Underage Drinking Citation

[Tundra7]

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I was charged with an underage drinking citation 4 years ago during my freshman year of college. In the state of PA which is where I was charged, an underage is not a misdemeanor. In some other states it is though, and the underage will probably still show up on med school background checks. Should I mark that I have pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor on my AMCAS application or should I just let it go?

 

[Sarah_Sonny25]

I would be honest. Put it down, it will save you lots of potential grief later. And I am sure you are not the first or last pre-med to be cited for underage drinking--it could be a much worse citation.....

 

[ski89]

I would be honest. Put it down, it will save you lots of potential grief later. And I am sure you are not the first or last pre-med to be cited for underage drinking--it could be a much worse citation.....

I second this. It's not that much of a concern, many people have these. Including myself. It never came up.

 

[GrapesofRath]

Is there ONE or TWO schools that might have a problem with this? Perhaps
Is there one school that wouldn't have a problem with someone who lied about this and got caught? Nope

By and large you won't have issues if you are upfront with this(just have an answer prepared if it comes up in interviews and apply to more schools perhaps to be safe). College is college and it's not like this happened last week while you're trying to apply.

 

[drpepper can]

When in doubt, be as forthright and honest as possible. But don't broadcast your citation when not directly asked.

 

[Tundra7]

Were you charged as a juvenile? was it only a citation/violation?

I was 19 at the time, so I was not charged as a juvenile. It was only a citation/violation per PA state rules, but I know other states consider this a misdemeanor. I technically never plead guilty to a misdemeanor, but I don't know if or how this would show up on background checks and I don't want to be accused of lying.

 

[cactus8910]

I was 19 at the time, so I was not charged as a juvenile. It was only a citation/violation per PA state rules, but I know other states consider this a misdemeanor. I technically never plead guilty to a misdemeanor, but I don't know if or how this would show up on background checks and I don't want to be accused of lying.

I'm pretty sure it would show up as it was charged in the state, so you should be safe to answer "no" to any questions specifically asked about misdemeanors. Obviously, if there are any questions about citations/violations/etc. include it there.

You can always run a background check on yourself to see how it shows up, just to be safe.

 

[cidem2065]

I was 19 at the time, so I was not charged as a juvenile. It was only a citation/violation per PA state rules, but I know other states consider this a misdemeanor. I technically never plead guilty to a misdemeanor, but I don't know if or how this would show up on background checks and I don't want to be accused of lying.

$10 via PSP. See what it says and how it comes up.

http://www.psp.pa.gov/Pages/Request-a-Criminal-History-Record.aspx

 

[Tundra7]

Definition of the level of the infraction is per state. AMCAS/Schools wont define if differently on that basis. I presume you simply got a ticket, paid a fine? While this will not need to be reported on AMCAS, it may be asked on secondaries. Because of the latter, I would report it on the former under the additional comments/information for receiving a ticket for underage drinking.

That was the plan, however, the application only allows me to mention it if I state that I was found guilty of a misdemeanor. I don't have a problem mentioning it, I'm just not sure where on the application to list it.

 

[Stagg737]

I was charged with an underage drinking citation 4 years ago during my freshman year of college. In the state of PA which is where I was charged, an underage is NOT a misdemeanor. In some other states it is though, and the underage will probably still show up on med school background checks. Should I mark that I have pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor on my AMCAS application or should I just let it go?

You answered your own questions there. If you weren't charged with a misdemeanor, then it's not a misdemeanor. Period. If someone brings it up, then be honest. There's no reason to check off or say you were charged with a misdemeanor when you weren't.

 

[JPA178]

If it's not a misdemeanor and there's not any institutional action related to it, then don't say anything - you don't need to. Only IAs and misdemeanor/felony convictions need to be disclosed on AMCAS. If it is a misdemeanor, secondaries will have you explain it. They might even want you to explain it if you were charged but not technically convicted. Whatever the case, if you do need to explain it, be completely honest and it won't be an issue. Many people have an EtOH violation - as long as it wasn't a DUI it shouldn't be a problem. But if it's just a citation, no need to mention it at all. Be sure to read the fine print on every question you answer, but you should be all good.