If I recently got a ticket for possession and paraphenalia, how will that affect my license, financial aid, permanent record, etc?

Hello.  In my view, it is urgent that you seek private attorney assistance immediately.  A conviction for a drug offense likely negatively impacts your eligibility for federal financial aid, for instance.  A drug offense conviction, as well as numerous other sorts of criminal convictions, typically have many negative collateral consequences in your life that will affect you for years in the future.  Those collateral effects may be more severe in nature than the potential criminal sanctions and punishment.  Examples of the potential negative consequences you face due to certain criminal convictions include the following:  Your ability to seek employment in certain fields, your ability to be professionally licensed in certain areas (if licensed, you may face loss of your license), your ability to obtain housing of your choosing, your ability freely to travel, cost of your health insurance, loss of income, loss of certain relationships.  It is critical that you seek private attorney assistance with no delay.  I recommend that you telephone several attorneys in selecting an attorney to help you at this time, because it is critically important that you feel a sense of great trust and confidence.  It is also vitally important that you do not delay, because, in my professional experience, the sooner that I may assist the client, the more options there are and the more favorable the outcome is likely to be. All the best to you.