<p>Hunt is correct. There don’t appear to be any higher-level penalties than dismissal or expulsion. So mustn’t the question then be asking for lower-level penalties by using the phrase “not limited to”? Really, much of this issue could be resolved if the Common App rephrased the question to state specifically what it wants to take under consideration.</p>
<p>As the article in post 175 indicates, it’s important to report your 9th grade lunch detention for talking in class in order to prevent something like the Virginia Tech massacre…</p>
<p>Read the comments at the bottom of the NYT article. They address the potential illegalities of what colleges are asking students to do (though the attorney in response #2 is talking about legal, not academic indescretions) and the example in #3 of a stuends much like seahorses, who was honest, and paid the price.</p>
<p>the question is not as yes and no as some would like to think, few questions rarely are</p>
<p>and until each school handles punishments the same, uses the same terminology, has the same consequences, and reports to the college how those things are handled, like when they send in the HS’s info on medium grades, test scores, etc, then this question will continue to b e very problematic</p>
<p>People keep throwing the word “justify” around like its some sort of horrid thing to do. Its not. why not call it an explanation. why would one throw themselves under a bus if they don’t need to, if they have been told they don’t have to</p>
<p>i never understood how people can only see black and white, yes and no, right and wrong- there is too much inbetween, and for that I am very happy, as issues need to be seen on a scale or severity</p>
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<p>Because the Common App question(s) already have the vehicle built-in for an explanation by having the student attach a separate sheet explaining the circumstances. A student or a parent deciding on their own that they don’t want to disclose a KNOWN, PROVEN infraction doesn’t qualify in any way, shape, or form as an “explanation”. It qualifies as deception. You proudly admit you encouraged your child to lie, and have stated multiple times that you have no remorse about it whatsoever. You CAN’T justify that position. </p>
<p>Those that read or interpret the question differently may each have their own reasons for doing so. If it’s a question of what level of infraction(s) the questions refers to, exactly what are you worrying about? If it’s the “eraser cleaning in 9th grade” level, what could you possibly worry about in reporting it? Why wouldn’t you? Is it overkill? Probably, but I’d certainly rather default to the overly honest black and white side of the question than wander into the gray area of “here’s my reasoning for not disclosing”. Too slippery of a slope for my taste.</p>
<p>Differences in HS disclosure policies, disciplinary procedures, etc. is exactly the reason why I think you should report ALL infractions and give the explanation requested. Let the institution you’re trying to gain entry to decide whether they think it warrants additional consideration or not. As I said before…it’s not YOUR school, it’s THEIR school. THEIR decision…THEIR rules. You’re not “protecting” your child from anything, and I seriously doubt anyone is concerned about “wasting the Adcoms time” with trivial matters. Heck…maybe you’ll give them a good chuckle. :)</p>
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This is where I think you, and others taking your position, need to take a moment and apply your insight to your position. Are you really saying that you would advise your child to report the eraser cleaning incident in response to the Common App question? Are you really saying that you interpret the question to require this? If you are, you are in a small, small minority, and your view is an outlier. If this is the case, you ought to take this into account before characterizing those with different interpretations as liars.</p>
<p>My son’s school gives Saturday detention for a uniform violation as small as wearing the wrong tie or a missing belt. The second such violation carries an in-school suspension. I think it would be ludicrous to report that on the common app and if I were reading them, I would look very unkindly on someone who wasted my time on the small nonsense. What I wonder is whether checking yes effectively means placement on the reject pile because there are more than enough no boxes checked so the extra work of reading, possibly investigating and then deciding wouldn’t be worth it.</p>
<p>Most likely the adcoms simply wish that the Common App would make the question clearer so they wouldn’t have to read so many essays on what Johnny learned from atoning for his uniform violation.</p>
<p>I really hope people would have enough common sense to report only what the high school guidance counselor says they “should” report or what the high school itself will report. </p>
<p>All this other stuff is just silly.</p>
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<p>Hunt…Yes, that is how I read it and I see absolutely no reason to not report it. As soon as people start deciding on their own what does or doesn’t need to be included, it opens the door for unscrupulous to justify not disclosing for deceitful reasons. Is everyone that fails to disclose doing so for deceitful reasons? Absolutely not, but obviously there are some that do and then try to justify their actions.</p>
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<p>If you think this little of the Adcoms at a particular school, why would you want your child to attend it in the first place? Again…if you’re drawing a line ASSUMING they “don’t really want to know that” or marking “yes” will lead to an auto-reject, you’re putting yourself in the role of Adcom. They asked the question and they’re getting paid to do their job…why not let them do it instead of trying to do it for them?</p>
<p>and it is still just silly.</p>
<p>If the high school guidance counselor says to report, then report. If they say it is not going to be reported, why would you take it upon yourself to decide you have to report?</p>
<p>it would be like reporting being sent into the hall for disturbing a class. It’s just silly.</p>
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<p>I would really hope people would have enough common sense to report what they actually did and what they learned from it…like the question directly asks.</p>
<p>All this other stuff is just silly. To each their own.</p>
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Because there is no way to know how any one will react.
I happen to think that reporting the ridiculous little violations is showing disrespect to the admissions people, but that’s just me.</p>
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I don’t believe for one minute that reading about the boy who received detention for leaving his belt at home twice in four years is going to tell the admissions professional anything about the character or potential of that student. I also don’t think the boy really needs to write an essay or do serious reflection on the issue, either.</p>
<p>It’s silly because it has nothing to do with what they are asking. They aren’t asking you to go to confession and tell them the time you disrupted dinner at home and the time you told your brother’s girlfriend he was out when he was in but didn’t want to talk to her or the time in the cafeteria you and your best friend got into a food fight and had to stay after and clean the place up.</p>
<p>If the HS isn’t going to report, then clearly it’s been cleaned up with them. Leave the past in the past.</p>
<p>I’m one of the dishonest, evil people who did not have my son report every disciplinary violation. He had a major one to report and did so in a concise manner with the help of his excellent college counselor. Reading this thread with both amusement and disgust, I can’t help thinking about one school he briefly attended that, for very valid reasons, was extremely strict about every little rule. If he had reported every transgression for which he was disciplined at that school it would have required a book! I’m a lawyer, and, yes, I interpret things favorably to my kid. He got into college, got out of college and is doing quite well in the workforce.</p>
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The reason to not report it is that most people will think you lack common sense, and this might not be a positive for adcoms.</p>
<p>My interpretation of the common app is to answer yes to any of the specific examples given, such as suspension, expulsion, etc.
I would not interpret it to include cleaning erasers in 9th grade, or discipline for a student that was later exonerated.
But, if I can limit my opinion to one real-life example at hand, the suspension for underage drinking(the student has admitted to). Yes, the common app is asking for this one. I understand the temptation to withhold info because it likely would not surface, I admit I might be tempted to withhold it, but despite that, I do interpret it that it is expected to be reported.
Some here are getting awfully indignant with an attitude like- I’m not perfect, hasn’t your child ever fouled up? Sadly, those people miss the point. Those that say it should be reported(to my knowlege) have never said they are perfect. Seeing what should be done(as they see it) is NOT the same as saying- I always do what is right. Please see the difference.
But saying-- I will withhold it because the student has been punished enough is a clear answer in itself that the person knows it should have been disclosed.</p>
<p>As it applies here, Let’s remember the job of an atty is generally not to seek the truth. Typically the job of an atty is to advocate his client’s position. If the client wants to justify his reasoning that something should not be included, the atty should try to cloud the subject to support his client. Similar to a mechanic, the atty(as it applies to this thread) is prob hired to fix a problem.</p>
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<p>And if the guidance counselor says, “Nah, don’t worry about that 2-week suspension for drinking at your junior prom. We’re not going to mention it - so you don’t have to.” . . . then what?</p>
<p>If the kid was drinking, and got caught, and was suspended from school for two weeks, shouldn’t he or she answer truthfully when asked?</p>
<p>No. If the high school says it’s not on the record, it’s not on the record, unless there is a criminal record, in which case that’s a different question.</p>
<p>But, for something that serious, as a parent, I’d make sure I checked with the people “in power” to see the policy, first.</p>