Sea Salt

3+3+2+2 sounds nice. I much prefer 2 full years. Penn is definitely one of my top choices, but I still like NYU's program, career services, practicum, and connections to NYC tech companies. GaTech is up there too, but it's more like 1.5 years, and it includes two required business classes. Their cohort size (~80) is tough to beat, however. I hear Penn will be anywhere from 50-150 students next year, and NYU will be 150+. It'd be nice if Penn had their admitted students webinar sooner. It's set for May, after everyone else's deadline to commit. I doubt there's an old one accessible somewhere. Anyway, @carolbells, thank you for the helpful information! I really appreciate you taking the time to write those thoughtful responses.

@carolbells Thanks for sharing! That's a lot of great info. I had heard of PDSG, but the Wharton Analytics Fellows group looks really interesting too. How are you planning on structuring your last year? Full-time is 3 courses, but the whole program is 10. Are you thinking of taking 4 classes in the fall and finishing up in 1.5 years, or would you do 3+1 or 2+2? Finally, are you considering doing the practicum? It looks like Penn has its data science students work on these individually rather than in groups, and the projects seem to have more of an academic than industry focus. Of their project suggestions, I would imagine most would involve collaborating with other Penn institutes. I'm not sure if any would entail working with outside companies. edit: Btw, I was able to visit Penn recently. It has a really beautiful campus. There's a special feel to it.

Hey, @carolbells, thanks for the update! I’m glad that you’re enjoying Penn. I have some questions if you don’t mind. Which classes have you taken, and what’s the typical class size (if it’s all on Zoom, how many students are in the meetings)? Have any courses stood out as your favorites? Is it difficult to secure electives (especially at Wharton)? NYU has a dedicated Center for Data Science that holds events like company info sessions, private career fairs, datathons, etc. How strong is the data science community at Penn, and how is the program viewed within the university? Are there similar events/services? On the topic of internships, has the school helped students secure these, and are most of you finding them in Philadelphia or elsewhere? Finally, do graduate students typically live off-campus or at Sansom Place? I think Rittenhouse Square may be my best option. Thank you!

I would probably pick Columbia out of those four (I don't know anything about UCLA's program). However, I prefer an MSDS over an MSBA. Although I'm not all that familiar with it, I think USC's MSBA program is solid. Marshall is a top 20 business school, and the cohort is around 150 students with a ~17% acceptance rate. Also, the USC campus is beautiful.

Yes, I think @carolbells picked UPenn over NYU and Columbia. It's probably worth reading through again, though, so I'll check it out. Any info helps. Thanks!

@two_dicey The added length, inclusive of a summer break to complete an internship, is nice. However, the curriculum is only one semester longer (3 vs. 4). I also prefer a more significant duration, but I'm not sure that's the deciding factor for me. Accepted: USC MSCS (Scientists & Engineers) - $10k scholarship UPenn MSE DS NYU MSDS GaTech MSA - TA offer (~$17k) Michigan MSDS I'm having a difficult time deciding between these. Did anyone else consider Penn or Michigan? If so, I'd love to hear your thoughts! Michigan ranks highly in computer science, statistics, math, and engineering, but its MSDS program seems relatively less well known. Any advice would be appreciated.

@two_dicey Congratulations on your decision! NYU's MSDS seems like a fantastic program. What ultimately set it apart from Georgia Tech's MSA?

Did anyone receive funding at Georgia Tech or NYU?