I am a sophomore in high school and I just got a 5 day out of school suspension. I asked the guidance office and they said it will be in my student’s file but not on my transcript. I received good grades for my both freshman and sophomore year I really, really,really regretted to do that but I think I have to face the truth. I still have two more years and I feel like I must do the best in the following two years. I am considering to transfer to another new school for a fresh new start. I just wonder will the colleges see my student’s file and how will they respond to my disciplinary action based on this? I really want to go to Top 50s colleges and I don’t know how to do then.
Please help me, much thanks…
Even if you transfer to a new school, you will still have that 5-day suspension, won’t you?
You may have received good grades in freshman and sophomore year, but how did you earn those grades? A 5-day suspension for academic dishonesty isn’t something to be taken lightly. Did you get those good grades by cheating or something?
You need to elaborate a bit more.
Also, I am pretty sure the Common App requires you to list suspensions. It doesn’t matter what high school you transfer to or how far you try to run, that suspension is still going to chase you.
I know someone who got three of those and is currently attending Purdue. You’ll still get into college, don’t stress about it too much, just own up to your mistake when you apply to college in a few years.
From the school report on the Common App:
Transferring schools will not change how the GC answers that question, since s/he will have records from the old school.
Whether the college will care will depend upon what the infraction was. At this point, it is what it is. Staying out of trouble for the next 2 years will help.
I am done with the suspension in the old school right now, so…
So, based on what you said, will staying out of trouble and learning from mistakes help in the following two years? I mean I really made this stupid decision at that time and I am really regretful right now. I just wanna know will this kill my chance to go to top50 colleges instantly even if I do an excellent job in my new school such as getting good grades, serving the neighborhood a lot, getting a high SAT score?
Does not matter if it’s still on your record.
If the college and GC sees that you’ve learned from your mistakes and have matured as a person, then it will probably not affect you college chances. But again, since HS’s discipline differently, it really depends on the violation (and no, do not tell it what it was). Just know that getting suspended for constantly sneaking off to Burger King for lunch will be viewed differently than being suspended for dealing drugs, as an example.
The issue for OP is that he is now heading into Junior year, so he is going to get very little time to show that he has learned from his mistakes.
Not asking/implying what he was suspending for, but he didn’t say he went to jail or anything, so at least it wasn’t that bad.
He’s got a year and a half, which is a lifetime for a typical ~16 year old. 
It was a cheating on a chemistry exam, then I received a 5day suspension.
It won’t look good but whether it substantially affects you depends on how you take the next year and a half in high school. I know this is a very fringe case but my school valedictorian had gotten suspended twice for physically throwing kids into lockers and desks but he still got into a school ranked in the top 50 because he turned it around in the last year and showed leadership and maturity.
You cannot control any school that would look at the suspension and therefore not consider you.
You just need now to do the things that you should do to get into a top 50 school, which is all over this website.
Frankly, if you leave a school because you were suspended there, it looks even worse… Think about it, you took your punishment and you learned, and your school gave you another chance. Otherwise, it looks like you were suspended, and HAD to leave.
I’d stay put, as long as the issue is not going to recur, and work on grades, test scores, and ECs.
And what do your parents think? They would have a role in what school you can attend.