<p>I got a 47,000 dollar financial aid award to Harvard, but last night was my eighteenth birthday and i went camping with my friends and we got caught drinking. I'm being charged with a misdemeanor for being a minor in possession of alcohol. Because it's my first offense they say I might be able to do a diversion program that expunges it from my record, but if I can't do that will it affect either my admission or my financial aid?</p>
<p>Um… definitely try the diversion program. I don’t THINK it will affect your admissions at all, or your financial aid. But it certainly could, if Harvard REALLY cares about a clean record.</p>
<p>It stinks because if you had done it one day earlier, the cops would not have been able to reveal you name. Now your name could show up in a local newspaper. </p>
<p>Don’t tell Harvard. Don’t tell your friends. Don’t tell anyone. A friend got cited for the same thing three years ago, didn’t say anything, and happily attends Yale. Consult this thread:</p>
<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/college-admissions/704351-mip-rescinded-acceptance-minor-possession.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/college-admissions/704351-mip-rescinded-acceptance-minor-possession.html</a></p>
<p>also, it’s not easy to find out this kind of stuff, unless you explicitly tell them. did you know that George W Bush was
convicted of a DUI in Maine at age 24? This wasn’t dug up until he was running for President, even though he had
been a Governor for years.</p>
<p>Nevermind, good advice above.</p>
<p>Extremely off-topic, but the drinking age really ought to be lowered to 18.</p>
<p>On-topic: I doubt this will change anything. Golly gosh, a teenager drinking alcohol on his or her 18th birthday? What a delinquent!</p>
<p>EDIT: Last remark…What kind of a mean-spirited cop would arrest you for celebrating your transition into adulthood?</p>
<p>^ Except Harvard has rescinded for this in the past.</p>
<p>^Just curious though, why would they? Unless one is a repeat offender and/or has a DUI, of course.</p>
<p>harvard’s alcohol policy on campus implies that only in extreme cases do people get expelled and some people even get out with informal warnings? doesn’t that make it seem like something like this in the summer they won’t care about? and also, how would they find out though?</p>
<p>I doubt if you’ll be rescinded, though I imagine that Harvard will expect you to write an explanation that includes why you don’t plan to do anything like that again. Saying this as a Harvard graduate. The school has a lot of patience with the students whom it admits.</p>
<p>At this point you needn’t tell Harvard anything as you have not been convicted and you don’t know yet how your case will end up, whether it will expunge, etc. My oldest also got an MIP and 17 and adjudicataion was deferred. If he did not get any other misdemeanor or worse offense until he was 21 then it was as if it never happened. He made it to 21 with no further incident and our lawyer told him at the court date that it did not need to be reported to his college. Every state is different regarding how these types of arrangements are handled. If you are having a lawyer to represent you ask them their opinion. If you are not being represented do not send any info to the college until after your court date and you clearly understand how your record will be recorded.</p>
<p>^ Good advice. No need to rush in to telling anyone anything until you figure out what the end result is going to be.</p>