Relax and take a deep breath! You do not have to report any 8th-grade disciplinary action on your college applications. The applications ask only about infractions that took place from 9th through 12th grades. So you are off the hook. In addition, a one-time detention—in ANY grade—is rarely problematic. College admission officials are more concerned with suspensions and expulsions. And, even then, most admission officials are willing to look carefully at WHY the applicant was suspended. A student who got into a fist fight while defending a classmate against bullies will certainly be viewed differently than a student who cheated on an exam, although both episodes might lead to the same punishment.However, now that you’ve been disciplined in school and you know how scary it feels, do bend over backwards to keep this from happening again. You don’t want to get a reputation for being a trouble-maker … especially if you really aren’t. Once teachers and administrators see that certain students have had a couple of detentions, it can become easier to give them more and to blame them for infractions in which they played a minor role … or perhaps none at all.
But for now, rest assured that you are fine, and this recent incident won’t affect your future in any way. Yet one thing you CAN do to help your college-admission chances down the road is to learn to spell “received” correctly by the time you’re a senior. 😉 Admission folks see this error on applications a lot and, although it may not have any major impact on admission outcomes, you certainly want to try to make a good first impression when you apply to college.
Best of luck to you and keep up the fine work on your grades.
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