Will this hurt my college admissions chances? (If so, how badly?)Answered
In my sophomore year, I had my phone on me during a midterm because I forgot to put it in my locker. It went off in class and was confiscated. My school agreed that due to the type of student I am that it was highly unlikely I cheated, but since I had taken it to the bathroom with me during the test, it had to be considered cheating, and I received academic probation and a zero on my midterm. Since that incident, I have been able to bring my grades back up (mostly A's with one or two B's) and have gotten in no type of trouble since then.
Since Common App asks about this, I will have no choice but to mention it, and I already plan to take responsibility and explain the situation without putting blame or playing the victim.
So does anyone know how badly this might impact my admissions chances? (for colleges in general, but for prestigious ones as well)
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5 answers
Excellent question. Having a few B's can definitely hurt your chances at the most selective colleges (where you'll want an unweighted 4.0 or as close to that as possible). That said, it is definitely still possible to get into even the most elite schools with a 3.8 or so, so long as the rest of your application is fantastic.
As @CameronBameron already mentioned, the Common App has removed the disciplinary question, so you won't need to mention this at all. If you did get a B overall in this class and it's not a particularly important course to your resume (IE. it's not in the subject of your intended college major), I'd most likely not mention this incident at all. If you got a C or D or failed this course, though, this is the kind of thing you might consider mentioning in your Common App Additional Information section. So long as you are able to provide the kind of context you said you would (IE. taking responsibility for the situation, telling the truth, etc.) in an essay-like statement, this could help admissions officers understand one particularly low grade on your transcript. If you go this route, I'd focus on how you were able to take this incident in stride and have performed very well in school since then. Adding in a little humor (that you always quadruple-check to make sure you don't have your phone on you during exams these days, etc.) might be effective as well.
According to last fall reports, the Common App no longer requires applicants to answer this question. Were you not aware of this?
https://www.commonapp.org/blog/common-app-removes-school-discipline-question-college-application
Good Luck.
Common App actually doesn't require that you answer that question anymore. If they did, with a good explanation, I'm sure you'd be fine!
It really depends on the college but some colleges just look at your ACT/SAT. So if you score well on those tests you should be okay. Other colleges might take that into account but if you can explain why it happened you shouldn't have a problem.
If you are able, describe the incident as you told us to the college. It would also be helpful to talk about this to a college advisor for the college you are applying to. These people are incredibly kind to work with and could help you understand what this would mean for higher education. And of course I can't promise this, but I have a feeling that they will understand and will help you out with this dilemma. It doesn't sound like any kind of serious offense, like what the Common App and college are looking for. Imagine how many other students have done the same thing before and have still made in college and life. Hope this answers your question.
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Thank you. I didn’t know that because the question is still on common app, so I assumed it would still be there once the new application opens in August.