please please help - honest opinions please

[medstudentwanab]

I'm a hopeful med student going into my junior year

GPA 3.8
havn't taken my MCAT yet but plan to in January n(have been getting 30-32 on practice tests)
Great health care experience and LOR
research experience
I want to apply next summer ...
but I have a misdemeanor petty larceny conviction on my record. I was only sentenced to a 50 dollar fine due to the judge wanting to knock down the charge, but the state not allowing it... no jail time or probation. This was over a year ago. The incident was not reflective of who I am as a person - it was a wrong time wrong place bad time in my life peer pressure thing. It hasn't/will never happen again.
I don't know how to make it clear that it was not in any mean reflective of the type of person I am.
I'm terrified this will hurt my chances or keep me from getting in all together.

ADVICE!!! PLEASE HELP

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[anxiousteen]

it's hard for me to empathize with a someone with a 3.8 convicted for stealing. just doesn't make sense to me.

anyway, i think you should talk to your pre-med advisor about this or maybe even call medical schools anonymously to see what they think.

from what i read, schools don't care about misdemeanors, but i'm not sure about convictions.

 

[medstudentwanab]

My 3.8 comes from hard work ... the stupid decision I made was the result of me being a scholarship student with no friends in the area - going to school and feeling pressured to fit in. It was one stupid decision that I havn't forgiven myself for. It was nothing giant - but no excuses it was wrong. It was a bad time for me - my father has lost his job, I didn't know what to do. It was 150% the wrong choice. But I can't take it back

 

[redlight]

it's hard for me to empathize with a someone with a 3.8 convicted for stealing. just doesn't make sense to me.

anyway, i think you should talk to your pre-med advisor about this or maybe even call medical schools anonymously to see what they think.

from what i read, schools don't care about misdemeanors, but i'm not sure about convictions.

do you mean sympathize? im confused.

OP, please get your story straight.. did you do it because of peer pressure or because you were poor and desperate because your fam was in a tight financial spot?

yeah you should have a clear explanation, dont make any excuses, and fess up to the crime. i dont think it will hurt too much btw but im not really sure...

 

[anxiousteen]

empathize is a word too lol

 

[medstudentwanab]

it was a combination of a lot of things. peer pressure when my family was in a tight financial spot. its not an excuse i said it was wrong and I know it and admit it.

 

[redlight]

empathize is a word too lol

ha, yeah i know it's a word. from my understanding, empathize is used when you are understanding of what someone else is feeling or going through.. for example if you've been in a similar situation, you can empathize with OP.

 

[TopSecret]

I'm a hopeful med student going into my junior year

GPA 3.8
havn't taken my MCAT yet but plan to in January n(have been getting 30-32 on practice tests)
Great health care experience and LOR
research experience
I want to apply next summer ...
but I have a misdemeanor petty larceny conviction on my record. I was only sentenced to a 50 dollar fine due to the judge wanting to knock down the charge, but the state not allowing it... no jail time or probation. This was over a year ago. The incident was not reflective of who I am as a person - it was a wrong time wrong place bad time in my life peer pressure thing. It hasn't/will never happen again.
I don't know how to make it clear that it was not in any mean reflective of the type of person I am.
I'm terrified this will hurt my chances or keep me from getting in all together.

ADVICE!!! PLEASE HELP

It depends on how long ago the petty larceny was. This may be a dealbreaker for a lot of medical schools, though. I'm assuming you would have to explain in your personal statement the circumstances of that conviction and what you have done since then. Otherwise, numbers and EC look pretty good.

 

[TopSecret]

By the way if you're accepted to medical school and you apply for licensure, hospital privileges, malpractice insurance coverage, insurance plans, and board certification, this conviction will have to be noted on those applications. It's a huge headache to have any sort of criminal past.

 

[redlight]

It depends on how long ago the petty larceny was. This may be a dealbreaker for a lot of medical schools, though. I'm assuming you would have to explain in your personal statement the circumstances of that conviction and what you have done since then. Otherwise, numbers and EC look pretty good.

isnt there a section to explain something like this? i really dont think it belongs in a PS.

 

[TopSecret]

isnt there a section to explain something like this? i really dont think it belongs in a PS.

Maybe. I don't know. But any sort of criminal past will have to be noted in every single credentialing application and every job application from now till forever, at least in medicine.