I have a felony conviction on my record, but can I still be qualified for acceptance to med school?

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In '98, I was a high school student in GA. While abusing substances, I entered another vehicle to steal the radio, and was arrested and charged with “Entering an Auto” (felony). The judge placed me on 1st Offender status, ordering me to complete the program requirements/probation. In '00 I was charged with possession of Marijuana. My plea agreement was negated, the felony was placed on my record. I continued on this path of self-destruction. In '01, after a charge of DUI, I was mandated to complete Probationary Boot Camp and in-patient treatment for substance abuse. I experienced sobriety for the first time and began working and completed the program (drug-free to this very day). In '03 I continued to work while attending college. I graduated SummaCumLaude in '06, earning a dual degree in Psychology/Sociology. I still have 2 jobs, but my goal is to go back for pre-med sciences, then go to med school. What are my best options for acceptance? Any advice would be greatly appreciated!


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  1. cgflann says:
    June 27, 2010 at 4:10 am

    When I went into graduate school, I had to write a personal goal statement. I am not sure if it is the same for med school or not, but I would assume they probably have something along those lines where you have to explain why you want to get into our school, why you are a good candidate, etc. My advice is to be honest, however it all comes down to the way you word it. You can either write about your convictions and destructive lifestyle in the past and they can use that against you or you can say something along the lines of here is what happened to me when I was younger—-once I got into college, I realized I was on a self-destructive path and if I kept it up, such and such would happen to me—I was able to turn myself around and accomplish this (list accomplishments). If I were reading something like that, I would see it as a success rather than a failure. It would show me someone that is motivated to succeed in life. Just make sure when you do write your essay that your main focus is on how you turned your life around and have succeeded since then and not on your past.

  2. Cat D says:
    June 27, 2010 at 4:10 am

    I think you can. If that’s what you want to do, I say go for it!!

  3. Beauty&Brains says:
    June 27, 2010 at 4:10 am

    Sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but you will not be accepted to Med school with a felony conviction(they check your background before accepting you) and if by chance you were lucky enough to get accepted to a program you would not be employable in the medical field. I speak from experience as I wanted to attend nursing school and have one felony conviction from back in 1992 and they would not accept me at the University of Texas.

  4. Monica P says:
    June 27, 2010 at 4:10 am

    IF YOU WE ABLE TO GET A DEGREE IN PSYCHOLOGY AND SOCIOLOGY, THEN WHY WOULDN’T YOU BE ABLE TO GO INTO MED SCHOOL?

    I DON’T KNOW WHAT STATE YOU LIVE IN BUT WHERE I LIVE , IF IT’S BEEN SEVEN YEARS YOU CAN WRITE A LETTER TO THE JUDGE TO HAVE A EXPUNGMENT HEARING TO HAVE THE CHARGES REMOVES FROM YOUR RECORD.

  5. y4 says:
    June 27, 2010 at 4:10 am

    Used to be no for sure. But now, maybe things have changed. Contact the Stare Medical Society or some Medical Schools and ask them. They take Muslims doctors in England to work and it appears at least 6 of them are homicidal.
    If a Doctor is convicted of a felony, his license is automatically revoked.

  6. pansy1532 says:
    June 27, 2010 at 4:10 am

    to the best of my knowledge, no… no one with a felony conviction is allowed to work in a field of medicine. there are some misterminor convictions that can bar you also. i had a friend who attended nursing school and graduated, but the state refused to award her a degree, because they discovered a arrest record for her when they ran her background check. although the conviction was a misterminor she was still barred, because of the type of crime she committed. she had to go to court and have the record expunged, before she could get her degree. all medical faculities are now required to run background checks on all their employees, before starting work. most federal aide also runs a background check, before approval of assistance.

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