Quoted:Juvenille Offense Record and Personal Statement

[Doodledog]

I am planning on applying to medical schools this summer and I have a situation that I am struggling with.

I had a rocky time growing up and I did things that I now regret. In particular, I was arrested for shoplifting and prosecuted as a juvenille offender. This was a particularly low-point in my life and the shame from this crime motivated me to turn my life around.

Fast forward to today. I am a senior chemistry major with a 4.0 GPA and I just recieved a 41 on the MCAT. In addition, I am a certified EMT-B and I work 20-24 a week in a local community ER. I really love working in medicine and I am excited at the prospect of becoming a physician. I know that I have both the aptitude and the attitude to be a great doctor.

I am nervous, however, that admissions commitees will see my juvenille record and judge me as criminal. The person that I was back then is completely different than who I am now; I have grown by bounds in maturity and attitude.

I plan to address this head-on and talk about the crime and my personal growth in my PS. Is this a bad idea? I don't want to be defined by my past, because I am a completely different person.

I wish that I could just seal the record, but the laws of my state only allow a juvenille offender a 90 day window, after completing their diversion program, in order to expunge their record. No one at the time told me or my parents this.

Should I discuss this issue in my PS or should I downplay it? I really don't want this event to define me, but I feel like I should address it somehow or else questions will remain.

Thank-you for your time.

Downplay it. Play up all the things you've done since then. One sentence or two to cover it at most. Focus on what you've done, especially for the community, since then. Good luck.

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[2Sexy4MedSchool]

Depending on where your offense occured, those juvie records may not be accessible by the schools, particularly to schools outside your home state. Also, I would check with a lawyer in that jurisdiction -- the who represented you should be able to answer the question -- and find out if your case resulted in a "conviction" vs. something else like an "adjudication". If your state uses a different method to resolve juvie cases, particularly something like diversion, you may be entitled to say "No" to the question, "Have you ever been convicted of a crime?"

This varies significantly from state to state; it would be worth an hour or two of attorney's fees so get a good answer, because this issue will come up again when you go to get licensed by the state and by the DEA. If you can't reach the person who represented you before, look for a lawyer who specializes in licensing issues. Good luck -- 2S4MS