Alana McIntosh Clarke

About you

What work experience/internships did you have before beginning with Imperial College Business School?

Before beginning at Imperial I had interned at several places during my undergraduate degree. This includes an energy consultancy as an analyst, a pharmaceutical company as a health economist, and a sustainable coffee company as an internal consultant.

Why did you decide to study an MSc Business Analytics at Imperial College Business School?

Imperial exemplifies excellence and spearheads innovation in the field of sciences, thus I felt as though Imperial was the right choice to blend business and data science for the best quantitative and technical business school experience. I was also very attracted to the diversity the programme boasted and the exit opportunities of many of the past students.

Programme

What aspects of the programme do you most enjoy the most?

I think the best aspect of the programme has to be the cohort. The members of the cohort were so well selected, everyone is extremely kind and collaborative, and I could not have imagined a more productive and engaging environment to study in.

Which has been your favourite module so far and why?

My favourite module so far has been Optimisation and Decision Models taught by Wolfram Wiesemann. The professor was extremely compelling and did an extremely good job of breaking down complex concepts in a simple and practical way.

What has been the most rewarding part of the programme?

For me personally, the most rewarding part of the programme is how applicable all the modules are to what is genuinely done in the workplace. For example, on my internship and while using real client data for one of the course modules, Retail and Marketing Analytics, I was able to create business value for the company whose data I was given permission to use, while applying techniques learnt in the course. I found it really rewarding to know and see first-hand how useful the programme has been, and how practical all the methodologies are in a real business context.

"For me personally, the most rewarding part of the programme is how applicable all the modules are to what is genuinely done in the workplace."

What has been the most challenging part of the programme? 

I think the most challenging part of the programme can be both the workload and the steep learning curve if you don’t come from a programming background. That being said it is not too bad to catch up, and my course-mates were always extremely willing to help! The workload in terms of coursework can also be quite dense, but it’s a great exercise in time management. I would also add that another challenge has been working in a team with people who may not have the same work style as you and thus always having to be very malleable when it comes to assembling coursework to meet deadlines.

People

How would you describe your cohort at Imperial?

I truly believe we are so lucky with our cohort at Imperial. This is without a doubt one of the best aspects of the course. Everyone is very kind, hardworking, energetic and cooperative, and no-one likes to see another fail. Outside of the working environment, I would also say that we get along very well and it is really nice to know that you can grab lunch and have a nice conversation with anyone in the room.

"This is without a doubt one of the best aspects of the course. Everyone is very kind, hardworking, energetic and cooperative"

Did you have a favourite professor/lecturer and why?

I did! It was probably Wolfram as mentioned above. He brought so much energy, life and joy to a course which if taught in a different manner could have in fact been quite boring and dry, which I think is really a testament to his teaching ability and how much he cares for his students.

Do you hold a student leadership position?

Yes, I am currently a Student Ambassador. I found this to be really rewarding and a great way to give back, as I certainly found chatting to the Student Ambassadors at the on-campus events one of the most influential aspects that made me rank Imperial as my top choice. It was also great to get an unfiltered opinion of how other students experienced the course, and the kind attitude they displayed towards us.

Career

What are your future career goals and how have they been realised since being at Imperial?

In the future, I hope to be the head of sustainability and sustainable business practices at either a global consultancy or do this as an in-house role either in the private or public sector. I believe that data science in business can truly highlight and indicate sustainable business solutions and prove why they are practical and meaningful, not only for the company, sector or country but for the society and environment as a whole. I believe Imperial has helped me take these steps in getting a grip on the data science end of things, as well as how to bridge the gap between data scientists and business leaders. Since being at Imperial I have secured a job at a management consultancy which will help me to continue to learn about the quantitative technical solutions behind business problems and communicate these to business leaders in a down-to-earth and realistic manner.

Tips

What advice would you give someone who is thinking about applying for the programme?

I would definitely say to get in touch with someone from the Admissions team or a Student Ambassador to talk to someone first-hand about the course as I feel this is really the only way to do it justice. This degree so far has been extremely rewarding and definitely worth it, so anyone considering applying should definitely give it their best shot. I would also say, that if successful in your application to really brush up on some basic programming skills, as it makes your life a whole lot easier and gives you more of a chance to enjoy learning the topics rather than scrambling to learn coding concepts!