“The program is well-structured and allows for good exploration within the world of Data Science.”
Contact Information: sowmya@seas.upenn.edu
Degree(s) M.S.E. in Data Science, University of Pennsylvania
Hometown: Bangalore, India
Which field of Data Science are you interested in?
Natural Language Processing, Machine Learning, Public Policy Analytics
What drew you to study Data Science at Penn?
The DATS curriculum at Penn offers great flexibility to tailor your courses to your personal interests. The program is well-structured and allows for good exploration within the world of Data Science.
What are some classes that you have particularly enjoyed and why?
I enjoyed CIS530(Computational Linguistics). The coursework complemented the lectures well and I liked spending time figuring out the assignments. I also really enjoyed CIS545 (Big Data Analytics). It provides a solid introduction to the world of Data Science and is very well-structured.
What internships have you had? If you know your post graduation plans, please include here.
I am a Teaching Assistant for MCIT 550 (Database & Information Systems). I am also currently interning at Amazon as a Software Development Engineer in the Topology team this Summer.
What advice do you have for new students?
Take breaks! The courses run almost non-stop and it can get hard to push through sometimes. Schedule some time off regularly to help refocus. Talk to people! I may be biased here but the DATS crowd are a very helpful and fun bunch 😀 Lastly, I’d say start looking for internships early! It is good to get started at the beginning of the semester so that when things ramp up, you are well prepared to handle it all.
What classes have you taken?
I have taken CIS 5200 (Machine Learning), ESE 5420 (Statistics for Data Science) and CIS 5300 (Computational Linguistics) in Fall 2021, and CIS 5450 (Big Data Analytics), CIS 5220 (Deep Learning for Data Science) and STAT 5350 (Forecasting Methods for Management) in Spring 2022.
Share a little bit about yourself.
I’m a second-year Master’s student in the DATS program and am interested in Data Analytics, NLP and Public Policy Analysis. I pursue dance and am usually in a studio practicing during my time off. Occasionally, I catch up on any important pop culture events, play badminton, read books and explore new cuisines.