I'm not sure if I'm the best person to answer this question because I haven't really gotten complete college experience from MSU. That's because I'm enrolled with the 12 month program which is very fast-paced and barely leaves us time to enjoy and take part in other stuff on campus. But if I am to comment on my program and the experience that I am right now having it is very hectic and mentally challenging. The weather in Michigan also makes it physically challenging in the first four months of the program. Personally I'm loving this because I wanted to challenge myself when I came out of India and I'm getting what I wanted.
Course Curriculum :
The program that I'm currently in is a 12 month program that starts in January and ends in December of every year. Given the fast-paced nature of this course most of the curriculum is tightly packed with assignments and projects and that keeps you on your feet all the time. Starting in the spring semester there are three courses followed by the summer semester which has a mandatory internship and the Career Center tries to help you to get the internship however it's not very helpful. Along with the internship there are two courses that have three-week fast-paced classes in the starting of the summer and they go online over the rest of the summer. Followed by this comes the fall semester which is the last semester of the program has three, courses each of them associated with a project along with this there's a capstone project making the semester very hectic. Bottom line is this program is a good program for experienced professionals I will definitely not suggest this for freshers who just graduated from college.
Exams :
My scores: GRE - 150 Verbal, Quant: 166 IELTS: 8.0 Apart from these, there will be a profile review. I personally had an interview as well for the program that I'm in. Since I transitioned from an engineering background to Business Analytics/Data Science, I had to highlight what drove me in this direction in the SOP. My LORs were a combination of academic(Statistics professor, Python professor) and professional(Manager at work). Notice how my academic LORs are from departments that coincide with the program's interests. The interview was mostly like a conversation about what I find interesting about MSU and why I believe I will be a good fit for the program. Also asked me about what I expect to get out of the program. I did my homework by reading about both the university as a whole and the program in specific. But I felt like it was a formality because my profile was very well aligned with the program content. After my undergrad, I worked as a Business Analyst for a couple of years before coming into this program.
Placement :
Generally the program gives a diverse concepts of knowledge bringing in business analytics and data science together. Our alumni who passed out in 2022 did secure good jobs across the country. However given the current market condition it is very difficult for us to find jobs and even the Career Center is not able to do much about it.
Internship :
Yes, I interned as Sales Operations Analyst intern during summer with Taconic Biosciences. It got extended to a Co-Op into the Fall semester too. The process of getting an internship is hectic. I remember applying to close to 150 companies over just 2 months while getting just 3 interview calls. Again, the market is bad.
Fees :
Tuition is USD $39000 for the entire program.
Scholarship :
There are no scholarships associated with this program no matter how good the profile is. However, we will receive a $1000 fellowship in the Fall semester (last semester as it is a 12-month program that starts in Spring).
Faculty :
The faculty resident ratio at MSU is good especially for this program and since this is a cohort-based program you will not choose the faculty that you would want to work with rather the program decides who takes the classes. While some of them are very approachable and friendly the others may not be as approachable. However, all of them are highly qualified and very well versed with the course content. Personally, I love a professor who takes problem solving for business analytics class which is essentially a statistics class as she's very well organized and that's something that I learned from her.
Campus Life :
MSU is one of the biggest land grant universities in the US meaning it is a very big university spread across the town of East Lansing. The infrastructure is top class with great Wi-Fi connectivity over the campus and dining halls for the students. The library resources and the academic buildings are equipped with latest technology that makes teaching and learning processes better. I always prefer to work in the academic buildings by reserving a room for myself rather than staying home because it at least motivates me to work over the day. On the other hand I can't really comment on the extracurricular life and the college life because like I mentioned it's a 12 month program and I barely have time for completing my academic work however I do try to squeeze in small events like student tie dye events coffee hours and meetups. The university also has a very big recreational center with facilities of basketball badminton swimming and other sports which are very well utilized by the students and the faculty of the university.
Hostel :
There are accommodation facilities on campus but for grad students especially people for coming from outside the country may not be affordable. But Michigan is state with very low living cost. In fact the edible groceries are non-taxable. There are good apartment communities within the five kilometer radius of the campus with great bus connectivity to commute to campus every day. These communities are increasing their rents every year but still the monthly expenses including utilities and groceries will be down to a $700 if one lives with a calculated lifestyle. And this expenses can be dealt with very easily if we can secure a part time job on campus. Another good thing about MSU is that it has a lot of on campus part time jobs and they are easily accessible to students.
