Through exploring different courses at Santa Clara University, Sarah Evers, discovered her passion of Economics and data analytics that reshaped her academic and career goals. From switching majors to pursuing the 4+1 Master’s Program in Business Analytics, her journey highlights the value of curiosity, exploration, and stepping outside your comfort zone.
I am currently a senior studying Economics and am originally from Bellevue, WA. I started out in Marketing, but taking an introduction class called Contemporary Business Issues, and later Data Analysis Applications shifted my academic path to Economics.
Business 70 or Contemporary Business Issues is an introductory class that every Leavey School of Business first year takes. The class gave me a base understanding of what economics opened my eyes to the possibility of majoring in it. The class, Data Analysis Applications, however, solidified my decision to major in Economics. I absolutely loved the challenge of ECON 42, the course helped me realize I am precise, thrive under tight deadlines, and enjoy translating messy data into clear, visual stories. Seeing first hand how powerful these data reports were in visualizing, finding patterns in important economical data inspired me to switch my major from Marketing to Economics. I found enjoyment in thinking analytically When analyzing these large datasets, felt like a puzzle, and I found myself enjoying the analytical thinking involved. Because I enjoyed the material so much and got to know the professor well due to the small class size, I became a TA for the course the very next quarter. That experience allowed me to develop my data visualization skills, which I applied during a Database Management internship that summer.
While studying abroad in the Netherlands, I was able to take international Economics courses with students from all over the world. This experience allowed me to hear so many different perspectives on numerous economics topics, including development economics, and deepened my interest in the field.
All these experiences encouraged me to pursue Santa Clara University’s 4+1 Master’s program in Business Analytics. I also love Santa Clara so much and wanted to stay one more year after my senior year! The 4+1 program is a unique opportunity for Santa Clara undergraduates to begin taking graduate-level courses during their senior year and complete a master’s degree in just one additional year.I have greatly enjoyed taking my grad classes this year as I am not only learning from the professors, but from fellow students who have more work experience than me, providing me with valuable insights.
My biggest advice for students is to approach your first few years like an explorer, taking as many electives as possible in different topic areas. You never know what might strike
your fancy! In high school I was not a “math person” and was not the best at numbers but through my coursework math is now my favorite subject! I never would have discovered a potential career path in data analytics if I hadn’t stepped outside of my comfort zone and explored Economics.
Santa Clara offers so many cool and unique courses, take advantage of and learn as much as possible while you are here!
