Program:
Master of Science Bridge Program in Business Analytics
Student Name:
Sam Malcolm
Graduating Class:
Class of 2019
Undergraduate Alma Mater:
About Sam:
I grew up outside Philadelphia. After graduating from Penn State I moved to Austin where I’ve lived for the past nine years. Before joining the MSBA program I worked as a video producer creating content for brands like Infiniti, Dell, and Whole Foods. In my free time I love to ride my bike, see movies at the Alamo Drafthouse, and hang with my chihuahua/min-pin pup, Sabine. Also, I’m a die-hard Philadelphia 76ers fan. Let’s talk hoops!
Proudest Accomplishment:
I’m most proud of producing and performing in a weekly show with my improv comedy team. We’ve played to sold out houses every Friday night for the past few years and have multiple B. Iden Payne Award nominations under our belt. I’ve had the opportunity to perform at the Paramount Theatre here in Austin and guest at the Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre in New York City. I get to start my weekends by performing comedy with some of my best friends, and I’m fortunate that people seem to really like what we do.
Why did you choose the MSBA Program?
I loved my undergrad courses on statistics and econometrics. And even though it was never my main professional focus, I realized that my favorite work experiences always involved business strategy and working with data. I wanted to pivot my career to focus on these skills. I knew the MSBA program at McCombs was highly renowned and its coursework was extremely thorough and well-rounded, so it felt like the perfect place for me.
What have the first 3 weeks of the program been like?
These three weeks have gone by very fast but have also somehow felt like three months. I’m honestly surprised by how much I’ve learned so far. We’ve already completed the first section of our Intro to Predictive Modeling class. In just two weeks we worked our way through an entire textbook and presented group projects where we applied predictive models (most of which we had been exposed to for the first time) to attempt to solve business problems with real world datasets.
What are you looking forward to most this year?
I’m most looking forward to getting to know my classmates better. A significant part of the curriculum, including the capstone project in the spring, involves working in teams. Everyone I’ve met in my program so far has been brilliant and kind. I’m excited to learn from and work with each of them.
More on Texas MS Student Spotlight:
Texas MS #StudentSpotlight is a recurring feature showcasing the talent, background, and aspirations of the McCombs Master of Science Program students! Learn more about the Texas Master of Science in Business Analytics on our homepage.
Current Texas MS students interested in appearing in our student spotlight should contact their Program Coordinator regarding access to the Student Spotlight Survey.