<p>do you get to explain what the suspension was for?...like mine says like contraband use , but I was suspened for taking MOtrin on campus without it being administered by a nurse.</p>
<p>Yes, you can do that kfrizzle. In your case, I would even recommend disclosing your suspension yourself--your record makes the offense sound much worse than it actually is! Typically, the best disciplinary disclosure statements are brief, void of emotion, and articulate a degree of perspective and maturity.</p>
<p>"I too will be proud of what I accomplished, but I will be particularly proud of the fact that I never gave an inch. If someone does defeat me in scaling the ladder called life, more power to them - evidently, they were better at playing the game than I was, and they deserve all the power that entails. But I guarantee they won't have gotten their based on their naivete or with the character flaw known as "morality"."</p>
<p>You are what we call a "gunner". "Gunners", that is, annoying little twats who will do anything to get ahead, are often surpassed by people who are a) have a more laid back but are still willing to work to get what they need done, b) actually good at what they do, and c) generally not *******s. If you're a prick, nobody is going to like you. If nobody likes you, it's hard to get ahead in life. Sorry.</p>
<p>by typing that you just made yourself out to be a prick.</p>
<p>Okay - my situation: I was suspended at the end of my sophomore year (for one day) because I facilitated cheating. Here's the story:</p>
<p>For our choir program, we had to complete one theory assignment a quarter. Everyone cheated on this assignment. I'm very good at music and could seriously complete one of these assignments in five minutes (whereas it took my classmates over an hour and a half to complete it). So, one day a friend offered me five bucks to complete the assignment, I thought it was absolutely ridiculous that someone could be that lazy (especially when it took me so little time to complete it) so I did it for them. My service increased and soon I was doing 10-15 of these a quarter. People came to me, and handed me money and I just did it absentmindedly. </p>
<p>After a little while I felt really bad about it, and I turned myself in. I've never been in trouble since.</p>
<p>If I pull off a good essay about it, will my suspension be such a big deal?</p>
<p>You are asked to explain the suspension. You don't just list it.
Illumin4tus, congrats on getting into Duke. Your posts continue to demonstrate that you are exactly the type of student they would NOT take if they had any idea of your true character.</p>
<p>fhimas, you should absolutely write a short explanation (no longer than one paragraph) of your suspension. As I advised kfrizzle, the golden rules of a suspension explanation are as follows:</p>
<ol>
<li><p>Concise.</p></li>
<li><p>Matter of fact.<br>
-Do not judge the suspension, do not make excuses, do not inject personal commentary on the circumstances, except to...</p></li>
<li><p>Express remorse and perspective.<br>
-Do not self-flagellate, but express that you now know your past behavior was immature, irresponsible, etc.<br>
-Describe what you have learned from the experience.
-Emphasize your good behavior since the incident.</p></li>
</ol>
<p>fhimas, ignore the temptation that may exist (and the advice of some of the less mature members of this community) to withold this information. Academic dishonesty is one of the few offenses that a college admissions office will take seriously. If you do not disclose it, and they find out (a distinct likelihood), then they will see no change in your behavior and your application is over then and there. If you address it in a forthright manner (esp. since it happened years ago) and emphasize your improvements since, you will still have a fighting chance with the adcomms.</p>
<p>pip-pip - thanks for the response. I was indeed planning to disclose the information, and have already written an explanation (that I plan to revise tonight based on your recommendations). </p>
<p>Just for the peace of mind that it will give me to know, will it hurt my chances at all for admissions to top schools?</p>
<p>My suspension was for something completely different while in high school; but I did get into top-tier schools then. I don't really know. I think if handled appropriately, you can minimize its impact to tie-breaker level. Which is not a bad place to be. You may even ask a recommender to emphasize your personal improvements since, thereby lending credibility to your claims. Feel free to PM me about this if you have more questions. I'd be happy to help.</p>
<p>You're making a mistake that you will regret, fhimas. Especially because it was an academic honor suspension - that's the hands-down worst category.</p>
<p>But it is your life, and your college application. More power to you regardless of your choice, but you are forever eliminating any chances you had at most top-tier colleges with an honor code(nearly all of them).</p>
<p>Every suspension is different. Ones based on criminal offenses may possibly be sealed, but others may not be. Furthermore, each school is different. And every adcomm has different policies. </p>
<p>In your instance, fhimas, as I pointed out, it is very much in your best interest to disclose this information. As I have said, failure to do so will demonstrate a failure to reform one's self: your original infraction was for academic dishonesty. To fail to disclose your suspension would be another act of academic dishonesty; making academic dishonesty an ongoing pattern of behavior for you, and not a one-time mistake that you later regretted.</p>
<p>fhimas, I should also add that the fact that you turned yourself in is also an appropriate thing to emphasize because it indicates a degree of maturity unusual in the average high school sophomore. (Or even among graduating seniors, apparently.) Colleges will think relatively highly of you for it. </p>
<p>For that matter, it seems as though you have a fair amount of other talents, assets, and attributes to offer. A suspension, particularly if handled the right way, will <em>not</em> automatically write a qualified candidate such as yourself off at top schools.</p>
<p>Add: I have a good friend who was suspended in high school for arson, disclosed it, and was accepted to an Ivy League university. (He chose McGill for financial reasons.) Merit is a funny thing: it is frequently rewarded.</p>
<p>what if the suspension is based becasue of your performance?</p>
<p>and about cheating most teacher in schools and colleges dont care if you cheat or not and i dont know why?</p>
<p>I'm sorry eazy_mas, I'm afraid I don't understand your questions. </p>
<p><<what if="" the="" suspension="" is="" based="" becasue="" of="" your="" performance?="">>
Can you explain this question a little bit more?</what></p>
<p><<and about="" cheating="" most="" teacher="" in="" schools="" and="" colleges="" dont="" care="" if="" you="" cheat="" or="" not="" i="" know="" why?="">>
What makes you think this? Many take it quite seriously. Could you tell me what you mean by this?</and></p>
<p>about my first question is based on GPA performance like you got 1.7 or something like that and wanna transfer/apply to another college.</p>
<p>the second thing is about cheating most of the lectuers who observe the examination knows how cheating but they do not take any action and maybe some encourging it. that is why there is about 75% cheating in examination as it is claimed in this thread.</p>
<p>To answer your first question eazy_mas, it would be exceptionally difficult to transfer if you were placed on academic probation (I believe that is what you are referring to) or asked to withdraw based on poor performance. Colleges and universities request a "dean's reference" from your current/most recent university to confirm that you are in good academic standing there. There is little leeway for disclosure v. witholding. In the transfer admissions process, everything's on your record. </p>
<p>Depending on your motivations for transferring, a better idea may be to take one or two classes at your current school and work 30-40 hours a week. Reapply to another school, or apply to re-matriculate (if your school has such an option) a few years later. Are there particularly extenuating circumstances involved? If so, then there may be some leniency. </p>
<p>With regard to your second question, the 75% cheating was in reference to a high school course. I've studied at three different universities. I have never, ever encountered something like that. Academic integrity is valued very highly at most institutions, and infractions punished severely.</p>