Aditi Udayabhaskar ~ MSc Business Information & Analytics Systems

That I’m studying at University College Cork as a Quercus Scholar is quite a story. I completed my BSc (Hons) in Management at Royal Holloway, University of London in the UK – whilst watching the weather forecast on the BBC, I hardly ever noticed the isle to the left of the country, let alone know I would choose to study a postgrad degree there! My knowledge of Ireland was limited to its friendly populace, striking green and of course, the craic. However, fate took an interesting turn when I landed my first job as a data analyst working with interesting datasets; very quickly, I knew my first degree wouldn’t be enough if I was to further myself in the world of data analytics, and I began to look for Taught Master’s degrees with a good mix of both business and IT.

Treating the world as my oyster, I knew I wanted to do a one-year course and that I would prefer an English-speaking country. Additionally, I was very keen for the course to offer real value in terms of what it would add to my skillset, and to determine this I looked both at previous students on the course and career opportunities in analytics for graduates on completion of the course. In no time, I had zeroed-in on Ireland: all my needs were met, and University College Cork in particular had an excellent degree at the Cork University Business School that was just the ticket. By the end of the week, I applied to the MSc Business Information and Analytics Systems (MSc BIAS) course, and by April I was made an offer that I was very pleased to accept!

At the time of writing, I’m two-thirds of my way through the course and can confidently say coming to UCC was the right choice. Being awarded the Quercus Taught Master’s Academic Scholarship was the cherry on the cake – not only did it help relieve half of my tuition, it also exposed me to a plethora of people within the University, both students and staff. The number of connections I’ve made across the University’s four colleges wouldn’t have been possible without the events organised by the Postgraduate Office. What I particularly like about UCC is its emphasis on education and that the student is prime focus for the university at any given point in time. I can confirm that student-centric services are par excellence in Ireland – you only need to look at the Boole Library! About my course, the MSc BIAS is quite the challenge, and I love it. It’s the perfect combination of business acumen and IT smarts, and career opportunities are galore for those that work hard and persevere. Of particular note is the diversity of the class size itself – of fifteen students, more than half are international which exposes you to a variety of individuals and working styles before you even start working.

I have around one-and-a-half months of my course left, and I’m already beginning to ‘maximise’ my time on campus and in Cork, because I know I’ll miss it for sure! On completion of the course, I hope to be working as either a data or business analyst at a path-breaking company in Ireland. Positively, I believe this is within reach.

Aditi Udayabhaskar

MSc Business Information and Analytics Systems

To find out more about the MSc Business Information and Analytics Systems, please click here