Underage Drinking Misdemeanor Conviction

[badabg286]

Hey everyone. I think this is a great post, not because of the argument that it created, but because of the good advice that has been posted. I am in the same boat as your friend, as I got an underaged drinking ticket when I was 19. It was a really stupid decision of mine, and I definitely learned from it. At the time, I thought it was just a ticket with a fine and when I found out that it was considered a simple misdemeanor I kind of panicked. I called a lawyer that I knew and he explained to me that the state I received the ticket in does not expunge that type of thing, and that since I already had plead guilty and sent in the fine it was too late to do anything about it anyway. He also told me that in that state, it is in the SAME CLASS AS A SPEEDING TICKET.

I know, I didn't believe it either, and after questioning the lawyer about it I realized that he was probably right because after all he was a lawyer... and still is (although I don't know if he drank when he was underage and that may attest to the quality of his professional character and ability). Anyway, when it came time to fill out the primaries I even considered not putting the misdemeanor down, since who writes they got a speeding ticket under the misdemeanor box? And, after all, they are both 'simple misdemeanors'. I mean I have gotten bigger parking fines than the fine I had to pay for this infraction. Of course I did end up marking that I had plead guilty to a misdemeanor.

To sum things up, I am still a little worried that this will affect my getting in to schools of my choice, and even more so after reading this thread. I have asked plenty of doctors their opinions on the matter, and every one of them blows it off like, "Come on, who hasn't gotten caught doing something like that." But now after reading some posts, it seems like the years I have put forth working towards my goal to become a physician might be jeopardized by getting caught in possession of a beer... A BEER! Any thoughts?

I would like to conclude by making known that I see you, haters, and would like to say hi.

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[chessknt]

Hey everyone. I think this is a great post, not because of the argument that it created, but because of the good advice that has been posted. I am in the same boat as your friend, as I got an underaged drinking ticket when I was 19. It was a really stupid decision of mine, and I definitely learned from it. At the time, I thought it was just a ticket with a fine and when I found out that it was considered a simple misdemeanor I kind of panicked. I called a lawyer that I knew and he explained to me that the state I received the ticket in does not expunge that type of thing, and that since I already had plead guilty and sent in the fine it was too late to do anything about it anyway. He also told me that in that state, it is in the SAME CLASS AS A SPEEDING TICKET.

I know, I didn't believe it either, and after questioning the lawyer about it I realized that he was probably right because after all he was a lawyer... and still is (although I don't know if he drank when he was underage and that may attest to the quality of his professional character and ability). Anyway, I when it came time to fill out the primaries I even considered not putting the misdemeanor down, since who writes they got a speeding ticket under the misdemeanor box. And, after all, they are both 'simple misdemeanors. I mean I have gotten bigger parking fines than the fine I had to pay for this infraction.

To sum things up, I am still a little worried that this will affect my getting in to schools of my choice, and even more so after reading this thread. I have asked plenty of doctors their opinions on the matter, and every one of them blows it off like, "Come on, who hasn't gotten caught doing something like that." But now after reading some posts, it seems like despite the years I have put forth working towards my goal to become a physician might be jeopardized by getting caught in possession of a beer A BEER. Any thoughts?

I would like to conclude by making known that I see you, haters, and would like to say hi.

Like has been said very early in this thread, it will effect your chances at some schools more than others but to minimize the damage you need to have a really convincing and mature explanation/response to it for your AMCAS application.

 

[ANF1986]

Malim prohibitum- underage drinking, disorderly conduct, curfew, etc...

Malim in se- murder, robbery, etc...


Lot of self righteous BS in this thread...

 

[chessknt]

Anyway, when it came time to fill out the primaries I even considered not putting the misdemeanor down, since who writes they got a speeding ticket under the misdemeanor box? And, after all, they are both 'simple misdemeanors'. I mean I have gotten bigger parking fines than the fine I had to pay for this infraction. Of course I did end up marking that I had plead guilty to a misdemeanor.

Also meant to address this earlier, speeding ticket is an infraction which doesnt show up on CBC, a misdemeanor does and matters a lot more to adcoms than an infraction.

 

[firecoins]

Drinking age is 18 in every country but the United States. I suppose someone 18 to 20 who drinks would be a bad doctor inside the United States but a good doctor everywhere else.

Minor infractions and minor misdemeanors incurred by people as teenagers really have little to do with their possible quality as a doctor.

 

[chessknt]

Drinking age is 18 in every country but the United States. I suppose someone 18 to 20 who drinks would be a bad doctor inside the United States but a good doctor everywhere else.

Minor infractions and minor misdemeanors incurred by people as teenagers really have little to do with their possible quality as a doctor.

It is legal for a 40 year old to have sex with a 14 year old in Spain, if someone did that in the US knowing that it is statutory rape would that person make a good doctor?

 

[mushok103]

It is legal for a 40 year old to have sex with a 14 year old in Spain, if someone did that in the US knowing that it is statutory rape would that person make a good doctor?

I agree!!!

statutory rape = underage drinking

nice example.

 

[Code Brown]

Just to throw my two cents in, it all kind of depends. Something minor like a MIP, reckless driving, etc. won't disqualify you. We all make mistakes, and as long as we learn from them, it's not the end of the world. That said, if you get more than one or two offenses, this will disqualify you from consideration since you apparently have difficulties realizing you are making some bad judgement calls. Regarding more severe offences (ie. DUI, assault, drug possesion charges, etc.), the only thing that will save your app will be to have some time between the offense and when you apply. You basically need to show that you have matured since your error in judgement and are a different person. Here are some tips for those with "issues":
1. Make sure you put everything down and don't leave stuff out. A full background check will be done on you and if anything shows up that wasn't disclosed, it's goodbye med school. I have seen this on 2 occasions.
2. Don't talk about the events in your PS. Leave this in the conviction section. Not everyone reviewing your file will look at that section so it could get overlooked.
3. At the interview, you WILL be asked about it. Explain it, what you learned from it, and make sure you point out that it will never happen again.
4. Realize that about 1 out of 10 people that interview have some "issues". Such is life.

Hope this helps. BTW, I am on the adcom at a good midwest medical school.

 

[chessknt]

I agree!!!

statutory rape = underage drinking

nice example.

He was citing an example saying it was ok in other countries so somebody disregarding it in our country should not be looked down upon. I drew a similar example with age of consent (which is not unanimously 18 everywhere in the world). Read beyond the text.

 

[enjoydrywax]

Do all medical schools do a CBC? Secondly, is there a way I can purchase a CBC through the same company that the medical schools consult?

I have reasons to believe that something may show up, but I'd rather be 100% sure. It would suck to have chosen to attend a med school that performs a CBC (assuming some schools don't), only to find out later that I can't attend because of my results. That way I can steer clear of those that do in case there is something on my record.

 

[Code Brown]

Do all medical schools do a CBC? Secondly, is there a way I can purchase a CBC through the same company that the medical schools consult?

I have reasons to believe that something may show up, but I'd rather be 100% sure. It would suck to have chosen to attend a med school that performs a CBC (assuming some schools don't), only to find out later that I can't attend because of my results. That way I can steer clear of those that do in case there is something on my record.

Yes, all US medical schools perform a CBC. And if for some reason they don't, the hospitals that you will rotate through during your M3 and M4 years most likely will (VA's even make you get finger printed and all that jazz). Full disclosure is absolutely mandatory.

 

[ANF1986]

Also...for any of you running into a great deal of difficulty with this. If you have a strong academic record, good ECs, and have not re-offended..Assuming it is a bit more serious of a misdemeanor or possibly a felony. You could write a letter to the governor of your state and petition him for a full pardon. This would wipe any record of your conviction and restore full rights. It helps if you do this sort of thing around election time, and make a rather significant contribution to their campaign. Just some food for thought, I'm sure some people need to explore all options...

 

[cel7y]

.

I know the original poster is not a drug addict. I was responding to someone a couple posts up that asked me about drug abusers.

So you, my friend, are the one that needs to chill out and read before you make a post. I am not saying to write off the friend. I am just saying their MISDEMEANOR should be taken into account when they are applying for medical school.

Sheesh.

 

[ElCaminoReal]

Just to throw my two cents in, it all kind of depends. Something minor like a MIP, reckless driving, etc. won't disqualify you. We all make mistakes, and as long as we learn from them, it's not the end of the world. That said, if you get more than one or two offenses, this will disqualify you from consideration since you apparently have difficulties realizing you are making some bad judgement calls. Regarding more severe offences (ie. DUI, assault, drug possesion charges, etc.), the only thing that will save your app will be to have some time between the offense and when you apply. You basically need to show that you have matured since your error in judgement and are a different person. Here are some tips for those with "issues":
1. Make sure you put everything down and don't leave stuff out. A full background check will be done on you and if anything shows up that wasn't disclosed, it's goodbye med school. I have seen this on 2 occasions.
2. Don't talk about the events in your PS. Leave this in the conviction section. Not everyone reviewing your file will look at that section so it could get overlooked.
3. At the interview, you WILL be asked about it. Explain it, what you learned from it, and make sure you point out that it will never happen again.
4. Realize that about 1 out of 10 people that interview have some "issues". Such is life.

Hope this helps. BTW, I am on the adcom at a good midwest medical school.

I had a charge of Minor in Possession of alcohol 3 years ago (I was 20, 2 months away from turning 21 at the time). I had a lawyer, did community service, and was told that the charges were dropped. Thus, I did not check the box on the secondaries that asks if you have ever been convicted, etc. However, after running the background check on myself, I have found out that this has been classified as a Misdeameanor I and plead as "Nolle Prosequi" or do not pursue by the courts. I am not sure what this means, and as I have already attended several interviews and have checked the "no" box on all secondaries, am not sure what to do. Should I call the schools, wait it out, or what?

Any advice that you or anyone else has regarding my situation would be greatly appreciated!

 

[HeatherMD]

Your friend is an idiot.

know what's really idiotic? Having the legal drinking age set at 21.

 

[slrplx]

Secondly, is there a way I can purchase a CBC through the same company that the medical schools consult?

No. I contacted the company and they denied me. They said I would have a chance to look over their CBC once accepted and before the med school saw it. That would give you time to come clean if something did show up.

I contacted them because I had some issues when I was 18 (few misdemeanors) and I seriously couldn't remember what and when the charges were. I am now 26 and haven't had any issues since. My state does an awful job of tracking these things, and I never did get a comprehensive list of my charges. So I did the best I could in explaining them in my primary.

What I did was address them as best I could and let the last 8 years of my life speak for themselves essentially.

 

[Japika]

You would think the price and rigor of a pre-med and medical education would weed out people who aren't very intelligent.

From my own personal experience, I think some premeds cheat their way into medical school.

As for the topic, I don't think underage drinking will really hurt his/her chances at medical school.

On a side note, my county spends over 50 million dollars a year fighting underage drinking.

It's not a question of whether you think it's right or wrong, the problem arises with how it effects others and whether or not your are willing to obey the rules.

Underage drinking, hurts everybody, and anybody who is doing it is just being selfish, and frankly I don't understand why some many Americans are so inconsiderate to those around them.

Tell your friend thanks for costing the tax payers their hard earned money.

 

[slrplx]

Underage drinking, hurts everybody,

really? please elaborate...

 

[Japika]

really? please elaborate...

The police have to spend their time looking for underage drinkers. Thus, the officers can't spend their time helping "everybody".

 

[stjkj02]

fun fact

i have a 3.2 GPA, a 31 MCAT and TWO underage drinking citations within 6 months of each other. so far I have been accepted at 4 MD schools, interviewed at 3 others, and rejected at none.

dear condescending SDN users,

suck it

Love,
STJkj02

 

[Barcu]

fun fact

i have a 3.2 GPA, a 31 MCAT and TWO underage drinking citations within 6 months of each other. so far I have been accepted at 4 MD schools, interviewed at 3 others, and rejected at none.

dear condescending SDN users,

suck it

Love,
STJkj02

You sure told them (3 years late).

 

[aSagacious]

You sure told them (3 years late).

 

[235788]

You sure told them (3 years late).

haha omg

 

[LifeTake2]

You sure told them (3 years late).

All threads over a year old on this site should be locked, just to prevent this.

I can't believe the # of dead threads that are re-born....how do they even find them????

 

[alexandertg6]

You sure told them (3 years late).

 

[TheGloaming]

fun fact

i have a 3.2 GPA, a 31 MCAT and TWO underage drinking citations within 6 months of each other. so far I have been accepted at 4 MD schools, interviewed at 3 others, and rejected at none.

dear condescending SDN users,

suck it

Love,
STJkj02

Clearly you applied for entry in Fall 2012. However, I was under the impression that AAMC did not allow acceptances to be released until Oct. 15, except for early decision entry (in which case you would only be able to have one acceptance). Today is Oct. 10, how is this possible?