I was suspended for one day sophomore year for plagiarism. I have a 3.7 weighted GPA and a 34 on my ACT and I want to apply to schools like Tulane, Washington and Lee (early decision), and Boston University. What are my chances of getting in??? I have learned a lot and have grown exponentially and my guidance counselor knows that but I am TERRIFIED that I will be rejected because of it! Also should I write my essays about it??? please help!!!
What does your own guidance counselor have to say about this?
She knows that I have learned and grown a lot since then and she is writing a letter of recommendation detailing my journey from that incident till now and how I have bettered myself.
Don’t write your essays about this. You will have a place on the application to explain and express your remorse and demonstrate what you’ve learned. If you are up front about it and have no further violations, admissions will be inclined to give you an equal chance.
W&L is HUGE into the honor system. I would think a suspension for plagiarism would have a negative effect on your application to that school, but I certainly have no insight.
@cj2002 - I agree with @Groundwork2022 - your essay is a great place to show another part of yourself. Addressing it in the additional section and that fact that your guidance counselor is onboard to address it too are all excellent ways to deal with the situation. Teens mess up - it is normal and you will not be the only one that has an issue of discipline on their high school record. It is more important to address it honestly and don’t make excuses.
Also, I am presuming it is your high school’s policy to report a 1 day suspension. I know the schools in our area only report if the suspension is 3 days otherwise it does not appear on your record and colleges do not know about it. As I type this - it seems unfair if certain schools report it differently - from 1 day to multiple days.
Please confirm with your counselor it will be reported too.
Hey! First off, don’t stress, people make mistakes out of sheer stress and I think colleges are cognizant of this. It was also not too recent for you to have not grown past it, but I think that the schools you mentioned will take this into consideration. Apply to 1-2 more safeties than usual, but your listed schools are fine. I would not say to make your entire essay about this one thing, and fill out the application as you would normally. However, be EXTRA careful to not stretch any details, make mistakes with scores/GPA, or anything that would make them question your integrity.
Plagiarism can be a very serious offense depending upon the circumstances of your case.
Hard to offer a reasonable opinion without knowing all of the facts & circumstances of your case.
Nevertheless, I agree with an above poster who wrote that admission to W&L is unlikely. I would be surprised if Tulane admitted you as well.
Be sure to apply to your state schools as potential safeties.
You’re not the first kid to do something stupid in high school, and you definitely won’t be the last either. Keep in mind that this is NOTHING to stress over. It’s one subjective reason out of literally thousands that an admission person can turn you down. Seriously, their job description is to make-up excuses. Since you have no control over the process or how they come to their conclusions, just apply and see what happens. Make sure you have a good list of target and safety schools.