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Impact of "social probation" during undergrad

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Impact of "social probation" during undergrad

by KG521 » Tue Jun 09, 2009 5:31 am
Hello -

I am hoping to get some feedback regarding how I deal with a certain aspect of my undergrad record. I have a strong profile: 760 GMAT, 3.5 GPA at a top liberal arts college, good work experience, extracurriculars both during and after undergrad.

During the fall of my sr. year at undergrad, I was involved in an altercation at a party with another student and was eventually put on "social probation" by the school and ordered to do community service. My question is, how will this affect my candidacy? I know this is not an easy answer, but is it something that schools will see and just put my application immediately in the rejected pile? Or is it something they will dig into but if they feel satisfied that it was not an egregious offense (I don't believe it was) they can look past it? I am planning on applying to the likes of H/S/W etc, and given how competitive admission can be to the top schools, I wanted to know if this is a fatal flaw in my application.

One other question is how I should address the issue? My feeling was to of course be straightforward about it, but is it something worth addressing in an optional essay? Thanks and I look forward to some feedback.
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by Paxton Helms - Kaplan » Tue Jun 09, 2009 7:42 am
Hi and thanks for your question.

The reality is that everybody has a wart or two on their application, even if some are a bit gnarlier than others.

Taking your questions one by one:

1) No, this is not a deal-killer. It's something that the Ad Com will want to know about but it shouldn't keep you out. My one concern --which I will address below-- is that there is a possibility of this' being interpreted as a "violent" offense rather than a "non-violent" one.


2) The way to handle this is three-fold:

a) Don't hide it or lie about it

b) Don't provide unnecessary information (It may be enough to say, "I was put on social probation for six weeks as the result of an incident at fraternity party. I completed 25 hours of community service and was then removed from probation." You may need to say, "I was involved in a dispute..." or even "I was involved in a scuffle..." but I would avoid saying "I beat the living snot out of a guy..." or "I instigated a pan-University rumble..." if at all possible. You will need to read the question asking for this kind information carefully and answer it completely and truthfully without saying more than you need to. And, remember, Guideline A ALWAYS trumps Guideline B.)

c) Don't over-apologize for it. All you will do is keep attention focused on this problem rather than on your significant strengths. People will take pay close attention to your handling of the matter and, consciously or not, will incorporate your behavior into their "interpretation" of the event.

You messed up but it has not defined your career or your life. Deal with it candidly, move on, and don't mention it again. Mentioning it again telegraphs insecurity and the fact that the issue is not resolved in your mind --a major red flag.


3) I would not put this in the optional essay. There will be another section along the lines of "Have you ever been convicted of a crime or been put on academic or social probation?" or something like that. Deal with it there according to the guidelines above and don't mention it again.

IMPORTANT: If the question does not ask about your offense then DON"T PUT IT IN. If it asks about "academic dishonesty and / or criminal convictions other than minor traffic violations" I would say that your situation is not covered and I would not mention it.

Again, err on the side of caution here, but there is no need to share more information than is asked for.

I hope this helps. Stay in touch and let me know if I can help you further--

Paxton
Keep me in the loop about your thinking and let me know if you have any more questions.

Paxton



Paxton Helms is an MBA admissions consultant for Kaplan Admissions Consulting. He earned his MBA from UCLA and specializes in helping clients that are applying to top twenty and "reach" programs. He can be reached directly at [email protected].

To begin working with Paxton immediately, follow this link and request him specifically: https://www.kaptest.com/GMAT/Admissions- ... lting.html
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by KG521 » Tue Jun 09, 2009 8:36 am
Paxton thank you very much for the thoughtful and detailed response. Your answer included exactly the information I was looking for.
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