would you consider working for a non-for-profit (aka a non-governmental organization or NGO) that could use your managerial and business skills in service to the poor?
 
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Where did I say legal? It's all about moral responsibility and public perception.

Fine, then, I'd change it to, "I very much doubt that you could cite evidence for the apparent claim that a different legal or moral standard exists for Ivy League graduates."

I still don't follow. Why would the fact that he/she is an Ivy alum cause me to raise the threshold of moral expectation for a guilty person? This suggests that of two guilty people, the person who went to Brown would be held to a higher standard in the eyes of the public - and presumably treated more harshly by an AdCom as the situation is here - than someone who went to Florida State?

Please correct me if I misunderstand your claim. Thanks.
 
There's lots of things you could do with your money and education to "help people" other than being a physician.

I find this thread hard to believe, but if you're serious, I'd start by anonymously calling medical schools and state licensing boards and asking them about your situation. That would give you an idea of whether med school is feasible. I'd wager that it's not.
 
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There's lots of things you could do with your money and education to "help people" other than being a physician.

I find this thread hard to believe, but if you're serious, I'd start by anonymously calling medical schools and state licensing boards and asking them about your situation. That would give you an idea of whether med school is feasible. I'd wager that it's not.

This. Anything we say on this thread, with the exception of the ADCOM forum members, is irrelevant.
 
Also doesn't it preclude OP form receiving financial aid?

Only felonies for drugs and sexual assault seem to absolutely prevent an applicant from receiving financial aid. Evidently our government doesn't think it's excessively risky to lend money to someone who manipulated finances as part of a crime . . . yet the kid who gets convicted of statutory rape because he turns 18 before his negligibly younger girlfriend gets to have his whole life ruined. Awesome.
 
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There was a famous book written by a sociologist in the 1970s about medical errors (specifically in surgery). He posited after observation, that the types of errors deemed "blameworthy" (and often unforgivable) were normative or quasi-normative errors - errors that indicate a moral or character deficiency. I think most physicians, often unconsciously, still follow that line of thinking.

Insider trading would fall under that blanket label, and I think would be a very difficult hurdle to overcome in the eyes of an admissions committee.

Forgive and Remember by Charles Bosk. Classic. I highly recommend it.
 
I concur with my learned colleagues LizzyM and gyngyn and while it might even be possible for you to get an II at my school, the AdCom would reject you.

Suggest it's time to move on and do something else. Try being an EMT.

Yes, I am saying that your felony would make you an unacceptable candidate at my school. Medicine requires integrity. You may have acquired it since your conviction, but the facts speak for themselves.

I deal with matters that affect people's lives every day. I take that reponsibility quite seriously.
 
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Fine, then, I'd change it to, "I very much doubt that you could cite evidence for the apparent claim that a different legal or moral standard exists for Ivy League graduates."

I still don't follow. Why would the fact that he/she is an Ivy alum cause me to raise the threshold of moral expectation for a guilty person? This suggests that of two guilty people, the person who went to Brown would be held to a higher standard in the eyes of the public - and presumably treated more harshly by an AdCom as the situation is here - than someone who went to Florida State?

Affluenza?
 
Details aside, my recommendation is to speak with an attorney who specializes in issues of licensure. Find out if you could obtain a medical license, and then go from there.
 
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