SOP Sample for MS Data Science in Canada - Early Career

Statement of Purpose

I am a curious person, and problem-solving and spending hours on brainstorming has been part of my inquisitive nature. Data could provide solutions to all the convoluted problems if one knows how to extract the information, the reason there are ample opportunities for data scientists in the years to come. That's why the field of data science and analytics have fascinated me, and given the satisfaction I seek.

I am very interested in pursuing MSc in Applied Computing (Data Science Concentration) from [UNIVERSITY_1]. From my extensive research about the program, it is very evident that this is one of the best programs in data science. The most attractive element of this degree is applying the technical knowledge through research internships, which is an 8-month long endeavour to solve actual industry problems, not just learning theoretical concepts. I am capable of providing a creative and aesthetic solution to my client's problems, but my communication and presentation skills are not at the level I desire, which the Communication for Computer Scientists course helps me develop. Electives on Machine Learning, Neural Networks and Deep Learning from Department of Computer Science and Methods for Data Analysis, Time Series Analysis, and Statistical Methods for Machine Learning and Data Mining from Department of Statistical Science creates a nice blend of coursework to develop the technical skills. It's harder to select only 4 out of these incredible electives, and I would like to study more given the opportunity. On top of that, there's a course on Technical Entrepreneurship, to develop the business acumen of the students. This is all a graduate of this prestigious data science program could ask for.

My first encounter with this field was at the end of my second year, in the summer internship at [INSTITUTION_1]. I was working on a meta-analysis of research papers on Supplier Relationship Management and the different techniques and algorithms used for the supplier selection process captivated me. After the very next semester in winter vacations, I wrote a literature-review on the same topic, which later got published in the [CONFERENCE_1]. In the subsequent two years, I took all the electives relating to data science or business analytics, ranging from Forecasting and Time Series Analysis, Introduction to Industrial Management and Production System Design. I did my third-year summer internship at the [INSTITUTION_2] to understand the economic viability of different research projects under [ORGANIZATION_1] (Singapore Government Research Agency). Our team interviewed a wide range of stakeholders, like CEOs, CTOs, Doctors and Professors, and we also analysed data from newspapers, articles, and research papers to create a report on commercialization strategy for [ORGANIZATION_1].

I am presently working as a consultant at [COMPANY_1] for over last one and a half year since I graduated. I have had the privilege to work with 3 different teams, on 4 major projects and several minor projects, and develop an extensive knowledge base. In my first team, I applied the concepts of optimization using python to build a completely automated system for revenue maximization under constrained variables, while the second team, introduced me to the field of banking and fraud, where I had to quickly learn advance SAS, SQL and Excel for client requirements. I worked in this team for over 8 months, creating dashboards for reporting, analysing new datasets and checking efficacy of using them to tackle first party frauds. Fraud team taught me to work under pressure and manage our time wisely, as we had to handle request from several different teams simultaneously. Recently I got assigned to the small business team, and my first project was on loss forecasting for balance generation offers mailed. Rather than updating the standard template, I created a new automated loss forecasting dashboard, which reduced the time for report preparation from days to minutes while providing ample opportunity to change user-defined parameters. My work has been so efficient and time-saving, that my supervisor wants to automate all their quarterly reports in similar manner, and the senior management even wants to apply it for all the teams across the firm. Unfortunately, my current domain of work in banking doesn't allow us to use complex algorithms of machine learning and artificial intelligence and had led me to search for something more challenging and intriguing.

My recent industrial interests and academic experience in the field of data science has bolstered my interest to pursue research in this field for the forthcoming times. I believe MSc in Applied Computing from [UNIVERSITY_1] will not only enable me to enhance my existing technical skills but will also provide the necessary industrial exposure. Looking forward to having a memorable grad school experience whereby I can contribute to ongoing research activities in your esteemed university as well as learning and gaining due knowledge and wisdom in the process of doing so!