MSiA Graduates Reflect on Time in the Program

Yihan Zhou and Ting Wang were both drawn to Northwestern Engineering's Master of Science in Analytics (MSiA) program partially because of its small cohort size. They both aspired to become more well-rounded data scientists and were excited to be part of a close-knit community with similar goals.  

"The size of a class is great to develop good relationships to learn from one another," Wang said. 

Wang (MSiA '22), Zhou (MSiA '22), and the rest of their classmates officially became MSiA alumni. Prior to graduation, Zhou and Wang took time to look back on their experiences in MSiA and offer advice to future MSiA students.   

Where will you be working after graduating from MSiA? 

TW: Bankers Healthcare Group Financial (BHG Financial) as a senior quantitative analyst 

YZ: JP Morgan Chase as an applied AI/ML senior associate 

What was your favorite MSiA class and why? 

YZ: Analytics Value Chain. In one word, it was fantastic. 

TW: I believe many people will say Analytics Value Chain, since it is so useful for projects, internships, and future careers. In addition to AVC, Predictive Analysis I & II were also my favorite MSiA classes. I learned statistics and machine learning from those classes that helped me prepare for my interview. 

What are the most important lessons you learned in the program? 

YZ: Work hard. 

TW: The fundamental knowledge of data science and machine learning is important. For instance, I was not familiar with deep learning techniques before joining the program. After I took the deep learning class, I discovered my interest in deep learning. I will continue learning about speech recognition and object recognition.  

How do you think the program prepared you for life after MSiA? 

TW: Through class projects, practicum, and capstone projects, I learned how to use machine learning models to provide solutions based on business needs. Working with companies from various industries allowed me to explore my interests for my career. 

YZ: The curriculum is very well structured to help my future career 

What advice would you give to future MSiA students? 

YZ: Prepare your coding ability before entering the program 

TW: Make friends and enjoy your life at MSiA. And stay warm.