{"id":38675,"date":"2017-08-09T06:30:46","date_gmt":"2017-08-09T13:30:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/?p=38675"},"modified":"2017-09-11T03:42:58","modified_gmt":"2017-09-11T10:42:58","slug":"can-you-get-accepted-after-doing-something-stupid-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/can-you-get-accepted-after-doing-something-stupid-2\/","title":{"rendered":"Can You Get Accepted After Doing Something Stupid?"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Downlad<\/a><\/p>\n

The point of this article is not to tell you that you shouldn\u2019t engage in disorderly conduct, petty theft, or other minor (or major) infractions (though you really shouldn\u2019t\u2026); what we want to discuss here is how you should overcome the obstacle of a criminal record when approached with the application question: \u201cHave you ever been convicted of a crime? If yes, please explain.\u201d<\/p>\n

If you did something stupid, something deserving of a conviction or suspension, how do you prove to an admissions committee that you are worthy of their acceptance?<\/p>\n

Don\u2019t Try to Hide a Conviction<\/strong><\/p>\n

Admissions committees (and the firms they hire) conduct background checks on applicants, and an unexplained discrepancy gives them an easy reason to reject your application or withdraw an offer of admission. So, when asked, own up to your behavior on your application.<\/p>\n

Don\u2019t Make Excuses<\/strong><\/p>\n

The biggest struggle you may face is overloading your writing with justifications of your behavior. Even very subtle self-serving statements can be read by an admissions committee as failure to take responsibility for your actions. Leave out the excuses and directly address what you did.<\/p>\n

Don\u2019t Go Overboard Addressing the Infraction<\/strong><\/p>\n

Avoid turning your applications into overblown mea culpas. Usually a well-written response to an application\u2019s \u201cfailure\u201d essay question<\/a> is enough; don\u2019t discuss your mistakes in every element of the application \u2013 that\u2019s too much!<\/p>\n

Show That You Learned Your Lesson and That Your Past Behavior Won\u2019t Happen Again<\/strong><\/p>\n

This step tends to be less of a struggle, because usually you can express remorse, detail the actions you took to atone for your behavior, and show how you matured from your experiences<\/a>. For example, consider illustrating how you became heavily involved with your community, counseled others who tended toward that same behavior, and turned your failure into a success benefiting others.<\/p>\n

Perfect execution of these suggestions will increase your chances of admission, but they may not be enough to gain you acceptance to a top school. So avoid having to deal with this situation altogether: think twice and three times before you do something that you could regret for a very long time.<\/p>\n

\"Get<\/a><\/p>\n

\"Get<\/a><\/p>\n

Related Resources:<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u2022 From Example to Exemplary<\/a>, a free guide to writing outstanding application essays
\n\u2022 Your Past Doesn\u2019t Define You<\/a>, a podcast episode
\n\u2022 The Importance of Obstacles in Your Application Essays<\/a><\/p>\n

This article<\/a>\u00a0originally appeared on\u00a0<\/i>blog.accepted.com<\/a>.<\/i><\/p>\n

Applying to a top b-school? The talented folks at Accepted have helped hundreds of applicants get accepted to their dream programs. Whether you are figuring out where to apply, writing your application essays, or prepping for your interviews, we are just a call (or click) away.<\/p>\n

Contact us, and get matched up with the consultant who will help\u00a0you\u00a0<\/i>get accepted<\/a>!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The point of this article is not to tell you that you shouldn\u2019t engage in disorderly conduct, petty theft, or other minor (or major) infractions (though you really shouldn\u2019t\u2026); what…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[11,939,775,113,243],"tags":[1189,2120,759],"class_list":["post-38675","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-mba","category-accepted","category-admission-consultants","category-applications","category-blog","tag-addressing-weaknesses","tag-criminal-record","tag-weaknesses","entry"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\n\t\t\n