Is DSAI for Me?
Will a lack of computer skills hinder my ability to do this course?
Many of us also entered the course having little to no computing knowledge. The course is designed to teach us computing from ground up, so don’t worry too much about it! However, if you’d like to have a head start, you can explore online coding websites to get you started on the basics of programming. In terms of a language, we recommend Python as we will be using that pretty frequently in this course.
Do you need a minimum intellectual ability for DSAI?
If you have been offered admission into DSAI, I am pretty sure you have exceeded the minimum intellectual ability for DSAI 😉. But generally, you need to have passion for math, persistence when doing projects, some extent of creativity when solving real-life problems and ability to work in teams! Especially for DSAI, don't expect too much memorisation and mugging. Expect more of projects, hands-on work and real-life industrial exposure. So it's more of consistent learning. In fact, you're not gonna stop learning even when you're working!
Just curious whats the mean GPA for students?
Generally quite a high average GPA, but no exact numbers that we can give. Again, the cut-off for DSAI is not low and students in DSAI tend to do well. After a while, you will realise grades do not mean much. What matters more are the skills and experience you acquire. The modules equip you with more tools in your toolbox, and thus it is not the grades that matter but what you can achieve with what you have learnt at the end of the day. If grades meant success, professors would be billionaires.
Does DSAI require a strong foundation in Statistics?
Statistics is a very important aspect of data science, and you will deal with statistics on a regular basis. You will have to employ statistical techniques to explore the data, understand the data and process the data. You will learn statistics in Probability and Intro to Stats and Statistics. There are many other Major Prescribed Electives in Statistics too, such as Regression Analysis, etc.
Do you need to be strong in statistics? My answer is you just need to know how to use it. It's okay for your results to be mediocre and not to be a top scorer — in fact when you join DSAI, you will be exposed to the industry and the world and see that there are so many people better than you, and thus you keep learning! You just need to know how to use it and apply statistics, and there are still many other aspects of data science which you will soon learn if join us in DSAI.
Do a lot of people drop out of DSAI?
Generally no, I don't think anyone dropped out of DSAI before and this course has only been around a few years so it's hard to tell. In fact, usually it is the other way round. People try to appeal into DSAI but the school does not allow this. As an advice, please go for DSAI if you are sure you want to pursue DSAI. Else, Computer Science may be a better, more general option for you.
I am good at Math and problem solving, but I am afraid DSAI isnt for me. How do I tell?
If you like math and problem solving, you have conquered half the battle! You can try out online courses like Machine Learning and see if it is right for you. There are many resources online like EdX, Coursera and Udemy and I'm pretty sure you can gauge your interest from there.