A Week in the Life of a Part-Time Online MS in Applied Data Science Student
What does it really look like to balance the MS in Applied Data Science program with a full-time career?
Ahead of 
today’s Ask a Student session, current student Monica Para shares a week in her life, from Machine Learning lectures to data analysis projects to community building in Chicago’s tech ecosystem.
In Monica’s words:
Hello everyone!
My name is Monica Para, and I am currently a part-time online student in the MS in Applied Data Science program at the University of Chicago. Alongside my studies, I work full-time as a Data Analyst.
Below is a glimpse into what it’s like balancing a full-time career while pursuing a graduate degree part time.
Monday:
I’m in the office at the beginning of the week, where I take care of administrative responsibilities before focusing on my core bookwork. The majority of the day is dedicated to completing mandatory HR trainings in preparation for upcoming deadlines.
After the workday ended, I spent time working on a project proposal for my Machine Learning I class before logging onto Zoom at 6pm for Professor Utku Pamuksuz’s lecture, where we took a deep dive into machine learning generalization and performance strategies. After the class concluded at 9pm, I went to bed, preparing for the next day.
Tuesday:
These days tend to be busier since everyone is in the office, which leads to an increase in data-related requests from various stakeholders. The morning then transitions into my team’s weekly all-hands meeting, where we share updates on tickets and ongoing projects. My primary focus is developing AI workflows to support our data collection operations, and alongside this, I’ve begun working on a new project. Much of my time has been dedicated to data cleaning in support of that effort.
Once the workday concluded, I headed to Chinatown for dinner at Triple Crown Restaurant while outlining plans for external speaking engagements scheduled later this month. Outside of work and school, I am an active volunteer in the Chicago tech community and collaborate with organizations to host community events.
After dinner, I took the train home and spent the rest of the night working on my Time Series Analysis assignment.
Wednesday:
Before heading to the office, I made a quick stop to visit friends at TechNexus, who were hosting the 1 Million Cups event this week. For those unfamiliar, 1 Million Cups is a nationwide program launched by the Kauffman Foundation where entrepreneurs share their journeys each week, followed by a Q&A with the audience. It’s a welcoming and inclusive community, and you don’t need to have your own venture to attend the Wednesday morning events.
Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to stay for the entire event, as I made my way to the office around 9:30 a.m. There, I spent most of the day in back-to-back meetings with stakeholders while also continuing on conducting data analysis for a new project I’ve recently taken on.
After grabbing a quick bite, I took the train home and logged into my 6pm Zoom lecture for Professor Johnathan William’s Time Series Analysis course. During the lecture, we focused primarily on structural vector autoregressions and met with our teams for the first time to discuss the final project, which involves presenting a time series topic not previously covered in the course.
Thursday:
I worked from home today, which allowed me to focus more deeply on my primary bookwork.
After work, I went for a long walk around town and then went to bed earlier than usual.
Friday:
I worked from home again today, spending time reading whitepapers related to one of my ongoing projects.
In the afternoon, I attended a review session led by Professor Utku Pamuksuz in preparation for an assignment due Monday, which involves using real-world data and clustering algorithms to make predictions for a specific case.
Weekends:
I primarily use the weekends to get a head start on homework and to pursue other activities, such as hiking, especially on the trails at Swallow Cliff Woods.
Overall, managing part-time schooling alongside a full-time job is very doable, but it requires a strong focus on both time and energy management to prevent burnout.
I hope you enjoyed reading about what my typical workweek looks like and how I balance part-time schooling with a full-time job while making time for activities.
Join Monica at the Ask a Student session on Tuesday, February 17 at 6:00 PM CST to ask your own questions about the MS in Applied Data Science program. Register here
More student stories: Check out additional day-in-the-life perspectives on our YouTube channel.