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Hey everyone,

So, I got caught smoking weed on campus my freshman year and had to take the two-hour "self over substance" class. I don't have any idea if this is recorded anywhere or not. Should I list this under the character and fitness section of my applications? I want to be honest, but I don't want to bring it up if I don't need to.

Also, does a minor issue like this have any tangible impact on an application?

Thanks!

Call your school and ask whether there are any marks on your record, explain why you want to know so they actually look. Even if they say no, call the law schools you want to apply to (without giving your name) and tell them a simplified version of the situation. Ask whether it needs to be shared. From past experience (with academic problems, not weed), there's a good chance that they will tell you to err on the side of caution. Even if it's not on your school record, it may be somewhere else, and if it comes up later in your career, it could screw you over. It's better to look like a foolish kid, as opposed to a foolish kid who tried to lie to law schools. Chances are high that you will have to mention it, drugs are not generally something that a LAW school will ignore.

so long as its not indicative of a pattern of behavior (i.e. its your only one), i doubt law schools will care.

i'm sure half of the adcomms are baked just to get through the applicants

encore1101 wrote:so long as its not indicative of a pattern of behavior (i.e. its your only one), i doubt law schools will care.

i'm sure half of the adcomms are baked just to get through the applicants

I laughed a little harder than I should reading this last sentence.

put it on...

Read the question prompt for each school because they vary, but I would put it on there. This is something that could hurt if it came up later and you didn't disclose.

In your shoes, I'd disclose. Smoking a little weed is definitely not an offense of moral turpitude and I'm sure that after your 2-hour class you've changed your ways........right? Anyway, I don't think schools will care. I suspect stuff like this is common.

Disclosure is the safer option. It won't be a big deal. I read Spivey say somewhere in his mega-thread of admissions advice that a lot of applicants actually have C&F issues. As long as it's not a patterned behavior you're good.

I feel pretty confident in saying that this absolutely, 100% needs to be disclosed on every single law school's application. Most C&F questions do not start out with "Is there a record that...". Whether or not it is in your file (which, BTW, it almost certainly is if you were required to attend a class) is irrelevant. I'm going to assume that you haven't read the C&F questions on the apps yet because once you do, it is pretty clear that something like this falls squarely in the range of required disclosures.

It's almost never the offense that gets people, it's not disclosing it. As long as this isn't one piece in a pattern of behavior, you don't have anything to worry about by disclosing.

Dean Perez
Texas Tech Law

SPerez wrote:I feel pretty confident in saying that this absolutely, 100% needs to be disclosed on every single law school's application. Most C&F questions do not start out with "Is there a record that...". Whether or not it is in your file (which, BTW, it almost certainly is if you were required to attend a class) is irrelevant. I'm going to assume that you haven't read the C&F questions on the apps yet because once you do, it is pretty clear that something like this falls squarely in the range of required disclosures.

It's almost never the offense that gets people, it's not disclosing it. As long as this isn't one piece in a pattern of behavior, you don't have anything to worry about by disclosing.

Dean Perez
Texas Tech Law

Thank you for the advice. It is the only time I have been reprimanded as a student.

UOI4430 wrote:

SPerez wrote:I feel pretty confident in saying that this absolutely, 100% needs to be disclosed on every single law school's application. Most C&F questions do not start out with "Is there a record that...". Whether or not it is in your file (which, BTW, it almost certainly is if you were required to attend a class) is irrelevant. I'm going to assume that you haven't read the C&F questions on the apps yet because once you do, it is pretty clear that something like this falls squarely in the range of required disclosures.

It's almost never the offense that gets people, it's not disclosing it. As long as this isn't one piece in a pattern of behavior, you don't have anything to worry about by disclosing.

Dean Perez
Texas Tech Law

Thank you for the advice. It is the only time I have been reprimanded as a student.

Well then as long as you have nothing else criminal in your background you'll be fine. Good luck.

Retake!!

In all seriousness, just disclose.

The dean of my law school told us during orientation that the "young and dumb" excuse is usually a pretty valid excuse for things like this that occurred before law school.