<p>My friend has a court date for the end of January for being caught in possession of marijuana. She wants to go to Boulder and she has good scores (2010/30) and a good GPA (I'm not sure exactly... but I think it's around 4.2?) If she is convicted for this, how much will it hurt her chances? Will she have to report this to colleges even though it's after she applied? Thanks for any responses!</p>
<p>I think she should, especially if the college has an honor code. But I have no idea about protocol or if it’s required. I’m speaking from a purely ethical viewpoint</p>
<p>Is she is currently a minor? If so I would think it wise for her to get a lawyer or public defender to deal with the court, and also to get advice on whether or how to report it on her college applications. It’s quite possible (if this is a first offense) that she can avoid the misdemeanor charge.</p>
<p>I think it would be the right move to notify them. FWIW, about 15% of all college students acknowledge having used marijuana in the past 30 days (and college students in Boulder? hmmm . . .) so I wouldn’t think CU’s response would be draconian.</p>
<p>She turns 18 in February… so she is a minor… but barely.</p>
<p>She however was charged as a minor, so the court is likely to be more forgiving than otherwise. Work very hard to avoid the misdemeanor charge. It can stay on this woman’s record for a long time. Regardless of the “common sense” opinions that the offense is minor, first impressions of an admissions committee (or for that matter any official business or academic body) is that of the police record and not of the detailed offense.</p>