One in 29 college students has a criminal record

Everyone makes mistakes in high school and college. Some make bigger mistakes than others, potentially affecting their chances of getting accepted into school, getting an internship, or finding a job. This difficulty is not an uncommon problem for college students, as one out of 29 has a criminal record.

            MyBackgroundCheck.com, a supplier of criminal background checks for students and faculty members, recently revealed a study that showed that one out of every 29 college students have some type of criminal record. In the study, which didn't include juvenile records, 13,859 college students at 125 universities, career colleges, nursing schools, and other educational institutions were surveyed through a website,

 The names of the schools involved in the study were not revealed, but the percentages of convictions were; Driving violations topped the charts at a whopping 60 percent, followed by disorderly conduct (9.5 percent), theft (8.8 percent), drug possession (7.4 percent), sexual abuse (5.2 percent), assault (4 percent), fraud (2.7 percent), and child molestation (2.4 percent).

Fortunately for those affected by the survey, not all hope is lost. When applying to college, students do have to answer whether or not they have been convicted of a crime. However, students also have a chance to "explain themselves," says UNH Director of Admissions Robert McGann. School suspensions, detentions, or arrests do not prohibit admission—just as long as students can prove that they have learned from their mistakes and have gone through proper disciplinary procedures.

McGann also said that if a student does have a record, admission will follow up by contacting guidance counselors, law officials, judges, and other representatives.

 "They'll look at patterns," said Paula DiNardo, who oversee the National Student Exchange and the Washington Center for internships. According to DiNardo, when an applicant has more than a one or two glitches in their record, they begin to lose their competitive standing.