Dealing with suspensions?

<p>My current school in Ohio has promised not to put on a suspension on my record to boarding school I received two years ago. However, when it comes to answering the question on the application, should I just say no or honestly tell the truth?</p>

<p>Your under an obligation to tell the truth...</p>

<p>welll
you could say no
and if the schools find out and ask, you could be like
"oh it was so insignifigantt i completely forgot about my one day suspension.."
or something like that, unless it was pretty major such as more than a week lol</p>

<p>If its not on the record, you didn't do it. Just say no unless you want to hurt your chances for no reason.</p>

<p>If you can truly confirm that it is not on your record, I would say no. (Yes, I realize it isn't being truthful.) If there is ANY chance it will show up, or if a teacher will mention it in the rec form that has to be filled out, admit to it, offer a brief explanation and say what you learned from the incident, and let it go. If it was in 9th or 10th grade it is much more significant than if it was in 6th grade. Also, was it for bringing a knife to school or being tardy? All these things matter as to how you should proceed.</p>

<p>This was from a public school in my middle school, I'm at a local private high school at another town and none of my current teachers have any knowledge of it.</p>

<p>I can ensure that the information won't get let out, my counselor and principal promised that it won't go on the record since my past school deemed it as insignificant and unimportant. The only problem I have now is I feel it's slightly morally wrong, even though I can get away with it.</p>

<p>I vote for being truthful and disclosing it. Later in life, it is a common reason for losing your job to have lied in your application. I like the fact that you're wrestling with this and leaning toward honesty (the right way to lean). It could be a good essay topic. If I were an admission's officer and an applicant disclosed this, especially when he or she could have gotten away with it, I'd be impressed. It would actually make me think that you would bring the right kind of personal qualities to campus. You know what to do.</p>

<p>It's pretty much your choice, and I can understand that it can be a problem.</p>

<p>As much as I like Parlabane's response, I don't think an admission's officer would know whether or not you were given the choice whether to say yes or no to the questions (although that's not the point and I realize I'm making it seem superficial). I personally don't believe in bad habits or karma either, as if a person is willing to turn themselves around they do. I would still understand if you said no, not because it would possibly influence the outcome of your chances, but mainly because it would be something you wouldn't want to bring up again in general.</p>

<p>In any case, there's clearly a mixed opinion from the general public here, so really none of us are right to say what's correct and what's not, there are, after all, no right or wrong answers to such a question.</p>

<p>If you really can't make up your mind, I would say draw straws or flip a coin, that usually helps.</p>

<p>NO...do not. You gotta realize to make it anywhere in life you gotta bend the rules, survival of the fittest lol. Always hold onto your morals...but something as petty as this wouldn't matter either way. So if its not on your record....you didn't do it.</p>

<p>You gotta realize half the people telling you to be truthful probably wouldn't their application; this is competition. Theres no point on getting your school to not put it on your record then go tell them, that will in turn make your school look dumb. Therefore having them question some of your Recs maybe.</p>

<p>raintaxi19....life is full of decisions like this and I mean to disrespect to mpicz, but I strongly disagree with him/her. Nothing is more important than your word and telling the truth. It's your cred. The whole "bend the rules" to get ahead approach is just putting nice words to a lie.</p>

<p>I apologize for this preachy and maudlin suggestion, but if you have not seen The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch, it's worth watching, and worth paying special attention to his various comments on truthfulness. YouTube</a> - Randy Pausch Last Lecture: Achieving Your Childhood Dreams</p>

<p>Him. I just personally think that if someone's blessing you with the opportunity to get something that was petty and maybe unfair taken off your record...you should take the blessing instead of ignoring it. Sometimes you have to take what life gives you in my opinion.</p>

<p>You got lucky enough for the school to take this off your record. If it was for something that's not a big deal which it obivously wasn't if your schools is doing this. Then be happy you got the chance and look at it as a blessing...but hey you do what you want at the end of the day. Thats just what I would do.</p>

<p>I kinda agree with that. Like Brutus in The Tragedy of Julius Caesar said, "And we must take the current when it serves, or lose our ventures.” </p>

<p>Every human makes mistakes... They'll either need to understand or something.</p>

<p>So really, choose whatever you like, maybe talk to your parents, the school, etc about it;
Stupid idea: Ask another BS you're not applying to what they would do in that circumstance, etc.</p>

<p>
[quote]
You gotta realize to make it anywhere in life you gotta bend the rules, survival of the fittest lol. Always hold onto your morals...but something as petty as this wouldn't matter either way. So if its not on your record....you didn't do it

[/quote]
</p>

<p>hmm ... alternative viewpoint ... the biggest test of your values it what you do when noone is looking. It is true you will be in many situations where bending the rules may seem to give you an advantage ... what would you want to tell your Mom you did? tell your kids what you did? or look in the mirror and know what you did?</p>

<p>I know I'm never going to the be the richest or most powerful guy in the world but am going to "suceed" more than enough to get by ... and I try to make choices that make it easy to answer the 3 questions I posed above. I guess if I bent the rules I might be further "ahead" ... but I'd argue I define "getting ahead" differently ... as the best I can do by my honest effort</p>

<p>Parlabane is correct</p>

<p>Go to the school and tell them that it is not on your record, but when you were younger....</p>

<p>I would tell the interviewer that or the head of admission before you fill your application out. That way they know you are honest which will count more than something you did wrong many years ago.</p>

<p>Let's see. If you lie to the direct question on the application, maybe it won't come out. Maybe your contact at your old school will be able to keep the record of the suspension from the report sent to the boarding schools you're applying to. Or, maybe he/she thinks it won't appear, but the secretary who actually creates and mails the reports has a different policy. If so, result = denied admission.</p>

<p>"Two people can keep a secret if one of them is dead." Maybe it won't show up on the report the BS receives, and maybe you won't tell anyone during your four years at the school about this difficult moral decision you had to make. Of course, you haven't even finished the application season, and you're already posting this question on an internet message board, with your state attached. I would not bet that you'd be able to keep a secret for four years. If it comes out, worst case, result = expulsion.</p>

<p>In my opinion, honesty is the best policy. It's easier to sleep at night, it's easier to keep track of what people think they know about you, and you don't get caught in a lie. The original suspension is probably picayune. This is the time to explain it, and leave it behind you. Lying on the application about a petty misunderstanding in 6th grade would magnify a small matter into a large problem.</p>

<p>If you get caught.</p>

<p>Lol j.k ya I understand what your saying, I still personally would just say no. But I understand what your saying...</p>

<p>But, if one of the teachers who would write your recom. letter know that fact, how would you make sure that the teacher'd not mention that on the letter. Or your principal
has to write a school report, and how would you make sure the suspension is not gonna be mentioned in the letter? I think it is a gamble if you are not going to be honest.
But I think it is worth playing gamble because the chance is gonna be very slim if they know that fact anyway.</p>

<p>Well the teachers writing recs for him are going to be teachers from his new school not his old one. So I don't think they would know either, and even if they did..if its as petty as he says it is it won't be mentioned. But ya go with your gut.</p>

<p>Periwinkle-</p>

<p>For all we know, this person might as well be from Brazil, which is why we should emphasize not taking what everyone says here super SERIALLY.</p>

<p>I actually wasn't aware you could get expelled from a boarding school if they did find out about something like that, the only problem I have is that bringing up old news is a irritating reminder, as much as we want to be "integral" and "honest" I think sometimes it is better off to just leave it alone if it's already in the past.</p>

<p>Well, if the school decided not to put the suspension on your record, it must not have been that big a deal, so just tell the truth. If you show in your interview that you regretted it or learned from it than it may even help you. Besides, if you lie, you'll just worry about whether someone finds out, whether its in one of your recs, what the punishment would be, etc. Applying to schools can be stressful enough already without that extra anxiety. So tell the truth, its the right thing to do anyway.</p>