As colleges and university administrators seek to prevent violence and protect students against episodes like last spring’s incident at Virginia Tech, a universal form, called the Common Application, is gaining importance.
Questions such as: “Were you ever severely disciplined in high school?” “Have you been convicted of a crime?” were added to college application forms prior to the Virginia Tech event, but officials say they have become more vigilant since then. They may not reject applicants due to one previous fight or arrest, but they do look for patterns of troubling behavior.
Opponents say this is an invasion of privacy, as well as raises high school seniors’ anxiety. Though students may have excellent academic records, a conviction for shoplifting or an overnight in jail has many concerned their virtues have been cancelled and even wonder if applying at all is worth the time and effort.
Although many college freshman say previous trouble was a learning experience, others offer up as little information as possible due to concern they won’t be admitted, or they apply to schools that do not ask these questions.
(from the Los Angeles Times)
