<p>Im filling out a college app that asks for the following information</p>
<p>"For the purpose of the following six questions, "crime" or "criminal charge" refers to any crime other than a traffic-related misdemeanor or an infraction. You must, however, include alcohol or drug offenses whether or not they are traffic related. </p>
<p>Yes No Have you been convicted of a crime? </p>
<p>Yes No Have you entered a plea of guilty, a plea of no contest, a plea of nolo contendere, or an Alford plea, or have you received a deferred prosecution or prayer for judgment continued, to a criminal charge? </p>
<p>Yes No Have you otherwise accepted responsibility for the commission of a crime?" </p>
<p>I am 33 years old</p>
<p>when I was 18 I was arrested and found guilty of:
Minor Drinking
Minor Possession Of Alcohol
Possession of Stolen Property (wait for it........a blockbuster video card)</p>
<p>Thankfully, all misdemenor offenses</p>
<p>Anyway obviously I dont want to list any of these. Do they REALLY check?
Thanks</p>
<p>I don't know about colleges, but our company DOES check applications. The cost of background checks is dropping, and it's becoming standard HR practice by more and more employers. If someone gets through the screening process and we find out about it later, we DO terminate for having failed to make the disclosure even if we would have hired the person otherwise. I've read about felons graduating from ivy league schools and about candidates for the bar having to provide info about juvenile offenses, so I doubt that your youthful indiscretions will prevent you from being admitted by themselves -- especially in view of the 15 years since your arrest(s). </p>
<p>You should attach an explanation or personal statement, just like someone with a bad semester in H.S., to explain the circumstances to the Admissions Committee.</p>
<p>I would err on the side of honesty and safety. Go ahead and include it. Gosh, you are 33 -- I would think they could see there is no pattern here. As above poster stated, explain your youthful indiscretion in your personal statement.</p>
<p>Agree. I don't think they'll keep you out because of your youthful indisgression. However, the consequences of not disclosing and then later being found out are significant -- probably, expulsion from the college.</p>
<p>They're right. They'll probably let it slide, since it WAS 15 years ago.. Now the consequences of getting caught once you're in is something like expulsion.. not something you want to deal with.</p>
<p>I wouldn't bother to report it. Colleges don't have time to track all this stuff down and this is minor kid stuff. Your records may even be sealed.</p>
<p>
[quote]
Colleges don't have time to track all this stuff down and this is minor kid stuff. Your records may even be sealed.
[/quote]
</p>
<p>Doesn't matter whether you believe the college has the time or not. The fact remains that the grounds for misrepresentation is automatic dismissal from the university and that will forever remain on any college records that come up under his name and in any back ground checks. </p>
<p>Op is a different person now than he was 15 years ago. Many colleges will wink at the information and count it to youthful indiscretions, but it is important that he is upfront in disclosing.</p>
<p>I'm gonna go with the people above (except for one) and say admit what you did. Explain that you were 18 and made a youthful mistake. If you had continued to get into trouble through your 20's, then there would be an issue.</p>
<p>I remember a few years ago and girl was sexually abused at some college and when they did a background check on the defendant, it turned out that he was a registered sex offender and expelled immediately. So if you were ever caught in trouble again, you'd most likely face the same consequence.</p>
<p>Admit what you did, no big deal. I can almost guarantee that other students at your college have gotten an MIP or other small misdemeanor while in school and not had issues. A lot of MIP's are issued at our tailgates and the kids stay in school. Admit, explain, hope for the best.</p>
<p>Since we live in a self righteous perfectionist society where every one must fess up and admit every error as in the Inquisition, let your conscience be your guide. My only word of caution is if the school is highly selective and they are looking for a reason to not admit you so they can admit their rich, elite, perfect no blemish on their record potential donors, they will use this not to admit you. I followed CC advice and told my son to explain his high school suspensions in his college interviews. he did in his first interview and it went very poorly perhaps due to his discomfort in admitting that unlike the other sweet faced interviewees he wasn't perfect. Turns out his high school chose not to reveal his suspensions so from then on he followed suit. Surprise, surprise the school for which he had an honest interview and for which he was over qualified, failed to admit him. Hmm. As I said let your conscience be your guide. If the school chooses not to admit you because you were honest about youthful indescretions, maybe they don't deserve you.</p>
<p>Yes, colleges do check. Just admit what happened, provide an explanation including the fact that you've had no further transgressions. I truly doubt that colleges would hold against you things that you did more than a decade ago. I know people who have masters and even higher degrees from well known colleges despite having served prison time. Colleges are willing to accept people who have turned their lives around. </p>
<p>If you're somehow caught in a lie, however, colleges would hold that against you.</p>