Statement of Purpose
Program – Masters in Data Science
Intake – Sept 2021
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To the imperative of a better world, I firmly believe that Big Data Capabilities powered by Deep learning algorithms, are indispensible. My first tryst with data interpretation was however not for academic reasons yet it got me smitten to an extent where I started consuming any available information on data intelligence concepts, I could access. Picture a young kid, all of 15 years of age; an active squash player. While I started participating in tournaments earlier than that, my fascination with data started around this time collating game and player statistics and deriving winning strategies through effective data interpretation. Being an active sportsperson, I started preparing data sets for other sports such as cricket, football etc. and used it for prediction analysis.
Since then, I have worked hard to accrue academic and experiential knowledge in the domain. Hitherto, completed four years of undergraduate education in Computer Science Engineering from Vellore Institute of Technology; learning the foundational & advanced theory and about the applied scope of my learning through practicum and collaborative project work. MY undergraduate thesis project titled, “Study of Green Cover of Vellore by implementing Geographical Information using Remote Sensing and Image Processing” led to a deeper learning about the data science implications while curating and analysing large datasets, first hand.
I am utterly mindful and aware that my chosen domain of Data Science is a complex study program. The inspirational quips of the visionaries: my favourite being, “The world is one big data problem”, may ignite interest in a lot of young scholars but it is only diligence and genuine passion for the Data as an academic discipline, that will deliver results. In the past two years since completing my engineering education, I have worked with reputable IT firms. I have actively contributed as a full stack developer, in projects involving extracting and scraping data and completed multiple projects involving AI and ML knowhow. I am certain that only a formal education such as the expansive curriculum of Masters in Data Science offered at your esteemed university is the most opportune step forward for me in my academic promenade. While I am driven to deliver spectacular results from my Master’s education, I have carefully prepared a knowledge bank to enable ease of learning the esoteric syllabus.
Statistics and Mathematics have been my core areas of interest since high school. I cleared my higher secondary in the year ___scoring 9.4/10 CGPA at the Navy Children School, Delhi and completed my intermediate school education in year____ from the Delhi Public School, Lucknow, while securing 83% aggregate in Science stream. Straight after school, I prepared rigorously for multiple engineering exams and got admission at the Vellore Institute of technology, Tamil Nadu, India. I was able to book a coveted slot at the Computer Science faculty which is given to the top scoring students and VIT is ranked as topmost amongst the non IITian technical universities in India.
I recently appeared for the IELTS examination and scored an overall band score of 7.5. Moreover English has been the primary medium language of my education since kindergarten school and also the preferred spoken language at home and work place.
Throughout the four years of undergraduate education, I learnt well about the quintessential programming languages (mention them) and followed my study modules attentively, scoring well in each semester. I was able to develop good understanding of advanced mathematics, linear algebra and advanced statistics; often venturing beyond the scope of my syllabus to pursue my interests in Data Science and Machine Learning algorithms. I completed certification from University of Illinois (Coursera) in Cluster Analysis in Data Mining, learning extensively about the concept and developing a working prototype application, titled, ‘Stock Market Prediction & Cluster Grouping Visualization using RNN, t-SINE on Tensor Flow and Tensor Board.
Since 2019, I have been working at different levels of product development using Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning Algorithms. The stock market application; while it gave me academic understanding of data interpretation, I learnt the significance of sequential data, of the training and testing set separation and awareness of how its failure may not generalize to unseen data. I have cherished the learning process and the immense support I have received from my family in this endeavour.
I was brought up me in a defence services environment with ample nurturing and access to a resourceful academia. My father has served for the most part of his working life with the Indian Navy Services as a pilot. He is currently retired and often flies corporate jets on contractual basis. My mother is a lettered woman and home maker by choice. I have a younger brother who is in high school right now. Growing up amid defence personnel ensured that discipline and people skills were learnt at a young age.
To utilise the extracurricular opportunities, in 2016, I volunteered in Vietnam as a NGO Worker for duration of 40 days. While at VIT, I actively contributed to the AIESEC club. In 2nd years I was chosen as the vice president of the club’s Corporate Carnival event. I also represented and got rewards while representing VIT in the sports of Squash.
It is only after careful evaluation of the available choices; I have chosen to pursue my Masters from the United Kingdom. The country is famed for the superlative academic legacy with some of the oldest universities in the world being in the UK. Especially in the domain of Data Science and Analytics, university research at UK is miles ahead even when compared to universities in Australia and Canada. I have strived to maintain an exemplary academic and professional record till now and I concur that studying at an eminent English university is an ideal and deserving progression for me. I vehemently look forward to work with the diverse student groups and get a first-hand flavour of plurality in culture, ideas and opinions. A Master’s degree from the UK will certainly give impetus to my employability as a Data Science Professional amongst top Indian firms.
To pursue a comprehensive study curriculum in Data Science and Analytics is vital to my learning and vocational objectives. I am suitably prepared and passionate to learn about the diverse aspects of Data Science as an academic & research discipline. Through research I learnt about the brilliant co-op programs offered at (University Name) and experiential knowledge with latest research and innovation in a developed world setting will enable me to emulate similar prototypical ideas in my home country. The comprehensive curriculum and the expert faculty at your university will undoubtedly aid me in achieving my desired learning objectives.
I am driven with scholarly dedication to complete my master’s education at the (University name)[will add later for different uni’s can leave this as University name for now] with excellent outcomes. Post my Masters, I plan to work with data intelligence firms in India; especially in the Fin-Tech and Agri-Tech sector. After a few years of on job learning experience, I may opt for a reputed PhD program to pursue my research interest about the role that neural networks and AI can play in preventive health care and life enhancement therapies.
I hope to have elucidated my rationale and eagerness to study at your campus while I remain committed to contribute to the formidable academic legacy of your university; through liberal innovation and with astute diligence. Sincerely
