Question on Background check

Hi Richie:
I have a definitive answer for you, as I have done the research into background checks, have been doing consulting for the past 8 years and have worked with hundreds of applicants.

1. If a school does background check you, you will sign a separate part of the application agreeing to this check. Schools that come to mind are HBS and Wharton.
2. Most of these verifications are basically VOE (Verification of Employment) and not a full background check into criminal history, although the school reserves the right to do this. Basically, the school does not do a full blown background check.
3. Background checks are usually done by Kroll. This is a fun fact.....

This is the bottom line - the school is going to leave it up to you to disclose anything serious. An open container ticket is not something that you are going to need to disclose, unless the application is very specific about it.
Put another way is that the school does not even call the recommender most of the time, why would they spend another $50 to run a background check on you? That is my no BS answer for you.

-Paul Lanzillotti

Richie,
In summary, we are all saying - you should be fine Best of luck with your applications!

So should I mention this on my application at all and click the "Have you ever committed a crime" box, or should i just leave it off all together?

What they've been trying to tell you is that getting a ticket is not "crime", in terms of the definition that is presented in the bschool application. That's why they are saying you will be fine. Leave the box blank.

Hi Richie:
I stated above that you do not need to disclose but I realized that I may need to be more specific. You were issued a citation (ticket) and the best way to think about this is that this is akin to a traffic citation or ticket. I totally appreciate your thoroughness but you would not list the traffic tickets you have received. With my lead foot, I may have had to bust out the optional application for this one a few years back. It's TMI as they say in some other forums.
So, leave it off the application.
Respectfully,
Paul Lanzillotti

Sorry if we confused you earlier. Your situation is akin to a traffic violation, and hence not applicable to a criminal history. So yes, please leave it off

However, you do come across with a lot of integrity and hopefully that comes across in your application package. Integrity, accountability and responsibility are key characteristics being sought after in future business leaders through the essays, letters and data forms by business schools, and I am impressed that you chose to verify your situation multiple times.

Best of luck - do come back and tell us how it turned out!

The process is very school dependent. Some top business schools and MBA programs will check every applicant, some may randomly select a percentage of admitted applicants, and some dig deeper only when they feel that something is not adding up in the application details submitted by the candidate.
Lying or omitting important details wilfully is an act of deception and will jeopardize the admission. Although minor discrepancies like being off by a month when listing employment dates, etc. may not lead to such extreme steps. Most schools give applicants a chance to explain any plausible mistakes.
For more info on MBA Background checks, please visit: https://aringo.com/background-checks-in ... s-process/