Everyone is a college student, has a kid who is, or knows a friend who has such a child

Congratulations on being an adult. Being an adult means much more than simply being 18; it entails being responsible for all your actions. Your actions can now have consequences that can follow you for the rest of your life. It shouldn’t be a problem, except that peer pressure is so strong that you may do things against the law and suddenly find the rest of your life is forever modified. Have a good time, and use common sense.

For example, with Uber and Lift, there is no need to drive after having a beer or more. If you are caught driving in most states, it is an automatic DUI (see my future article on the consequences). In most states is will automatically require jail time, a license suspension, and a large fine. It is not about the use of alcoholic drugs, but about driving under the influence.

As another example, if you sign a lease but leave without paying cleaning fees or last month’s rent, a landlord can pursue you legally. As an attorney, I’ve often recorded judgments against college students who skipped out on leases. The landlord and I wait—sometimes for years. If you later buy a home in another county, I search online annually, find proof of ownership, and place a judgment lien. I avoid costly lawsuits by waiting patiently. When you eventually sell the house, the escrow company notifies me, and the outstanding judgment, plus interest, is paid from the proceeds of the sale. Does this happen? Yes. How often? It depends on whether the landlord is willing to invest time and money. They could forget it, garnish your wages, or hope to collect when you sell.

EFFECT OF A SINGLE CRIME

Take the case of Brock Turner, a star freshman athlete who, in 2015, committed a sexual assault that changed his life forever. The prison time was the least of his problems. Look what happened to him.

Future Career. Brock was a star swimmer on the Stanford Swimming team. After his conviction, he was kicked off the swimming team, and the NCAA barred him from future events. Brock destroyed his dream of competing in the Olympics. He killed all hopes of achieving his personal lifetime goals.

College Graduation. He was kicked out of Stanford University and refused lifetime readmission. Furthermore, Brock’s college education would likely be at a different college, probably a public university, with far less prestigious job opportunities. He also lost all his friends and connections, who no longer wanted anything to do with him. It is unknown whether he returned to college. Many believe Brock did not return to finish his degree because of his notoriety.

Future Jobs. Brock’s future employment opportunities with big corporations are severely limited, as they always conduct background checks. Would you want to hire someone with a conviction record and lifetime sexual offender registration when there are so many other potential job applicants? He will earn far less income over his lifetime than he would if he were a Stanford graduate and an Olympic medalist.

Marriage. Imagine trying to explain to anyone seriously interested in marrying you that you are a registered sexual offender and must report to authorities for the rest of your life, and that you tried to rape an unconscious, drunk woman. The women who will marry you are far more limited.

Jail Time. Brock also served time in jail for a felony sexual assault. Talk about an unpleasant interruption in your life.

National Embarrassment. Brock’s name is forever linked in the public mind with the sexual assault. TV shows were made about the incident. Congresswomen read pages of his attacker’s letter, gaining worldwide publicity. In a criminal textbook, his picture is featured above sexual assault.

I urge you to think twice about someone suggesting you use a date rape drug because everyone is doing it, or that it is acceptable to rape a woman. 

APPLYING FOR A LEASE

Early in my law career, I represented a college student who signed an apartment lease. He let the so-called manager photograph his credit file with a 35mm camera for ‘approval’ and paid the first month’s rent. The manager disappeared—he was a fraud. Visit the Federal Trade Commission website for guidance on rental scams, contact your local police department for reports on known frauds in your area, or use Google to search for fraud advice. People know college students are too trusting, lack experience, and tend not to investigate well. As an adult, it’s your responsibility to protect yourself.

BEING A TENANT

When you lease an apartment or room in a house, realize that almost all printed lease forms are drafted by attorneys, and an attorney can put in virtually any provisions the landlord wants. So, your first step is to read the lease, line by line, word by word, and highlight in yellow anything you don’t understand or that sounds unfair. You are in an enviable position, being eligible for numerous free legal aid and tenant assistance programs. If you have questions, have one of their attorneys review your lease and explain which provisions you can live with and which are unreasonable. The landlord figures most tenants sign the lease and never read it until it is too late. A lease is a compromise, and everything is negotiable, from the rent amount to the individual provisions in the lease.

A common question is whether you should get renters’ insurance. The issue is how much risk you can live with. If you go on vacation and leave your door unlocked, and return to find your apartment fine, then the risk was acceptable. Conversely, if you return to see your door open and all your possessions removed, then the risk is unreasonable. Everyone has their definition of acceptable risk.

I recommend obtaining renters’ insurance because it is usually moderately inexpensive and offers excellent protection. The first is that if you have a fire in your kitchen and it burns part of your apartment and part of your neighbor’s apartment, it could cost a lot to repair and bankrupt you. Check with your insurance agent, but most rental policies can provide coverage for such situations. Secondly, the landlord does not ensure the safety of your personal property. If someone breaks into your house and steals your TV, computers, or other personal property, the landlord is usually not liable. Here is where your insurance policy is so necessary.

Another common question often concerns whether a landlord can enter the rental property whenever they want. The short answer is no, at least in California and in most states. California requires that individuals may enter only for specific purposes and provide proper notice. An exception might be in an emergency, such as when your bathtub is overflowing and water is leaking into a lower unit. In California, if the landlord fails to provide 24 hours’ notice and is not entering for one of the four permitted purposes, they may be liable for trespassing. (California Civil Code ¶1954.)

DEBIT AND CREDIT CARD ADVICE

When you look at a debit card and a credit card, they may look almost identical. However, there is a significant difference between the two.

Debit Card. A debit card gives you access to your bank account. You can go to the store and pay for something with a debit card; the amount of your purchase is automatically deducted from your bank balance. When you run out of money in your account, the bank will notfy the merchant that the purchase price was denied. The debit card is merely a very convenient way of accessing your bank account.

Credit Card. A credit card is a whole different animal. When you decide to buy something, you don’t pay for it; the bank does. Then, at the end of the month, it charges you for those purchases. The bank loves it when you can’t pay and only make the minimum required payment. The rest of the purchase for items is a very high rate (often between 18% to 24%). If you keep charging and only pay the minimum amount, you can get deep in debt, and the interest rate can exceed your income, so the only solution is bankruptcy. That is a terrible way to start your life.

Advice. My advice is based on statistical analysis. Most college students with credit cards tend to spend far more than they have. Don’t get suckered by the high interest rates. Use a debit card, and you’ll never have to worry about spending more than you have. You may not be able to get everything you want, but you won’t end up drowning in debt upon graduation.

RISK OF UNPROTECTED SEX

My father told me an axiom that God gave man only enough blood to run his mind or his penis, but not both at the same time. I have found that to be very accurate. When your penis is hard, you will do things that you would never otherwise do because you can’t think beyond the next 60 seconds.

The first thing is always to use a condom to protect yourself from becoming a father and to prevent you from getting HIV or STDs like gonorrhea and syphilis. If you get a woman pregnant and she doesn’t want to get an abortion, you’re going to pay child support until that child turns 18. Worse, I know some women who would never marry someone so immature and unreliable as to have a child support obligation.

The second thing to know is that a small percentage of women may try to get pregnant by you. Why me, you ask? With a college education, you have a reasonable chance of becoming financially successful. Some women will intentionally try to get pregnant by you (as happened to two people in my extended family who were forced to marry the pregnant girl). My son was the team manager for one of the major college basketball teams in the nation, and the story going around was about a girl who knew when she was ovulating and intentionally had sex with the basketball player. He didn’t marry her and never saw her again, even though he was sending child support work payments for the next 18 years.

CONCLUSION

College can be one of the happiest and most wonderful times in your life if you use common sense. Have a good time and use common sense.

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Ted is a retired attorney, so he is writing only as a layperson. This article provides general information only and is not for a particular situation; it should not be construed as advice. It is provided without express or implied warranties of any kind, including but not limited to implied warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose. If you have a particular problem, seek advice from a CPA, attorney, or doctor. Sorry, my attorneys made me say all that!