MSBA in UC Davis - Application Experience

Long post ahead!! My name is Yashas, and I am currently pursuing my MS in Business Analytics at UC Davis. I’m from Bangalore and am a Mu Sigman as well. I’m writing this post as I’m now trying to book visas for my parents to see me at commencement, and got nostalgic about my admissions process. As I also work with the school, I also wanted to share my experience in case I can help you. Although I joined the program in August 2021, my story began in October 2019. As I was working with Mu Sigma, it was quite easy to decide what degree to pursue. After a lot of research and multiple discussions with fellow aspirants and alumni, I decided to apply to the MSBA program at UC Davis. My favorite part about the program was the location. As classes are in San Francisco, I knew that being in the Bay Area would help me network better and learn in a multi-cultural setting. Northern California is welcoming in terms of people, and the weather is quite temperate. (no snow, lots of sunlight, getting to be outside all the time without a jacket) Before filling out the application, I attended a webinar hosted by the school. As master’s degree is a huge deal for most of us, it is important that the college we are applying to interacts with us and sets expectations. Although this was a general session walking us over the main features of the program, the attendees were given an opportunity to interact with some students who were in the program. This served as a good platform for me to connect with these students and judge if I was a good fit for the program and vice versa. After talking to a couple of them, I decide to go ahead and apply. It didn’t hurt that the school tends to waive the $125 app fee IF you go the webinar. The application process involved more than just SOP and LORs. Instead of a single essay for the SOP, the application required me to answer a set of questions – focusing on my interest towards analytics and how I intend to apply my learnings into the industry post the degree. Having worked in the analytics sector, I felt that these questions were very relevant to my goals and what the industry is looking for in a candidate. It’s okay if you’re doing a career switch with the degree, just make sure to do the research. There are two rounds of interviews. The first interview was a generic behavioral round – like the ones you might have experienced while interviewing for a job. It was a short 15-minute conversation about my goals and ideas. I was quite confident after this round as the conversation was smooth and again, the questions felt relevant to me. After this, I received an email for my final interview. This would be a 45-minute interview with the executive director. We started off by talking about my resume and the business impact that I was contributing to at work. We moved over to my technical skills and comfort levels with those. Later, we discussed about my knowledge of statistics and a few other mathematical concepts. Overall, it was a great experience as it did not just involve a Q&A session. Instead, it was a discussion which felt more like a meeting. Quick tip, if the interview invites clash with vacation or work, just write to the team. My first interview date clashed with a vacation that my family had planned (Back when we could plan things ahead, sigh). I sent an email to the executive director of the program explaining my situation and she was extremely nice to help me reschedule the interview to a later date. This personal touch that the college provided even during the application phase made me feel comfortable to ask questions, request more information etc. in the later stages as well. After a wait (which felt like two years), I received the admit! Expectedly, I was super happy. Things seemed much clearer now and there was almost no uncertainty. I started reading about the visa process and the next steps. The college also hosted an “admitted students webinar” to help a bunch of us get started with the next steps. But…there is ALWAYS a but. Stay tuned for my next post where I will talk about how life took a U-turn and walk you through the drama that #ms