bronza11 Posted August 25, 2017 Report Share Posted August 25, 2017 Hi guys, When I was 15 I was charged with committing a crime: Theft under $5000. I was caught shoplifting. I was young and immature and had unrealistic expectations of the world - but through the incident, I had a huge paradigm shift, and got focused on a career in medicine. I went through the Youth Criminal Justice Act and never got a criminal record but had to do community service etc. This is definitely one of my real TOP 10 Experiences - because I became a very different person after that. But I don't know about including this in my top 10s for my application on the count of being looked upon badly or giving off a bad first impression. On one hand, I think talking about such an experience and how I have grown since could make me stand out from the thousands of other applicants in the pool who are exactly like me. On the other hand, it is a crime and people who do get criminal records have a lot of trouble finding jobs - so it may immediately get me thrown out of the list. What are your thoughts? Pls. HALP Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bambi Posted August 25, 2017 Report Share Posted August 25, 2017 MATURITY & INSIGHT I would not necessarily go into the detail you did here, rather refer to a situation you encountered as a 15 year old where you made a bad choice resulting in your involvement within the juvenile criminal justice system, this gave you a wake up call, caused you to self-reflect and re-evaluate your life and future and the maturity and insight you obtained gave you the motivation to work hard and to focus on what mattered to you, resulting in your path toward medicine. I would be happy to review your work product. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snowmen Posted August 25, 2017 Report Share Posted August 25, 2017 If you do end up mentioning it, I would prepare very well for that point during the interviews. It is a point that the interviewers would definitely inquire about. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Meridian Posted August 25, 2017 Report Share Posted August 25, 2017 Personally I would not mention it at all in your application. Your file is reviewed by humans. Humans all have different perspectives and would react differently. You could have your file passed over and you will never know it occurred. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ploughboy Posted August 25, 2017 Report Share Posted August 25, 2017 Bad idea. Don't mention it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Intrepid86 Posted August 25, 2017 Report Share Posted August 25, 2017 Like any other possible red flag, this is not something I would draw attention to or linger on, especially since it's no longer an active issue. What I suggest is focusing on everything positive that's happened since then. If you are specifically asked about any past criminal activity, don't hide it, but that's not the same thing as freely volunteering this information. At the end of the day it's your decision. If you strongly believe that this experience was truly pivotal in your motivation to pursue medicine, then go ahead and talk about it. I'm sure some people will look at this aspect of your story positively, however, I'm also certain there are others who will look for any reason to toss out an application, given the sheer number of them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thestar10 Posted August 25, 2017 Report Share Posted August 25, 2017 This is a red flag. Obviously not something that should be mentioned. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OwnerOfTheTARDIS Posted August 25, 2017 Report Share Posted August 25, 2017 I imagine that many staff in med school admission departments would see this as a learning experience and appreciate the impact it had on your life (I certainly would!), but I think there is also a very high chance that one or two people who review your application or interview you would see it as a red flag or be biased against you. For this reason, I would not include it because you don't want any reason for someone to hold it against you. I see it the same way as men wearing facial hair to an interview: in this day and age, most people wouldn't hold it against you, but there is a chance you could meet someone more old-fashioned who takes issue with it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Organomegaly Posted August 25, 2017 Report Share Posted August 25, 2017 Don't do it Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnGrisham Posted August 25, 2017 Report Share Posted August 25, 2017 8 hours ago, Meridian said: Personally I would not mention it at all in your application. Your file is reviewed by humans. Humans all have different perspectives and would react differently. You could have your file passed over and you will never know it occurred. Doubtful. Most Canadian medical schools have very different review processes then simply one individual passing on a file on one small aspect of it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnGrisham Posted August 25, 2017 Report Share Posted August 25, 2017 7 hours ago, Intrepid86 said: Like any other possible red flag, this is not something I would draw attention to or linger on, especially since it's no longer an active issue. What I suggest is focusing on everything positive that's happened since then. If you are specifically asked about any past criminal activity, don't hide it, but that's not the same thing as freely volunteering this information. At the end of the day it's your decision. If you strongly believe that this experience was truly pivotal in your motivation to pursue medicine, then go ahead and talk about it. I'm sure some people will look at this aspect of your story positively, however, I'm also certain there are others who will look for any reason to toss out an application, given the sheer number of them. i would hardly call a teenage incident a red flag. If you explain in a mature and eloquent way why it was a big moment for you, that will show alot of insight and growth. If OP feels that it was a really important defining factor for them, then I would include it. I would be careful of wording of course, but I wouldnt outright exclude it. It's not like something more nefarious like murder, gang violence or rape etc. Realistically you could use the same logic for many things - I personally would roll my eyes at global health/volunteer abroad trips and many others share the same sentiment. As well, some sports involvements because they are really more so for well off suburbanites. It all varies. This notion of tossing applications is a very misleading thing. Most schools definitely do blinded reviews by multiple people, and even then sometimes the human aspects arent even looked at until post-interview. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
goleafsgochris Posted August 25, 2017 Report Share Posted August 25, 2017 Ya, don't even consider mentioning this. People around here get too hung up sometimes on getting a "good story" of how you overcame circumstances. Truly I can guarantee no one will be impressed you overcame this, and as others have mentioned it may disqualify you and you wont even know it. To put it one was--if you have 100 great applicants of equal value, would you take the risk choosing the one with a "criminal past" (I get it its not a big deal but still), over someone without such a history? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arztin Posted August 26, 2017 Report Share Posted August 26, 2017 I would suggest you to never mention it. I am sure you have learned from it, but it is likely to impact you negatively. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Intrepid86 Posted August 26, 2017 Report Share Posted August 26, 2017 On 2017-08-25 at 7:11 PM, JohnGrisham said: i would hardly call a teenage incident a red flag. If you explain in a mature and eloquent way why it was a big moment for you, that will show alot of insight and growth. If OP feels that it was a really important defining factor for them, then I would include it. I would be careful of wording of course, but I wouldnt outright exclude it. It's not like something more nefarious like murder, gang violence or rape etc. I'm going to respectfully disagree with this for two reasons. For an average applicant in their early to mid 20s, an incident from their teenage years isn't exactly a remote history of wrongdoing. Also, explaining it eloquently isn't going to change the fact that admissions processes are generally risk averse. If it comes down to the reformed shoplifter vs. someone who was never one, it's going to be difficult arguing for the former unless they were already a better candidate for other reasons to begin with. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lactic Folly Posted August 26, 2017 Report Share Posted August 26, 2017 I'll add to the chorus of no's. Although the applicant's candor and sincerity are admirable, including this on a medical school application would call into question not only their character but their judgment in choosing to write about such an item. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnGrisham Posted August 26, 2017 Report Share Posted August 26, 2017 55 minutes ago, Intrepid86 said: I'm going to respectfully disagree with this for two reasons. For an average applicant in their early to mid 20s, an incident from their teenage years isn't exactly a remote history of wrongdoing. Also, explaining it eloquently isn't going to change the fact that admissions processes (for basically anything) are generally risk averse. If it comes down to the reformed shoplifter vs. someone who was never one, it's going to be difficult arguing for the former unless they were already a better candidate for other reasons to begin with. That is a fair point Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ArchEnemy Posted August 26, 2017 Report Share Posted August 26, 2017 I agree with the above. I would not include it. It is a huge red flag Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ballsortahard Posted August 26, 2017 Report Share Posted August 26, 2017 what schools are you aloud to put something you did at 15 as an EC? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bambi Posted August 26, 2017 Report Share Posted August 26, 2017 For the ABS, let's say you did something since the age of twelve and continue into undergrad, you always list it from the beginning. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr.Watson Posted August 26, 2017 Report Share Posted August 26, 2017 Do not mention. Simple as that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Monkey D. Luffy Posted August 26, 2017 Report Share Posted August 26, 2017 Definitely don't include that. At best it will not be any better than any other activity you could write in place of it, and at worst it will be a huge red flag that may get your application tossed and quite possibly all future applications. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Edict Posted August 27, 2017 Report Share Posted August 27, 2017 On 8/25/2017 at 0:51 AM, bronza11 said: Hi guys, When I was 15 I was charged with committing a crime: Theft under $5000. I was caught shoplifting. I was young and immature and had unrealistic expectations of the world - but through the incident, I had a huge paradigm shift, and got focused on a career in medicine. I went through the Youth Criminal Justice Act and never got a criminal record but had to do community service etc. This is definitely one of my real TOP 10 Experiences - because I became a very different person after that. But I don't know about including this in my top 10s for my application on the count of being looked upon badly or giving off a bad first impression. On one hand, I think talking about such an experience and how I have grown since could make me stand out from the thousands of other applicants in the pool who are exactly like me. On the other hand, it is a crime and people who do get criminal records have a lot of trouble finding jobs - so it may immediately get me thrown out of the list. What are your thoughts? Pls. HALP Don't do it, don't stand out in that way. One thing unfortunately you will learn in medicine is the head that sticks out gets lopped off (unless you are sticking out for a NEJM pub lol). The medical school admissions process is a time for putting your best foot forward, its just the unfortunate reality of things. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SoraAde Posted August 27, 2017 Report Share Posted August 27, 2017 Seriously don't do it, you will probably get red flagged from ever applying to those schools. Even if you don't, the value of mentioning it is not worth the risk. I find it hilarious that you want to add "shoplifting, theft under $5000" on your application as an EC Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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