felony back ground- can that hold me back?

For Optometry school I think you need at least 90 credits of undergraduate work. It’s not clear from your question if you are looking to apply to a college/university for an undergraduate education or for an advanced degree (in which case you’ve completed an undergraduate education). A felony won’t keep you out of school entirely –> but you have to show that you are beyond that point in your life and are committed to being successful. Just saying it on an application won’t do. It has to be backed up with good grades/test scores and meaningful activities (especially community service activities in the case of a felony). Chances are that not applying yourself in school is the real reason you are having trouble. You might need to start at a community college to take some classes and get good grades to get into a 4-year college/university.

I am not absolutely positive on how it works out for medical school. By the time you would hit your third year, though, that misdemeanor better be expunged or else not related to the numerous crimes that would make you illegal to practice medicine. For example, there is a Nurse Practice Act in every state where if you have ever been convicted of a crime, it will come up when you are licensed. If it is even retail theft – it is a crime of “moral turpitude” and you cannot get a license until it is expunged, or gone in front of the state Board to show how you have changed, recommendations from faculty/supervisers etc. … It’s a long process.

My recommendation to both of you is to find the medical practice act in the state that you want to go to and see your legal rights to practice. I doubt every med school will spring $55 on every applicant to screen for criminal background upon entry into the program, so it may not come up until you are licensed, or perhaps the third year when you start clinicals.
However, would you want to go to a doctor with a record? Even if you understand it does not make you a bad person, and it may have been no big deal whatsoever, the public is stereotyped about criminal background – and there is always public access to criminal records… If you cannot expunge it ever (felony is 7-10 years after sentence, misdemeanor 2-5 depending on conviction and sentence), you may need to think about having to explain yourself every day (possibly) about having a record and wanting to treat people.

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Originally posted by RAQUEL101

I WAS FOUND GUILTY OF A FELONY FOR SHOPLIFTING AT A RETAIL STORE. IT WAS ABOUT 4 YEARS AGO. BEING MY FIRST TIME OFFENSE I WAS NOT IMPRISONED. I ONLY HAD TO ATTEND AN ADVOCATE PROGRAM, PAY COURT FEES, AND COMPLETE COMMUNITY SERVICE HOURS. A FEW MONTHS AGO I HIRED A LAWYER TO EXPUNGE MY RECORD AND HE SUCCEEDED. MY QUESTIONS IS: EVEN THOUGH MY RECORD HAS BEEN EXPUNGED, IS THERE A POSSIBILITY THAT MY RECORD WILL SHOW WHEN APPLYING FOR THE RN PROGRAM? WHAT AM I TO ANSWER WHEN ASKED THE QUESTION IF EVER CONVICTED OR FOUND GUILTY OF A FELONY? AM I TO STATE “NO” OR “YES BUT EXPUNGED”?

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Could you tell me more about what happened in your situation. I am about to face the same thing soon and I would like to be prepared of what I am to go through. What did you do in those four years after the felony, could you get a job? did you go to school, please help!

i think it depends on what school youre planning to attend