Run-ins with law impact college admission

By STEVE ROSEN
McCLATCHY NEWSPAPERS

last updated: January 20, 2008 03:21:01 AM

Here's one more reason high schoolers need to keep their noses clean and stay out of trouble: It could make the difference between a college acceptance or denial letter.

Consider the example of a high school honors student who was a class leader, a star athlete and had all the grades. He appeared to have his ticket punched to an Ivy League school -- until being charged with underage possession of alcohol.

It's not beyond the realm of possibility for a college admissions officers to deny this application, according to Kansas City, Mo., lawyer Charles Fairchild.

"If admissions officers see something they don't like, they won't admit you," said Fairchild, the author of "Dude, What Are My Rights? The Self-Help Legal Survival Guide for ages 18-25." Fairchild, who has worked as a volunteer to help college students deal with legal problems, thinks parents and high school students are "alarmingly uninformed" about how run-ins with the law or school-related disciplinary issues can negatively affect the college admissions process.

To be sure, Fairchild acknowledged that teens will make mistakes and need to be held accountable. But he believes tougher criminal statutes and community standards on incidents such as underage drinking and drug-related offenses have created a "zero tolerance policy" and "higher hurdles for kids to have to clear," especially high school juniors and seniors.

He has developed a workshop called "The Rules of the Game." His message: Teens need to understand how behavior and character issues can be as important as grades, SAT scores and extracurricular activities in winning admission to college.

Not too many years ago, he said, stealing test answers, sneaking beers into a high school dance and other "youthful indiscretions" meant taking punishment from the principal and parents and moving on. That's no longer the case.

Now, more colleges want to hear about these missteps, too.

Many admissions officers are more closely scrutinizing the behavior of prospective students, especially in the aftermath of the shooting rampage at Virginia Tech University.

Institutions are being held to greater standards of accountability. And with enormous competition to attend many schools, admissions officers may be weighing more heavily any red flags on a student's application involving previous trouble or crimes.

Last year, the Common Application, used by more than 300 schools, introduced discipline questions on its four-page form.

The student and the high school's guidance counselor must disclose any disciplinary violations from the ninth grade on that resulted in "probation, suspension, removal, dismissal or expulsion from the institution." Students also must acknowledge whether they have been convicted of misdemeanors, felonies or other crimes.

Fairchild, however, said the Common Application question raises other issues: Can the admissions person properly interpret the offense, its severity and the likelihood of repeat offenses? Are they trained to screen this information effectively? Could there be bias?

When trouble occurs, Fairchild said, students and parents need to understand their legal rights and responsibilities.

He sees a link between teens' legal or disciplinary troubles and their ability to obtain financial aid, pursue a college education and ultimately land a decent job. One youthful slip-up, he said, can be a backbreaker.

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