Suspension - Do I have a shot at top MBA program?

Question

Hi all. I made a mistake when I was younger in another Master's graduate program. As a result I got suspended for two semesters.

This was more than four-years ago. It was when I was dumb about decision making.

Does this scar in my record prevent me from getting admitted to a top MBA program? If so, perhaps it's not worth me even applying.

Thanks for any and all input/advice.

novanative · Answer

Mistake can mean a lot things...

If you get suspended as a post HS student, there are two primary reasons why:

1. You broke the academic honor code that you didn't cheat/plagiarize. 
2. You broke a student conduct code (may also be the honor code too) rule. More likely if you were FT and/or lived on campus. The rule could be for a huge variety of instances, like harassing a student or doing something illegal, but you weren't criminally charged for it. Colleges often hold student conduct board hearings on students who are charged of sexual misconduct, when criminal charges aren't filed, though this is mostly and undergrad issue, but it can affect grads too.

I assume you're talking about point 1.

At any rate, you'll have to explain what happened. Instead of making it a sob story which they don't want to hear, I'd write about how you learned from that experience and how you can assure the adcom that this won't happen again. And you need to make this as short as possible, while getting your point across.

Will you get into a top MBA program? Possibly if you can convince them that your strengths outweigh this issue.

GMATLA · Answer

With a better explanation of why you were suspended, we could probably give you better advice. Was it ethics, cheating, plagiarism, drugs, law enforcement, skipping class?

With ethics being one of the main concerns of the modern MBA student (especially after the 2008 market downturn) I think you will have to make a very strong case for yourself. Also, does this suspension show up on your transcript? How would the program you are applying to know that something happened, other than the fact that you took two semesters off.

If something did happen, and it is shown on your transcript or somewhere else that the adcoms will see, you have to address it in your optional essay. If it was cheating or plagiarism based I definitely think it could hurt your application.

Here's how a school recently dealt with plagiarism: https://poetsandquants.com/2012/02/01/uc ... lagiarism/ This might give you an idea of Bschools stance on ethics

nervousMBA · Answer

It was an ethical issue. It wasn't academic plagiarism; nor was it harassment of any sort.

I'm intentionally keeping things vague. Sorry. Simply paranoid about protecting my ID.

I told a lie (unrelated to my academics; rather the lie pertained to my personal life) and the lie caused the institution to suspend me. It was a silly error in my part.

novanative · Answer

I'm guessing it's an honor code issue of don't lie, cheat, or steal, and someone turned you in for it. Maybe there was some other issue involved, but many universities have a number of these each semester. It's still up to you to mitigate it. William and Mary has a link showing honor code hearings, outcomes and punishments, for example. These too are vaguely worded so it's not like the university you went to will out you for an honor code violation either. https://www.wm.edu/offices/deanofstudent ... /index.php However, I can understand why you'd not want to divulge too much on the circumstances.

Consulting2Finance · Answer

Aside from showing up on your transcript, keep in mind most schools also do a background check, so this may show up there as well.

nervousMBA · Answer

Btw, this was not undergrad. This happened during grad school. The suspension.

pingpong · Answer

Did it happen at a Catholic school, by any chance?

mbalady · Answer

Hi there! While I don't know the details of your situation, I would only advise that you don't count yourself out of pursuing your goal because of a mistake you made, especially if you are a different person now. It happened, you cant get around it, you can't erase the past but you can learn from it.

This process involves a lot of self reflection, so how this affects your applications really depends on what you've learned/how you've grown from it, and how you present it in your apps. You have to convince adcom that this is not who you are anymore.. maybe because of this event, you now represent the 'antitheses of dishonesty'... maybe you are now an advocate for the honor code and speak to kids in schools etc. ( I am not encouraging you to fabricate anything.. just giving examples)..So while not glamorous, it is part of your story. Address it as such, but also talk about all the other (I'm sure, amazing) things that you have done since then, and your reason for your MBA. Just don't count yourself out before you try.

MBAbot · Answer

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Suspension - Do I have a shot at top MBA program?

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