<p>I was recently suspended for 3 days for coming to a school basketball game drunk (stupid, i know). Right now I'm a junior in high school with basically straight A's, AP classes, 31 ACT, 98 percentile PSAT, and stuff like that. Basically I'm a good student. I realize how stupid I was and that it was a HUGE mistake on my part. As of now, I'm considering applying to UNC, Tulane, Vanderbilt, or Claremont-McKenna.
How much will my suspension affect my application?
Thanks!</p>
<p>Are you in-state for UNC-CH? Do you know how UNC typically reacts to such things on kids’ records?</p>
<p>Have your parents asked how this will be mentioned on the counselor report? Will it say “drunk” or intoxicated or what? (If your parents haven’t asked, they may want to wait until senior year when you’ve had time to demonstrate improved behavior.)</p>
<p>How the school mentions this situation may have a more serious impact. I could see it affecting your chances at CMC and Vandy, but I don’t know about the other schools. Obviously, this is serious, but less serious than a DUI (hopefully, you did NOT drive while drinking…NEVER drink and drive! )</p>
<p>What is your PSAT? </p>
<p>You’ll probably better your chances if you improve your ACT. Take the SAT, too. </p>
<p>How will the 3 day suspension affect your grades? Did you have to take F’s in your classes during those days?</p>
<p>What are your safety schools? </p>
<p>Have your parents said that they will pay $55k per year for the school of your choice?</p>
<p>Make sure you keep your nose clean for the next 18 months. Go out of your way to be a positive impact on your school. If you make a positive effort at your school and stay out of trouble, your school may write something about how you’ve learned from your mistake, etc.</p>
<p>We had a kid suspended for NINE WEEKS (he gave another kid a blow job on a school trip) and he got into Cornell</p>
<p>You will have a chance to explain this incident on each college application. You need to write from the heart - how you regret the incident, how embarrassed you are by it, what you have learned, etc. I don’t think this will hurt you too much as long as you frame it as a mistake and a learning experience. This type of thing happens more than you think - I don’t think it will torpedo your chances.</p>
<p>I can see a college being less concerned about suspensions involving consensual sex between minors, because it’s a non-issue at college. </p>
<p>I don’t know how concerned they might be about being intoxicated at a school function. On one hand, colleges know that college kids get intoxicated, on the other, who knows what they’ll think…especially if his stats are kind of borderline…like there are for Vandy.</p>
<p>I think colleges care far more about problems like intoxication than about consensual sex.</p>
<p>Most colleges are struggling to address their own students’ problems with alcohol. They may be very wary of accepting someone who already is having alcohol-related problems n high school.</p>
<p>From what I’ve read and seen, all colleges ask in their GC report for information about students’ being suspended or expelled. The GC has to provide details, and the student does, too.</p>
<p>I’m not saying that which act was better or worse…just that a suspension may not be a deal breaker :D</p>
<p>I agree that it may not be a deal breaker. 
I do think it would help, though, for the OP to get his scores up a bit. Right now, he’s kind of borderline for some of his top picks. </p>
<p>If he remains borderline, the suspension could be the tipping point into the rejection pile. </p>
<p>However, a better score with good behavior between now and graduation might tip him into the acceptance pile. I also think going out of one’s way to be a good and helpful student between now and graduation will soften whatever a GC is going to write on the counselor’s report.</p>
<p>I tend to agree that drinking is a hot button issue at most colleges, but I also think, as has been said, that if you can give a detailed account of not only your remorse, but what you have done to address the issue you will be fine. Have you stopped drinking? Gotten counseling? Some concrete actions besides remorse would help.</p>
<p>im not in state for any of the schools, and i have no idea how my counselor is going to report it as on my transcript.
On my application i’m really going to stress the fact that it was a huge mistake and how i’ve learned from it etc.
I’m planning on retaking the ACT in April. How important is it that I take the SAT as well?
This next year and a half I’m going to really try to keep involved with school and community service and try and get high grades and test scores.</p>
<p>You could still be accepted, but that action will be a factor.</p>
<p>I think you should take the SAT because you might do better on that. This is just a gut feel, but I would think that a school is more likely to overlook the suspension if your test scores are high.</p>
<p>Yes, let’s keep this in perspective. Very few schools will just out and out eliminate you from consideration because of one mistake of this magnitude. It was serious, but it wasn’t a DUI or a felony conviction or any of a number of other things that would be far more egregious. Sure, if it was down to the very last admits that were on the fence and they had to pick between you and another person with the same stats and a clean record, it might tip things. But that is a most unlikely scenario.</p>
<p>I think you have the answer you were looking for. Keep the grades up, retake both tests just because it can’t hurt, and show that you understand the mistake you made not just through words but through specific actions. At this point that is all you can do, but that should be enough. Oh, and also see how it is being reported on your transcript when the time comes. If you don’t think what they are saying is fair, work with them to see if it can reflect your subsequent actions. If not, just accept it and move on, because that is the reality of your situation. But that reality should be OK on the whole. You are far from the only student to have made a mistake, many have far worse and things turn out fine.</p>