<p>A good friend of my child's was suspended for one week sophomore year for having pot in his wallet (he lost it and the HS principal found it). The student attends a private school and is planning to apply to some Ivy's and also State schools. There have been no other incidents and the kid is a super student, involved in student council, etc. What advice can you give? I suggested they should talk to the HS counselor to see if the infraction might be removed from his record. Does this ever happen? Is it individual by school? I figure if it stays on his record he should write a supplemental essay about it - is that a good idea? he must address it somehow I think. Also, will this really hurt his chances at Harvard, MIT, Penn, Yale, etc.? How about at state schools?</p>
<p>This is the text of the Common App Secondary School Report that the GC must fill out:</p>
<p>“Has the applicant ever been found responsible for a disciplinary violation at your school from 9th grade (or the international equivalent) forward, whether related to
academic misconduct or behavioral misconduct, that resulted in the applicant’s probation, suspension, removal, dismissal, or expulsion from your institution?”</p>
<p>I don’t see how the GC could answer that question in any way other than YES in the situation that you describe.</p>
<p>I’d have the GC talk about the exemplary behavior since the incident (if that really is the case). </p>
<p>Here is what is on the Student Common App form:</p>
<p>"Have you ever been found responsible for a disciplinary violation at any educational institution you have attended from 9th grade (or the international equivalent)
forward, whether related to academic misconduct or behavioral misconduct, that resulted in your probation, suspension, removal, dismissal, or expulsion from
the institution? </p>
<p>Have you ever been convicted of a misdemeanor, felony, or other crime? </p>
<p>If you answered yes to either or both questions, please attach a separate sheet of paper that gives the approximate date of each incident, explains the circumstances, and
reflects on what you learned from the experience."</p>
<p>Again, I don’t see how the student could answer anything other than YES to the first question. Looks like the student has an opportunity to explain the circumstances and what he’s learned from the situation. I don’t see any reason to write a supplemental essay–this explanation should be enough.</p>
<p>Obviously, colleges know that kids sometimes do dumb things in high school and I don’t think a drug suspension is the kiss of death at any school, even the super selective colleges–if the student seems to have mended his ways and learned from the incident.</p>
<p>And if the drug suspension DOES affect his chances at his super-selective schools, so be it. Mistakes have consequences, some worse than others. </p>
<p>What a student should NOT do is to lie about the incident. Trying to get the GC to sweep it under the rug is also not ethical, in my opinion. If student and GC were to lie on the paperwork, student is accepted and then the lie is found out, it will lead to the college taking back its acceptance. It could very well be that the college would have accepted the kid, even if the suspension had been reported. But the lie will cost you an acceptance.</p>
<p>My advice to your friend would be to play it straight up and not lie.</p>
<p>It isn’t the kiss of death, but a drug offense is more of a problem than pranks, fighting or alcohol. I would talk to the counselor and find out exactly what is in the record and what will be said. It will need to be addressed in the “suspension” essay. The good news is that it was soph year. Also, high school kids do screw up and college admissions folks recognize this.</p>
<p>Thanks for the quick feedback. This forum is amazing. I will pass this on to my son’s friend’s mom. It sounds like they will need to address it openly and hope for the best.</p>
<p>There was a very disheartening story in The Gatekeepers about a young woman who was the only one in a group of kids to confess to tasting a hash brownie. A number of the schools she applied to didn’t accept her because of that incident despite the fact that she went on to have leadership positions in the school and glowing GC recommendations. She did get into Cornell, but as a January admit, and was probably helped because profs read the applications there not just an admissions committee.</p>
<p>I know that the two hs that my children attended, both had to report disciplinary action. I agree with MomofWildChild…it is not the kiss of death, but to add onto it, if the child is applying as a reach, chances are slim.</p>
<p>Tell them to use this as a lesson learned in their essay, esp. since admissions will be aware of it. They maybe able to ease their fears.</p>
<p>My sister’s sophomore year of high school someone reported her for being high and she was brought down to the principal’s office. It was her first week back to school after spending a week in a psych treatment center after a suicide attempt, so I think they took pity on her and did not bring in campus police. They did, however, have a supposedly intoxicated minor sign a written confession with no parent present, she was suspended for a day, and warned that one more drug related offense would result in petition for expulsion. Nothing more on it after that, however we know that what she claimed to have taken was not really taken because my mother counts all the medications in the house daily, and given her mental state it is actually entirely possible that she was faking. Who knows what the hell really happened. (<em>headdesk</em>)</p>
<p>(Sidenote: All this occurred while I was living at home, and as I was submitting my transfer application to Umich. It’s no wonder I got ulcers!)</p>
<p>We wonder how this will affect her college process. She plans to start at community college anyway, so at least there’s that. When I filled out applications to local universities the apps all asked about convictions and if any disciplinary action had to be taken against me due to something that could have potentially harmed others, which Sarah’s situation doesn’t really fall under. I wasn’t aware that the colleges would still know about it in this case. Maybe she needs to make an appointment with her GC this year and find out how the situation is being handled and how she ought to handle it herself.</p>