Suspension

<p>Mom: Pahka is ■■■■■■■■ (he’s practically telling you that he is). However, I think it’s also clear that, despite his attitude, he still knows what he’s talking about (although I wouldn’t go as far as calling moms “stupid” by any stretch!). </p>

<p>The way you present your application is absolutely crucial, and it’s obvious that you don’t have to be a juggernaut to get into top schools. I had very good luck with admissions (I was still a very strong student in terms of grades and scores, but I didn’t have all the crazy credentials that certain applicants had regarding EC’s and private schools and such), and I think it was largely because I knew how to show them something that would make the application stand out while also showing that I still had the academics to back everything up. I’m sure pahka did something similar if he was able to get into M&T with lower-than-average stats.</p>

<p>tldr version: He’s ■■■■■■■■. He may have been an admission mistake, but it’s not going to be obvious just from his facetious posts here – all we can bank on is that he knew how to present his app well, which I think is key.</p>

<p>Academic dishonesty? We’re not talking about plagiarizing a doctoral dissertation… we’re talking about a sophomore in high school suspended, most likely for cheating on a test or maybe trying to use an online paper as his own. People, get off your high horses. Kids can make mistakes… it’s more important to see how people respond to those mistakes than the mistakes themselves. If he has shown model behavior since getting suspended, that’s a terrific sign that indicates he probably won’t cheat wherever he goes to college, as opposed to to people who cheat and don’t get caught. Nobody can say that they’ve gone more than two midterms without seeing people peering over each other’s shoulders to find answers.</p>

<p>Although you may or may have not learned from your mistake, I don’t think you should focus too much attention on it (ie don’t write your common app essay on this experience or any lessons learned, etc) It would be better if you could talk about it to your interviewer when you go to your interview, but in your app, try to point out what’s best about yourself and why penn should accept, you, and not why they shouldn’t.</p>

<p>chrisw- It’s not a matter of being on a “high horse”. I recognize the extent that cheating occurs and I have a kid who has made plenty of “mistakes”. It’s a matter of how Admissions people view such an offense. Check out the article linked on the main page of this forum. It’s not just the opinion of a few parents. Drugs and academic dishonesty are two problem offenses. I’m not saying it can’t be overcome, but it is more of an issue than a prank, a fight or an alcohol violation. I know what I’m talking about here, but feel free to rationalize it however you want.</p>

<p>hi all! I figured now that I am all cooled off I would come back haha. Sorry about calling moms stupid that was as somone said “immature” of me. I have all the respect in the world for mothers. Whether or not I am a ■■■■■ is kinda a mystery saying it is true that most of this was to get momofwildchild’s goat… which I did… I also wanted the OP to know that his dreams of a nice school aren’t yet dashed jsut becuase of prior mistakes. As another poster said, you should not focus on your negatives, but do make sure that it is clear that you know you made a mistake and have learned from it. It’s a scary time when you get to that part of the common app and have to click yes for suspension – I know cause that was me a year ago. thx for the support those who looked past my babbling! Btw momofwildchild… ya really should have dropped it instead of disparaging my luck in admissions more. I would have had more respect for you as a mature adult. Congratulations – you have the emotional maturity of a college freshman.</p>