made a MISTAKE

[aliciaacca]

just when I thought things were going great I mess up, Let me begin with some background information. I am a Veteran that deployed to Iraq, I have volunteered in the dental field in private practices, an Indian reservation and rural countries. I recently made a horrible mistake and I got arrested for driving under the influence(misdermeanor). How will this affect my chances of getting into a dental school/getting my license as a dentist?

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[efficient]

Call schools and ask for advice.

 

[dentalWorks]

The problem is not only you drove under the influence, its that your a military man who was caught driving under the influence. Your supposed to be at a level of discipline that is higher than the normal citizen.

My suggestion to you is, have the charged been glued to your record? or you haven't gone to court yet? If they havn't be set in stone on your record then you might be able to obtain a high-end lawyer with strong connections and have him lower those charges to say.... a 3-point careless driving ticket (this will not be a misdermeanor anymore, you'll be okay in this case).... If your going to go with the lawyer idea, its going to cost you MAD, this will cost you ALOT of money.

 

[Palmetto914]

Do a search...this has come up before (sometime doing last year's app cycle). Maybe that person can give you some info on how he handled it. I think the thread spoke of "does this make me a bad person" in the title or for sure in a few posts within the thread. That might help you find it. I'd do it for you, but I'm responding from my phone, and the search function sucks on a BB.

 

[aliciaacca]

thank you palmettto914, I will definetly attempt to look for that thread. I am a new user to this site so I hope I can navigate around to find it.

 

[Oracle DMD]

just when I thought things were going great I mess up, Let me begin with some background information. I am a Veteran that deployed to Iraq, I have volunteered in the dental field in private practices, an Indian reservation and rural countries. I recently made a horrible mistake and I got arrested for driving under the influence(misdermeanor). How will this affect my chances of getting into a dental school/getting my license as a dentist?

you'll be fine. if you need to discuss it, talk about it as a learning moment in your life that you're glad happened because you'd never do it again. understand that you're not the first or last person that got a DUI, its OK. let your volunteer hours and military service speak to your true character, and what you could bring to an incoming dental class.

 

[aliciaacca]

Oracle and Ram21,
your responses have really brought tears to my eyes. I was telling myself that one mistake does not define who I am but in all honesty, I could not get past wondering how Dental schools would look at me. I know I made my route just that much harder. I will continue working hard to allow schools look past my mistake but from what the 2 of you have said the chance is still there. Thank you

 

[Denteeth]

Aww don't worry about. It's in human nature to make mistakes. I know it gets overwhelming when on this website and you see the level of competition, but do realize that it is ok. I know for fact that the AADSAS app does not ask, and if a secondary app does ask about misdemeanors be sure to briefly explain what happened. I in fact called UOP today (bc they are my first choice) and asked if something like a DUI eliminates me from the applicant pool. They said absolutely not. So there's at least one dental school who recognizes people make mistakes.


Don't give up. Just kill the dat!

not sure why you are suggesting not to mention this in your DS application.
Every single secondary app I filled out had a similar question phrased one way or other asking about this kind of stuff. Also, every single school where I got accepted and put down my matriculation deposit asked me to provide them a criminal background check report....

 

[setdoc7]

Ignore all of this soft spoken advice and check with the dental schools you plan on applying to. Also check with state dental boards where you may practice. Those are the only legitimate answers you can accept. Do not accept answers from pre dents or dental students, as they have no idea how adcoms work or think, just imagination.