Dear International Student, Things That Can Land You In Trouble Really Fast

Hello My People! How are you doing?
Well, Winnie is doing well. Today, we will talk about something sensitive that affects the international student in the US.

It takes time to get accustomed to the laws, rules, and regulations. Sometimes, things that are well-known offenses in a particular area, maybe normal in your home. Or, you may be unaware of the severity of a particular offense. However, the problem is, ignorance could be VERY expensive. As an international student in the US, offenses carry more weight. 
This is by no means an exhaustive list but here are 10 things to AVOID DOING in the United States.

#1 – Driving Without a License

Driving without a valid license is an offense in all 50 states of the US. If you get pulled over by the police and you do not have a valid driving license, you could get punished in one way or the other. The circumstances surrounding you not having a license might be considered, but you might still not be lucky. There are a lot of discrepancies with whether an international driver’s license (license from another country) is accepted or not. Please verify with the department of motor vehicles (DMV) in the state where you reside or plan to drive.

#2 – Driving Under Influence

Driving under influence (DUI) is a serious offense in the US. This could be from either alcohol or drugs. Whether it’s driving while ‘tipsy’ or ‘a little high’, please let someone else do the driving. You could get arrested and even be sentenced. The worst part is, it could go on your record; meaning any job you apply for that does a background check will see it. As an international student, this is bad for you. 

#3 – Underage Drinking

I grew up in an environment where people could send children to go buy alcohol for them. A lot of people, depending on the kind of family they come from start taking alcohol early. However, in the US, the legal age for drinking alcohol is 21. I have seen people get in trouble for this. If a policeman catches you with alcohol, they can ask you to show your ID. If you are under 21 years, it may not end well.

#4 – Drugs

Drugs! Drugs! Drugs! I don’t think, I need to preach a sermon here. It’s not even worth it. If you get caught, you could get arrested, kicked out of school, deported or all of the above. You see, BAD IDEA!

Fighting

Here is a Public Service Announcement: PEOPLE WILL ANNOY YOU. However, it is in your best interest to keep your temper in check. You could be arrested for fighting. Worst of all, someone could get severely injured in the process…

Cheating

Academics is not easy. They are designed that way so that you EARN your degree. Cheating could make you fail the class. Your school may have worse penalties. Always ask for help the right way, when you need it.

Plagiarism

Plagiarism is a VERY serious offense in academia. Plagiarism is when you take someone’s idea or work without giving credit to the original author. It took me a really long time to understand this concept; however, it is really simple. Whenever you use sources for your schoolwork, ALWAYS give credit to where you got information from. It’s better to write the reference wrongly, than not write any at all. If you are caught plagiarizing, you could be made to fail the course or be kicked out of school completely.

Stealing

I know a story about an International student that got deported for stealing on campus. It is a very serious offense. Please, don’t take anything that doesn’t belong to you. It’s better to suffer from lack than to go through the humiliation that comes with stealing.

In general, If you get kicked out of school, you will be out of status and could be deported. Also, with a criminal record, applying for a visa in the future will be difficult and you could be denied entry into the US.

I hope you had a good laugh and learned something new that could help your journey as an international student. I also hope you stay out of trouble and become very successful. Please share your thoughts, questions, and contributions in the comment section.


Until we chat again…..
Make it a Winning-Day