Hello, I'm looking for advice in regards to these programs. There seems to be a lot of ambiguity around what actually qualifies someone as a good fit for a Masters in Data Analytics, and since these programs are so new there really isn't any robust community that is able to answer basic questions without some heavy marketing from the schools themselves (aka - just apply, just do it!$!$!).
GMAT: 570 (cold), 7 IR, 5 AWA (earlier this year), retake next week (after
manhattan prep course), scoring 650+ consistently on practice tests
Undergrad: Fordham Univeristy, MS in Business Admin w/ Econ Concentration, 3.31 (3.5 in Econ Courses) Honors/Awards: Graduated In Cursu Negotia Agendi Interg (International Business Honors), China Study Tour of Beijing, Guangzhou & Hong Kong, Community Service Projects, )
I work within a group at a top 3 consulting firm dedicated to leveraging analytics, but my role is based around prospecting - the experience that I've been able to acquire is mostly sales and marketing related, focusing on lead management and soft skills (demos, sales/cold calls etc). Having said that, I have been exposed to significant data analysis (one of my big internal projects was to design a CRM strategy). Currently, I have 1.5 years worth of experience working at MBB (2 at maltrication, Fall 2014) with 1.2 working for a data storage hardware manufacturer (an additional prospecting role). I am confident that I can write a great story for my application, though the question remains - "what fits?"...
Any help here would be much appreciated, I have identified 5 full time programs that have caught my interest, as well as two online programs. What have you heard about these programs? Any past applicants? Current students?
Northwestern (McCormick, Engineering)
https://www.analytics.northwestern.edu/Texas (McCombs)
https://www.mccombs.utexas.edu/business-analytics.aspxCarnegie Melon (Heinz)
https://www.heinz.cmu.edu/school-of-info ... index.aspx
NC State (Institute for Advanced Analytics)
https://analytics.ncsu.edu/ (Specifically states DO NOT send ANY standardized tests)
Bentley (B-School)
https://www.bentley.edu/graduate/degree- ... -analytics
Online Programs
Cal - Berkeley (School of Information) -
https://datascience.berkeley.edu/Northwestern (School of Continuing Studies) -
https://scs.northwestern.edu/info/predic ... OgodW30AnQ
Any help or guidance would be greatly appreciated! Thanks!
**Also, I should point out that NYU-Stern has a policy of only accepting applicants with 5+ years of experience, which I find somewhat... interesting... considering that most of the messaging for comparable programs encourages those who are genuinely interested in learning a new skill to apply, regardless of experience. Again, the ambiguity...