CMU Heinz - 2019

[nellolikejello]

Swy506@gmail.com

 

Thanks!

 

Can you just email me your name? --> steven.spinello@gmail.com 

 

Unfortunately, Facebook requires that I add at least 1 "friend" to the group before creating. Thanks.

[nellolikejello]

Hi all,

I created a Facebook group for Heinz MSPPM admitted students for Fall 2019.

Link is here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/HeinzMSPPM2019/

[woolscarves]

Thanks for making that! Joined.

[woolscarves]

On 2/26/2019 at 1:46 PM, Passing said:

I applied to Heinz's MSPPM and now kinda wanna switch to DA track too, do you know if you can transfer to a different track?

Hey, I was looking around the site and randomly found this: https://www.heinz.cmu.edu/heinz-shared/_files/img/current-students/petition-for-internal-transfer.pdf. So it definitely looks like there IS a mechanism to transfer, but this is probably more for students currently enrolled at CMU.

I would e-mail Gladys Perez Sripraset (gladysp@andrew.cmu.edu) who is the director of all of the MSPPM tracks to ask if switching now is feasible.

Edited March 2, 2019 by woolscarves

[acerbicb]

On 2/26/2019 at 1:46 PM, Passing said:

I applied to Heinz's MSPPM and now kinda wanna switch to DA track too, do you know if you can transfer to a different track?

According to two current students, yes, Heinz has processes (I.e. I know there is a specific application/essay to be written for current students wanting to join the DC cohort) for you to switch over. However, one student told me that they hadn’t been able to transfer into the DA Track despite attempting — so they’ve just been taking the DA coursework sans officially being part of the cohort. 

[flyinglotus]

On 2/26/2019 at 8:30 AM, nellolikejello said:

Hi all - Also in for MSPPM - DA track with 65% of tuition. I find it wildly ironic how all of the Public Policy programs I applied to just happen to have their Admit Days scheduled for the same April 5 weekend... lolz.

For those of you in the DA track, did anyone else also apply to Chicago's MSCAPP or Georgetown's MSDSPP? I feel like it will ultimately come down to these three for me (and importantly, who provides funding).

@nellolikejello I also applied to all three and got in. Heinz gave me the most funding with 100% tuition and UChicago came second with 60% tuition. Georgetown only gave me half-tuition so I'm not considering it, but it looks like a good program. The MS-CAPP program seems a little more computationally rigorous than the Heinz program, which could be good or bad depending on your goals, but I liked the environment and people at Heinz much more. I think the Heinz MSPPM-DA program has more clout if you want to go into data science, and Harris MS-CAPP is strong for those more geared toward social sciences.

Do you have a favorite of the programs thus far?

[ShirVer]

Hi guys! Even I got through MSPPM DA track at Heinz with 40% scholarship. Does anybody have any advice on how can I get more scholarship? 

[woolscarves]

Hey everyone, heading out to Pittsburgh in a couple days for admitted students weekend. Anyone else going to be there?

[acerbicb]

5 hours ago, woolscarves said:

Hey everyone, heading out to Pittsburgh in a couple days for admitted students weekend. Anyone else going to be there?

Yep! I’ll be there.

[SketchesOfSpain]

I will be there, flying out Thursday afternoon

[woolscarves]

Sounds good. I'm getting in Thursday afternoon. Trying to grab dinner somewhere nice Thursday night before all the events start on Friday, because it seems like we'll be booked pretty solidly once things get started.

[ShirVer]

Hi guys! How was the admitted students weekend? Mind giving a glimpse of it?

I am trying to connect with Heinz's career services and one of their student ambassadors to understand professional career paths after graduation (MSPPM - DA), but hardly any luck. As I still haven't accepted my admission offer, I have limited time to get my doubts cleared and accept the offer, and hence, throwing my questions here (hoping anyone here would have answers) - 

1. I have read some students' personal experiences on Quora. They mentioned that the professors there for Data Analysis related subjects aren't really experienced. They mostly teach the basics and students hardly get an opportunity to take advanced courses from the School of Computer Science. Does anybody have any idea about this?

2. As I would be an International Student who would already have a work experience of 3.5 years as a Data Scientist, how easy/difficult would it be for me to get a similar job? I know they've mentioned in their website that graduate students do work as a Data Scientist, but what's the proportion of these students? 

Any help would be really appreciated.

Thanks!

[woolscarves]

Got back from the admitted students weekend yesterday. Happy to answer any questions that anyone has.

 

@ShirVer, I'm DA as well, so I'll answer these to the best of my ability.

1) These are two really two different questions here. The first question is about the experience of the professors and the second is about whether it's advanced enough for the School of Computer Science. I'm going to answer the first one here because the second one actually fits more with my answer to your other question.

I think that the concern about faculty expertise is overblown. Heinz recently hired two PhDs in machine learning purely for itself. The teachers for any of the technical subjects have PhDs in the related subjects, whether it be statistics, information systems, etc. The capability of the teachers is one of the lowest concerns that I would have, especially in the technical areas.

2) This is not a "data science" program. @ExponentialDecay frequently says that if you want to really do data science, you should just do a masters in data science. This is a rigorous training program for people from data backgrounds ranging from nothing to low-intermediate. My impression is that it will do an excellent job of preparing people for entry level roles in data analytics at most companies (eg. you'll probably be well positioned to work at a good number of non-tech Fortune 500 companies as an entry level data analyst) or in a role for a consulting firm with an industry vertical in public/federal work. You can of course use the DA track as a differentiating factor for the other common kinds of jobs people in policy schools look for (non-profits, NGOs, federal agencies etc.), but that doesn't seem to be your focus.

They talked with us about the School of Computer Science and said that it's fairly common for students to take a class or two in the School of Computer Science. Typically these are undergraduate level classes that can be counted towards your degree plan. It sounds like Computer Science is especially wary of people trying to sneak their way into their program by enrolling in a different degree, so it seems like there's not really an opportunity to take more than two classes in the CS department.

All of that is to say that if you are looking to get another job specifically as a data scientist, I don't know if this is the best route for you. There are undoubtedly students that go on to get jobs as more serious data analysts/scientists, but that's not what the program is built for and not what companies come specifically to Heinz to recruit for. You can certainly use the DA track and leverage it to try and get those opportunities, but it's not what the program is designed to support. Besides, if you're already a data analyst, I don't know that you'll be in a better place after taking two years off from earning income and paying for Heinz, than you would be working at your current job where you can gain more experience and potentially work towards a promotion.

 

Please let me know if I can answer any other questions for you! Again, the offer stands for anyone else as well.

[ShirVer]

18 hours ago, woolscarves said:

Got back from the admitted students weekend yesterday. Happy to answer any questions that anyone has.

 

@ShirVer, I'm DA as well, so I'll answer these to the best of my ability.

1) These are two really two different questions here. The first question is about the experience of the professors and the second is about whether it's advanced enough for the School of Computer Science. I'm going to answer the first one here because the second one actually fits more with my answer to your other question.

I think that the concern about faculty expertise is overblown. Heinz recently hired two PhDs in machine learning purely for itself. The teachers for any of the technical subjects have PhDs in the related subjects, whether it be statistics, information systems, etc. The capability of the teachers is one of the lowest concerns that I would have, especially in the technical areas.

2) This is not a "data science" program. @ExponentialDecay frequently says that if you want to really do data science, you should just do a masters in data science. This is a rigorous training program for people from data backgrounds ranging from nothing to low-intermediate. My impression is that it will do an excellent job of preparing people for entry level roles in data analytics at most companies (eg. you'll probably be well positioned to work at a good number of non-tech Fortune 500 companies as an entry level data analyst) or in a role for a consulting firm with an industry vertical in public/federal work. You can of course use the DA track as a differentiating factor for the other common kinds of jobs people in policy schools look for (non-profits, NGOs, federal agencies etc.), but that doesn't seem to be your focus.

They talked with us about the School of Computer Science and said that it's fairly common for students to take a class or two in the School of Computer Science. Typically these are undergraduate level classes that can be counted towards your degree plan. It sounds like Computer Science is especially wary of people trying to sneak their way into their program by enrolling in a different degree, so it seems like there's not really an opportunity to take more than two classes in the CS department.

All of that is to say that if you are looking to get another job specifically as a data scientist, I don't know if this is the best route for you. There are undoubtedly students that go on to get jobs as more serious data analysts/scientists, but that's not what the program is built for and not what companies come specifically to Heinz to recruit for. You can certainly use the DA track and leverage it to try and get those opportunities, but it's not what the program is designed to support. Besides, if you're already a data analyst, I don't know that you'll be in a better place after taking two years off from earning income and paying for Heinz, than you would be working at your current job where you can gain more experience and potentially work towards a promotion.

 

Please let me know if I can answer any other questions for you! Again, the offer stands for anyone else as well.

@woolscarves Thank you so much for answering my questions. This was really helpful.

I'm just adding some comments and reasonings -

1. I didn't know that the college recently hired two PhDs in ML. That's fantastic! I was worried about the capability of teachers because of my keenness to cover the depth of the technical subjects. I know that this is not a pure Data Science program, but I am expecting proper and in-depth explanations of technical topics that are a part of the designed curriculum (which I hope shouldn't be a concern now because of the new hirings).

2. Some of the reasons why I'm really excited about this program are -
- Working for an Edtech startup for the last 4 years has really motivated me to further use my capabilities to solve various societal problems. And the PPM part of the program will definitely prepare me for solving those problems; hence, not going for an MS in Data Science.
- Although I've been working as a Data Scientist, I hold a bachelors in Mining Engineering. This means that I don't have much knowledge of the basics of Computer Science. All the basics would definitely be covered in the Heinz's program but I don't just want to restrict myself there because of my third point.
- I was really impressed by the projects going on under the research centers like Block Center and Metro21 and I aspire to be a part of one of those (not just in the college but after graduation as well). But the nature of work that these projects involve is not something that an Analyst can do. It requires sound understanding in some of the advanced level CS course.
- Knowing that people do get jobs as a Data Scientist (as mentioned on the website)

However, despite having mentioned my apprehensions, I think this is the one I'm going to choose because of the college's reputation, scholarship, living cost, and satisfaction to some extent. I'd still be happy working as an Analyst if the impact of my work is going to improve society.

I'd really appreciate if someone else wants to add any points. Knowing the opinions of different people will help me (and hopefully others too) to make the right decision.

[woolscarves]

@ShirVer So glad to see you think that it's still the right program for you! I wasn't trying to convince you not to come, just wanted to ensure that the program was going to fit your needs/goals. Let me know if you have any other questions!

[ShirVer]

9 hours ago, woolscarves said:

@ShirVer So glad to see you think that it's still the right program for you! I wasn't trying to convince you not to come, just wanted to ensure that the program was going to fit your needs/goals. Let me know if you have any other questions!

Yes, I understand that @woolscarves and I really am thankful to you. Please don't interpret my intentions otherwise. I know that it might look like my career goals aren't in alignment with what this program offers, but tbh, this and Harris' MSCAPP were the only two programs which were closest to what I wanted. And I'm delighted that I got through one of the two. I'll definitely try to get the most out of it.

Will surely post my doubts here if I come across any. Thanks!

[ax062320]

On 1/29/2019 at 9:50 AM, Ellie75 said:

I also experienced a long delay for my materials being matched with my application, but for some reason my transcript took the longest-- so much so that I panicked and sent it a second time.  I submitted my materials a few days before the deadline and I just got the video interview invite a few days ago.  Thought I'd add another data point for anyone concerned about their materials being received!

Hi Ellie! Thanks for sharing that! I'm applying for MSPPMS-DA Fall 2020. Just submitted my application one day before the deadline. So I assume it will take about 10 days at least for me to receive the video interview invitation? Did that affect your admission chances?

Cheers!

[woolscarves]

It can take up to 3 weeks (or maybe even more) to get the video interview link and the amount of time is not correlated whatsoever with your chances of admission.