fbpx

Disciplinary Issues and College Applications: What to Do

Secondary Or High School Teacher Sitting In Classroom With Unhappy Female Student After Lesson

Table of Contents

Share This Post

High school students make mistakes. Some of these are grander in scope than others; some forget to return a library book or stay out past curfew, others screw up in more dramatic fashion. These things happen, and then consequences ensue. This then leads to an important question: what does this mean for your college aspirations? 

In this article, we’re going to examine this topic. Colleges do care about your disciplinary history, your so-called “permanent record.” Of course, not all offenses are weighted equally, and not all colleges ask. In this article we’ll cover which colleges care, why they care, how you need to inform them, and how all of this affects your chances of college admission.

Do Colleges Care About Your Disciplinary History?

Yes…to an extent. 

Admissions officers don’t care about every detention or unexcused absence, these are not worth their time. They do, however, care about more serious offenses, and what they say about your character. Colleges are evaluating you as both a scholar and a person, and serious disciplinary incidents can weigh significantly on the latter evaluation. 

Your high school disciplinary history is known to colleges in two ways; first in a self reporting section on the Common App, and second through your counselor. Counselors submit a letter of recommendation, your transcript and a school report, and in these documents can include notes on any troubles you have had. What exactly they report is up to them, but you should check with your counselor specifically to see what information they are sharing with colleges. 

Some colleges, but not all, ask you to self-report any disciplinary incidents you had. A full list of schools which require this can be found here. These are a college-specific question, and can be found as you add individual schools to your Common App. In general these consist of a checkbox if you have something to report, followed by a space to write about the incident. We will go over how to do so in more depth later. 

In general, you don’t have to report everything to colleges. They rarely care about incidents with a small magnitude. Specifically, you don’t need to worry about any of the following: 

  • Detentions
  • Tardies
  • Unexcused absences
  • Warnings (usually)

The following levels of punishment will need to be discussed however: 

  • Suspensions
  • Expulsions
  • Anything involving law enforcement
  • Any Academic Honesty violations (cheating, plagiarism, etc.)

There is nuance to all of this of course. Make sure you check with your counselor to see what will be reported, and which incidents you need to ameliorate. 

Middle School Incidents

Colleges only care about disciplinary incidents which occurred during your high school years, both inside and outside of school. Any incidents which occurred during middle school do not need to be reported, and will not impact your admissions. You get a clean slate when beginning high school. Incidents in middle school may impact how your high school teachers and counselors see you, but have no impact on your admissions chances. 

How to Tell Colleges About Disciplinary Incidents

As we mentioned above, some colleges give you a space to describe any incidents in your disciplinary history. If you have disciplinary incidents that your school will be notifying colleges about, then you need to fill out these sections. Not filling them out, or lying, is much worse. You will have your admission rescinded if a college finds out you missed important information here. 

The most famous incident of this occurred at Harvard in the 90s, when a student had her application rescinded when the school discovered she had murdered her mother. There were mitigating circumstances, but admissions officers felt that the fact she lied on her application was enough to rescind the acceptance, rather than the act itself. 

Of course, most incidents fall far short of this, but the warning is clear. It is better to take responsibility for your actions and tell your own side of the story, than to lie and risk getting found out. 

You will have several hundred words to discuss any incidents. Here is how you should lay out your response: 

Step One: Establish What Happened, and Express Remorse

The first step is to clearly explain the incident in question, and express remorse for your part in it. If there are mitigating circumstances, you can explain those here. Some schools have zero-tolerance policies which punish the victims and perpetrators fo violence the same; if you have run afoul of these, you should definitely detail such here. 

You do not want to try and excuse your behavior, but to let admissions officers know exactly what happened. This is not the bulk of the writing, and should take up a brief paragraph. 

Step Two: Establish Context

The goal here is not to make excuses for what you did, but to explain your mindset and circumstances. You want to show that this was a momentary lapse in judgment, and not a broader reflection of your character. You want to discuss what led you to make the choices you did, and what particular influences impacted you. 

This can cover a lot of ground, from your mental state at the time, to stressors you were under, to the influence of others on your behavior. In the end, you are the only person responsible for what you have done, but mitigating factors can and will be included. We recommend honesty here as well, as you can expect counselors to give their own version of this report. 

How long this needs to be depends on the incident in question, and the number of factors which contributed to your decision. You should make sure to cover everything, but do not go off on tangents or include unnecessary details. This isn’t another essay like the personal statement, and purple prose should be omitted. 

Step Three: Demonstrate Growth and Show Contrition

You need to finish off this statement by showing that you have learned and grown from this experience. You want to show colleges that you are not the same person who made these mistakes, and you will not repeat this behavior on their campus. Teenagers make mistakes, that’s part of growing up. The other half of that is that you need to learn from what you’ve done, and not do it again. 

This is easiest to demonstrate if the initial issue was early in your academic career, and you have kept your nose clean since. You are not the same person at 14 as you are at 18. This is similar to how colleges are more lenient with your grades if they show dips in freshman year. 

The lessons you learn from this incident are your own, but you should generally try to demonstrate the following: 

  • How you have grown as a person since and because of the incident. 
  • Evidence for this growth, both in not repeating your mistakes, and in other actions you have taken. 
  • Contrition for your actions; accepting responsibility for what happened. 

The overall length of this response varies between schools. We recommend writing the longest response first, and then cutting down to fit the shorter required word counts. Do not feel as if you need to use all of the space given; as with the additional information section, your goal is to say everything that needs to be said to give a coherent explanation. 

Reporting Expulsion and Changing Schools to Colleges

If you attended multiple high schools, you are provided a space to note the reason for the change. This is a shorter section, without room to go into the full details of an incident. You should note down if you were expelled, and then give further details in the additional personal information section

These should parallel the written response above; explaining what happened, giving context, and explaining how you have grown since. You will still need to fill out the disciplinary history section for colleges, but will not need to rewrite the entire statement; simply fill in other details as necessary, or point them back to the additional information section. 

Whether or not an expulsion or other disciplinary activity requires you to change schools depends on the school in question, and its policies. In any case, honesty is still your best policy. Do not give an incorrect or misleading reason for why you changed schools. 

Final Thoughts

Teenagers make mistakes; this is part of the occasionally painful process of growing up. Some of these mistakes are harmless, others incur consequences; these too are part of the learning process. While one mistake during your time in high school doesn’t spell the end of your collegiate ambitions, you do need to show that you’ve learned from your mistakes, and that you won’t make the same ones in college. 

We hope that this article has shown you the process for discussing any disciplinary issues you encountered in high school with colleges, and how they may impact your application. Of course, applying to college can be quite stressful, even without this as an additional concern. If you want advice on your own specific situation, or with any portion of your college applications, schedule a free consultation today. We have a long history of helping students with their applications, and are always happy to hear from you.

Need help with college admissions?

Download our "Guide to Everything," a 90-page PDF that covers everything you need to know about the college admission process.

More To Explore

Pencil and eraser on answer sheets or Standardized test form with answers bubbled. multiple choice answer sheet
Uncategorized

What’s on the Math Section of the SAT?

Math is a very important subject, and many different fields rely upon math to function, directly or indirectly. This doesn’t necessarily make math a popular

5/5
Wendy Y.
Parent
Below is my son's review. He was accepted to his dream Ivy League school!

From an admitted student's perspective, I am incredibly grateful to have met Sasha - he has been instrumental in helping me achieve my educational dreams (Ivy League), all while being an absolute joy (he's a walking encyclopedia, only funnier!) to work with.

Many people are dissuaded from seeking a college counselor because they think they can get into their desired college(s) either way. Honestly, going that route is a bit short-sighted and can jeopardize your odds of acceptances after years of hard work. The sad truth is, the American education system (even if you attend a fancy private school and ESPECIALLY if you go to a public school) doesn't really tell students how to write a compelling and authentic application. Going into the admissions process alone, without speaking with an advisor, is like going to court without a lawyer - you put yourself at a significant disadvantage because you don't have all the facts in front of you, or the help you need to negotiate the system.

That said, you need a good lawyer just like you need a good college counselor. And that's where Sasha distinguishes himself from the crowd of people claiming they'll get you into Harvard. I came to Sasha worried about and frankly dumbfounded by the college admissions process. I was unsure what to write about and how to go about drafting the essay that perfectly captured my passion, interests, and self. And I was highly skeptical that anyone could really help me. But, damn, did Sasha prove me wrong. From the beginning, Sasha amazed me with his understanding of the process, and ability to lend clarity and direction to me when I desperate needed it. After interviewing me about my background, experiences, activities, outlook, and vision, he helped me see qualities about myself I had not previously considered 'unique' or 'stand-out.' This process of understanding myself was so incredibly important in laying the groundwork for the essays I eventually wrote, and I'm certain I would've drafted boring, inauthentic essays without it.

Looking back, Sasha's talent is that he can see where your strengths lie, even when you don't see them. The truth is, although we don't always realize it, everyone has a unique story to tell. Sasha helped me see mine, and with his big-picture insight I was able to write the application that truly encapsulated my life and vision. He inspired me to dig deeper and write better, challenging me to revise and revise until my essays were the most passionate and authentic work I had ever written. As clichéd as that sounds, that's really what universities are looking for. In retrospect, it makes sense - in the real world passionate (not simply intelligent) individuals are the ones who make a difference in the world, and those are the individuals colleges would like to have associated with their brand.

In the end, I was accepted to the college of my dreams, a feat I could not have achieved without the direction Sasha lent to me. Essays (and the personal narrative you develop through your application) matter so much, and can literally make or break your application. I have seen so many of my 'qualified' friends receive rejections because they wrote contrived essays that didn't truly represent who they were; conversely, I have also seen so many friends with shorter resumes accepted because they were able to articulate their story in a genuinely passionate and authentic way - I fall into the latter category.

As a former admissions officer at Johns Hopkins, Sasha knows what types of essays jibe well with universities, an invaluable asset to have in the admissions process. He is responsive, flexible, creative, positive, and witty. For anyone who is serious about going into the college admissions process informed and prepared, I highly recommend Sasha.
5/5
Arda E.
Student
I used Ivy Scholars to mainly help me with college applications. Within weeks of using this service, Sasha was able to simplify the already complex process. When it came to writing the Common App essay, Sasha didn’t just help with grammar and syntax, he brought my essays to life. Sasha also worked tirelessly to help solidify my extracurricular activities, including research and internship opportunities. Without his help, I would have never had an impressive resume.

Sasha is not only an extremely knowledgeable tutor, but also a genuine brother figure. His guidance, throughout my last two years of high school, was everything I needed to get me an acceptance letter from my dream schools (UC Berkeley, Tufts, Emory).

When it came to testing, Ivy Scholars worked like a charm. Sasha offered a very comprehensive plan when it came to completely acing my standardized tests. Without his test taking strategies I would have never gotten straight 5s on my AP tests and a 35 on the ACT.

Working with Sasha, I didn’t just become a good student, I became a genuine scholar.
5/5
Samson S.
Parent
We worked with Ivy Scholars during my son's senior year. I was concerned that we may be too late to take advantage of college advising but the Ivy Scholars team quickly and confidently directed us through the steps to ensure no deadlines were missed. Sasha's knowledge about schools, what they looked for in candidates, and how to maneuver the application process was invaluable. Mateo and Ryan worked with my son to help him create an essay that would get noticed and I am so appreciative he had their guidance.

Prior to securing Ivy Scholars, we tried using a less-expensive online service which was a terrible experience. As a parent, Ivy Scholars brought peace of mind to an area that was frankly overwhelming. This service was invaluable in the knowledge that we gained throughout the process. He has also met with my freshman daughter to provide guidance for her high school courses, career paths, extracurricular activities, and more.

Prior to signing with Ivy Scholars, I tried a less expensive online service and was very disappointed.

As a result of our work with Ivy Scholars, I am pleased to say that my son will be attending Stern Business School at New York University this fall! I highly recommend Ivy Scholars. Highly recommend!