Monalisa Verma

3rd-year student, Bachelor of Computer and Information Sciences in Data Science

Monalisa Verma says she discovered her interest in data analytics while following sports and seeing the statistical analysis of player performances. Eventually this passion would lead her to the Bachelor of Computer and Information Sciences in Data Science.

“I decided to pursue a degree in data science because I had been following sports and the statistical analysis of player performances against other metrics sparked my interest. I’m excited about understanding how this works, and it’s interesting to apply the skills from this degree to the sporting analytical world. I could see myself as a sports analyst or a data analyst in my future career.”

Deciding to come to AUT for her studies was easy, Monalisa says.

“I had a look at a few different universities before finalising my decision to come to AUT. While comparing the structures of the degrees across the different universities, I found that AUT had the most practical degree, which is the best preparation for applying the learnings in the future.”

Practical and relevant
One of the highlights for Monalisa was the research and development project in her final year; a great chance for her to see what a future in sport analytics could look like.

“My final-year project – Moneyball for Motorsport – gave me the opportunity to delve deeper into sports analytics. Applying my knowledge to practical scenarios was so rewarding! I enjoyed working on a real-life scenario for a company and gain experiences that will help me throughout my future. As part of the feedback, my project mentor also suggested that I consider postgraduate study and I’ve already applied for AUT’s Master of Analytics.”

She says she wouldn’t hesitate to recommend the Bachelor of Computer and Information Sciences in Data Science.

“If you want to gain skills in any field of computer science, this is a practical degree that provides you with a core understanding of computing, which you can then use to pick which subjects work best for you. I’ve become a lot more confident throughout this degree, and loved being able to complete several software development courses as part of my studies to boost my skills. I’d 100% recommend it to anyone interested in any section of computer science.”

Advice for other students
Expecting to graduate at the end of the year, Monalisa has some great advice for other students.

“I definitely recommend balancing out your studies and other activities to maintain a healthy and productive university life. It’s vital to take care of yourself to make sure you can have a good academic journey, so definitely reach out when needed.”

Her other piece of advice is simple: get to know other students.

“Make sure you connect with your fellow students as they make the university journey so much better and fun!”