Hello everyone!
A little background on myself: I am 25 years old and getting ready to put in applications for transfer. I currently have a 3.85 GPA and have an incredibly strong resume filled with rich work experience.
When I had just turned 18 years old I plead guilty to a felony receiving stolen property conviction. I was filling out the common app because I have my eyes set on attending USC as an economics major. I was pretty disheartened to see that they ask about criminal background on the common app. I have turned my life around and learned from my mistakes, but I am not blind to the fact of how negatively society views people with criminal records.
My questions are as follows:
1- How much do felony convictions impact my chances to be accepted into a school like USC?
2- Does USC actually run background checks?
I’m not going to live on campus if that makes a difference.I have paid all restitution and completed my probation. I just want to get my education and continue to move forward with my life. Any insight, comments, or inside knowledge of USC admissions process would be greatly appreciated
I can’t say how USC will view it, but you might consider how to spin this in your essays. It was 7 years ago, and at 25 you are a maturing adult.
This is a fantastic example of overcoming a failure. Especially if you can get teacher and GC recs that testify that you have learned from the experience. I would try to spin the positive side of this.
Don’t count on getting into USC or any other top school with a Class B felony, a very serious charge that occurred less than ten years ago. If you were 35 I’d say it’s far enough in the past to make a difference. But absent a stellar set of recommendations from judges or other law enforcement officers, you are still considered a very high risk. I doubt you’ll get accepted. Best wishes.
If this is a California prior, you might (I emphasize MIGHT) be able to get the conviction reduced to a misdemeanor under Penal Code section 1170.18 [Proposition 47]. Get thee to an attorney posthaste.
@SeattleTW : There is no such thing as a “Class B felony” in California, and I wish people would stop giving bad legal advice on this site.
OP: If this is a California prior and you completed probation successfully, you might be able to get the conviction entirely expunged. Please go see a lawyer. Please. NOW.
OP is applying to USC. I did not think it unreasonable to infer might be in California as well. You will note that I said “if” it is a California prior. There is certainly no reference to a state having class B felonies.
That was my point. There is “no reference” in his post to Washington or any other state using the term class B felonies. I’m actually a Washington inactive and thus quite familiar with the term, thank you. You and I seem to be talking at cross purposes. I did not think it useful to tell OP about class B felonies when there was no indication (a) that the information applied to him or (b) that the state where he was convicted viewed receiving as a serious crime. I did think it useful to point out his options if his was a California prior. Okay?
Very true, @auntbea but IF the prior is from California, OP has some options that could significantly improve his prospects in the future whether or not he gets admitted. If it’s from another state, I would still encourage OP to investigate whether there are similar expungement options. I definitely think consulting a lawyer (even just writing a letter to the public defender’s office, if that was who handled the case) would be a smart move.
This kid has a felony, and whether it’s in Washington, Texas, New York, Illinois or Massachusetts, top feeder states for USC, he’s not going to be looked upon favorably, especially given the competition for transfers. Having records expunged takes money and time and is not easy. OTOH, if he’s full pay, his chances are greatly improved.
I’d encourage you to apply. People are only speculating on what the USC admissions office will do. SeattleTW has a long history of trying to discouraging potential students with certain backgrounds from applying to USC.
It’s an interesting issue, and I was doing a little Googling about it. From what I can tell, schools that ask this are trying to keep people who have a history of violent tendencies away. Sometimes they’ll grant admission, but not let the students live on campus.
There’s currently a big push in California to limit questions on job applications that ask about past criminal history, and some localities have done that. I wouldn’t be surprised if that eventually extends itself to many other types of applications.
Lol, USC should not extend a letter of admission to anyone with a felony unless he has extenuating circumstances, e.g., a foster kid, not a middle class kid who paid restitution.
I feel like SeattleTW is just trying to encourage a sense of elitism.
Anyways, it really wouldn’t hurt much to try. You’ll still be charged the standard feel for the application unless you have a fee waiver, but you should give it a go.
This isn’t a thread about ‘what should be’, please start your own thread for such.
OP I hope you aren’t implying that B. is an attempt to not disclose, such a think will hang over your head and get your application tossed out, you kicked out of school and or your diploma revoked should such information be discovered at any stage of application through the rest of your life as lying and/or not disclosing info asked means you submitted a fraudulent application. Hopefully you have learned it is not worth living like that.
Just give it your best shot. Have backup plans. Try CA publics if you are an instater too.
