Question regarding past conduct probation EDIT: More Q's
Posted: Tue Jan 11, 2011 3:14 am
I just recently received my December LSAT score and started to apply to eight different law schools, but the one question that haunts me is
"Have you been subjected to disciplinary actions, such as probation, by the colleges you have attended?" (the general gist of it)
Now, during May of sophomore year, I have been caught with a joint, but was not criminally charged with anything by the police, although I was put on residential/conduct probation for a year. That probation is long over.
My concerns are:
1. How do I go about disclosing such info? I have a short paragraph detailing what happened during the incident, what actions were taken, my punishment, and the length of time that probation lasted. Should I add in anything else, like regret or what I learned (how do I even word such a thing without sounding like another sob story?)
2. Would something like a joint hurt my chances of getting into law school? I know of stories of people getting DUIs or underage drinking still landing into law school, but an illegal substance is something I don't hear too much about.
3. When they ask for a date of the incidence, can I just give a month/year of when it occurred (it happened almost two years ago), or do they truly want a specific date?
Thanks for any responses. I have been stressing over the application process for awhile now.
EDIT:
After a lot of reading and lurking, the application process and law school itself has me worried. I truly do wish to become a lawyer (yes, for the money and to actually try to make some kind of difference in something like constitutional law), but hearing a lot of bad talk about 3rd and 4th tier schools, I have been presented with more questions.
Profile
GPA: 3.63
LSAT: 157
Nothing remarkable.
1. Should I bother applying to places like Fordham or St. John's with that kind of profile? My GPA seems to hit their criteria, but not so much the LSAT score.
2. Would going to a school like Buffalo Law be detrimental in coming out on top (meaning the debt wouldn't kill me and I would still be able to get a decent paying career)
Again, thanks for responses and advice.
"Have you been subjected to disciplinary actions, such as probation, by the colleges you have attended?" (the general gist of it)
Now, during May of sophomore year, I have been caught with a joint, but was not criminally charged with anything by the police, although I was put on residential/conduct probation for a year. That probation is long over.
My concerns are:
1. How do I go about disclosing such info? I have a short paragraph detailing what happened during the incident, what actions were taken, my punishment, and the length of time that probation lasted. Should I add in anything else, like regret or what I learned (how do I even word such a thing without sounding like another sob story?)
2. Would something like a joint hurt my chances of getting into law school? I know of stories of people getting DUIs or underage drinking still landing into law school, but an illegal substance is something I don't hear too much about.
3. When they ask for a date of the incidence, can I just give a month/year of when it occurred (it happened almost two years ago), or do they truly want a specific date?
Thanks for any responses. I have been stressing over the application process for awhile now.
EDIT:
After a lot of reading and lurking, the application process and law school itself has me worried. I truly do wish to become a lawyer (yes, for the money and to actually try to make some kind of difference in something like constitutional law), but hearing a lot of bad talk about 3rd and 4th tier schools, I have been presented with more questions.
Profile
GPA: 3.63
LSAT: 157
Nothing remarkable.
1. Should I bother applying to places like Fordham or St. John's with that kind of profile? My GPA seems to hit their criteria, but not so much the LSAT score.
2. Would going to a school like Buffalo Law be detrimental in coming out on top (meaning the debt wouldn't kill me and I would still be able to get a decent paying career)
Again, thanks for responses and advice.