question help: I am a highschool senior living in Illinois. - Help.com



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I am a highschool senior living in Illinois.

Over a month ago, i was arrested for shoplifting at a department store and now have pending charges but have not been notified by the courts yet. (At worst I will be charged with a misdemeanor). On many of the college applications I am about to submit, they ask if I have “pending criminal charges”, and if yes, to provide an explanation. How do I answer this question? Is it purely factual, or should I explain what I have learned/how it has impacted my life? Is it better to not disclose this information, then seal my record when I turn 18 in 6 months? What are the chances that they will background check me anyways? (This is my only offense)

This open post was written 1 year, 6 months ago | V/U/S: 402, 2, 3 | Edit Post | Leave a reply | Report Post


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background check, Department store, misdemeanor, shoplifting, Explanation, information, background, Department, question, Illinois, college, application, pending charges (How Tags Affect Reciprocity)

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collind95 offline Verified User (2 years, 7 months) Long Term User Shouts: 0 #
An Unknown Location | 1 year, 6 months ago (15 minutes after post)

If you seriously want to get into a college, don’t risk leaving anything out. Colleges are getting more and more competitive, so any detail you leave out will drastically hurt your chances of getting in if you get caught.

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miami1114 offline Verified User (2 months, 2 weeks) Shouts: 0 #
An Unknown Location | 2 months, 2 weeks ago (1 year, 4 months after post)

If you plan on sealing your criminal records (expunging your records) there might not be a need to disclose this information.

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