Adverse criminal background (17 years ago) & impact on admissions odds

[graduate2be]

I don't know if any of you are aware of the fact that AMCAS has a trial criminal background process that about 40 medical schools are participating in (http://www.aamc.org/newsroom/reporte...background.htm). My question is, has anyone heard of how the procedure will be done? More specifically, how many years are they going back in the background? In the fall of 1992 (I was 21 at the time), me and a buddy of mine got drunk and went out and stole two mountain bikes (worth $200 each) from Wal-Mart. We got caught less than 5 minutes later and we spent the weekend in jail. I was given six months of probation, community service, and had to pay $50 a month I think. I was charged with a Class C Misdemeanor (Texas) I think. Since that time, I have not gotten into any trouble with the law outside of the occasional speeding ticket. This incident was 17 years ago and in all these years, it has not impacted me getting healthcare jobs (I truthfully report it when I apply for jobs); however, I am worried that it may impact my odds for getting into medical school. Would this be an issue for an adcom? A lot of people have certain perceptions of how black men behave. While I admit that what I did was stupid as hell; I would hope that people would realize that it was 17 years ago and since that time, I've had a long and fairly distinguished military career, been a model citizen and am a pretty decent student to boot.

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[redlight]

i dont see how this is specific to URMs..

and i personally have no idea how that would affect admissions (well, rather, not sure HOW MUCH it would affect it). have you tried pre-allo or the mentor forum? you'd surely get more traffick there.

 

[Dr Lyss]

I don't know if any of you are aware of the fact that AMCAS has a trial criminal background process that about 40 medical schools are participating in (http://www.aamc.org/newsroom/reporte...background.htm). My question is, has anyone heard of how the procedure will be done? More specifically, how many years are they going back in the background? In the fall of 1992 (I was 21 at the time), me and a buddy of mine got drunk and went out and stole two mountain bikes (worth $200 each) from Wal-Mart. We got caught less than 5 minutes later and we spent the weekend in jail. I was given six months of probation, community service, and had to pay $50 a month I think. I was charged with a Class C Misdemeanor (Texas) I think. Since that time, I have not gotten into any trouble with the law outside of the occasional speeding ticket. This incident was 17 years ago and in all these years, it has not impacted me getting healthcare jobs (I truthfully report it when I apply for jobs); however, I am worried that it may impact my odds for getting into medical school. Would this be an issue for an adcom? A lot of people have certain perceptions of how black men behave. While I admit that what I did was stupid as hell; I would hope that people would realize that it was 17 years ago and since that time, I've had a long and fairly distinguished military career, been a model citizen and am a pretty decent student to boot.

I wouldn't worry too much. If this was 2 years ago then you may be in trouble but as long as you notify schools about it (before the background check - instead include it in your primary app) and eloquently explain that it was very dumb and since then have learned from your mistakes and grown from this experience, you should be fine.

If you are really worried about it you can call your local school and ask what they suggest (they won't remember you in a few months). The important thing to note is to DISCLOSE any violations on your record when you fill out your AMCAS. If you do not and the school finds out, whether through a background check or something else, they can rescind your acceptance. Best of luck

 

[njbmd]

I don't know if any of you are aware of the fact that AMCAS has a trial criminal background process that about 40 medical schools are participating in (http://www.aamc.org/newsroom/reporte...background.htm). My question is, has anyone heard of how the procedure will be done? More specifically, how many years are they going back in the background? In the fall of 1992 (I was 21 at the time), me and a buddy of mine got drunk and went out and stole two mountain bikes (worth $200 each) from Wal-Mart. We got caught less than 5 minutes later and we spent the weekend in jail. I was given six months of probation, community service, and had to pay $50 a month I think. I was charged with a Class C Misdemeanor (Texas) I think. Since that time, I have not gotten into any trouble with the law outside of the occasional speeding ticket. This incident was 17 years ago and in all these years, it has not impacted me getting healthcare jobs (I truthfully report it when I apply for jobs); however, I am worried that it may impact my odds for getting into medical school. Would this be an issue for an adcom? A lot of people have certain perceptions of how black men behave. While I admit that what I did was stupid as hell; I would hope that people would realize that it was 17 years ago and since that time, I've had a long and fairly distinguished military career, been a model citizen and am a pretty decent student to boot.

Everything shows up but you have done a pretty good job of paying for your mistake and moving on. Answer any questions truthfully and let your record speak for itself. You can't undo what's done and you can't try to predict how anyone's perception will be. You can only do what you have done and tell the truth. Seventeen years is a long time and overall, what you did commit was a misdemeanor. It's there and you deal with this issue as it comes, however, it's likely not to be much of a problem. I certainly would not change my goals at this point.