<p>Have you ever been at the wrong place at the wrong time? </p>
<p>A couple months ago. I was out bowling with my friends. On their way to drop me off at my house, the decided to throw eggs at a car. They did it while the car we were in was moving ( drive by style). I was in the back, on the other side, so it was physically impossible for me to throw the eggs. </p>
<p>Long story short, the next day a cop was at my house, telling me that all of us are having charges pressed against us. My father got his lawyer friend to help us out, but the court maintained that "if nick were to report the crime ot the police, he wouldnt be in this mess." yet, I went to sleep when I got home, and the cops woke me up, so................</p>
<p>I got probation ( 4 months active, 8 non). Believe me, I cried and cried and cried .</p>
<p>I was hoping to go to a good school ( top choice is either UPenn or Rice). I have a 3.8 gpa unweighted, and a 4.2 weighted ( out of 4.0). 2160 on my SAT's. </p>
<p>On the app where you check that you've been in trouble or w/e, there is a place to explain yourself I believe. I think they'll understand that it wasn't your doing. It may hurt you a little though.</p>
<p>I don't think that you're royally screwed. It might actually make a good college essay or at least a good letter. Write that you didn't actually throw the eggs, even if you can't substantiate that you didn't. But instead of making it a letter/essay for apologizing/making excuses, say what you learned from the experience. Maybe you learned the importance for standing for what is right, and the consequences that can result when you don't. I think adcoms would be forgiving if you presented it really well and showed what you learned from it.</p>
<p>For Upenn, one of the questions for the counsler is " Has the student ever been suspended from school, placed on prohbation ................" etc.</p>
<p>....... </p>
<p>Maybe I can write a letter explaining the situation. I could probably tell story, and explain the pain I endured throughout. </p>
<p>I am a member of the national honor society, and volunteer greatly.</p>
<p>When my counsler finds out , I am sure she is going to be shocked that somthing liek this happened. </p>
<p>but, since I was not convicted, and this will be expunged ( active is done on october first, inactive is basically nothing) maybe I dont have to reveal?</p>
<p>Just to add a lil more info; I am thinking of applying to:</p>
<p>Upenn ( The College at Penn) Early Decision
Rice
Emory
UVA
William and Mary
NYU
Wake Forest University
Virginia Tech ( safety)
Tulane ( safety)
George Washington University (safety)</p>
<p>any help or advice on this mess would be greatly appreciated</p>
<p>In your essay, first mention how you take full responsibility for it, without EVER MENTIONING that you take no involvement in it. Then somewhere near the end, subtly squeeze in the part that you were merely a "bystander." By doing this, the admission officers will acknowledge that you have matured, and they'll most likely think something like "This kid displays responsibility for his actions, though... he wasn't really involved... hmm..." lol. My two cents.</p>
<p>Don't take full responsibility for it. Like you said (assuming what you said is true), you were in the wrong place at the wrong time.</p>
<p>Can you clarify on what exactly happened to you legally? We know you got probation, so I assume you were convicted? Kind of a douche thing to do for your friends to not back you up.</p>
<p>they gave me two opportunities- 1 conviction of tampering w/ vehicle, misdamenor.( if i get this, i would have no punishment, only this on my record)</p>
<ol>
<li>Prohbation for a year ( 4 months active, 8 inactive) that would be expunged june 2007</li>
</ol>
<p>If I were you, I would talk to your counselor about this. Usually the best place to express special situations is through your counselor. The essay should be saved for more positive things. And you don't want to come off as whining. So tell your counselor about it and have the counselor mention that he/she doesn't think you were involved with the egg throwing.</p>
<p>There was this Harvard student that had a story that might be relevant to yours. </p>
<p>She killed her parents when she was younger, due to a mental disorder. She failed to list this in the application, however (I think she got probation or something. The point is that she had to list something about the event in her application.) I believe in her junior year, Harvard threatened to kick her out because she hadn't mentioned it in the Harvard application. The woman's lawyer said that an application can't force her client to list it. </p>
<p>Anyone else know about this (I may have gotten some facts wrong).</p>
<p>What I'm trying to say is that you may not have to list it. Set up a meeting with a lawyer and ask.</p>
<p>Smytty, I don't fault OP's friends for not backing him up, because once they get caught, they're all stuck in a Prisoner's Dilemma situation, and nobody can cooperate since they risk being completely screwed by somebody defecting.</p>
<p>anyway- I was 17 years old. This WILL be expunged, by the time I graduate highschool. No one will ever know. </p>
<p>only ppl who know are my probation officer, lawyer, family ,and the school cop. I will meet w/ my counsler as soon as possible.</p>
<p>I like the counsler idea. I can write the essay taht i have had in mind, and she can explain that I am a good kid ( president of our Math Honor Society, Vp of French Honor Society, member of the National Honor Society). never had detention.....wrong place at the wrong time.</p>
<p>Any ideas/opinions/stories/support is greatly welcome!</p>
<p>What happened to the Harvard student is that after she was accepted, Harvard learned that she had neglected to put on her application that she had killed her mother and then been sent to a mental hospital for treatment. Her mother allegedly abused her.</p>
<p>Because the student had not told the entire truth on her application, Harvard rescinded her acceptance before she started at Harvard. If she had been a student there, Harvard probably would have kicked her out. If she had graduated, Harvard probably would have rescinded her diploma, which is what they do when they learn that people lied on their applications.</p>
<p>After Harvard rescinded her acceptance, Tufts agreed to take her as a student and put her in a single freshman year. This happened several years ago, so she has probably graduated by now.</p>
<p>You can Google and find out the story or check CC's archives, which contain some posts with links.</p>