What Students Say
Likes
- The best thing about Purdue is the plethora of opportunities it offers. If you are good at what you do, you will be in-demand for TA/RA or even student engineer positions in the University that pay pretty well. I held three jobs during my time here. Yes, it was hectic, but I was able to recover a good chunk of my expenses.
Dislikes
- Purdue is known for its high-quality education in the STEM fields. However, only a handful of professors are good teachers, and I am sure my peers would agree to this. Also, the professors don't take cheating in exams and assignments seriously. This impacts students who are genuine and work hard.
Required Exams for Admission
Overall it was an eye-opening experience. Yes, I learnt a lot academically, but I what is more important is I learnt how to take care of myself. At the end of the day, you are on your own. The university gives you all the ingredients you would need to succeed - research opportunities, on-campus jobs, networking events etc. How you use those ingredients is up to you. It has been a hectic one-year, but I wouldn't regret it. There are tons of takeaways.
Course Curriculum
For those who had little exposure to Data Science and Statistics, the curriculum was good. It introduced them to all the necessary topics. A good head-start I would say. For those who already had experience in Data Science, the entire course was more of a refresher. However, to land a good job, everyone had to do quite some bit of self-study. The curriculum alone doesn't make you job-ready. I wouldn't blame the curriculum though. Data Science is a vast field. A small chunk of the curriculum is outdated I feel. A couple of courses elaborate on tools that aren't used in the industry anymore. Students are given tons of Industry exposure and research opportunities. It is what we make of it. Not everyone made full use of them since involvement in these opportunities meant putting a lot of extra effort outside the classroom. But those who did benefitted immensely - experience-wise and monetary-wise.
Faculty
The student to faculty ratio is pretty high - around 40:1. Most of the faculty and staff are knowledgeable and have PhDs, and are very humble and approachable. However, not everyone are good teachers per-se. Only a handful of the professors were excellent teachers. A couple of my favorite professors are Prof. Will Wei Sun who taught Data Mining, and Prof. Mohit Tawarmalani who taught inferential statistics, and optimization.
Campus Life
There are tons of events happening every single day. There are hundreds of clubs. If you are sociable, you are never going to feel lonely or left-out. Most events welcome everyone and provide free lunch/dinner. The research facilities are tremendous as well. There are multiple high performance computing centers in campus that are open to all students. The staff in these centers are very helpful. There is free WiFi coverage throughout the campus. Sports lovers are in for a treat. Whether you are into Football, or Cricket, there are tournaments happening every other week. Besides, the Sports Center is huge, and is free to all students of Purdue. We have access to all sorts of sporting equipment.
Placement
The post-study opportunities are pretty good since there is a lot of demand for Data Scientists. However, make sure you know your stuff. Work hard, and keep learning something new every single day. That is what will make you interview-ready!
Accommodation
I live off-campus and pay around USD 550 per month including rent, utilities, electricity etc. Groceries, food, wifi, network coverage add up to around USD 250 per month. I have never had to spend more than USD 800 per month. However, it depends on where and how you live. I live in a pretty simple, not-so-great apartment, and live a low-key lifestyle. Besides, I cook on most days. Most students end up spending around USD 1000 per month.
Exams
My program required either the GRE or GMAT, and TOEFL. I had a GRE score of 330 (168Q and 162V). My TOEFL score was 112/120. Anything above a 320 in the GRE and 105 on TOEFL should be competitive. "The SOP had to be under 500 words. The purpose of the SOP is to communicate why you want to pursue the program, what makes you a good a fit, and what you bring to the table. Most students make the mistake of writing a bland SOP, which would bore the reader. Make it interesting. The reader should want to read on. Take your time penning your SOP. Start early! I had to submit two LORs. I submitted one academic, and one professional LOR. You can request your recommender to elaborate on what makes you unique, and why the program should pick you. I also had to submit a 1-page diversity statement, detailing my experiences so far (be it academic, or professional) that made me a better human being. I had to include what contributions I had made to the society, and why. In your CV, make sure you highlight points that match the curriculum of the course. That would increase increase your chances of admission. There was one interview from the admissions counselor. It was nothing technical, and had more to do with why I want to join the program. In short, it was as if I had to orate my SOP. There were a few behavioral questions such as ""What are three of your best qualities?"", ""Tell me about a time when you had to work in a team to achieve a goal"", etc. "
Fees
1. The tuition fee was very affordable, and I received a pretty decent amount of scholarship. 2. The program had a good track record. All students (especially international) founds jobs before, or soon after graduating. Excluding scholarships and assistantships, the fee is around USD 52000. MSBAIM is 36 credit program, and each credit costs around USD 1300.
Scholarship
Yes, I received a scholarship of $9000. The amount of scholarship depends on your SOP, LORs, CV, and the interview.
Examination Structure
There was one interview from the admissions counselor. It was nothing technical, and had more to do with why I want to join the program. In short, it was as if I had to orate my SOP. There were a few behavioral questions such as "What are three of your best qualities?", "Tell me about a time when you had to work in a team to achieve a goal", etc. There were no university specific tests.
