<p>In the past, I've done some things I'm not proud of. I was kicked out of my high school for my freshman and sophomore years. The school (and I use the term "school" lightly) I was placed in for that time was, frankly, the sorriest excuse for a school I've seen in my life. It was more or less a dumping ground for problem students to keep them out of the way rather than taking any action to provide an education or any sort of help to them. I'm completely reformed now, with good grades, challenging classes, and no behavioral problems, no thanks to that school. However, there is this gap of two years where I was getting Ds in remedial classes, and the pesky bit about being expelled and arrested twice.</p>
<p>I was considering using my experiences at that school as the topic for my college application essay. I figure that it's on my record anyway, so it's best to come clean about it. I also need to explain why I have a criminal record and such a bad school record for those two years. It's also probably the defining experience of my life, so it could really help the admissions officers understand who I am and why I have the history I do. I figure it could stand out from the trivial fluff I've seen my classmates write. On the other hand, it's a detailed discussion of me getting expelled and my various problems in the past.</p>
<p>I thought this would either be a very, very good or very, very bad idea. I'm not sure which. What do you think?</p>