Ask Dr. Gray: Premed Q&A: Applying to Med School with a Mug Shot

Session 101

Can you get into med school if you’ve been arrested? Will it come up in your interview? What should you disclose about it in your application?

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[00:57] Question of the Day

“I have this looming issue going into application season where I was arrested. At one point, I have a mug shot. However, I do not have a criminal record attached to it. And I was wondering how I would approach that in an application given that I don’t have the criminal record, but I have a picture that you can find online.”

[01:23] Understand the Question

The fun thing is lots of people have pictures online. So that’s okay. But I had a very good conversation with my uncle-in-law, affectionately known as Uncle Larry in the premed circles. And he was on The Premed Years Podcast Session 197: Can You Become a Doctor If You’ve Been Arrested? So go listen to that episode.

Ultimately, what it comes down to is, what is the question? How is it being asked? So you have to really understand how you answer the question.

If the question is, do you have a misdemeanor, then your answer probably is no. You haven’t been convicted of a misdemeanor. You haven’t been convicted of a felony? Now, if the question is, have you ever been arrested, then you probably have to answer Yes, you’ve been arrested.

'What is the question that is being asked?'Click To Tweet

Usually, the primary applications are only concerned about convictions. Have you been convicted of a misdemeanor? Have you been convicted of a felony?

Secondary essays, depending on the school, may ask more generic questions about ever being arrested. And that’s where you’ll have to finesse your answer, depending on your specific situation and depending on other students’ specific situations.

[03:30] Reasons They’re Asking the Question

All of these questions are centered around:

Your character: who are you as a person?
Are you going to be wasting your time getting a medical education, and then not being able to get a medical license in the future because of some past criminal history?

As humans, we do stupid things before our frontal lobe is fully developed at age 25 or so. And the admissions committees understand that.

They’ll review an application and look past things as long as you are writing about what you’ve learned, how you’ve grown, and lessons that you’ve taken away from that. And obviously, they want to know that you’re not going to obviously repeat the offenses. But if you’ve put in there a third DUI, then that’s questionable.

Answer the questions by giving the lessons learned. Be as specific and as generic as possible when talking about the offense. Talk about the situation like why you were in it in the first place and the repercussions of that. Then explain what you’ve learned from it.

“Own up to your mistakes.”Click To Tweet

Even if you were falsely accused, say, for an institutional action like cheating, talk about what you learned from that experience. And depending on the question, they may ask for specifics. So make sure that you give those specifics.

[07:12] Be Careful Not to Spill Your Guts

Again, read every question and make sure you answer the question.

“Don’t give out too much information.” Click To Tweet

If a question is centered around something that really just isn’t relevant to what’s being asked, make sure you’re not spilling your guts.

Most importantly, speak with a lawyer. Maybe you should call Uncle Larry. But if you have any questions or concerns about what you’re writing, how you’re writing it, what the question is, and what do you need to talk about, talk to a lawyer. There are plenty out there who are willing to help, including Uncle Larry.

[08:29] Will Medical Schools See Your Mug Shot?

Most med schools out there don’t have the time to be googling people. The technology is obviously there. But the software schools are using isn’t automatically going out and scouring the internet for mug shots. They don’t have a system for searching precarious pictures of people and stories and whatever else.

So most likely, that’s never going to be an issue. There may be a system to get that taken down. Otherwise, just be prepared for that conversation in case that even comes up.