Help - misdemeanor DUI after acceptance

Question

Hi All,

I was recently admitted to a top 20 FTMBA program with a full scholarship. This past weekend I made a huge, stupid mistake and was arrested for a (misdemeanor) DUI.

I've already accepted my place in the class and paid my first deposit to the school. I also initiated the background check almost two months ago so I think that process should be (hopefully) completed by now. I read through all of the documentation that I've signed from the school and didn't find any language requiring me to notify them of changes such as this but I'm still terrified that the school will find out eventually.

Even if the school doesn't find out before fall, I have this terrible feeling that they'll find out during the interview process for summer internships after no one hires me because I don't pass the background check.

Has anyone been in a similar situation or know of any friends that have? Any advice is much appreciated. I've never been in any kind of situation like this before and honestly have no idea what to do.

Thanks in advance.

bb · Answer

Sorry to hear about this issue. There is definitely some serious weaknesses in the US legal system that make it difficult to recover after a mis-step.

1. I do not believe you have to disclose this to the school
2. Not all internship companies do a background check
3. If it is classified as a misdemeanor, then it is not something you have to list on the job application (they usually only ask for felonies but sometimes it may be broader; in that case it is r commended that you be upfront)
4. You do not have to disclose and it won't show up on your record until you are found guilty by the judge
5. Make sure it is recorded/treated as a misdemeanor instead of felony!

Sorry to hear about this

mbaguy29 · Answer

bb , thanks for the quick reply and for the information - this is very helpful. One question about the background checks for MBA intern positions - are these typically performed by the school or by the hiring company? And, if the background check is performed by the company and subsequently failed, do they notify the school?

Thank you!

bb · Answer

You probably should chat with an understanding attorney about the whole thing - I forgot to add that component to the previous post.
However, my take on the privacy rules and all that good stuff, is that the companies running background check would not communicate back to the school, esp if they have no connection to the program.

I would chat with an attorney as this comes up and see if they have a better course of action. There may be loopholes how to keep the record on a certain level so it does not show up in certain situations and that may be helpful. However, usually a company will not treat lightly anyone who misrepresents their background/history on the application.

MV23 · Answer

Background checks are usually done by third-party vendors like TrueScreen at the behest of the companies. I hope this doesn't become a problem for you.

Help - misdemeanor DUI after acceptance

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