Admissions Counselor Gives MSDS Online Application Tips

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Dear Future Data Scientist, 

Hello! My name is Degi Betcher and I am an assistant director of admissions at the University of Virginia's School of Data Science. I'm here to share advice and application tips when applying to our M.S. in Data Science Online program.

We know that starting a graduate school application can be daunting when you have a full-time job, multiple part-time jobs, family, hobbies, and other obligations. 

With these demands in mind, we created an application that is simple and easy! When reading your application, we want to learn what are your goals, how you will use a data science degree, and will you be an active contributor to our close-knit community. These are the things we care about, not necessarily what your college grades were years ago. 

Here are a few tips to help make the application process easier: 

1. Showcase yourself. Your experiences, accomplishments, interests, and motivations. We want to get to know you! The essays are not academic papers. We want to hear your voice. 
2. Connect with our current MSDS online students. Speaking with students who are in the program will help you better understand what to expect and learn more about the UVA School of Data Science. The better you know us, the more confident you are in your responses. 
3. Attend a virtual event to get help. Speak with me and the team, get answers to your questions, and find out how to present your very best application.

To make the application process easy for working professions, there is no GRE/GMAT or reference required.

As a student advisor at heart, I am here to help and guide you through the application process. Connect with me today!

Sincerely,                  
Degi Betcher                  
Assistant Director of Admissions 

P.S. Are you missing Prerequisites? No worries, I am here to help you with a plan for completion.