For many prospective graduate students, the biggest questions aren’t just where to go—they’re about cost, career outcomes, and whether the degree will actually pay off.
For Kogod MS in Analytics alumna Alina, those questions were immediate and high-stakes.
While working in FP&A at St. Jude in Memphis, she realized she wanted to pivot toward analytics—without abandoning her finance background. At the same time, as an international student, she had to carefully weigh affordability, timing, and work authorization.
She chose the Kogod School of Business in Washington, DC. After graduating, she secured a role at the International Monetary Fund (IMF), increased her salary, and set a goal to pay off her student loans within a year.
Her path highlights a broader takeaway for prospective students: graduate school outcomes are rarely accidental—they’re built through strategy, skill development, and consistent effort.
For Alina, the decision came down to three key factors that reflect how many applicants evaluate analytics programs today:
In her FP&A role, Alina built strong financial fundamentals—but saw growing demand for analytics and data-driven decision-making.
“I didn’t want to leave finance,” she explained. “I wanted to add analytics to it.”
An MS in Analytics allowed her to layer technical skills onto an existing career foundation, rather than restart from scratch.
Alina intentionally narrowed her search to the DC area, where she had family and saw strong career alignment.
For analytics students, DC offers proximity to:
After not being selected in the work visa lottery with her employer, grad school became a strategic next step she could control.
For many international students, graduate programs provide both skill-building and a pathway to extended work opportunities in the US.
Cost is one of the most common concerns for prospective students—and Alina approached it with a multi-layered strategy.
Rather than relying on a single funding source, she combined:
Her approach reflects an important shift in how students think about ROI:
Graduate school affordability isn’t just about tuition—it’s about the financial strategy you build around it.
Alina’s job search process wasn’t based on shortcuts—it was built on consistency.
She applied to a high volume of roles through platforms like LinkedIn. Her IMF interview came months after submitting an application she had nearly forgotten.
When her IMF start date was delayed, she accepted a short-term role at National Journal to maintain momentum and continue building experience.
She leveraged Kogod’s Career Development Center for resume feedback and interview preparation, but emphasized that improvement came through repetition.
“It was 50–50,” she said. “They helped me, but I also did a lot of work myself.”
For prospective students, this is a key expectation-setting point:
Career services provide guidance—but outcomes depend on individual effort.
In interviews—especially for competitive roles like the IMF—Alina found that applied experience mattered as much as coursework.
She participated in multiple hands-on opportunities, including:
These experiences acted as demonstrated proof of skill, helping her stand out in technical interviews.
Alina emphasized the impact of faculty mentorship and project-based learning.
In one course, her team worked with a senior leader connected to the World Bank/IFC ecosystem—who later shared her resume for interviews.
For students, the takeaway is clear:
The highest-value experiences often come from hands-on learning and applied projects and the relationships built through them.
One of the most common concerns for applicants is technical readiness.
Alina’s experience offers a clear answer:
She described the learning curve as real but manageable with consistent practice.
For prospective students, this reinforces an important point:
You don’t need to start with coding experience—but you do need to be willing to build it.
For Alina, moving from Memphis to DC was both a cultural and professional shift.
She pointed to several advantages:
Through Kogod programming, she attended events where she connected with leaders—including the CEO of EY—opportunities she noted would not have been accessible in a smaller market.
For analytics students, location isn’t just about geography—it shapes access, exposure, and career trajectory.
Alina’s path reflects a broader pattern among successful graduate students:
Her story isn’t about a single defining moment—it’s about a series of deliberate decisions that led to a strong outcome.
For prospective students considering an MS in Analytics, that may be the most valuable takeaway of all.