Greek student Danai Chatzidimitriou is studying for an MSc in Business Analysis & Consulting here at Strathclyde. Find out below what advice she has for prospective students and what she enjoyed most about her work placement.
What were you doing before you started your MSc in Business Analysis & Consulting?
Before starting my postgraduate studies, I was studying a BA Business Management at the University of South Wales.
What made you take the programme? Why did you choose Strathclyde?
I chose to apply for the MSc Business Analysis & Consulting, not only for the analytical and technical skills it would provide me with, but also for the opportunity it would give me to get in touch with real-time industry players in terms of coursework (referring to the Becoming an Effective Business Analyst module) and in terms of the facilitated work experience programmes.
What do you think of the January placements? Was that something which attracted you to Strathclyde?
Yes, it was something that attracted me to Strathclyde. I was really satisfied with my tasks, as they were really supporting the company’s operations and were taken seriously, despite my minor experience in the field.
What was involved in your placement at SYSTRA?
I was responsible for modifying and using an existing forecasting model. This involved me in primary research, as well as utilising operational tools that were taught through class material.
I had to modify and use SYSTRA’S UK car fleet predicting model for Sheffield. Based on assumptions, developed according to upcoming regulations and market trends, I added more features to it, using VBA coding and spreadsheet modelling.
The environment was very welcoming and the tasks were interesting. We were also helping with ad-hoc tasks, such as exploratory data analysis and secondary research online.
In what ways did you benefit from this work experience? Has it helped you with plans post-graduation?
I have learnt how to produce results tailored to the needs of clients, for instance examining certain aspects of a dataset and creating user-friendly models. The experience definitely provided me with useful insights on the industry. Having had the chance to socialise with my colleagues increased my professional network, but also widened my horizons on operational research.
What do you think of the course so far? Would you advise others to do it?
I think that the programme provides useful managerial insights to people who did not study business previously and its team-oriented coursework is a good training on group work in a real life context. I would strongly advise people from technical backgrounds to apply for the programme.
What advice would you give to prospective students?
Have good time management, be very open to other people’s views and study a lot!
