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I have one speeding ticket on my driver record, and it was in a state where traffic violations are misdemeanors (paying fine --> guilty plea --> misdemeanor conviction). Just to be safe, I have a two sentence addendum for schools that ask for misdemeanors/misdemeanor convictions but don't specifically exclude traffic violations. I'm working on my Georgetown application and here's what they ask:

Georgetown app wrote:Have you ever been convicted of a criminal offense, or is any charge now pending against you for any crime other than a traffic violation?

Strictly speaking, it seems like "other than a traffic violation" oddly applies to pending charges only (i.e., I should answer "yes" and include the addendum. Think of it like a logical "or" statement--the first disjunct, alone, is true.) I could include it just to be safe, but if they didn't intend it that way (which seems most likely), the addendum would be unnecessary/unrequested. I'd like to avoid them thinking "did this guy miss our explicit [sic] exception for traffic violations?"

Clearly I'm nitpicking and would probably be fine either way. Just want to see if anyone else has noticed this ambiguity and can perhaps clarify.

It very specifically notes that they're not including traffic violations. You don't need it.

pwyoung wrote:It very specifically notes that they're not including traffic violations.

Except that it's ambiguous and unspecific. Thanks for not even feigning that you actually read my question.

Anyone willing to give more than 5 seconds of brainless thought to this? (Even 10 seconds of half-brained thought is fine )

If you're unsure, the best course of action is probably to call the admissions office on Monday to clear up the ambiguity. The likelihood of them wanting you to include traffic violations is slim, but it doesn't hurt to ask.

I read it this way:

Have you ever been convicted of a criminal offense --, or is any charge now pending against you for any crime-- other than a traffic violation?

The "other than a traffic violation seems as though it could apply to both the convictions and pending portion of the sentence.

bdubs wrote:I read it this way:

Have you ever been convicted of a criminal offense --, or is any charge now pending against you for any crime-- other than a traffic violation?

The "other than a traffic violation seems as though it could apply to both the convictions and pending portion of the sentence.

I read it that way as well...but thanks for giving me an anxiety attack, I just submitted mine recently and answered no. I really hope bdubs is right.