College is a time of learning and personal growth. Young adults go from sheltered teens to independent individuals through the process of not only pursuing higher education but also reducing how dependent they are on their parents for both support and guidance.
Many college students learn through classes, new experiences and making the occasional mistakes. From drinking too much and learning about hangovers the hard way to falling in love with the wrong people, college can be a time to learn about yourself and the world through exploration and mistakes.
Unfortunately, it isn’t always possible to easily bounce back from the wrong choices. College students might find that some mistakes can haunt them for years. Mistakes involving drugs can be among the worst disruptions for those hoping to graduate from college.
A drug conviction could end your enrollment in school
Many colleges and universities have rules about student conduct. Most schools have rules against the illegal use of substances or violating the law. When an actively enrolled college student gets convicted of a crime, the school that they attend will likely find out.
Once the school learns about the issue, they may take disciplinary action against the student. Schools may request that the students attend the hearing with a disciplinary committee. Other times, a conviction could be grounds for the end of someone’s enrollment, their exclusion from extracurricular activities or the end of school-based financial aid.
The school isn’t the only institution that will penalize students for drugs
The college or university that a student attends is not the only organization that might choose to punish a student after a drug conviction. Greek organizations, clubs and honors programs could all have their own policies and punishments for convicted students as well.
Scholarship programs may also penalize anyone convicted of an offense. Additionally, students will find out when they reapply for financial aid is that their conviction ends their eligibility for subsidized student loans, grants and other federal financial aid.
Even if school enrollment and financial aid aren’t issues for a particular college attendee, going to court can easily mean missing classes, and graduating with a criminal record could mean an uphill battle when it comes to finding a good job. Any college student facing a drug charge needs support in order to reduce the consequences of a potentially life-altering mistake.