Will a Juvenile Conviction Hurt My Chances of College Admission?

 Posted on July 18, 2023 in Criminal Law

One of the major sources of anxiety for many high school students revolves around what they will do after graduating. Times have changed quite a bit since the youth of today’s parents and grandparents were young. A high school diploma is unlikely to help you get the job you truly want. There are fewer options for entering the workforce directly after high school, and the types of jobs that will hire recent high school graduates rarely pay well. For many if not most teenagers, going to college and pursuing a professional career is their preferred option. However, with the high percentage of high school students applying for college, colleges and universities can afford to be far more selective. Unfortunately, this means that applicants who have a pre-existing adjudication of juvenile delinquency are less likely to be selected for admission. If you are facing juvenile criminal charges - or have been charged as an adult - it is critical that you seek skilled legal counsel at once. 

A Juvenile Conviction Can Hurt Your Chances of Getting Accepted to College

If you have already started looking at college applications, you may have noticed that there is almost always a question that asks about your criminal history. If you have been adjudicated delinquent, you must check that box. Sadly, checking that box can sometimes mean that your application will be almost automatically discarded due to the large pool of applicants who have no such history. It may seem unfair that a single mistake you made in your youth can take away opportunities throughout your lifetime, but this is the present state of affairs. 

More Serious Convictions May be an Automatic Rejection 

Some colleges, especially smaller local colleges, may be willing to give you a chance if your conviction was fairly minor. If your conviction was for something like the underage possession of alcohol or shoplifting a small item, you may still be accepted to some colleges, but not necessarily your preferred school. However, your college may impose restrictions or require you to attend a substance abuse program or the like. 

More serious convictions - felonies and violent crime in particular - may mean that most or all colleges will not even consider your application. Even if your grades are excellent, your SAT and ACT scores are nearly perfect, and you are an excellent participant in your extracurricular activities, your application may be sent straight to the rejection pile. 

If you have been charged with a crime, the best thing to do is to work with an experienced juvenile criminal defense attorney. Even having the severity of your charge reduced can go a long way towards helping you get accepted to college. 

Contact a DuPage County Juvenile Criminal Defense Attorney

Davi Law Group, LLC is committed to helping juveniles accused of a crime resolve their charges in the most positive way possible. Our skilled Wheaton juvenile criminal defense lawyers will do all we can to protect your future prospects. To begin with a complimentary consultation, please contact us at 630-580-6373. 

Source: 

https://jlc.org/news/box-stops-some-college-applicants-their-tracks