One in 29 college students has a criminal record
By Kelly Sennott Contributing Writer "The New Hampshire
Everyone makes mistakes in high school and college. Some make bigger mistakes than others, potentially affecting their chances of getting accepted into school, getting an internship, or finding a job. This difficulty is not an uncommon problem for college students, as one out of 29 has a criminal record.
MyBackgroundCheck.com, a supplier of criminal background checks for students and faculty members, recently revealed a study that showed that one out of every 29 college students have some type of criminal record. In the study, which didn’t include juvenile records, 13,859 college students at 125 universities, career colleges, nursing schools, and other educational institutions were surveyed through a website,
The names of the schools involved in the study were not revealed, but the percentages of convictions were; Driving violations topped the charts at a whopping 60 percent, followed by disorderly conduct (9.5 percent), theft (8.8 percent), drug possession (7.4 percent), sexual abuse (5.2 percent), assault (4 percent), fraud (2.7 percent), and child molestation (2.4 percent).
Fortunately for those affected by the survey, not all hope is lost. When applying to college, students do have to answer whether or not they have been convicted of a crime. However, students also have a chance to “explain themselves,” says UNH Director of Admissions Robert McGann. School suspensions, detentions, or arrests do not prohibit admission—just as long as students can prove that they have learned from their mistakes and have gone through proper disciplinary procedures.
McGann also said that if a student does have a record, admission will follow up by contacting guidance counselors, law officials, judges, and other representatives.
“They’ll look at patterns,” said Paula DiNardo, who oversee the National Student Exchange and the Washington Center for internships. According to DiNardo, when an applicant has more than a one or two glitches in their record, they begin to lose their competitive standing.
Of course, these particular cases are for lesser crimes. For more serious crimes, however, a potential student would have a more difficult time. For instance, if a student murdered their roommate, they would have a more difficult explaining their way into school, an internship, or employment, then if they were convicted of being drunk in public, says MyBackgroundCheck.com representative Robert Mather.
According to McGann, the biggest area of concern for a student is if they have committed a crime against a person or property. The length of time since the incident could also make a significant difference. For example, an incident that happened last week would be of larger concern for admissions and employers than a crime that happened five years ago.
McGann said the biggest judgment for admissions is whether potential students are ready to go to college.
“If the student is not ready or has not paid the penalty for his or her actions, then the student will not be accepted even if academically qualified,” said McGann.
Graduate school, however, is a bit different. In applying for a Washington internship, DiNardo said that students are given a background check that includes both conduct and arrest charges. If a student is on probation, their internship could be postponed until the student is off probation
According to DiNardo, a student would never be admitted to become an intern at the Washington Center who was caught, for instance, in possession of drugs. While driving violations are the most common on criminal records, they are not as destructive on a student’s reputation as assault or arson.
Even once a student has been accepted to graduate school, they are still not quite home free from their past, DiNardo said. After graduation, law students are required to take the bar exam in the state in which the student wishes to practice. This exam includes a review of the student’s “character & fitness.”
This section of the exam is basically a background check. However, if there are some points in the background check review that were not disclosed in the student’s original law school application, the student would not be allowed to practice law.
Although having a criminal record will not ruin a student’s life, it can definitely add limitations. One UNH student, who wished to remain anonymous, planned on joining the Coast Guard. However, after an incident that resulted in his arrest last spring, he was not qualified to join the Guard anymore. Now, he is joining the Navy instead.
“Since it happened, I can understand more clearly how a decision you make or something you do in a matter of minutes can affect your entire future,” he said. “I've had somewhat of a different perspective on things since then because of what happened.”