Studying MSc Business Analytics at UCL
Studying MSc Business Analytics at UCL
My name is Anh Nguyen, originally from Denmark and currently pursuing a MSc in Business Analytics at School of Management, University College London. In this article, I would like to summarise how my experience has been so far, and hopefully give you an insightful look into my life as a postgraduate student at UCL.
Why Business Analytics?
Coming from a business administration and economics background, I knew I wanted not to pivot into a different career track, but rather, steer toward a degree of relatively more technical nature. After finishing my undergraduate degree in Denmark, I worked for two years as a data analyst, which further propelled me into researching about courses that would allow me to build up a profile, where I could leverage my existing business knowledge and obtain new skills in the data science field. On top of this, I always harboured a wish to study in the UK – London, to be specific. And so, I found UCL’s MSc Business Analytics course to be the ideal choice.
What surprised me about the course?
What came as a (pleasant) surprise to me was the diversity of my cohort. With diverse, I mean the different academic backgrounds (business, finance, psychology and computer science etc.), nationalities, age range (from 21 to 33), and naturally also the varying amounts of work experience (from zero to 10+ years of experience). As someone on the lower end of that spectrum, I found it very inspiring to interact with and pick the minds of more experienced cohort members.
Another thing that I found surprising was the amount of group work, particularly during the first term, which I was quite unaccustomed to. My undergraduate degree consisted of independent studying and mostly exams, so initially, I personally struggled to manage my time efficiently. But as the term went on, I (fortunately) did start to get the hang of it!
What have I learned so far?
One of the main reasons why I chose this program was the opportunity to learn how to code. I am happy to say that I can check that box, by no means claiming that I have yet mastered any of the languages (Mainly python and R) – but there’s progress! I found the combination of workshops and a free subscription to DataCamp for additional independent learning quite helpful. I realised that the best way to approach these languages was to learn by doing, and to build up and update our knowledge gradually with weekly in-class quizzes.
Aside from coding, I also learned not to fall prey to tunnel vision when working with data. By that I mean not to zero in on only the data, when trying to analyse or solve a problem head-on. Instead, we should always ask why? Why we are working with this data in the first place, what is the purpose and how can our business benefit from whatever insights we are pulling from this analysis. And when we DO obtain results from these analyses, be skeptical, and double check if they are intuitive? At the end of the day, management will have to be involved and if they can’t see the intuition, your results are likely to go down the drain. This is when the business in business analytics really kicks in.
Perks of being a UCL school of management student
One of the cool things about studying at School of Management as a postgraduate student is that we get to attend our lectures and study at a different campus in Canary Wharf that very few people seem to know about. Not that I blame them for not being aware, as it’s not really a ‘campus’ per se, but rather, a floor at the 38th level of One Canada Square. The view from up here is spectacular, and the fact that you are surrounded by working professionals, banks and fin-tech startups can be both inspiring and daunting at the same time. One extra perk is that you can always go to the main Bloomsbury campus to study, on those days where you feel a little less inclined to pay for an overpriced coffee or lunch (I bring my own tea and pack my lunch, whenever I can!). In our second term, I have also had the opportunity to pick an elective, Machine Learning, at the computer science department, which has meant that I have made more frequent trips to the main campus during this term.
Another perk is that the School of Management offers extensive support when it comes to career consulting services. Aside from organising frequent networking events with representatives from companies, big and small, they also provide workshops for e.g. case interviews. If you need more personalised help, it’s even possible to book a slot with your favorite career consultant, and have a one-on-one sit down, to go through your CV or cover letter, or even to practice an interview. In my experience, UCL is generally very supportive when it comes to personal support through e.g. open dialogue and feedback with the staff as well as mental health services and more.
Final words
I hope that this has given you a better impression of what to expect from this course. If you’re looking for a degree that bridges the gap between business and the more “techy” side of things, I would advise you to do more research on this course, to make sure that your expectations matches that of which the course can offer. Consider reaching out to any of the current students (myself included!) or past alumni and ask them to elaborate on their experience. With that said, I wish you all the best of luck on your journeys!