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A Week in the Life: Online MSDS Student Bhavya Devarsu
I am currently in my third semester at the University of Virginia’s M.S. in Data Science (MSDS) online program. I began in January 2026 and have enjoyed being a part of the UVA community since then.
While working on earning my master’s, I am also working as a student ambassador for the School of Data Science. I help guide graduate students through enrollment requirements and help with any events happening across Grounds.
In my spare time, I’ve been learning new skills to strengthen my resume while job searching and spending more time to get better at my hobbies. Recently, I completed a side project where I conducted an exploratory and statistical analysis of microplastics contamination across food, blood, and biological samples, using a free-use dataset from Kaggle. Being able to do work like this is what drew me to data science, and my existing technical background in cybersecurity and information systems gave me a head start on many of the concepts we cover in class.
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My goal is to combine my passion for environmental science and cybersecurity with data science and help find solutions to pressing environmental challenges. I chose UVA because I was able to start classes immediately in spring 2026. Other factors were the supportive community and staff, the amount of resources UVA offers, and the thoughtful approach to data science, especially how seriously the program takes AI ethics amid the rise of generative AI. I really appreciate how accommodating and kind all the professors and support staff are.
In this post, I want to show what a typical week in my life looks like, and how I stay connected with the cohort, along with how I balance my personal life and my coursework.
Weekly Schedule
Taking online classes means I have a lot of flexibility in my schedule, but in order to stay on track, I also need to keep a structured schedule. I like to keep deadlines for when I want to finish going over the material for each week, so that I am able to complete the homework on time. I often plan my day out in my daily planner or keep a schedule of my week in my phone’s calendar app, or, for this blog, in Google Calendar. This helps me keep track of work tasks, any events I have, chores, homework, studying, and hobbies.
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I try to give myself enough time to be able to finish homework and go over the week’s lecture materials and readings, but also a bit of time to myself to do some of my hobbies. And I also make sure that I have time to get some exercise and socialize, since online classes mean I spend a lot of time at my computer.
Community and Cohort Support
From the first week at orientation, I’ve felt that the program has helped me make new friends in the cohort. I’ve been able to connect with the UVA community through this program, making friends who live near me and meeting up with them from time to time. In-person events like Datapalooza, the spring formal, and career fairs are also good ways to meet more people and make long lasting friendships, on top of interacting with other students in breakout rooms during class, group projects, and Teams messages. It’s great that we are able to meet so many different types of people with different types of backgrounds.
What separates UVA from any other university is our community and support UVA provides to students. I’ve especially enjoyed how UVA has special opportunities for students to showcase their art in galleries on campus and even gives students online access to therapy sessions through TimelyCare.
It’s been very meaningful to be able to meet with new students and share my experiences through my role as a student ambassador and wonderful to talk about a graduate program I feel lucky to be a part of.
Balancing Work, School, and Life
As I’ve hinted earlier, it’s always tough to find a good balance between personal life and school, but the best way to do so is to keep a structured schedule that is also flexible. I make sure that I have time to hang out with my friends, and spend some time on my hobbies, like painting, embroidery, reading, playing video games, and baking. Having time away from the computer helps me clear my head and stay balanced. I also make sure that I am spending enough time exercising and going outdoors and getting some fresh air.
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One thing I’ve learned is that every week won’t be the same. Some days you won’t be able to do everything you planned to do, or will spend most of the day studying and doing homework, so the most important thing is to be flexible and be kind to yourself.
