Sharing experiences with medical schools and criminal records

[591489]

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Hi,

If you have applied to medical school with a misdemeanor on your criminal record, please tell us about your experience. What types of questions did they ask in the interview, did they ask for other documents, etc. I am sure many of us would love to hear about it as it is a pretty daunting task. Also, please leave out any examples of infractions.

Thanks

 

[boomshaketheroom]

Well there's obviously the part of the primary app that asks you, and then most secondary apps ask you as well. Once you get to the interview you at least haven't scared them away too much yet. Some schools ask for additional documents, but most don't (I don't think these documents are always easy to get your hands on anyway). Anywho, interviews aren't the worst, you should know the question(s) will be coming at some point and have already thought of how you can respond. Always be truthful and don't try to avoid or hide things, the interviewer will probably know if you do. I think the most important things are for you to show that you understand that you did something wrong, you have accepted whatever punishment came your way, you have moved on from the experience (hopefully learned something from it too!), and that whatever happened was an outlier as far as behavior (I suspect multiple misdemeanors are more difficult to overcome because when you get past one it could become a trend). It helps if you can have examples that show why your infraction is a mistake in the past and not something the school should worry about.

More or less, be mature and address your mistakes honestly and truthfully.

 

[Goro]

If it's some thing "young and stupid" like having beer in your dorm room at age 19, or sassing a campus cop, I let it go. I used to be young and stupid once too.

But for anything with theft, or violence, I'll ask directly (with the other interviewees out of the room) about the infraction.

>1 misdemeanor gets on our radar in a bad way.

Hi,

If you have applied to medical school with a misdemeanor on your criminal record, please tell us about your experience. What types of questions did they ask in the interview, did they ask for other documents, etc. I am sure many of us would love to hear about it as it is a pretty daunting task. Also, please leave out any examples of infractions.

Thanks

 

[boomshaketheroom]

If it's some thing "young and stupid" like having beer in your dorm room at age 19, or sassing a campus cop, I let it go. I used to be young and stupid once too.

But for anything with theft, or violence, I'll ask directly (with the other interviewees out of the room) about the infraction.

>1 misdemeanor gets on our radar in a bad way.

Ahh true, theft/violence is likely more difficult to explain. I think those two have a more "evil intent" (duhhh) connotation than other misdemeanors.

 

[yanks26dmb]

If it's some thing "young and stupid" like having beer in your dorm room at age 19, or sassing a campus cop, I let it go. I used to be young and stupid once too.

But for anything with theft, or violence, I'll ask directly (with the other interviewees out of the room) about the infraction.

>1 misdemeanor gets on our radar in a bad way.

by young and stupid... can it be summed up like this...?

minor drugs (pot)/alcohol related stuff (non-dui) is relatively overlooked, whereas crimes where there was a victim are more heavily scruntinized?

 

[Goro]

Yup, you got it!

by young and stupid... can it be summed up like this...? minor drugs (pot)/alcohol related stuff (non-dui) is relatively overlooked, whereas crimes where there was a victim are more heavily scruntinized?

Yup. I think the term is "moral turpitude"

Ahh true, theft/violence is likely more difficult to explain. I think those two have a more "evil intent" (duhhh) connotation than other misdemeanors.

 

[yanks26dmb]

Yup, you got it!

by young and stupid... can it be summed up like this...? minor drugs (pot)/alcohol related stuff (non-dui) is relatively overlooked, whereas crimes where there was a victim are more heavily scruntinized?

Yup. I think the term is "moral turpitude"
Ahh true, theft/violence is likely more difficult to explain. I think those two have a more "evil intent" (duhhh) connotation than other misdemeanors.

Probably obvious, but I'm assuming the time since these "young and stupid" actions plays a large factor as well?

 

[Goro]

In my experience highly unlikely. I have seen people rejected when they didn't take responsibility for their actions, however. For example, if asked about a pot possession, if someone said "my friend made me do it", well, that's like my sixth grade son answering the question, not a 20-something.

Probably obvious, but I'm assuming the time since these "young and stupid" actions plays a large factor as well? Will something that happened 13ish years ago, that involved pot and alcohol be something to worry about? Asking for a friend of course... 🙂

 

[heroesjourney]

I got a DWI five years ago, and submitted my secondary application for EDP about two weeks ago. I was interviewed by the premedical advisory committee at my school and they asked me about how I would respond to the stress of medical school and my current lifestyle. They asked questions to make sure that I had truly transformed from the immature kid who abused alcohol into a competent adult and wouldn't just revert to old habits when subjected to the rigors of med school. They also advised me to not be so inflammatory about my past in my personal statement as I tend to be very candid. I personally believe that people who go through dark periods in their lives and come out on the other side having grown from the experience have something unique to offer others including a genuine compassion for others who go through similar struggles. The challenge during the interview is to make sure the admissions committee knows that I've come out the other side genuinely changed, and I'm not just a panicky person trying to get into med school with an exterior that doesn't match their interior qualities. I'll let you know if I get an interview and how it goes.