Misdemeanor Conviction

[TRU85]

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Everyone screws up, some screw ups are bigger than others. Mine might as well fall into that bigger catagory =/ Soo here it goes... I am filling out the misdemeanor section on the AMCAS, and my statement is as follows:

"On January 12, 2008 I was arrested in the town of Annapolis, Maryland under the suspicion of Driving Under the Influnce of Alcohol/ Driving While Impaired by Alcohol (DUI/DWI). I was charged with both crimes, and pled guilty to the DWI offense on July 31, 2008 in the Anne Arundel County Circuit Court, Annapolis MD. I was placed on one year unsupervised probation, ordered to perform 16 hours of community service, attend a MADD impact meeting, pay a $100.00 fine, and my driving privledges were suspended for 120 days. Along with this I also completed 12 hours of alcohol education classes. "

I feel it effectively covers all the information requested in the prompt statement, but should I also provide a statement that expresses my apologies for my actions? Maybe something along the lines of "I take complete responsibility for my actions, it was irresponsible, stupid..."
Or might this be something covered in the secondaries?

I feel like such an f* up about this. But I have accepted it, realized I can't change what I did (as much as I wish I could) and can only make sure I don't repeat it.

Any thoughts on this would be appreciated.

 

[Mattabet]

Did you plead 'guilty' or 'no contest'? If it's the latter, say that, it's kind of a small thing, but you should try to avoid the word 'guilty' as much as possible.

I think the line about regret is acceptable, but I wouldn't do more than a line.

I had a friend who had an alcohol-related misdemeanor for underage intoxication. She got into medical school, though they did ask about it in interviews.

It is what it is, all you can do is the best with the hand you've dealt at this point.

 

[TRU85]

Thanks for the input. You are exactly right when you say 'it is what it is' But I did plead 'guilty' as opposed to 'no contest'.

 

[Excelsius]

Everyone screws up, some screw ups are bigger than others. Mine might as well fall into that bigger catagory =/ Soo here it goes... I am filling out the misdemeanor section on the AMCAS, and my statement is as follows:

"On January 12, 2008 I was arrested in the town of Annapolis, Maryland under the suspicion of Driving Under the Influnce of Alcohol/ Driving While Impaired by Alcohol (DUI/DWI). I was charged with both crimes, and pled guilty to the DWI offense on July 31, 2008 in the Anne Arundel County Circuit Court, Annapolis MD. I was placed on one year unsupervised probation, ordered to perform 16 hours of community service, attend a MADD impact meeting, pay a $100.00 fine, and my driving privledges were suspended for 120 days. Along with this I also completed 12 hours of alcohol education classes. "

I feel it effectively covers all the information requested in the prompt statement, but should I also provide a statement that expresses my apologies for my actions? Maybe something along the lines of "I take complete responsibility for my actions, it was irresponsible, stupid..."
Or might this be something covered in the secondaries?

I feel like such an f* up about this. But I have accepted it, realized I can't change what I did (as much as I wish I could) and can only make sure I don't repeat it.

Any thoughts on this would be appreciated.

You can't do anything about it now. You should have gotten a lawyer on the day that you were accused of DUI. Good lawyers are usually able to get you off the hook. Now you can only look into purging records, but enough time hasn't passed yet and I don't even know if purging applies to Maryland. It is true for CA.

 

[pietachok]

Hmm...
If it doesn't make your story worse (i.e. I was at a frat party and had 20 beers), maybe it would be helpful to include any reference to *how* under the influence you were? If you had only had 1 or 2 drinks w/ dinner and are a really small individual, it might be more positive to indicate that this didn't happen as a result of crazy behavior as opposed to normal behavior that went slightly awry and from which you have learned better awareness of your body...and are more of an advocate of DUI prevention b/c you realize how easy it was to accidentally DUI.

...But maybe that's also more for the 2ndary...I really don't have experience here.

I also think that if you are concerned, you may want to do more than the mandated volunteerism w/ regards to your DUI to prove you are remorseful--to me that shows more than words or abiding by court-mandated compensation. There have been references to successful applicants w/ misdemeanor drug convictions and "underage" intoxication on SDN...but those actions don't risk someone else's life in the same way as a DUI. All misdemeanors aren't created equal. 🙁

 

[TRU85]

I just started doing a little more digging. I was actually granted a PBJ and it wont be on a criminal record. I will still disclose it, but it technically won't be a conviction from the way i understand it. I'm going to call my lawyer tomorrow and let him write the statement.

I was at a bar the whole night with a friend.. wasn't plastered, paced myself and stopped about an hour before I hit the road, but obv. it wasnt enough time to sober up. If I remember correctly, I blew a 0.11 and .08 is the legal limit. hence part of the reason why i got a PBJ for DWI and not the DUI. I just feel like being blunt and not trying to create any kind of sugarcoat would be the best way to cover it at this point. And maybe a more detailed explanation would be appropriate in the secondaries/interviews...

 

[Mattabet]

I just started doing a little more digging. I was actually granted a PBJ and it wont be on a criminal record. I will still disclose it, but it technically won't be a conviction from the way i understand it. I'm going to call my lawyer tomorrow and let him write the statement.

I was at a bar the whole night with a friend.. wasn't plastered, paced myself and stopped about an hour before I hit the road, but obv. it wasnt enough time to sober up. If I remember correctly, I blew a 0.11 and .08 is the legal limit. hence part of the reason why i got a PBJ for DWI and not the DUI. I just feel like being blunt and not trying to create any kind of sugarcoat would be the best way to cover it at this point. And maybe a more detailed explanation would be appropriate in the secondaries/interviews...

Agree. I think you're handling it as well as you can at this point. Having the lawyer's input is smart, and I think you'll be able to explain the various mitigating factors when interviews roll around.

 

[LizzyM]

Each school is going to ask, "Would we want this applicant as a member of the student body?"

I think that there are some actions that are incompatable with membership in the academic community and some that are not. (e.g. cheating on a final exam, stealing items of value, dealing drugs might be considered incompatable with membership in the academic community.) How a school comes down on DUI could go either way. You have provided the necessary information. Some schools might think that someone with a DUI could be a upstanding member of the academic and medical community; other schools may disagree.

Apply more broadly and hope you find some schools that will look kindly on you.

 

[235009]

you need to say all you want off the bat...don't wait for the interview because you might not get one. Also don't let it consume your application....mention it on AMCAS and say all u want/need to say in the section dedicated to it and then let it be. If it isn't asked about specifically again in secondaries don't mention it....you don't want it to be the highlight of your application

 

[TRU85]

Thank you everyone! I will keep you all posted after I speak with my lawyer tomorrow, and get his take on things. Thank you LizzyM. Your thoughts are encouraging. I do plan to apply broadly, around 20 schools minimum. Hopefully I will find the one school who is willing to see past it.

 

[pietachok]

Definitely agree w/ the person who said not to let it consume your application. I wouldn't write about it in the P.S. Many schools send "misdemeanor" and "academic actions" students for review by a specific committee. After that committee decides whether or not your infraction excludes you from being part of their school, they will pass along your app to the adcom, which may very likely not re-consider the infraction since you were vetted by the previous committee. If you write about it in the appropriate spot on AMCAS and on secondaries, you will get all of the interviews you can...if you put it in your P.S., you might raise extra red flags from people who otherwise wouldn't have reviewed that portion of your app.

 

[McPoyle]

Hmm...
If it doesn't make your story worse (i.e. I was at a frat party and had 20 beers), maybe it would be helpful to include any reference to *how* under the influence you were? If you had only had 1 or 2 drinks w/ dinner and are a really small individual, it might be more positive to indicate that this didn't happen as a result of crazy behavior as opposed to normal behavior that went slightly awry and from which you have learned better awareness of your body...and are more of an advocate of DUI prevention b/c you realize how easy it was to accidentally DUI.

...But maybe that's also more for the 2ndary...I really don't have experience here.

I also think that if you are concerned, you may want to do more than the mandated volunteerism w/ regards to your DUI to prove you are remorseful--to me that shows more than words or abiding by court-mandated compensation. There have been references to successful applicants w/ misdemeanor drug convictions and "underage" intoxication on SDN...but those actions don't risk someone else's life in the same way as a DUI. All misdemeanors aren't created equal. 🙁

Don't do this. It makes you sound like you are either minimizing the situation instead of owning it, or you are saying it wasn't your fault.

Own the mistake, admit you made a terrible decision (do not ever make excuses) and demonstrate how you have learned from this. While there is no way to put a positive spin on it, I think it would help to show that you got something positive out of the entire experience, that it changed you.

 

[pietachok]

I think it is possible to own the mistake and give the background of the incident. If I had two applications, both "owning" the mistake and expressing remorse, but one individual had a BAC of .11 and the other was many times over the legal limit, I would view the apps quite differently--one individual got into a car b/c of a hard life lesson to learn, that sometimes you are more drunk than you think you are; the other person was so sloshed they lost control, and there was no way they didn't know they were drunk.

 

[slick27]

I wouldn't put any major detail down on your application. If they have questions they will ask you at the interview.

 

[veaselhaufen]

I think people who have said to apply broadly mean to apply to like 50 or more. Unless your application is godlike, I think this is going to really cause you problems.

 

[McPoyle]

I think people who have said to apply broadly mean to apply to like 50 or more. Unless your application is godlike, I think this is going to really cause you problems.

I agree, OP, I have two incidents on my CBC (a disorderly conduct citation and a damage to property-this was withdrawn) from close to ten years ago. I know for certain (was confirmed with me by at least one school) that this was the reason that I was rejected.

Especially with something such as a DUI you should apply broadly to find that school that will look past it.

 

[NoMoreAMCAS]

Most college kids have driven drunk, you were just unfortunate enough to be caught. I think the admissions people are smart enough to know that, and as long as it's only one incident it shouldn't hinder you much.

I wouldn't write anything about regret, they'll know it's the same old cheese anyone who gets in trouble spews. I would just leave it at the explanation.

 

[pietachok]

Most college kids have driven drunk, you were just unfortunate enough to be caught. I think the admissions people are smart enough to know that, and as long as it's only one incident it shouldn't hinder you much.

I wouldn't write anything about regret, they'll know it's the same old cheese anyone who gets in trouble spews. I would just leave it at the explanation.

I am pretty disturbed by your comment. AND you are incorrect.
31.4% is the result of the study with the highest percent of students (age 18-21) who had driven drunk. Other studies approximate at significantly lower.
http://arjournals.annualreviews.org...ealth.26.021304.144652?journalCode=publhealth

Also, you can't be "same old cheese" and get into med school...only about 1% of students apply.
There are ~4 million college seniors, but just 42,231 applicants to med school and 18,036 seats. Without accounting for non-trads, less than .5% of college students are/will be successful med school applicants...

Making a screw up that less than 1/3 of students have made is no small deal.

I'm not saying I think it is or should be impossible to get into med school w/ this on one's record...but advising that it "shouldn't hinder you much" in a world where there are more than enough squeaky clean pre-meds to fill the seats is completely unfounded.

 

[slick27]

I know some schools will overlook one DUI, but not two. Just call the schools you're interested in and find out.

 

[stayclassy]

my friend got a DUI and he got into a decent medical school so keep your head up

 

[stayclassy]

PS definitely show remorse and how you've changed by the incident in your secondaries (if it asks)