College is supposed to be the best four years of your life; you can’t enjoy them very much, however, if you’re in jail. (Uh oh!) As much as we’d like to think that college students spend their free time in the library, they’re up to a heck of a lot more than that. Some are engaging in criminal activity, and it’s not as harmless as you might think. Here are three popular college crimes, and what might happen to you if you engage in these illegal activities! Steer clear, students. It’s no laughing matter.

Property Crimes

You’d think that college students would be too busy going to class and studying to have time to commit property crimes; but according to studies reported by The New York Times, all of the unsupervised time students spend at college correlates with higher rates of property crimes, compared to students who don’t go away to college.

Also remember what exactly counts as a property crime. According to Wikipedia, burglary, theft, arson, larceny, shoplifting, and vandalism are all fair game! Relatively small damages can be reported as property crime; so a good general rule of thumb? If it’s not yours, don’t touch it. End of story.

Resist the Booze

Nothing good can come from underage drinking, and campus police are on the lookout for it because it’s become such a prevalent issue that common questions about alcoholism need to be raised. Here are just a few ways college drinking can go wrong:

• DWI/DUI: If you’re caught driving drunk, you can kiss your life goodbye. You can lose your license, owe a ton in fines, be required to attend counseling, have to complete community service, and the judge might even toss your behind in jail. Oh, and you could kill yourself or somebody else. Think it’s not as bad as it seems? Forensiccolleges.net states that according to studies, approximately 1,700 college students ages 18-24 die every single year because of alcohol.
• PI: Don’t think that you need to be seen in public with an open container in order for the cops to bust you. They can arrest you for public intoxication alone, resulting in major fines on your behalf and even jail time.
• MIP: The name “minor in possession” is deceiving, because you technically don’t even have to be caught with an illegal substance—just under the influence. Are you not of the legal drinking age? Stick to apple juice.

Hazing

It’s cruel, unnecessary, and can cause serious problems. You’re probably familiar with the hazing that happens with the Greek life at your college. Sometimes, newcomers will be required to do outrageous things like drink dangerous amounts of alcohol. Don’t think that this is merely a harmless college tradition. It kills students every year and is considered a felony in many states.

Maybe the reasoning behind all of this is that when students leave home and go to college, in certain ways, they’re not required to grow up. Mom and Dad aren’t there to tell them no; the apron strings have never been so cut. It’s not worth it though, students; misbehave enough and you might just be asked to leave your school! Keep your head in the books and your feet on the ground.

Kara Martin writes for forensics blogs. If you’re considering a criminal justice career, check out her blog at bestcriminaljustice.com.