Honor Council and Discipline Disclosure
Many college applications ask the student if he/she has ever been suspended, expelled, or found guilty by the school's Honor or Discipline Council. Though the wording varies from application to application, the spirit of the question is the same: if you have ever been punished by the Briarcrest Honor Council or suspended or expelled by Briarcrest or a previous school, you must answer "yes" to questions such as these and provide an explanation of the incident. If a student withdraws from Briarcrest for any reason or is dismissed for disciplinary reasons and subsequently returns, the college counselors will explain the circumstances of the withdrawal or dismissal in the official school recommendation. We strongly suggest that you speak to your college counselor if this scenario applies to you. Bear in mind that college admissions officers understand the nature of youthful indiscretions and will rarely deny a student admission solely based on a single error in judgment—unless that student is anything less than forthright, candid, and remorseful about a previous offense.
Early Decision Plans
An Early Decision (ED) agreement requires that, if admitted, the student will attend that institution. Because these applications must usually be filed in the fall months, the college considers only grades through the end of your junior year or the first quarter of your senior year. Colleges have three options under ED: they will admit you, defer your application for further review, or deny you admission. Because an ED application is a commitment to attend the institution if admitted, you may submit only one ED application. If admitted to your ED school, you must promptly withdraw all other applications. If you file an ED application and are admitted, you are honor-bound to follow through with your commitment to attend.
Early Action Plans
This application plan allows the student to receive the admissions decision from a college early, without the obligation to attend if admitted. Students applying under Early Action (EA) may apply to other colleges and have until May 1 to choose the college at which they will enroll. As with the Early Decision plan, colleges have three options. They will admit you, defer your application for further review, or deny you admission. NOTE: Some schools with EA plans do not allow students to file both an EA application and an ED application to another institution, or to file more than one EA application. It is your responsibility to know and to follow each school’s rules.
College Visit Policy
If you must miss class for your visit, be sure to secure permission to be excused from the High School Attendance Office. Absences for college visits will not be excused after returning to school (prior permission is essential) or when less than a five-day notice is received in the High School Attendance Office. For example, absence on a Friday requires notifying the High School Office and all teachers on the previous Monday. You may get an preapproved absence form from the High School Attendance Office (at least five school days prior to absence) by bringing in a signed note from a parent which states the date(s) that you will be absent and the college(s) that you will be visiting. You must return your excused absence form (signed by your teachers and college counselor) to the High School Attendance Office before leaving for your trip. Each high school junior and senior is allotted up to a maximum of five (5) days per year for college visitation. The request to miss school to visit any college campus must be valid. Any abuse of this privilege will result in its revocation.