Recently Charged With An OWVI. Should I even bother with a post bacc

[Bucks'n'Ducks]

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Hello all,

The title kind of says it all. I have recently been convicted of an OWVI (operating while visually impaired, like a DUI but your BAC is less than 0.08 but greater than 0 but the officer feels you are still not able to drive a vehicle safely, still a misdemeanor here in MI). The quick story was that I had been tubing on a river for around 6 hours in the sun without drinking any water or having anything to eat, and I had a couple of beers near the end stretch of the trip, was pulled over on the way home (was getting really drowsy behind the wheel), arrested and recently just had my sentencing trial. My lawyer and I tried to have it reduced to a nonalcohol related charge or expunged entirely but the court was not willing to do so, which sucks but it will be okay. This was something totally out of character for me. It was horrible, reckless, and inconsiderate to all those on the road around me, and I fully accept the consequences of my actions. I should have known better and acted as such. However, I am not willing to let one mistake define me as a person, and I want to keep pushing forward, to learn from my mistakes, and to still pursue medical school because I want nothing more than to be a doctor.

A little about me before this whole instance:
I graduated from my undergrad in 2017 with a cGPA of 3.48, and a csGPA of 3.37, MCAT 507 (taken in 2018), no prior issues with the law, or poor academic standing/dishonesty. I have also been working as a nurse tech (basically a CNA) for around 2 years now. I started in a physical rehabilitation center and now I am in an ER & level 1 trauma center. Was set to start volunteering in hospice but COVID happened.

The main question:
I was also set to start a DIY post bacc that I had pieced together at GVSU to try and improve my stats a little, as well as thinking about retaking the MCAT to improve my stats and then ultimately applying next cycle in 2021 (MD and DO). I was wondering if I should even bother with this post bacc or if I need to put some distance between myself and that conviction (over time ~1-3 years) before pursuing any additional academics and applying to medical school? Would the ADCOMS look down on that kind of conviction as being as bad as a straight-up DUI? Would it be worth doing the post bacc anyways to show that I am still dedicated to improving myself despite this one bad mistake? This is also something I would totally be open to talking to letter writers about as well as I feel like they would also be able to judge my character pretty well, right?

I just don't want to spend the thousands of dollars now if it's not in my best interest at this point. I'd rather put that money towards my wedding in October😀.

Any and all advice would be welcome. Harshness and honesty appreciated. However if you're here to just tell me to give up, please move on, as that isn't an option for me.

 

[Angus Avagadro]

I won't talk a lot about what you need to do. There are many posts regarding this topic with IA's

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration conservatively estimates that 100,000 police-reported crashes are the direct result of driver fatigue each year. This results in an estimated 1,550 deaths, 71,000 injuries, and $12.5 billion in monetary losses. These figures may be the tip of the iceberg, since currently it is difficult to attribute crashes to sleepiness.

Drowsy driving is a thing as you can see from above. There are several judgement issues you need to address
First driving after drinking. Good news the BAL was below 0.08
Bad news you were not technically impaired, yet continued to drive while drowsy instead of pulling over and sleeping. This is what I find worrisome in your case. Continuing to drive drowsy while technically not impaired. Make sure you own it, talk about what you learned and the changes you have made. I dont think it is universally fatal for your app, but I'm sure some schools will decide to look at someone with your stats who has no lapses in judgement. Apply broadly if you can afford to. Putting time between the incident and your app is probably the best way to deal with it, but that could take years. Personally, if handled well, I dont think it makes you a pariah. Good luck and best wishes

 

[Bucks'n'Ducks]

I won't talk a lot about what you need to do. There are many posts regarding this topic with IA's

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration conservatively estimates that 100,000 police-reported crashes are the direct result of driver fatigue each year. This results in an estimated 1,550 deaths, 71,000 injuries, and $12.5 billion in monetary losses. These figures may be the tip of the iceberg, since currently it is difficult to attribute crashes to sleepiness.

Drowsy driving is a thing as you can see from above. There are several judgement issues you need to address
First driving after drinking. Good news the BAL was below 0.08
Bad news you were not technically impaired, yet continued to drive while drowsy instead of pulling over and sleeping. This is what I find worrisome in your case. Continuing to drive drowsy while technically not impaired. Make sure you own it, talk about what you learned and the changes you have made. I dont think it is universally fatal for your app, but I'm sure some schools will decide to look at someone with your stats who has no lapses in judgement. Apply broadly if you can afford to. Putting time between the incident and your app is probably the best way to deal with it, but that could take years. Personally, if handled well, I dont think it makes you a pariah. Good luck and best wishes

Thank you for the advice and kind wishes. You're absolutely right, on owning it. It would be irresponsible to do it any other way. I just hope that maybe one year would be enough with a strong post bacc and improved MCAT in between now and then? Wondering what @gonnif @LizzyM @Goro @gyngyn @Catalystik think?

 

[proudofmykids]

Does OWVI indicate alcohol related? Or would you get the same misdemeanor if you were weaving because you were super sleepy? My point is whether it is necessary to report a misdemeanor traffic violation if alcohol not part of the report? Would it be like speeding more than 25Mph over, and would this prevent admission?

 

[KnightDoc]

Does OWVI indicate alcohol related? Or would you get the same misdemeanor if you were weaving because you were super sleepy? My point is whether it is necessary to report a misdemeanor traffic violation if alcohol not part of the report? Would it be like speeding more than 25Mph over, and would this prevent admission?

There is no such thing as a misdemeanor traffic violation. There is a traffic violation, and a misdemeanor or felony crime. That is OP's problem. If it's a misdemeanor, it will come up on the background check.

 

[Bucks'n'Ducks]

There is no such thing as a misdemeanor traffic violation. There is a traffic violation, and a misdemeanor or felony crime. That is OP's problem. If it's a misdemeanor, it will come up on the background check.

It is indeed a misdemeanor.

 

[Bucks'n'Ducks]

Does OWVI indicate alcohol related? Or would you get the same misdemeanor if you were weaving because you were super sleepy? My point is whether it is necessary to report a misdemeanor traffic violation if alcohol not part of the report? Would it be like speeding more than 25Mph over, and would this prevent admission?

It is an alcohol related charge since I admitted to a couple drinks about an hour and a half before being pulled over and also agreed to a breathalyzer.

 

[Goro]

It is an alcohol related charge since I admitted to a couple drinks about an hour and a half before being pulled over and also agreed to a breathalyzer.

I'm going to be more harsh with this. You're older and should have known better. You could have drank something non-alcoholic. But no....And then you got into a motor vehicle.

So, take a few years off, because your medical career isn't dead, but is now in stasis.

And engage in lots of service to others, and especially try to gain positions of responsibility.