Ask Stacy Blackman

Hi Stacy,

Five years ago when I was an undergrad, I committed a minor indiscretion (community standards violation) which resulted in me being issued a written internal conduct citation by my university as well as being placed on conduct probation. All of these charges have since been destroyed, as my university only retained them for 3 years post-graduation.

One of the applications I am completing asks for background questions and I am unsure if my incident would apply to this question:
"Have you ever been subject to academic discipline, placed on probation, suspended, or required to withdraw from any college or university?"

The way I read that question, it is referring only to academic discipline (e.g. low GPA, plagiarism charge, etc.). The application asks for an attachment to discuss any "academic or criminal discipline," which again seems to not apply to my situation.

How should I interpret this question and if needed to answer "yes" how big of a blow is it to an application that is otherwise impeccable?

Thanks,
MSC

PS: Anyone else is welcome to reply with their own opinion...