<p>hmom5,</p>
<p>I suppose answering your questions would do nothing in alleviating any possible confusion that an admission officer might have, but I feel I must do so anyway. Against my high school’s policy, I requested a third rec to Stanford from a teacher I had this year. Our school required that we choose our recommendations by the April of this year, leaving only 5 potential teachers to choose from. While I had great standings with several of them, I only developed a true bond with one of them. So rather than risk a somewhat mediocre recommendation, I picked a teacher who was both an excellent writer and great asset as a sophomore. </p>
<p>I also realize that 99% of applicants to schools of this caliber either lie about their record or have perfectly clean records. I checked the “Yes” button with full awareness that our school has a non-disclosure on these incidents (they do not appear on transcript). Given the nature of the incident, I can only hope for some sympathy and understanding (there was no profanity, no academic misconduct…it was a poorly worded joke that got crucified by the new “Zero-Tolerance” policies) </p>
<p>The reality is that I have a good standing at the school… I acknowledge there are blemishes on my record. I really wish I had the opportunity to explain in person to the admission officers the reasons behind the inconsistencies you have noted. I truly do appreciate the insightful feedback you have provided.</p>