Hi, My nephew is going through a problem. He is a bright student and graduated from Highshool in June 2015 with good GPA. He got accepted in multiple colleges and committed to one that he liked most. Somehow things did not work out with him in new college and he got suspended within 2 months of school start for one whole year. What are his options to apply for other colleges?. Do colleges know where was he committed if he plans to start fresh? As it’s only been 2 months, can he do a fresh start applying to new college?
Please advice. Something that can save his year and his future. He is miserable currently.
Was he suspended for academic reasons or behavioral? I am sure most applications will ask if you have ever been disciplined or suspended. In addition, he will now have to apply as a transfer student I believe, because he already had two months of college. There is nothing he can do to work with his current school?
It would be too soon to be suspended for academic reasons. It must be behavioral.
no, it could be for cheating which would be an academic reason.
I was thinking of cheating as behavioral. The student couldn’t be suspended for poor grades which would be academic.
Of course he is miserable! He did something that got him suspended from his first choice institution for a year!
His best course of action is to stay out of trouble for the rest of this academic year, and then return to his original institution next fall. That they have suspended him for a year would normally indicate that he is welcome to come back after that time.
If he doesn’t want to attend that place ever again, he still is best off taking the rest of the year off. When he does apply for admission elsewhere, he will need to have his transcript from this institution, and it is best for him if he can get one that indicates he is currently in “good standing”. He won’t get that “good standing” note until he has fulfilled whatever requirements have been imposed on him.
If he cannot find a job or a volunteer position that will keep him busy and out of trouble, he should contact his original college/university, and find out whether or not it is acceptable for him to enroll at a community college during his time off.
There is no real start fresh with college, except the one you create in your mind (and he should do that.) Transcripts will have to be sent to any college he applies to. He will have to reveal that he is on suspension. It will be a tough admit. His best course is to take his lumps and do something for the year. Work. Take a couple of CC classes if his suspension allows it. Give himself a goal of becoming more mature and responsible and worthy. Reflect on his error. Come back to this school and complete a semester or preferably year before contemplating if a change is needed.
He needs to be the driving force, not his aunt.
He needs to work. If he doesn’t appreciate what a job can do for him then he will have trouble wherever he goes.
Does this apply if he files for academic bankruptcy? It might give him a fresh start if there were extenuating circumstances. I’m not truly familiar with all the ins and outs, but it can’t hurt to ask.
@jeremyj - Anything along the line of “academic bankruptcy” would have to be determined by the first college. The student needs to communicate directly with the people there in order to determine what the options (if any) are, and then needs to comply with that institution’s requirement(s).
Thank you all for your great advises. I think best solution for him to find a job and engage himself in some volunteer activities for a year. I am just not sure if he can go back to his first college or is it going to fresh process starting from applying again? In addition, he was on scholarship before suspension. Not sure if that will continue as suspension reason was not academic. He is an A grade student.
Hoping for the best for him.
The first question out of the scholarship committee is going to be “what happened?” I wouldn’t hang too much hope on keeping the scholarship. 
Is this a joke or is there really something called “academic bankruptcy”? I’ve never heard the term. What colleges offer it?
It’s a real thing used in very extenuating circumstances at some colleges. It basically wipes a semester entirely from your record - or more. It really depends on the institution. They don’t advertise it because it’s rarely used. A friend of mine had a parent die in his sophomore year and he fell to pieces. They let him wipe the semester from his record.
How is anyone able to provide advice without knowing why the student was suspended? It could be for academic reasons (cheating) or “social” reasons (threatening behavior toward another student) or substance issues. What was it?
Obviously his current school will tell him if and how he can rematricuate. If he can not, it is not the end of the world. Hopefully, he will learn whatever apparent lesson he needs to learn, and start again. Maybe at another school, but that is not, again, the end of his academic life.
He cannot apply and ignore the fact that he was at a college and was suspended. You must list all high schools and colleges attended on the application. He should talk to an adviser in his current school to see how best to proceed.
Thanks all for your great comments.
One example of academic bankruptcy. It wouldn’t apply in this case (yet).
http://www.as.ua.edu/home/advising/special-academic-policies/