The Next Stage: Part 2 - Graduate Programs

As I hit the final 60 days of my undergraduate career, I find myself looking forward with a great deal of excitement. I'll be honest: This is a really fun time for me. It's full of hope and passion, mixed with a little nervousness. I've got some pretty successful role models in my life and I hope to make them proud. They range from my eldest sister who got her MBA at Canada's #1 program, my 'older brother' who was "cold-called" recruited to work for Stanford's IT Department, to my high school best friend who took graduate mathematics at the University of Chicago.

As I said, I've got some big shoes to fill.

Programs

I love to learn. In a recent interview, I was asked by someone at Disney what I would choose to do if I could do anything and money was no option. I thought this was a great 'final question' in the interview, and I had given it some previous thought. For me, the answer is two-fold. 

First, I want to be part of a BHAG (Big Hairy Audacious Goal) - something much bigger than myself. During my answer I came up with the phrase "something that I can wrap my heart around." I think that describes it best. 

Secondly, I would want to remain in graduate programs for the foreseeable future. This is not to say that I never want to get a "real job." That couldn't be farther from the truth. 

In compiling my "long list" of graduate programs, I have found so many variations on the theme that I want to take them all. While I know that's not practical unless I hit the lottery (I don't even play), it's still a nice thought. 

In the hopes of being realistic, I have narrowed the field down to these choices:

• M.Sc. in Information Science with a concentration in Data Warehousing or Database Management
• MBA with a concentration in Information Technology, specifically as it relates to Big Data
• M.Sc. in Anaytics with an emphasis on Data Mining
• M.Sc. in Statistics with an emphasis on Forcasting

Part 3 will be the "Long List" of schools. Stay tuned...