DataCurious7

@Sigaba, thank you for the advice. Yes, that is the internal debate I am having in deciding which route I take. I am thinking of discussing this with my academic advisor, would that be a good idea? As you suggested, I started researching about conditions of accepting an offer and it seems that not all universities have a clear guideline. Although, I will assume that they all want this information at some point. And yes, so far I only had 1 B+. This semester will add this D and a B-, both in advanced courses that are not generally considered easy. I think I most likely will just end up including the information because as you said, it may help my application if I take a proactive approach even if my situation is not as severe as described by the question. This way, I can explain my letter grade before they ask and clear up any doubts. It will have a negative impact but I think it may hopefully add a layer of depth too. Also, should I reach out to my instructor? I have had brief conversations with them in office-hours and post-lecture. I feel that even a single sentence statement from them attesting to my improvement, if included in my application, may improve my explanation instead of just me self-explaining my own actions.

Hi everyone, As the title suggests, I am an undergraduate currently and had an academic violation due to working with a classmate on a take-home open note examination. It goes without saying, but I am ashamed of this and it won't be happening again ever. Since it was my first ever (senior currently), there will be nothing on the transcript except a D in that course. I am applying to professional Masters programs (in data analytics) and already applied to 4 before this happened and still have about 10 more to go. Of course, I will not be lying anywhere on my application or otherwise. My Profile: Research experience (published article), 3 internships, 1 major/2 minors, leadership positions in campus clubs, GPA: ~3.80 after the violation I had a few questions, however. 1. If I do get acceptance in any school I have applied to already, unless they ask to explain my bad grade, should I bring up the misconduct on my own? Should I do it right now or wait until a decision comes out? 2. For my current schools, the wording on the academic dishonesty question is very confusing. One says "have you ever been dismissed or placed on probation?" which for me would still be a no. Do I say no and not mention it or do I say yes anyways? If I say and they don't follow up to ask about my bad grade, do I ever disclose it then? 3. Should I take a couple years to go in industry and put some distance before I apply? Most of my programs are intended for people with 0-3 years of experience. Or should I apply right now and if I get rejected then apply in a couple years? 4. Can I approach the instructor of this course to ever get a statement for my applications saying I learned from my mistake? I really do regret it because she had a good course and I was thinking of potentially asking her if I can do anything to get a statement saying I learned from this (not right now but later). This would be really helpful in applications should they ask to submit an explanation. Again, not sure if professors do this. 5. Any other tips? I heard some students also talked with their college dean who provided a statement of support but I was not sure on that either. I would really appreciate any advice on this, thank you!