<p>i just found today that stanford asks if you have been suspended... and yes i have, but it was just once, for a very small fight, the school called it "bringing down the school spirit" or some other big words...
but i am now the school president, so do you think it will affect my chances very much?</p>
<p>No, it shouldn't affect your chances, but make sure to explain how minor the infraction was somewhere on your app.</p>
<p>thanks, and i will also ask the principal for help... (i hope they might erase it!) because it really was minor... i just headlocked a guy and we fell... but these days schools take everything seriously, they wouldn't even see the fact that both of us still had our books in our hands by the end of it</p>
<p>Certainly it's going to raise a concern in any adcom's eyes. You may want to talk things over with your counselor to make sure you are both on the same page about what happened, what the counselor will say if Stanford phones her/him, what they might say in your rec about it, etc.</p>
<p>I have to admit I think you are particularly likely to be affected, though, because it doesn't sound from the snippet you wrote that you are approaching this in a useful/mature manner. </p>
<p>Let's be honest; fights are not unusual among boys, and maybe the other guy deserved a beating or you were just standing up for yourself. But that's not what colleges want to hear. You are going to be living in the dorms 24/7 with people you might not necessarily like, and you need to settle conflicts with words and negotiations or simply by backing away, not your fists. In the classroom you're are going to have heated discussions with people who disagree with you 100%, and they're not always going to be following Roberts Rules of Order in expressing their thoughts if you get my drift.</p>
<p>What colleges want to hear is that you understand that fighting is wrong, they want to hear a "mea culpa" for the fight and an explanation of what you learned from the suspension and how you changed to make sure it won't happen again. And it sounds like this is about the last thing you're willing to say/do. That is what will affect your chances.</p>
<p>(edit) I posted this while you were posting a reply (msg #3), and what you wrote just underscores my concerns. You "just headlocked a guy" is not taking responsibility for your actions, its minimizing what you did. I'm not trying to tell you how to think, but I am trying to tell you how others at a distance are going to interpret what you say. The Stanford (and other) adcoms see a kid who grabs someone around the neck and crashes to the ground, yet sees it as a minor thing nobody should take seriously and that should even be erased. That is not the kind of kid they want in their dorms or classrooms.</p>
<p>^ I agree with mikemac, though, that you'll have to show some remorse on your application. Even if you don't believe your offense was hugely wrong, don't write it off. Explain what happened and go on to express what you learned from it.</p>
<p>If you're strong in other areas (GPA, test scores, etc.), I don't think a minor infraction on your record will greatly affect your chances.</p>
<p>Adding to his question, does suspension due to substance abuse(drinking, drugs, etc) not matter as well? I mean, its a common occurrence in any college right?</p>
<p>I was "in school" suspended for a day (for having a lighter in my pocket), and I still got into some top schools.
You should be fine as long as you explain it.</p>
<p>It'll be problematic. Colleges don't like the kind of kid who acts like a typical teenager unfortunately. They want the kind of kid who'll suceed in college. Getting into a fight will be pretty negative. I don't know if you should write like a note, but your counselor should elaborate more on that in her school report.</p>
<p>alexkaye: As long as you didn't abuse or kill anyone.</p>
<p>it is true; i am very arrogant. thank you for the thoughtful words. i will talk with the counselor and the vp. however, my anger is directed at myself... it was entirely my fault and very stupid the whole way through. it didn't help that i was/am clinically depressed :(. </p>
<p>i truly hope this does not affect my chances. thanks again.</p>
<p>now that i think about it, it might make for an interesting essay, as i have learned alot about myself through it</p>