As a college student in Kentucky, you have plenty of career paths in front of you. But one mistake might change that. You may think that a first-time DUI offense is no big deal. You may think that you can get off without a harsh penalty because you have never committed a DUI crime before. But this is not always the case.
Even a first-time DUI conviction has the potential to alter your life. If your charge becomes a conviction, your future path may no longer look recognizable to you.
Financial repercussions of a DUI conviction
The College Investor examines how a DUI conviction may change your college plans. First, a conviction may render you incapable of continuing schooling. How? In some cases, a college may expel you for a DUI. But this is somewhat rare. What is more common is a college pulling its financial support. Do you rely on a scholarship? What about a financial award? You may see these revoked if you get a DUI conviction.
Colleges also kick students with DUIs off of campus sometimes. They do not expel you from college. But the cost of living outside of campus may prove too much. You could end up priced out of your college because housing is too expensive.
How a conviction may impact your career
Then there is the impact to your career choice. Some career paths do not allow people with DUI convictions to continue. In particular, people who work with kids and commercial drivers need clean records. If you intended to head down either of those paths, you may find them blocked. For these reasons, you should not take a DUI charge lightly.