Chapter 28 / The Handbook
Out In Front Of It
This is the next to last installment of The Handbook. Thanks to all who have read, commented on, and supported me over the last year. I invite you to share this with any student, and their parents, who might benefit. See you next week for the final chapter. Onwards!
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Are you ready to hit that submit button?
I’ll bet you’re eager to do just that. We’ve told our stories and chronicled our many accomplishments. We’ve answered those two big questions and made ourselves known both as a student and a human being. Overall we’ve made a solid case for ourselves. Is there anything else we need to do before we take the leap?
There might be one last piece of unfinished business.
Additional information.
Is there anything on your transcript you’re not proud of? What about that pesky C- in ninth grade that jumps out at you each time you share the document? More than one? Something worse? Perhaps even a disciplinary mishap everyone has long since forgotten about but stubbornly remains on your transcript? Isn’t there a statute of limitations on these things? If you’re concerned colleges are going to find out about it, rest assured— they will. But it doesn’t have to be a major problem— not if you get out in front of it.
Ignoring it may seem easier, but you can’t pretend it away. If there is a problem on a transcript and the applicant fails to address it, a red flag goes up. Trust this, when AOs have to choose between advocating for and abandoning a case— a situation they’ll face repeatedly between November and March— that flag draws unwanted attention to you. The only time to effectively deal with it is before it goes up.
No one expects perfection. What a college does expect is for you to take responsibility for whatever issues there are and properly explain them. If you elect not to, can you blame them for assuming some similar behavior might pop up again in college? There are as many different obstacles as there are stumbles. Some will exonerate you. No one knows the nature of yours unless you speak up, and write down, what the circumstances were. So, do yourself a favor— clear the air.
Disciplinary action
You are asked this question on the common app:
Have you ever been found responsible for a disciplinary violation at any educational institution you have attended from the 9th grade (or the international equivalent) forward, whether related to academic misconduct or behavioral misconduct, that resulted in a disciplinary action? These actions could include, but are not limited to: probation, suspension, removal, dismissal, or expulsion from the institution.
We’ll start here as you have no choice but to respond. When a disciplinary action appears on your official record, you’re obligated to explain it. If you have any question about what, if any, actions will be reported there, you should discuss it with your school counselor. Unless the school intends to inform colleges of such an action, you are not obliged to mention it. Colleges want to avoid similarly unhappy situations with their undergraduates and look very carefully at these cases. How you handle it can have a dramatic effect on your admissions outcome.
If you’ve determined there is such an action reported, you’ll need to be transparent and provide context. Describe the circumstances openly without going into unnecessary detail. Avoid the urge to place responsibility on others. Focus on the lessons you took away from the experience and the changes you made going forward. Tell your school counselor that you’re addressing the issue on your application. If you’re lucky, they will corroborate your version of the events and aftermath. Telling the whole truth increases the likelihood of that happening.
Why is addressing this important? Consider how it feels when someone who has wronged you offers an immediate and heartfelt apology. While your feelings are bruised, if they stand before you eye-to-eye and say they were wrong and regret their actions, you are inclined to forgive them and possibly even find some new respect. It’s not easy to do. And when you witness true remorse, you’re moved by it. Keep that in mind as you switch roles and explain your own predicament. Colleges will admire your courage if you face down your missteps and fess up. Failing to check the box is tantamount to lying and shouldn’t be considered. There have been cases of admitted students having their admission rescinded over such an omission.
The pill may be bitter to swallow, but the effects don’t last. Take your medicine and move on.
Plagiarism
This is the most serious offense in all of academia. There are no second chances, in many cases, for students who present someone else's work as their own. You need to write the single most honest and soul searching explanation of your life. I have no relevant experience and offer only this advice— take it seriously.
How you tell the story is up to you. But you must convey that you understand the gravity of the offense and state unequivocally that you will never be guilty of it again.
There are issues of less consequence. I have a discussion with every one of my counselees about them. In the event of a blemish on their record, I ask to know everything that happened— the good and the bad. Here are a few scenarios I’ve heard described:
An injury or illness resulted in a hospital stay, negatively impacting academic performance. A return to school coincided with a resumption of good standing.
This one’s a slam dunk. Provide dates, doctor’s name, diagnosis and details. As long as the timeline fits your narrative you should experience little fallout.
A substitute teacher lacked the training, education, or inclination to adequately prepare the class, resulting in poor student performance.
If you can have your school counselor corroborate this, you’re in a better position. An explanation of your having tried to drop the course when the instructor left might also help. Otherwise, provide as much detail as possible including whatever efforts you made outside of class to make up for the lack of learning that went on inside.
A teacher singled out a student for unfair persecution.
I know this happens but it’s nearly impossible to argue on an application.
At least one of my high school teachers actively disliked me and worked hard to make my life as unpleasant as possible. I have come to see that her beef was in part earned (I challenged, much to the delight of my classmates, whatever I felt were foolish and illogical assignments. I was insufferably high-energy and a general pain in the nether regions). You may not have achieved sufficient distance from your experience to take similar responsibility.
If you feel the offender’s mistreatment was sufficiently egregious, you can write about this, but I urge you to omit the teacher’s name. You do not need to invite litigation. Take ownership of whatever part you may have played in any of it. Your school counselor may not back you up, not if they want to keep their job. Tread carefully. Consider not writing about it at all or confine your remarks to personal differences with the offending teacher and be done with it. Portraying yourself as a contributor to an ugly interaction can have unintended consequences. Speaking negatively about your teachers carries with it certain risks. Taking responsibility for yourself holds none.
A single C isn’t enough to derail your entire application anyway.
Family issues
No matter what you’ve been through, you’re not the first to have confronted it and had it affect your performance. I’ve had students face divorces, bankruptcies, homelessness and even suicides along with the consequent ruptures in their school lives. It’s tragic but it happens. With time and care, eventually they came through it.
Tell your story without apology or embellishment. If you have been through fire and survived, I hope you’re stronger for it.
Immaturity
This is the most common, and often most honest, explanation of all. A 14 year-old coming to grips with high school will very often struggle and it frequently shows up in their ninth grade transcript. When I meet them three years later they’re embarrassed they weren’t more prepared to take on these new responsibilities. The fallout is predictable. Their grades suffer as they find their balance.
No one in the admissions office reading this is surprised in the least. And hearing a student call themselves out for their own juvenile missteps can actually be a plus. We’ve all been there. And some of us, myself included, wouldn’t have had the wherewithal to offer a genuine, and timely, mea culpa. If it nags at you, talk about it. You obviously learned something about personal responsibility in the process.
School change
Families move requiring students to relocate. If that’s your story, that’s all you need to say. If there are any circumstances the move brought about, you may elect to tell us more. Having to reinvent yourself in a new environment can be a challenge. It can also present new opportunities which may reveal your pluck and positivity.
I’ve had students who experienced bullying to such an extent that they enrolled elsewhere. You may want to share such a story, particularly if your new school provided a fresh start and a supportive environment.
COVID-19 pandemic
Some colleges may provide a dedicated space and invite you to address any unusual fallout you suffered. If the time period was the unfortunate intrusion that it was for everyone, keep your comments brief or omit them entirely.
Unusual circumstances
If there are any other issues I haven’t cited, the Additional information section is where to leave a record of it. Mental health history, learning differences, unique life experience or something that is exclusively yours can be outlined here.
Leave it all on the field, as the sports world says.
Start the countdown.
The moment you’ve sent your stuff off, please check your email EVERY DAY. You will begin to get correspondence from your chosen colleges. Some of it may be critical to your case— requests for missing information or application components. Some of it may be just for your amusement. Open every post. Slow down and confirm what they’re asking. Read the room. They’re still paying attention and the only message you want to convey is I’m here and I’m ready for anything.
But you know that. Because you’re there and you’re ready for anything.
There’s an odd stillness once you submit your applications. For weeks you heard a silent ticking, the sound of a deadline looming. There was a frenetic energy constantly buzzing around you as you tried to check off every item on that long to-do list. But now, all that’s left to do is wait.
I’ve shared everything I set out to. In a few short weeks you’ll receive replies. I hope they’re thick and oversized. Those are the ones that include glossy student guides and welcome packets. I hope you get your pick of a few wonderful places.
Where you’re admitted to college, and where you elect to go, are foremost in your mind right now. How could it not be? It’s all you’ve focused on for months. However, if you'll indulge me, it will pale in comparison to what you get out of college. It was true for me and it has been corroborated by the students I’ve accompanied on their journeys. Finding your path, sharpening your skills, and filling your toolbox will be valuable well into the future.
The truth is, I’m jealous.
Godspeed.
This is the next to last installment of The Handbook. Thanks to all who have read, commented on, and supported me over the last year. I invite you to share this with any student, and their parents, who might benefit. See you next week for the final chapter. Onwards!