drug convictions and transfer acceptance

Applying to College
1

Hello,

I’m in my early 30s and have returned to school after more than a decade. I work full-time as a software engineer and have a good job, but I found I am very passionate about math and physics and would love to learn for as long as I can and ultimately get into research. I never earned a degree in the past, but am nearly finished at community college and am hoping to transfer by spring of next year. I have made honors each semester and have a 3.9 GPA which I maintain in addition to working 50 hours a week in a senior-level position.

Long story short, I have several drug charges which were the result of a fairly nasty opiate addiction which I managed between 2001 and 2011. Specifically I have 3 drug possession convictions, a couple of driving suspended, and one fleeing and elude charge. No felonies, all misdemeanors. All of these are from 2003 through 2009 and I haven’t had any legal issues since then. I have several other drug items on my record from the same interval, however I am working on getting all of the non-conviction items expunged. Regardless, those 6 convictions are there to stay.

I am fairly limited in schools because I am paying my tuition myself and do not want to leave my job for the moment. That being said, the school I am hoping to transfer to (which has a “deal” with my community college for transfer acceptance) requires I submit a normal transfer application as well and it asks if I have been convicted of anything other than minor traffic. Certainly I will say yes, but it also asks for an explanation and I am unsure of how I should approach the question.

Should I simply list each of the charges and explain that I had succumb to a drug addiction for several years of my life? It doesn’t seem like the appropriate forum to express all of the positive things I have done to rectify my life, but I feel like it’s very one sided if I list the charges and do not express how I resolved the underlying issue.

I would appreciate any insights or recommendations on how I should respond to this question.

2

The “explanation” portion of the application is there for precisely that purpose: to explain.

I recently read a blog about law schools and this issue. The most important thing is, of course, to be honest. You obviously have already decided to be honest and disclose your criminal record.

The second thing the admissions officer wrote about was the explanation. If you have a history with drugs and convictions as a result of that, they want to know what has changed since those convictions.

The great part of this is that it’s been 7 year since your last conviction, you hold a steady job, and clearly your recent academic record is stellar. I would recommend a concise (don’t go on for too long!) but sincere description of how you got clean and put your life back together, and the positive impact that journey had on your life. Focus on how you overcame the addiction and what you’ve done since.

If the school you’re applying has an essay section, it might be a good and inspiring topic for an essay. But again, don’t focus on the bad parts. Focus on the storyline of “I had a drug addiction and this is how I overcame it and conquered my demons”.

I wish you the best of luck! You sound like an amazing person, and well-deserving of a great education!

3

Thank you very much, this really helps!