<p>At my daughter’s top-tier New England school (she’s now halfway through her third year) scarcely a week or month goes by that several high-achieving “good kids” aren’t expelled or placed on probation - usually for violating alcohol, drugs or plagiarism policies either on or off campus. (It’s a two-strike school, so you do get a second chance, but two strikes and you’re out.) We know that kids have poorer impulse control than adults, and that the teens are years of experimentation, boundary-testing and inevitable mistakes. I don’t think there’s any sure-fire way to inoculate your kid against these things, but a few rules, or really pieces of advice, often repeated can help:
choose your friends wisely; immediately leave the scene if drugs or alcohol policies are being violated by those around you; try to avoid situations (day student house parties?) where these things are likely to crop up. Pray.</p>