Hi everyone,
So, long story short I was stupid and immature and 8 years ago I was suspended for academic misconduct and also got an F in the course. I eventually graduated from a Bachelor of Science degree with a very low GPA (2.6). Then I took some time to figure out what I needed to do and then went back to school for a second degree (this time with no such violations) in Informational Technology & Commerce and a 3.9 GPA. I also have about 3-4 years of full time work experience as a Data Analyst and I want to apply for Masters in Data Science.
My question is this: A few schools ask if I have ever been involved with academic misconduct and for those question, I will 100% answer honestly. However, there are other schools that do not ask such question, but they state "Is there anything else you wish to the admissions committee?" Do you think I should disclose my IA incident in this section or leave it?
Although the incident was 8 years back and I am not the same person now as I was back then, do you think it will severely hurt my chances at getting it? I honestly want to disclose it, but i also don't want to unnecessarily put myself at a disadvantage.
Also, as a general note, how much do you think my IA will hurt my chances of getting in? I have already emailed a few schools about how they calculate my GPA and they all stated that they will count the most recent degree, so in terms of grades I don't need to worry about that.
Thoughts??
TLDR: Should I disclose an IA if the application doesn't explicitly ask??