Indiana-Bloomington C&F Question

[emmbar53]

So IU-Bloomington has the following question on their app:

D. Within the meaning of the general phrase "good moral character," are there any incidents that might challenge your character, honesty, and integrity?

Then it wants an addendum explaining any incidents. So, does this technically mean that I have to disclose the time I went to a strip club, tried to procure a blow job from a dancer, blacked out for three hours, and came to when a bouncer started punching me in the face?

[emmbar53]

But seriously, they cant expect everyone to disclose everything they ever did wrong, right?

[CanadianWolf]

Just depends upon whether or not you can pass the polygraph.

[tooswolle]

I don't think the question is asking for everything you have ever done. I believe it's talking about any issue that may not be asked in the application that could be grounds for disqualification.

Dude....you're strip club story is epic though! hahah

[joebloe]

Wow. I wouldn't even apply with an open-ended and vague question like that on an application. It's like they're trying to give the state bar the ability to disqualify you for any reason and cite failure to disclose.

Could also be a trap question, where if you don't respond yes and submit an addendum, the school assumes you're either lying or have no life experiences and rejects. I don't see how anybody who has done anything in life would be able to respond negatively to this.

[tk4386]

Agreed. No one can take a question like this too seriously.

[Lawquacious]

So IU-Bloomington has the following question on their app:

D. Within the meaning of the general phrase "good moral character," are there any incidents that might challenge your character, honesty, and integrity?

Then it wants an addendum explaining any incidents. So, does this technically mean that I have to disclose the time I went to a strip club, tried to procure a blow job from a dancer, blacked out for three hours, and came to when a bouncer started punching me in the face?

I hate these catch-alls. Better than one app for a TTT I applied to (looking for full-scholly) that asked about freaking parking tickets and juvenile history though. I had one other app with a similar question and I did disclose some stuff on it.

Everybody has stuff they're not proud of so I think the point is if there is anything you anticipate may actually come up in an official way so as to "challenge your etc etc etc" rather than anything more generally that wasn't entirely 'above board' in your life. I think ultimately it does come down to what you are comfortable with in terms of your own conscience- if you honestly feel the question demands of you to put something then I think not putting it could haunt your conscience. However, if you feel compelled I would do more research first and consult with more people. I would also carefully analyze the question further in your own mind and see if there is a way that you can construe it in your own mind (in a logically defensible way) such that it legitimately doesn't require a yes answer.

If taken at face value without this type of reflection, I think the only honest answer for every human is 'yes'. That's why this question sucks so much- it really puts people on the spot, and may even encourage outright dishonesty. Nevertheless, if you feel you can't answer 'no' in a defensible and honest way based on logical interpretation of the question, then I think it's probably important to either not answer it (not apply there) or just f-ing write whatever it is that you're not proud of.

I seriously think schools like this lose qualified applicants because of this type of C & F question. I noticed that the very top schools I looked at had relatively easy C & F sections from what I remember, I think it is prob because they didn't want to lose any qualified applicant to BS like this. Good luck.

[Lawquacious]

Wow. I wouldn't even apply with an open-ended and vague question like that on an application. It's like they're trying to give the state bar the ability to disqualify you for any reason and cite failure to disclose.

Could also be a trap question, where if you don't respond yes and submit an addendum, the school assumes you're either lying or have no life experiences and rejects. I don't see how anybody who has done anything in life would be able to respond negatively to this.

+1

[iowalum]

From talking with students when I visited, I'm pretty sure this just means things on your record, things they can document. I have friends that have disclosed at orientation and it was fine.