Online M.S. in Data Science Student Life
As a young Hannah Montana once said, “Life is what you make it, so let’s make it rock.” This statement cannot be truer as a student in the Online M.S. in Data Science at the University of Virginia. There is no one size fits all approach to navigating student life in this program. Rather, it depends on who you are as a student and how you feel most comfortable interacting with others. This then begs the questions: “What does it take to make it rock?” and “How does one make it rock?” Let’s discuss below!
What Does It Take to Make It Rock?
The short answer is to engage with classmates and professors both in and out of class. Aside from faculty and students, there are also teaching assistants, student success coaches and other administrative support staff. The caveat is that success in this area really depends on the type of person you are. Personally, I’m not very talkative during the live class sessions with the whole group and prefer to chat it up in Slack with other students or during breakout sessions. Other people are more active participants during live class sessions. Like I said, it depends on who you are. The main point is that interacting with classmates and your professors both in and out of class is important. This is how you to know people who will ultimately help you navigate through the program.
How Does One Make It Rock?
There are many ways to engage with people in the program. The most common platform of communication among students is Slack. We’re added to a Slack community as well as several other channels by cohort and for individual classes. Outside of channels for whole group conversations in Slack, you can also send one-on-one messages or create smaller group chats. These more personal conversations make up a significant proportion of interactions on Slack for me. Because the program emphasizes groupwork and we all participate in a group capstone project, we engage with one another a lot despite it being a virtual program.
While Slack is the most used means of communication for students in the program, it is not the only one. Some courses use Piazza for discussion posts and other use Q&A. When it comes to engaging with faculty and staff, emailing is usually the safest bet, as well as attending virtual office hours and one-on-one meetings. Overall, everyone in the program is very reachable and responsive if you reach out.
What If One Needs Help Making It Rock?
If this is you, don’t worry because everyone on [virtual] Grounds wants you to succeed in the program and it shows. There are many people at the School of Data Science who have your back: your professors and teaching assistants, student success coaches, career counselors, peer tutors, and, most importantly, your fellow students. Additionally, there is the UVA Student Disability Access Center (SDAC) for other kinds of support and accommodation. The University of Virginia and the School of Data Science are incredibly supportive and student focused. It’s up to you to make the effort to access the resources you need.
Let’s Make It Rock!
When it comes to balancing the MSDS program with work and life, it's not easy but certainly doable. At the end of the day, if you keep yourself organized and on top of everything, then you will succeed, no doubt about it. This program is specifically designed for working adults with lives beyond the classroom and your professors know we have other priorities. Work and family obligations should come first when they need to come first. However, to keep a well-balanced life in this program, you also need to give it the attention it deserves. How much attention depends on the course and your familiarity with the concepts being taught. The estimate is that each week you should dedicate 10 to 20 hours for the program. Each student is different though, so some might need to spend more time while others can make do with less.
Effective time management is the ultimate key to succeeding in this program. The second most important factor is being honest with yourself and understanding your time commitments. My advice is to budget your time wisely, blocking out time in advance and sticking to a consistent schedule. Because the program is mostly asynchronous, you can complete most, if not all, of your class work on your own time, whenever it’s most convenient for you. Some students, like myself, tend to do a lot of their class work over the weekend and save smaller assignments for during the week. Other students are the opposite because that is what works best for them.
Main Takeaways to Making It Rock
If you remember nothing else, remember that to do well in this program you need to figure out what works best for you as an online, part-time student. What are your commitments outside of the classroom, at work and in life? Once understood, it then becomes a matter of keeping up the pace throughout the five semesters. Life in this program is really what you make it, so why make it difficult when you can make it rock?