Teens: Your Behavior Can Deny You the College Acceptance You Hope For

Re "Albertus Magnus expels six students in marijuana brownies incident on school trip,"

Notwithstanding any sympathy we might have for the six expelled students, every student planning on college should pay close attention to the Albertus situation and the fallout. And so should their parents.

Teens need to understand: Your behavior can deny you the college acceptance you hope for and can affect your eligibility for financial aid.

I am a former high school teacher and now a lawyer and an independent admissions counselor. I know kids make mistakes and expulsion is a severe penalty, but the consequences can go beyond this.

Not all colleges ask the question, but 390 colleges that use the Common Application for Undergraduate College Admission seek information on a student's disciplinary and legal history, both on and off campus. Some other colleges ask similar questions.

The 2010-11 Common Application asks two questions under the heading, "Disciplinary History":

• Have you ever been found responsible for a disciplinary violation at any educational institution you have attended from ninth grade (or the international equivalent) forward, whether related to academic misconduct or behavioral misconduct, that resulted in your probation, suspension, removal, dismissal or expulsion from the institution?

• Have you ever been adjudicated guilty or convicted of a misdemeanor, felony or other crime?

The application also states: "If you answered 'yes' to either or both questions , please attach a separate sheet of paper that gives the approximate date of each incident, explains the circumstances and reflects on what you learned from the experiences." The student can write an explanation to ameliorate the event, but this is not a position any applicant wants to be in.

Students could also become ineligible for financial aid if their offenses occur when they are 18 or older. Typically, this would not include high school college applicants, but a drug conviction could require a student to drop out of college for lack of financial aid. The Free Application for Federal Student Aid, known as FAFSA, warns: "It is the law! You might not be able to receive federal student aid if you have been convicted of selling or possessing illegal drugs, if the drug offense for which you were convicted occurred while you were receiving federal student aid (grants, loans, and /or work study)."

High school students often complain that they want to be treated like adults. But they need to understand that being treated like adults can be very tough at times. Learn the rules and stick to them. College acceptance and financial aid could be on the line.

Joseph O'Brien Jr, Esq.