<p>Colleges often do see disciplinary action. Whether or not they care depends on the school. If you’re looking at super selective schools (Ivies, Stanford, etc.), there is a greater chance that they may care. I would talk to your school’s guidance counselor/adviser to find out how/if they report such matters. Also, you might consider contacting colleges’ admissions departments to explain the suspension if your school confirms that they do report disciplinary action to colleges. (There was a girl at my school who got suspended after getting into UCLA (we’re not in-state) but contacted the admissions office to explain the situation and she was fine).
Best of luck!</p>
<p>@Deziky</p>
<p>“Or I’ll call you a mongoloid loser again. Mongoloid loser.” Bahahahaha for some reason this absolutely killed me. I like this guy.</p>
<p>OP, the fact that you got in a fight isn’t wrong, at all. Even if a college were to see this (and I doubt any admissions representative could find out about it unless you told him or her), it’s not like this is A) a pattern or B) an unjustified fight. This is just one more anecdotal argument against no-tolerance policies, which are foolish and naive. Oh, and also stupid, just stupid. </p>
<p>Oh, and you people dumping on OP for being violent, or whatever? C’mon. Stop your trolling.</p>
<p>Self defense is justified fighting.</p>
<p>Just don’t get into a fight again.</p>
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<li><p>Will this incident show up on my applications to college? He said the records would only stay with the school, but I’m curious if any ivy league colleges would gain a copy of this record.
No. As long as you or you counselor don’t tell, you have nothing to worry about.</p></li>
<li><p>If somehow they were to know about this suspension, how would self defense look in their eyes ?
As long as your counselor has your back, you’ll be okay.</p></li>
<li><p>Is there some way to erase the suspension?
That’s up to the school.</p></li>
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<p>Plain and simple - The Common Application asks if you were ever suspended. Ethically you need to respond “yes”. Explain it the best that you can in supplemental essays, deal with any consequences, and learn from this experience.</p>
<p><crosspost></crosspost></p>
<p>There is a question on the Common App that asks about disciplinary actions taken by the school and what you learned from the experience(s). So, if your GC is going to report your suspension, you’ll have the chance to explain what happened.</p>
<p>OP, here are my opinions for your situation:</p>
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<li><p>It probably will show up on applications, but it really depends on your school. </p></li>
<li><p>I doubt it would be a big issue, if at all. Colleges will understand (unlike some people) that in some situations, you’ll have to defend yourself. As long as you didn’t retaliate with unnecessary force and beat the guy to a pulp after the fight was clearly in your favor, it shouldn’t be a problem. Just explain yourself well</p></li>
<li><p>Probably not</p></li>
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<p>The purpose of no-tolerance fighting rules is simple: to discourage all fighting, aggravated or non-aggravated. I agree with the rule. While in this case fighting may have been provoked, you definitely don’t want people walking around, punching each other, and then claiming self-defense. </p>
<p>Having no-tolerance fighting rules helps prevent more Treyvon Martin cases - who started the fight? Who was fighting out of self-defense? Who provoked whom? </p>
<p>The principal’s office is not a court of law, and neither should it be a court of law. A school is where you go to learn, not where you prove the honor of your family name or engage in altercations. OP: if you really want, you can appeal the no-tolerance fighting rule in court and get the school board to overturn it. Maybe you’ll be the next Brown v. Board of Education. More than likely, you won’t be, so just keep your paws off others and perhaps your suspension will serve as a warning to others - both offenders and defenders. </p>
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<p>I agree with Fawkes here. This is the only rational snippet of Fawkes’ post and the only rational paragraph in this thread, barring my post.</p>
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<p>Wow you didn’t read the original post did you…? The OP said he got into the fight to protect himself from harm, not to “prove the honor of his family name” or any BS like that. In his situation at least, his actions were justified because he acted in defense after being attacked, and even the VP agrees with that. </p>
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<p>Is this really necessary? Get off your high horse.</p>
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<p>I rest my case.</p>
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<p>Exhibit n+1:</p>
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<p>Just another piece of evidence showing that this thread must have been created in the Middle Ages. Honor … now horses? Only my daughter rides horses - and that’s at the park. I drive Hummers to work. You must be referring to my 500 horsepower engine - is that right, sir?</p>
<p>I didn’t start the fight and neither was anything planned. I was hit in the head and mouth a couple times while pinned up against the wall with my shirt grabbed. All I wanted to do was avoid any problems, but I couldn’t really see a way out. I didn’t use excessive force, or beat him to a pulp despite me knowing mma. I kept taking hits while trying to keep him off of me until a teacher broke us up.</p>
<p>IceQube, if the same thing happened to your daughter, and she wanted your advice, would you say exact words you said to me? I’m asking for help on the forums. I understand what I did was wrong, and everyone here does too. I don’t need you reminding me that of course, zero-tolerance fighting means what it means. I just want to know the answers to my three questions.</p>
<p>I did not want to appeal the no-tolerance fighting rule, I simply wanted to know if self defense is justifiable and that I’m able to erase the record from my history because of it. I understand the zero-tolerance rule is there for a reason and I have no intentions of getting rid of that rule.</p>
<p>@IceQube
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<p>I’m not sure what to make of this sad, sad stab at getting laughs. Or, for that matter, this:</p>
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<p>You seem pretty impressed with yourself. Quite the bastion of reason, aren’t you?</p>
<p>Saintvicious, here’s the thing. If I’m right, you are ethically obligated by the Common Application to tell the colleges to which you apply that you’ve been subject to disciplinary action in the past. You do, however, have the option to explain the reason and circumstances, and you should take that opportunity and use it to your advantage. If you’re looking to get your record expunged, good luck, but I doubt you’ll have much of it. Zero-tolerance, as others have said (more or less), means ZERO TOLERANCE NO EXCEPTIONS YOU SHOULD PROBABLY JUST BE DRAWN AND QUARTERED FOR FIGHTING YOU TERRIBLE, TERRIBLE PERSON. Talk to your vice principal about having your suspension overturned. Even though it’s been served, this would mean never having to tell a college about the suspension, like it never happened, and you would be doing nothing wrong. If that isn’t possible, then there are two things you should know: One, you’re being punished by an system that is neither just nor based on discretion and reason, and two, I doubt there’s a college official in the country that will care, given the circumstances.</p>
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<p>Of course. I live by Kant’s categorical imperative. </p>
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<p>This is a good question for a guidance counselor after you return to school.</p>
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<p>Fawkes, I agree with you here, and I’ll grant you the following: this is the second rational paragraph ever posted by Fawkes on this thread. Asking us about whether you can get your record erased is pointless. I’m not your guidance counselor. I’m not your school principal. I’m the bastion of reason and a disinterested third-party who is offering the best advice you can find on this thread.</p>
<p>What a savior! What a saint! The God of Reason is here to rescue us all!</p>
<p>Oh wow. “The God of Reason…” classic</p>
<p>I wouldn’t go over-the-top like that, but come on. He keeps calling himself a “bastion of reason”, and the condescension of his posts is just as exaggerated. I mean, c’mon.</p>
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