Author: canipec

Texas MS #StudentSpotlight: Chloe Kwon, MSBA 2018

by canipec

Program:

Master of Science in Business Analytics

Student Name:

Chloe Kwon

Graduating Class:

Class of 2018

Undergraduate Alma Mater:

Rice University, Economics

About Chloe:

I started my career as a market research analyst 4 years ago at a software development company where I developed interest in extracting, visualizing, and developing patterns and trends from the data. As a business analyst, I had opportunities to utilize the skills I learned and combine it with industry knowledge to manage development projects, analyze client’s business requirements, and analyze sales operations and performances by communicating with management through easy-to-understand visualizations. I love meeting and getting to know people and I’m excited to explore Austin (hiking, rock climbing, live music, food) once we graduate!

Proudest Accomplishment:

I made a decision to move from South Korea to US by myself when I was 12 and I am proud and grateful for the opportunity to be independent and accountable for every decision in my life, including the decision to pursue master’s degree at the McCombs School of Business. Also, I’m very proud of having found great people around me that are supportive and compassionate with lots to learn from.

Why did you choose the MSBA Program?

I realized I needed to work on building solid technical skills to be able to grow my career and find companies that will provide meaningful and impactful projects that I enjoy. McCombs School of Business has enabled me to learn from the best professors in a supportive environment from predictive modeling and database management to how to communicate models and analysis to different audiences.

What are you most looking forward to in your program?

Deep Learning conference in San Francisco to meet interesting people including those from startup community and learn about the latest and greatest deep learning models and how we can apply models to business problems of companies like Google, Facebook, Netflix. I’m also looking forward to learn more about data science and having hands-on experiences within enterprise environment through capstone project with Indeed.

More on Texas MS Student Spotlight:

Texas MS #StudentSpotlight is a new 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.

#TXMS in San Francisco – Deep Learning Summit

by canipec

 Last week in a Fog City convention center, the word “networking” took a new meaning. Hundreds of business professionals and researchers gathered at the 2018 San Francisco Deep Learning Summit to share their advances in the hottest subdiscipline of Artificial Intelligence: deep neural networks.

Deep neural networks, also called deep learning, is a modeling approach loosely inspired by the way our brains work. Deep learning models have been wildly successful in a broad range of tasks such as image recognition, movie recommendations, drug discovery, and beating masters at games. And the pace of progress is exponential.

Many of the industry leaders driving the innovation graced the Summit stage.  Among them was Ian Goodfellow of Google Brain, who invented Generative Adversarial Networks (which train two competing neural nets to do crazy things like turn horses into zebras). We also had an opportunity to attend the hands-on workshop on Generative Adversarial Networks where we put input images of celebrities through generator and discriminator and outputs realistic celebrity-like images that you could manipulate (such as adding blonde hair or glasses or make them smile or frown, or turn woman into man). Deepgram’s Scott Stephenson spoke about creating a “Google for sound” that can understand how we naturally speak. We also heard from Coursera co-founder Daphne Koller on about the future of AI.

In traditional Silicon Valley style, over twenty AI startups were present to advertise and recruit. We met useAIble, an end-to-end machine learning startup that offers interpretable modeling solutions for business processes. Promising technologies from Luminoso, RiseML, objects.ai and others floored us in their live demos. We even learned our ABCs from an intelligent children’s education iPhone app.

Although the conference focused on neural networking, our favorite part was the more traditional kind. We connected with founders, venture capitalists, researchers and students of the highest caliber. They infected us with a passion for tech innovation we hope to share with the MS programs in the Silicon Valley of the South, so that one day we might share our own advances on the next Summit stage.

*Article contributed by #TXMS Business Analytics 2018 Chloe Kwon and Jake Schmidt

Texas MS #StudentSpotlight: Elmira Yafyasova, MSM 2018

by canipec

Program:

Master of Science in Marketing

Student Name:

Elmira Yafyasova

Graduating Class:

Class of 2018

Undergraduate Alma Mater:

Lomonosov Moscow State University Business School, Moscow

About Elmira:

I am a proud MS Marketing and an international student at McCombs! During my four years at a Russian Business School, I learned a great deal about various business operations. However, I was always inclined to work closely with consumers and learn more about their behavior. After my undergrad, I worked at a real estate development company and was responsible for creating a new market strategy for the firm and making some crucial marketing decisions. Although my efforts paid off, I felt that I was lacking certainty in my decision-making as well as knowledge about advanced analytics. Therefore, I decided to pursue a Master’s in Marketing. I was lucky enough to travel since I was young and it made me a much more brave and open-minded person. Besides work and school, I like to spend my free time doing yoga and listening to audiobooks.

Proudest Accomplishment:

While I was working for a real estate development firm, my friends and I decided to participate in a Russian national case competition just out of genuine curiosity. Not only was the case was based on an Oil & Gas industry, about which I knew almost nothing, but also the entire team was busy working during the day, and we could only meet during the night. Since it was a national competition and we could not devote sufficient time to the project during normal hours, we thought our chances were pretty low. We met many times at crazy hours to discuss our progress on the case and had many times when we argued; however, we persevered. Despite all the constraints that we faced, we stayed highly motivated and worked our best. Imagine our surprise when we passed the Semi-final, Final, and eventually won the fifth place out of 120 teams across the country! So even when we do not have ideal conditions, everything is possible if you work hard and surround yourself with like-minded people!

Why did you choose the MSM Program?

When I considered an idea of applying to a graduate school, I already had a clear vision of I wanted to get out of it. My mentor recommended me to take a look at the University of Texas at Austin as a possible option, and I a was pleasantly surprised to find the MSM program. Besides world-class professors and strong relationships with great companies, the curriculum was a perfect combination of art and science of Marketing.

What are you most looking forward to in your program?

I am looking forward to applying my knowledge gained from classes to real business and marketing problems! I also hope to stay in touch with McCombs and work towards making MSM a widely-known program!

More on Texas MS Student Spotlight:

Texas MS #StudentSpotlight is a new feature showcasing the talent, background, and aspirations of the McCombs Master of Science Program students! Learn more about the Texas Master of Science in Marketing 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.

Alumni Spotlight: #TXMS Business Analytics Vishwa Bhuta

by canipec

This week, Texas MS Programs is catching up with Vishwa Bhuta, a 2017 alumni of our Master of Science in Business Analytics Program. Alumni spotlights give insight into where our graduates go after they finish #MasteringMcCombs and we hear some advice to current students on how to leverage their degrees!

Vishwa Bhuta

Merkle Inc
Senior Data Analyst

What was your journey to the MS in Business Analytics degree?

I’m a proud wahoo who graduated from the University of Virginia in 2015, having studied business and psychology. After college, I worked in digital marketing and quickly found that I wanted to be able to conduct a deeper level of analysis, and I needed the hard skills to do so. Therefore I found myself in the MSBA program at McCombs, which was one of the few data analytics programs that managed to balance business concepts with solid technical foundations. To me, the MSBA had some of the important teachings from an MBA mixed with those from a stats degree.

What is the most valuable skill or lesson you learned while in your MS program (either inside or outside of the classroom)?

Data is ALWAYS messier than you want it to be. Deal with that sad fact and embrace data cleaning.

What are some highlights of your career since graduating from your MS program?

I was able to completely change the way my client sets goals, transitioning from a somewhat arbitrary goal to a goal driven by consumer LTVs. I set up a test that showed the incremental lift of our marketing dollars to the business. I’ve also been able to mentor a junior member of my team who is attempting to learn python; this is particularly exciting because I didn’t know any python before MSBA, so I give the program a lot of credit for my progress.

Who was your favorite MS Professor or what was your favorite MS Course?

Advanced Predictive Modeling with Joydeep Ghosh

What are the biggest challenges you have faced since completing your MS degree?

One big challenge is one that we are warned about and prepped for by MSBA: telling the data story to non-technical people. It has been very hard to find the balance because clients want to know what and how you’re doing the analysis but they don’t want to feel lost. The other challenge has been – like I said – dealing with very messy data. You are somewhat prepped for this by the capstone, but even then, the companies did their best to provide clean data.

What should future graduates be considering as they begin their careers?

You likely won’t get to apply the “sexy” data science techniques right away (if ever, depending on your path), so while it’s important to focus on understanding those in school, it’s equally important to master skills like data cleaning, SQL, data visualization, etc., because you’ll need to showcase those skills to get to the “cooler” stuff.

We love hearing from our graduates on how they are doing, so if you are a #TXMS grad and would like to share your Alumni story, please contact us at cayce.canipe@mccombs.utexas.edu. To learn more about any of our Texas MS Programs, browse our Admissions Blog and link to our main pages.

Texas MS #StudentSpotlight: Matthew Ulrich, MSF 2018

by canipec

Program:

Master of Science in Finance

Student Name:

Matthew Ulrich

Graduating Class:

Class of 2018

Undergraduate Alma Mater:

University of Texas, Mechanical Engineering

About Matthew:

Originally from New Mexico, I came to Texas to study Engineering for my undergraduate degree. During my engineering undergraduate, I developed my creative problem solving skills but developed a passion for finance as I took business classes as my electives. I am excited to stay at UT to expand my knowledge in finance and prepare myself for a successful career.

Proudest Accomplishment:

During my final semester as an undergraduate, I worked alongside three of my peers to successfully design a safety barrier that could be implemented on Formula One race tracks. The project took us five months to complete, and the deliverables included a cost analysis and manufacturing process. The process was very rewarding because the design could potential save the lives of race car drivers and spectators.

Why did you choose the MSF Program?

I wanted to gain an in depth knowledge about finance to help myself excel in my career goals. The accelerated program allows me to be done in one year and enter into the job market as a desirable candidate. The MSF program will also expose me to valuable networking experience and provide me with the technical skill need to excel in the work place.

What are you most looking forward to in your program?

I am most looking forward to working with my peers and world-class professors to deepen my knowledge about finance. I am also excited to apply my skills to real problems in the practicum experience.

More on Texas MS Student Spotlight:

Texas MS #StudentSpotlight is a new feature showcasing the talent, background, and aspirations of the McCombs Master of Science Program students! Learn more about the Texas Master of Science in Finance 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.

Texas MS #StudentSpotlight: Yannick Heard, MSBA 2018

by canipec

Program:

Master of Science in Business Analytics & Student Executive Committee Member

Student Name:

Yannick Heard

Graduating Class:

Class of 2018

Undergraduate Alma Mater:

University of Texas, Chemistry

About Yannick:

I am originally English but have now lived in the US for 12 years, 5 1/2 in Michigan and the rest in Austin, TX. I went to UT for undergrad in chemistry and during my time I was able to have the opportunity to study abroad in Australia for 6 months.
I love to be outdoors and to be active in any different form, particularly running, soccer and wakeboarding.

Proudest Accomplishment:

During my freshman year, I ran a marathon and I am really proud that I was able to complete this huge distance, at a time that was below my goal time. I am also very proud of the way that I was able to commit myself to a long term training plan and wake up incredibly early in order to fit in the miles.

Why did you choose the MSBA Program?

Coming through undergraduate with chemistry I came to the conclusion that neither med-school or long-term research (the two main chemistry options) held interest for me. As I was also working on the business certificate at UT I wanted to find a way to combine my analytical and problem-solving skills from chemistry with the business side.

What are you most looking forward to in your program?

Learning technical skills that can allow me to utilize the best available techniques to develop new insights and changes to my future roles. As well as to develop an incredible network with my cohort, and to try and learn as much from them as I do from the classes.

More on Texas MS Student Spotlight:

Texas MS #StudentSpotlight is a new 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.

Texas MS #StudentSpotlight: Rajat Malhotra, MSBA 2018

by canipec

Program:

Master of Science in Finance

Student Name:

Rajat Malhotra

Graduating Class:

Class of 2018

Undergraduate Alma Mater:

National Institute of Technology, Tiruchirappalli

About Rajat:

I am a highly motivated individual. I love meeting new people and getting to know their stories. I love helping people and motivating others around me. I am also an adrenaline junkie and love to spend my time outdoors. In my spare time, I am a graphic designer, and I have been a numismatist since I was eight years old.

Proudest Accomplishment:

My proudest accomplishment so far is helping three of my close friends in college quit smoking. It was quite a challenge, but I am not one to shy away from challenges. I motivated them, kept a check on them, helped them through their addiction and accepted a pizza as my reward for doing so.

Why did you choose the MSBA Program?

I love solving problems. I wanted to apply my quantitative skills to a field where I was challenged on a daily basis. The field of Analytics happens to be one of the most challenging and amazing fields to be working in. My engineering background taught me how to define and structure a problem, so I applied to the MSBA program in order to become better at analysing problems.

What are you most looking forward to in your program?

I am looking forward to becoming a better version of myself. I hope to become more self-confident, and I am looking forward to making lasting connections with the people around me and adding value to their life.

More on Texas MS Student Spotlight:

Texas MS #StudentSpotlight is a new 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.

Texas MS #StudentSpotlight: Nicholas Husarenko, MSF 2018

by canipec

Program:

Master of Science in Finance

Student Name:

Nicholas Husarenko

Graduating Class:

Class of 2018

Undergraduate Alma Mater:

University of Florida, Math & Stat double major (minor in Actuarial Sciences)

About Nicholas:

I lived in Florida prior to coming to UT, and up until recently I was a math major at the University of Florida. My hobbies include exercising, video games, and potentially poker if anyone is interested in forming a group!

Proudest Accomplishment:

My Bachelor of Science in both Mathematics and Statistics. I worked hard to get that degree, and I’m very proud of it.

Why did you choose the MSF Program?

During my last semester of School I had a general idea of what field I wanted to go into but had no idea where to start. Thus, I decided follow the advice of my Business Finance professor and applied for an MSF. I needed a program that not only had good job placement, but also had a curriculum suited for those who were interesting in both investment banking and corporate finance. UT Austin not only fit those needs, but also had the perks of being located in a state I had wished to visit as well as having one of the best programs in the country.

What are you most looking forward to in your program?

I’m looking forward to connecting with people and finding jobs in the fields of my interest. I’m also excited about learning interviewing skills and tips from our career services team.

More on Texas MS Student Spotlight:

Texas MS #StudentSpotlight is a new feature showcasing the talent, background, and aspirations of the McCombs Master of Science Program students! Learn more about the Texas Master of Science in Finance 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.

Texas MS #StudentSpotlight: David Garza, MSF 2018

by canipec

Program:

Master of Science in Finance

Student Name:

David Garza

Graduating Class:

Class of 2018

Undergraduate Alma Mater:

University of Texas Austin

About David:

I’m an international student from Mexico interested in working in corporate finance at Apple. I am part of the University of Texas Sailing Team and Texas Crew. I love to read and to play sports, and I always enjoy a good laugh.

Proudest Accomplishment:

I am proud to have been accepted into the University of Texas at Austin, and into the MSF program at the McCombs School of Business. I worked hard to be here, and I am making the most out of every opportunity that the university offers me.

Why did you choose the MSF Program?

I’ve always found the business world interesting, especially its mix of logical reasoning and human intuition. Finance is a great mix of both theory and practice. I can both study the subject in a formal manner, and then work with others to find the best solution to a financial problem. I especially like the interaction between the financial and engineering departments when planning a new product.

What are you most looking forward to in your program?

I look forward to learning plenty, more than I have up until now. I hope I learn lots form my classmates, who all come from diverse academic backgrounds. I want to be able to work with others and figure out how to do everything as best as we can.

More on Texas MS Student Spotlight:

Texas MS #StudentSpotlight is a new feature showcasing the talent, background, and aspirations of the McCombs Master of Science Program students! Learn more about the Texas Master of Science in Finance 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.

MS in Marketing Program Ranked #3 by CollegeChoice

by canipec

The Master of Science in Marketing (MSM) at the McCombs School of Business ranked #3 among “Best Master’s in Marketing Degree for 2017) by CollegeChoice.net.

The program is new to the offerings in McCombs Masters programs, securing the #3 ranking after only its second year. The program recently opened admissions for its third cohort, which will begin in the summer of 2018.

“Our program is unique among graduate marketing degrees – our curriculum is designed to prepare students as much for the quantitative as the qualitative sides of marketing,” says Program Director Jade DeKinder. The success of the program lies in this quantitative approach as well as the dedicated resources, including specialized career services, the program offers to its students.

The Texas MSM is a 10-month program open to all undergraduate majors with strong quantitative training or test scores. Because it requires no experience, the degree also prepares students with little to no experience for careers at the forefront of marketing. The curriculum, which highlights data-driven analytics behind marketing decision-making,  allows students to complete the degree in less than a year and provides access to the McCombs School of Business extensive alumni network.

Ranking alongside the program were the University of Pennsylvania and Texas A&M. CollegeChoice bases its rankings on average credit hour cost, financial aid packages, academic reputation, and average career salary for graduates. Affordability, return on investment, and accessibility all consider strongly into the rankings, and data is compiled from a number of resources to average the rankings. Dr

The Texas MSM program began accepting applications on August 1, 2017 – applications remain open until May 1, 2018 for admissions to the summer cohort. Applicants are admitted once a year to this selective program.

Students interested in the program can contact Program Coordinators at TexasMSM@mccombs.utexas.edu.