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I have a fairly unique situation.

I am a 25 year old Hispanic interested in going to business school for free. I don't care too much about the quality of the program. I just finished 3 years at low first-tier law school (ranked 60s) and was ranked in the top 25%. I went to a second tier undergrad and had a 2.9 G.P.A in Econ (3.5 in last two years). I just scored a 710 GMAT today, first try. I have about 1.5 years of full time work experience, almost exclusively in sales, and have started a few small companies.

The tricky part is that I have a fairly extensive criminal background from the time I was 18 to about the time I was 21. When I applied to law school, I did not disclose these arrests, embarrassed and naively thinking I could expunge the arrests before the bar. I disclosed the arrests just before I was scheduled to graduate, and the school decided to defer the conferment of my J.D for two years. The arrests were all for drug and alcohol related incidents, and I have since gotten through rehab and have been clean/out of trouble for approximately four years.

I would like to apply to business schools starting the 09/09 semester. As I said, I am only interested in a full ride, and understand that I need to shoot low given my history. My question is, how low should I shoot? Any other suggestions as to how I can mitigate the eventual character concerns a school will have would be helpful.

Thank you.

Getting a full ride to business school is tough especially given the current competitive nature of admissions. Getting a full ride with a criminal record is trickier still. I do not know the specific rules business schools follow in dealing with students who have criminal records however I am sure that you will need to explain your history thoroughly.

Most business schools rely on the honor system and would want to feel secure in the knowledge that you will abide by it. That said, omitting your history is not an option.

The other tough hurdle is getting hired after graduation. Most companies conduct thorough background checks and may find your record problematic. Your best bet is to talk directly with admissions officers at schools from various levels and find out their policy on student records as well as the average scholarship award.