Student Spotlight: Swati Iyer, MIS Candidate 2014

Swati Iyer

Full-time MIS Candidate 2014

Industry/Field of work: Advisory Services Risk Practice

Undergraduate Degree: Computer Engineering

Undergraduate School: Sardar Patel Institute of Technology, Mumbai University

Organizations involved with: ISACA, INFORMS

Tell us about your personal and professional background.

I completed my bachelor’s degree in Computer Engineering from Mumbai, and I decided to immediately pursue my master’s degree in MIS after graduation. Studying in a diverse environment like that of UIC gave me the opportunity to shed light on hobbies, religions, ethnicities, and backgrounds that I was not exposed to before, and I really learned a lot from these exposures. Also, I gained a tremendous amount of professional experience through my internships and it helped me in improving my networking skills.

What factor(s) did you consider when choosing a master’s program and why did you choose UIC Liautaud for your graduate study?

I wanted to pursue my master’s in Management Information Systems since it is a perfect blend of technology and business principles. I realized I was a people person and I loved communicating and solving business problems rather than just pure software development. The reputation of the institute, course structure, and diversity amongst students were some of the many factors I considered when choosing my school. UIC Liautaud fit these criteria perfectly and here I am writing this blog 🙂

We all know that people pursue graduate school to increase their business knowledge, but since you have started the program, what has been the most unexpected gain the program has given you?

The most unexpected and valuable gain from my master’s program has been the strong professional business network that I have developed through my internship and course projects. I also got the opportunity to keep myself updated with the recent industry trends by talking to experienced professionals at work.

Which class/professor has been your favorite thus far and why?

I loved the Information Systems Strategy and Policy course (IDS 515) with Professor Ranganathan Chandrasekaran. This course helped me understand how businesses can leverage IT and digital technologies to maximize business performance. It was an amazing blend of classroom problem solving and experiential learning via the live project.

What is your favorite aspect of UIC and why?

My favorite aspect about UIC would be the amazing attitude of faculty members towards teaching and the fact that every faculty member is easily approachable. UIC Liautaud’s faculty is committed to providing students with real-world learning opportunities which allow expanding professional connections and leveraging fresh ideas. They also give opportunities to interact with business experts and entrepreneurs to promote hands-on learning.

Tell us about your internship experience.

I completed my summer internship as a Business Analyst Intern at McDonald’s Corporation and I also worked with the Chicago Mercantile Exchange Group as an Enterprise Application Support Intern. My internship experiences taught me tremendously about the operations in a technical corporate world and how professionals deal with solving real-time business problems.

I got the opportunity to talk to various vendors at McDonald’s and to also meet Mr. Don Thompson-CEO of McDonald’s Corporation. With CME, I learned new things, like Confluence and JIRA, and I also visited the CBOT Trading Floor, as a part of my internship experience.

What is the best part about your UIC Liautaud experience?

The best part about my UIC Liautaud experience has been my individual growth as a person. Regularly networking and pushing myself to talk to people I don’t know has helped me increase my confidence tremendously. I have made some really good friends and learned lessons that will stay with me for life.