A huge PROBLEM with DUI's is the fact that a person with a "DUI charge" is almost automatically perceived as a person whom is stumbling around, slurring words, or noncoherent. This is FAR from the truth. Legal limit is a BAC of .08 which of course is calculated on scene with a BREATHalizer. Whats odd is that the test is a BLOOD-alcohol test which is used to test the BREATH of a person which of course is used to convict people of DUI's. This test takes NO consideration into the metabolism and/or tolerance for a person body to consume alcohol. So... EX. Joe Doe gets pulled over for a blown headlight; has a 2 beers on his breath after dinner cause he forgot to bring his tooth brush to the steak house. Joe takes a sobriety test (which is NOT a "pass or fail" test) and does fine. Because of his breath the officers ask him to take a BREATHalizer. He complies. He blows a .10. Hes over the limit however Joe ALWAYS has at least a beer after a long day of work which indicates that the police are giving the wrong person a DUI because while the sobriety test is taking place; a 17yr old driver is passing by with a .10 whom has had 2 beers and is probably about to hit a pedestrian. It happened to me. When I obtain good credentials I will challenge the whole situation because as of now Its a plot to obtain money for the cities hidden by donations to certain charities. The END is that Joe is convicted of a DUI while the 17yr old "met" the pedestrian because he was SWRIVING lanes yet had all headlights operational.
ONYX4000GT is providing an excellent example of exactly
what not to say if you have a DUI on your record and have to talk to an adcom about it.
If you have a DUI
PLEASE keep in mind with who you are talking to in your med school interview. You will be dealing with middle aged folks who have most likely done rotations in Emergency Medicine when they see the carnage that a$$holes who drive drunk provide every weekend. They have all worked the wards where they see victims of drunk drivers try to come back from horrific injury.
For any legal red flags on your application, adcoms are looking for two things: to see that you acknowledge what you did was wrong and your accountability. This is a sign of maturity. If you have it, the
might overlook your DUI. If you pull some story of how
unfair it is (this word is the bane of anyone over 30 who works with people under 25), the injustice of it all, or how you were really a victim here, expect that rejection letter in your mail any time.
Keep in mind that your interviewer does not decide if you get accepted, it's done by admissions committees. Many of us all know people who were killed in traffic accidents. Well, odds are 40% that the driver was drunk. So if you have the bad luck that an adcom member is a friend or family member of one of the 17,000 folks killed by drunk drivers each year, consider your application sunk.
You still have a chance at med school with a DUI. Many people pull it off every year. Just two recommendations: apply very widely (med school apps are so competitive that a black flag like a DUI will sink you at lots of schools) and have a good explanation. This is one of those situations where if you didn't learn from your mistake, you better fake it. And if you don't hold yourself accountable, you'd better learn to.
Nothing kills an application quicker than immaturity, and nothing looks more immature than someone who abused a drug, got behind the wheel and decided to risk the lives of innocent strangers for the sake of his own convenience. Own up to it. Any waffling on the subject and you're pretty much done in a med school interview.
