More people than you can believe will be asking this question right now:
“Can I go to college with a criminal record?”
You may be wondering if that’s really true. And if so, why?
The truth is that about 1/3 of young adults have a criminal record. There are estimates as high as 40% and at least one study that concluded 30% of people age 18-23.[1] As professor Bushway at University of Albany, New York, described this phenomenon of being arrested, “It’s a petty common American experience.”[2]
If being arrested is a common American experience, it must be an even more common Oklahoma experience. For example, as the rest of the country legalizes marijuana, arrests for marijuana possession in Oklahoma increasedin 2016.[3] What’s up with that?!
So if you have a criminal record, you are not alone. But if you want to gain higher education, you need be informed as to how your criminal record can affect ability to get into college, pursue certain specialized degrees, and what you can do to protect your own interests.
We wrote this series of blog articles specifically for students. We covered the following topics:
- Do Colleges in Oklahoma actually do background checks on students?
- If it’s so common to have an arrest record, why should you be concerned?
- What you can do to improve your chances of getting accepted
However, if I didn’t answer your questions, give me a call at (405) 701-6016 or send me an email.
I’d love to help you take the next step in advancing your education, your career, your financial future.
References:
[1] McGinty, Jo Craven. How Many Americans Have a Police Record? Probably More Than You Think. The Wallstreet Journal, Aug. 7, 2015. Retrieved 04/25/2018 https://www.wsj.com/articles/how-many-americans-have-a-police-record-probably-more-than-you-think-1438939802
[3] Gentzler, Ryan. Arrests for possession of marijuana spiked in Oklahoma in 2016. What happened?Oklahoma Policy Institute, December 19th, 2017. Retrieved 04/25/2018 https://okpolicy.org/arrests-possession-marijuana-spiked-oklahoma-last-year-whats-going/