Fall 2020 Data Science/Analytics Master Applicant Thread

[S_DS]

On 4/4/2020 at 12:54 PM, Em31415 said:

Has anyone received a final admission decision from Columbia's Master of Science in Data Science, Fall 2020 program?

@Em31415 Wanted to check if you had received any interview call from Columbia? If Yes, Can you share any info on what type of questions are asked in the interview.

[S_DS]

On 3/26/2020 at 5:08 AM, hoops77w said:

I picked NU MSiA. Good luck to all! Hope you make the best decision. 

Congrats on your admits. Can you please share any info on what type of questions are asked in the Columbia's interview process

[S_DS]

On 3/18/2020 at 5:07 PM, ilovepenguins said:

Any idea when is Columbia Releasing Decisions for DS??

I had interviewed on 25/02/2020 ? Anyone tried contacting the adcomms?? Have to respond to other programs by April 15.

Hi, I have Columbia's interview this week. Can you please share any info on what type of questions are asked in the interview?

[jackw]

I received an email from the admission office.

Edited April 7, 2020 by jackw

[jackw]

18 hours ago, tangc2 said:

Hey @jackw how did you know you have been waitlisted?

I received an email from them!

[tangc2]

24 minutes ago, jackw said:

I received an email from them!

I see, but hey, at least it's not a rejection! Can I ask if you had the interview first before you were waitlisted?

[jackw]

3 minutes ago, tangc2 said:

I see, but hey, at least it's not a rejection! Can I ask if you had the interview first before you were waitlisted?

Yes, I did completed the interview, which asked me a few behavioral questions! 

[D Bless]

12 hours ago, indigo_squirrel_6 said:

I was debating between NYU and USF, and I decided to go with NYU because of the ongoing COVID-19 situation. For USF, it's amazing to be in SF and get to form connections firsthand there, but we gotta keep in mind that on-campus education is in jeopardy for this coming fall. Perhaps a longer program and better brand name will be worth it given the circumstances. It sucks though: had the virus not disrupted everything, I saw myself picking the opposite. Best of luck deciding!

 

Hey, congrats on the acceptances! Congrats on your decision, I hope you have a wonderful time at USF!

Yeah, this virus is disrupting. A few considerations are in times of crisis, the rush back to quality is strong, so having a name-brand degree may prove useful. Also, the startup culture is much more prevalent at Columbia than USF, I believe, I have no idea what it is like at USF. Also, the Bay area might have a job shortage for a year or so due to the economic downturn. It is a tough choice, but I am grateful for having it. 

To the folk asking: 

    - I applied Feb 14, interviewed March 31, received an offer April 2, and have to decide April 9

    - For the interview, prepare for basic questions. Why Columbia? Why Data Science? What is Data Science? Also, be prepared for a question about issues concerning the morality of AI, AI fairness, etc., such as what is morality. 

Best of luck to everyone still interviewing and waiting to hear back. If anyone has advice on USF vs Columbia vs Michigan, I would appreciate it. Stay awesome! 

[Guest123]

@D BlessI heard Columbia is giving extensions if you ask for it. I personally didn't apply to USF because I didn't meet the qualifications but the program is very rigorous and employable if that's your goal. There's going to be job shortages everywhere due to the virus and it's not like you can't look for jobs in other cities.

[DataFX]

WHY NONE SAYS ANYTHING ABOUT UCHICAGO PROGRAM?

I see that a lot of you love to talk about NYU. I would like to know why YOU haven't applied to UChicago .... Is NYU program much better than UChicago? If so, why?

I see that some people asked questions about UChicago but were completely ignored... Let's help them!

Thank you!

[plsgivemeanoffer]

21 hours ago, D Bless said:

Hey, congrats!

Hope you are staying safe.

 

Do you mind sharing your stats? 

Thanks! Wow, it seems like a lifetime ago that I wrote this post haha.

My stats:

4.0 GPA in Engineering from top 5 world university. GRE: 162Q 163V. 1 year research experience with 2nd author paper/patent with large tech firm. 

I also have a lot of volunteering experience: ran coding classes, managed free projects in other countries. 

Anything else you wanted to know?

[plsgivemeanoffer]

1 hour ago, D Bless said:

Hey, congrats on the acceptances! Congrats on your decision, I hope you have a wonderful time at USF!

Yeah, this virus is disrupting. A few considerations are in times of crisis, the rush back to quality is strong, so having a name-brand degree may prove useful. Also, the startup culture is much more prevalent at Columbia than USF, I believe, I have no idea what it is like at USF. Also, the Bay area might have a job shortage for a year or so due to the economic downturn. It is a tough choice, but I am grateful for having it. 

To the folk asking: 

    - I applied Feb 14, interviewed March 31, received an offer April 2, and have to decide April 9

    - For the interview, prepare for basic questions. Why Columbia? Why Data Science? What is Data Science? Also, be prepared for a question about issues concerning the morality of AI, AI fairness, etc., such as what is morality. 

Best of luck to everyone still interviewing and waiting to hear back. If anyone has advice on USF vs Columbia vs Michigan, I would appreciate it. Stay awesome! 

Btw I'd go with Columbia. I think you'd get a better return for your money and the network connections there would help you if you decide to go down the startup road.

[D Bless]

On 4/7/2020 at 1:35 PM, plsgivemeanoffer said:

Btw I'd go with Columbia. I think you'd get a better return for your money and the network connections there would help you if you decide to go down the startup road.

Thanks for the advice!

 

[superbored]

Anyone else receive a long email from NYU stating that their application was still being considered and that they would attempt to release most of their pending decisions by the 18th?  I really want to empathize with them given how bad the situation is in New York, but I feel like they're toying with a lot of people's futures by waiting this long to release admits just to preserve their yield. I mean, come on. Most people who apply to these programs are are highly qualified and have likely spent days mulling over their application. Now many of them(including me) might not even get to go their even if they're accepted because they might be required to commit to other programs much earlier than the 18th. Sorry for the rant - its just really disappointing..

Otherwise- I've been accepted to CMU MISM, Berkeley Industrial Engineering and Operations Research (Data Analytics track) with a 50% scholarship and wait listed for Columbia DS. I would love to have been accepted by a legit 1.5 to 2 year data science program but don't think my undergrad major and work ex match the student profiles of a lot of the accepted students from previous years so I guess this was expected. 

Edited April 10, 2020 by superbored

[surprisedpikachu]

Hi everyone,

Trying to decide between GA Tech MS Analytics program (full-time) vs UCLA's Master Applied Stats program (part-time).

I'm pretty torn between the two because I think I will receive a better education on the tools related to data-science/analytics at GA Tech and better support from career services there, but I would much prefer to live in Los Angeles.

Any thoughts on the two programs? Need to make my decision on Wednesday.

Thanks.

[DataFX]

1 hour ago, surprisedpikachu said:

Hi everyone,

Trying to decide between GA Tech MS Analytics program (full-time) vs UCLA's Master Applied Stats program (part-time).

I'm pretty torn between the two because I think I will receive a better education on the tools related to data-science/analytics at GA Tech and better support from career services there, but I would much prefer to live in Los Angeles.

Any thoughts on the two programs? Need to make my decision on Wednesday.

Thanks.

GA tech online or residential? If residential, there is not much to think about BUT quality of live is important too and YOLO!

[zycalice]

On 4/5/2020 at 1:11 PM, step20 said:

Thanks for your input! I got admitted to the 16 month program and yes if I end up with CMU I’m going to try to be exempt from all business/econ courses. It just sucks that they won’t take undergraduate courses as credits so I’ll have to go over my college notes again to study for the exemption exams...

May I ask do you have any particular reasons as to why you would recommend CMU?

the length is good! Great school if you are pursuing ds/cs; many research. I feel the school name goes with you for a long time in the long term.

[surprisedpikachu]

14 hours ago, DataFX said:

GA tech online or residential? If residential, there is not much to think about BUT quality of live is important too and YOLO!

Residential! But living in LA is so appealing. It's like a head vs heart decision. Argh!

 

[statsguy123]

19 hours ago, surprisedpikachu said:

Hi everyone,

Trying to decide between GA Tech MS Analytics program (full-time) vs UCLA's Master Applied Stats program (part-time).

I'm pretty torn between the two because I think I will receive a better education on the tools related to data-science/analytics at GA Tech and better support from career services there, but I would much prefer to live in Los Angeles.

Any thoughts on the two programs? Need to make my decision on Wednesday.

Thanks.

I would definitely choose GA Tech over UCLA. Atlanta is luring millennials with its lower cost of living and good employment opportunities. Another potential draw for millennials is the fact that half of the population is single. Strong neighborhood associations and easy commutes make it a good place for families as well.

[happypanda521]

For admits of the fall semester, is anyone considering turning the offer down because of concerns about a looming recession?

[carolbells]

@happypanda521 no - in fact, it's probably better to take an offer now because it's harder to find a job 

[carolbells]

Also, does anyone have an idea when more decisions for Columbia MS DS will come out?  Still waiting for mine...

 

[Applicant20]

I just got waitlisted for Columbia. Will most likely have to accept another offer before I hear anything from them.

[carolbells]

@Applicant20 when did you get the notice?

[surprisedpikachu]

2 hours ago, happypanda521 said:

For admits of the fall semester, is anyone considering turning the offer down because of concerns about a looming recession?

GATech is giving admits the option to defer until Fall 2021 and for those that want to accept for Fall 2020 but want to wait and see, they can do so without submitting a deposit. Talk about a student-centric approach. Mad props.