Student Organization Spotlight: Business Analytics Organization

Many students underestimate the importance of building relationships during their time in school. Liautaud students have heard again and again and again the importance of building a personal network during school and maintaining it in our careers. The student organizations at UIC Business provide some of the best opportunities for students to network and build lasting friendships, but each student only has so much time to devote to extracurriculars, and finding the right organization can be a challenge. To help UIC Business students navigate the student org landscape, Shashank Kagwad spoke with the Business blog about the organization for which he serves as president, the Business Analytics Organization.

What is the purpose of the Business Analytics Organization?

The Business Analytics Organization promotes the intellectual and professional development of students with an interest in business analytics, data science, and Big Data. BAO supports the entire UIC community in utilizing analytics in daily life. The first cohort of MSBA students graduates this fall. They will become our first group of alumni, who can lead the way for BAO members from UIC into careers in analytics.

In what direction would you like to take the organization this year?

This year we’re focused on the gap between academic knowledge and job experience. We’re approaching the problem from the perspective of student success. What can students do in the present to progress toward their goals? BAO will bring in industry leaders to speak to students and host job information sessions as well as research workshops. We’re co-organizing a career fair along with a data mining competition as a part of the CRIM Analytics Symposium at the end of March, and we’ll hold another analytics symposium in the first half of April. These events are all great opportunities for members to gain insights from industry experts and network within the field.

How is BAO organized?

BAO is first and foremost a group of friends. We’re involved in a lot of professional events, but more importantly, we meet on a daily basis. We take classes together, and we team up on group assignments, we search for jobs together, share insights from interviews; we are a tightly knit family. This is the core strength of our group. We also conduct many ‘learn-by-doing’ courses, which are open to everyone, and teach the application of basic analytics to everyday work.

You should join BAO if…

You’re ambitious, you want to learn, and you want more out of your business degree than just the required classes. If the topics of predictive analytics, data mining, data science, or Big Data are your key interests and you see your professional career in one of those fields, BAO is the best choice for you at UIC Business.

How can students get involved?

Students are encouraged to attend one of our events and talk to any of our members before/after classes, or contact us via email:

Shashank Kagwad – President of BAO; skagwa2@uic.edu
Mariusz Mankiewicz – Vice President of BAO; mmanki2@uic.edu