Top Law Schools

Two weeks ago I got a 4 week suspension from my university for yelling racial slurs late one night. I am thankfully able to keep up with all of my classes and hopefully, then, my grades won't fall. But I am applying to Law School this next fall and am worried that this may have an effect on my application. Will I have to report it? And, if so, will it be that big of a deal?

FYI: Several other people were doing it. I was just in the wrong place at the wrong time, really.

frankievallie666 wrote:Two weeks ago I got a 4 week suspension from my university for yelling racial slurs late one night. I am thankfully able to keep up with all of my classes and hopefully, then, my grades won't fall. But I am applying to Law School this next fall and am worried that this may have an effect on my application. Will I have to report it? And, if so, will it be that big of a deal?

FYI: Several other people were doing it. I was just in the wrong place at the wrong time, really.

i'm sure if you explain that other people were being racist, adcomms will understand that you are in no way responsible for your own actions

Yes, I believe any law school app will ask if you had any period of suspension, so you will have to disclose and discuss it. Whether it will hurt you is hard to say, but I'd assume it would hurt you, since it really seems to speak to your character. Of course, I don't know you, but then again, neither do the admissions folks, so what is in your admissions packet is their first impression and thats not a good one. And what does it matter that other people were doing it? You are an adult and make your own choices.

For us to give accurate advice it is vital for us to know exactly what you were yelling. Spill.

frankievallie666 wrote:Two weeks ago I got a 4 week suspension from my university for yelling racial slurs late one night. I am thankfully able to keep up with all of my classes and hopefully, then, my grades won't fall. But I am applying to Law School this next fall and am worried that this may have an effect on my application. Will I have to report it? And, if so, will it be that big of a deal?

FYI: Several other people were doing it. I was just in the wrong place at the wrong time, really.

Yes you will have to report it. I think it will hurt you, possibly badly because this looks terrible.

I think you have a much bigger problem than you realize if you think the only problem is being in the wrong place at the wrong time.

frankievallie666 wrote:Two weeks ago I got a 4 week suspension from my university for yelling racial slurs late one night. I am thankfully able to keep up with all of my classes and hopefully, then, my grades won't fall. But I am applying to Law School this next fall and am worried that this may have an effect on my application. Will I have to report it? And, if so, will it be that big of a deal?

FYI: Several other people were doing it. I was just in the wrong place at the wrong time, really.

I'd like more details. Specifically, I'd like to know about the group of people that was collectively shouting racial slurs into the night. (I know this is likely a troll, but still.... I can't help myself from inquiring about what happened in the troll universe the OP created.)

Ok, you all are being a little unfair. We were just having some fun and then unfortunately some people walked by that didn't want to hear it. It's really more complicated than you guys' are making it out to be, but whatever.

Anyway, will I have to report what happened? Or can I just say I was "rowdy with some friends on night"?

frankievallie666 wrote:Ok, you all are being a little unfair. We were just having some fun and then unfortunately some people walked by that didn't want to hear it. It's really more complicated than you guys' are making it out to be, but whatever.

Anyway, will I have to report what happened? Or can I just say I was "rowdy with some friends on night"?

Yes you will have to report it. You will also have to take full responsibility and explain that you have learned from your mistake.
No Ad com is going to believe a 4 week suspension for just being rowdy.
You can't minimize this and act like it was nothing.

You may also have to report it on bar applications. I'm not sure. I took the bar a long time ago.

frankievallie666 wrote:Anyway, will I have to report what happened? Or can I just say I was "rowdy with some friends on night"?

I think you have the right idea. In the addendum you attach to your application, explain that you were cited for violating your campus's "rowdy with friends" policy. Also, make sure your addendum contains as few racial slurs as possible. Ideally no more than three or four.

.

frankievallie666 wrote:Ok, you all are being a little unfair. We were just having some fun and then unfortunately some people walked by that didn't want to hear it. It's really more complicated than you guys' are making it out to be, but whatever.

Anyway, will I have to report what happened? Or can I just say I was "rowdy with some friends on night"?

Of course we are being unfair. That is the point. We don't know you at all, and the first thing we hear about you is this. In that sense, we are like the adcoms.

You will have to detail the situation, though I'd imagine you can put at least some spin on it to downplay it a bit. But you will obviously have to disclose that you were suspended for a month. And if you downplay the story too much, the adcoms may feel like you aren't being entirely truthful (since merely being a bit rowdy with friends, and getting suspended 4 weeks don't seem to equate)

Sigh. Since I am fairly certain that the advice to "mature a little" before going to law school will pass through your ears without consideration, I will just say this:

There is no such thing as "just having a little fun" involving racial slurs.
No.such.thing.

You have to report it, because your school most certainly has exactly what you did in your file and admissions will surely be curious about a month long suspension, because that's pretty major. And this just happened, it's not like you can say , "oh, it was years ago, I've matured." Which you haven't, because you still think there is some plausible excuse for why hollering racial slurs is ok if "people who don't want to hear it" would just mind their own business. You are wrong.

NYSprague wrote:

frankievallie666 wrote:Ok, you all are being a little unfair. We were just having some fun and then unfortunately some people walked by that didn't want to hear it. It's really more complicated than you guys' are making it out to be, but whatever.

Anyway, will I have to report what happened? Or can I just say I was "rowdy with some friends on night"?

Yes you will have to report it. You will also have to take full responsibility and explain that you have learned from your mistake.
No Ad com is going to believe a 4 week suspension for just being rowdy.
You can't minimize this and act like it was nothing.

You may also have to report it on bar applications. I'm not sure. I took the bar a long time ago.

Yes, the character and fitness portion of the bar application does ask about school suspensions, so he would have to disclose it and answer for it during his character and fitness interview. Though I'd imagine something like that wouldn't preclude him in any way, so long as he fully discloses and discusses it (as bad as it may look).

Given the publicity in the recent past of racist spats and "micro-aggressions" on law school/university campuses, you may have an uphill battle in front of you.

This will not cause you a problem at Cooley or Ole Miss.

frankievallie666 wrote:Ok, you all are being a little unfair. We were just having some fun and then unfortunately some people walked by that didn't want to hear it. It's really more complicated than you guys' are making it out to be, but whatever.

It's sad what's become of this country. It used to be that guys could get together, have a few drinks, and then shout racial slurs all night long. I spent many a night in my youth with my bros, passing around a bottle of Jack and shouting racial epithets without a care in the world. But now, apparently, such fun is off-limits. The end of racial segregation hasn't helped matters; now, as the OP learned, our college campuses are filled with ethnic minorities who can't take some good-natured ribbing.

frankievallie666 wrote:Ok, you all are being a little unfair. We were just having some fun and then unfortunately some people walked by that didn't want to hear it. It's really more complicated than you guys' are making it out to be, but whatever.

Anyway, will I have to report what happened? Or can I just say I was "rowdy with some friends on night"?

Y'all dumbasses forgot the cardinal rule of racial slurs which is to not let anyone affected by the slurs hear you say em

You deserve what's coming to you

rad lulz wrote:

frankievallie666 wrote:Ok, you all are being a little unfair. We were just having some fun and then unfortunately some people walked by that didn't want to hear it. It's really more complicated than you guys' are making it out to be, but whatever.

Anyway, will I have to report what happened? Or can I just say I was "rowdy with some friends on night"?

Y'all dumbasses forgot the cardinal rule of racial slurs which is to not let anyone affected by the slurs hear you say em

You deserve what's coming to you

I think thats the idea. Its one thing to use it as part of a private joke between friends. And quite another to be shouting it in a place where people who may genuinely be offended can hear it. The former isn't necessarily problematic, whereas the latter is just wrong, and it isn't a joke at that point.

Alright, instead of mostly advice and positive information I get more of the same stuff I've been hearing for the past week. Wonderful. Guys, we made some mistakes, we know we did. It definitely did get blown out of proportion, but, granted, we still should have been more cautious (everyone in the vicinity was very drunk and I've seen a lot worse shit, too).
Now, I get the gist from most of you though that this may have a serious effect on my application. I guess I will just be as forthright as possible and maybe they'll be more understanding?

frankievallie666 wrote:Alright, instead of mostly advice and positive information I get more of the same stuff I've been hearing for the past week. Wonderful. Guys, we made some mistakes, we know we did. It definitely did get blown out of proportion, but, granted, we still should have been more cautious (everyone in the vicinity was very drunk and I've seen a lot worse shit, too).
Now, I get the gist from most of you though that this may have a serious effect on my application. I guess I will just be as forthright as possible and maybe they'll be more understanding?

Just be completely honest, and see how they treat it. Perhaps they will be understanding, or perhaps they won't. Its impossible for us to know. All we can say for sure is that you just have to disclose and deal at this point. Theres really nothing more to it than that.

frankievallie666 wrote:Ok, you all are being a little unfair. We were just having some fun and then unfortunately some people walked by that didn't want to hear it. It's really more complicated than you guys' are making it out to be, but whatever.

Anyway, will I have to report what happened? Or can I just say I was "rowdy with some friends on night"?

This is like "she walked into my fist" excuse.

Honestly, although I hate giving advice like this, what does the school's write up of the incident say? You might be able to pass with a vague "rowdiness" BS excuse. But if the school wrote up a written report about you yelling racial epithets that's going to follow you probably all the way to Character and Fitness. And if/when someone asks you about this, please don't use reasoning like that to try to justify it.

I agree that you should just face it head in when you are inevitably asked to discuss. Can't come off like you are downplaying it or making excuses. That would make it look even worse. You claim that it wasn't as big a deal as the school made it out to be. So then the details should themselves convey that. But don't make your own excuses when discussing the story.

In other words, you cannot present this story the way you have presented it to us today.

frankievallie666 wrote:Alright, instead of mostly advice and positive information I get more of the same stuff I've been hearing for the past week. Wonderful. Guys, we made some mistakes, we know we did. It definitely did get blown out of proportion, but, granted, we still should have been more cautious (everyone in the vicinity was very drunk and I've seen a lot worse shit, too).
Now, I get the gist from most of you though that this may have a serious effect on my application. I guess I will just be as forthright as possible and maybe they'll be more understanding?

Well part of the issue here is that you didn't come here in a manner that would promote understanding.

You told us something that many people will find disgusting then dismissed it in a "boys will be boys" kind of manner. Then you tried to put in the context of "hey everyone was drunk and I saw a lot worse!"

If any of this attitude comes through in your application or C&F addendum it will sink you.

frankievallie666 wrote:Alright, instead of mostly advice and positive information I get more of the same stuff I've been hearing for the past week. Wonderful. Guys, we made some mistakes, we know we did. It definitely did get blown out of proportion, but, granted, we still should have been more cautious (everyone in the vicinity was very drunk and I've seen a lot worse shit, too).
Now, I get the gist from most of you though that this may have a serious effect on my application. I guess I will just be as forthright as possible and maybe they'll be more understanding?

You got helpful information.
This is going to hurt you, never lie on applications and change your fucking attitude. You aren't getting anywhere until you realize you screwed up badly and take responsibilty for your actions. No one will believe you were in the wrong place, that you were just being rowdy, or that it was NBD.
You are going to need to be honest. I think this will hurt you and if you keep this attitude, you won't be able to overcome the consequences of your actions.

it might be helpful to know the context/content of the racial slurs..

furthermore, it's quite unfortunate that the school administration decided to address this incident through punitive measures rather than constructive, on-campus discourse around hate speech and racial sensitivity.