My Top Three Reasons for Choosing UVA’s MSDS

Hannah Valenty

March 4, 2025

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Admissions

MSDS

Student Spotlight

Hannah Valenty

M.S. in Data Science 2025, University of Virginia
B.S. in Physics 2024, Duquesne University

In Spring 2024, I made the decision to attend the School of Data Science at the University of Virginia (UVA) to pursue my master’s degree. If I hadn’t, you wouldn’t be reading this blog post, and I certainly wouldn’t be writing it! At that time, I was wrapping up my degree at Duquesne University in Pittsburgh, PA, and really trying to sort out what the next phase of my life would look like.

Would it be sticking in my hometown and entering the adult world as a working professional? Would I remain at my undergraduate institution to study for an advanced degree? Would I pursue this degree at a new university, maybe even out of state? Again, you already know the answer to these questions since I’m writing this, but it was quite a journey to find those answers and ultimately make a choice. To give you insight into my decision to call Virginia home for my master’s degree, here’s a glimpse of why I chose UVA.

Academic Rigor

When searching for data science programs, I don’t think I immediately grasped the excellence of UVA’s academics until further into my graduate school research. In a funny way I stumbled onto Grounds as I was making my way home from an Research Experience for Undergraduates at Jefferson Lab in Newport News, VA. I had been looking into data science programs and saw Grounds would be on the way back home from the eastern shore of the Commonwealth. I knew I needed to make a pit stop. Even better, my dorm room (picture below) at the internship had actually been the UVA room!

UVA Data Science MSDS student Hannah Valenty posing outside of a door labeled University of Virginia — Valenty poses outside of her assigned "UVA Room" during her Jefferson Lab internship.

Once getting to Charlottesville and having a tour of Grounds, I began to realize the high standard of a University of Virginia education. Our tour guide told us of her journey to UVA and what great experiences and knowledge she gained on the way. Though in a different area of study, it was apparent the University had prepared her to take on the challenges of the world with dedicated guidance from her professors and mentors.

From that day on, I knew going to UVA would mean receiving a challenging education from a highly regarded institution, but not without great support. I saw such an emphasis on the role of faculty mentorship, where students gain insight in and out of the classroom. The world-class faculty and staff at the School of Data Science have provided just that.

In the courses I’ve taken, I have been exposed to cutting-edge research using data science methods and the detailed mathematical foundations necessary to deploy modern computational models. But in the same way, I have gained amazing insight from the stories of my professors’ journeys to their current positions and state in life. They share with any student their career milestones or just take a moment to catch up on the latest UVA sports news. The faculty and staff truly want to get to know the students and hear our stories in return. I know I have an unbeatable support system at the school of data science with mentorship unlike anywhere else.

Outside the traditional environment of lecture courses, UVA’s experiential learning captured my attention during my graduate school search. The capstone element built into the data science master’s program gives the necessary real-world exposure to best prepare for a career after graduation. I was so pleased to see a history of great partnerships with organizations to provide products to meaningful projects. Now as a student in the program, I have been greatly enjoying my capstone project. My team and I have been working with UVA Anesthesiology in digitizing surgical flowsheets to benefit low and middle-income countries, giving me insight into the project management workflow and navigating stakeholder relationships. Most importantly the capstone has facilitated great collaboration with my teammates and allowed us to make meaningful technical contributions to a noble cause.

Cohort Classmates

One of my favorite aspects of studying in the sciences is the great emphasis on collaboration. It is such a powerful tool that is at the disposal of every student. The cohort model in UVA’s data science master’s program takes full advantage of collaborative work. I knew I wanted a place where I could form professional relationships and friendships with the people I worked with every day. My closest friends in undergrad studied in the health sciences using a cohort framework. I saw their enjoyment of really getting to know their classmates and being able to form close groups to study and dig into the material. Now, as part of a cohort of my own, I am pleased to say the same for myself.

My classmates and I have taken all our core courses together and spend lots of time in the data science building studying. We truly benefit from our variety of undergraduate disciplines when working to solve problems with each other. It is great to have a consistent group of classmates who are all in pursuit of the same goal and yet work on it with such different perspectives.

UVA Data Science MSDS students in a group at a UVA baseball game — Valenty (second row, second from right) and fellow MSDS '25 classmates at a UVA home baseball game at Disharoon Park.

Not only have I made professional relationships with classmates, but I am also proud to call many my friends. Getting to know each other while also exploring the Charlottesville area has been an amazing way to experience the program. I have had lots of fun jumping into the life of a UVA student by going to athletics events, enjoying local restaurants, attending festivals, and navigating Grounds. There is such a vibrant mix of activities and entertainment to always have something new to try. Though I didn’t know who my classmates would be when entering this program, they have made this experience one of a lifetime.

Blue Ridge Mountains

The academics and student-focused attitude of UVA’s school of data science drew me in, but the Charlottesville area has kept me here. I am only a 5-hour drive from my hometown, which takes me through four different states and over the beautiful Appalachian Mountains.

The last stretch of this trip to Charlottesville has me venturing through Shenandoah National Forest. In this national park and the Charlottesville area there is so much natural beauty, even from Grounds it is hard to miss the grand mountains in the distance. Down in the valley lies the Rivanna River and its parallel trail, with equally peaceful and calming sites. I have enjoyed exploring these areas by hiking and running the trails as well as simply picnicking and taking in the beautiful scenes.

Even if the outdoors isn’t your scene, Charlottesville and UVA have just about every other scene to offer. The Downtown Mall provides seemingly endless breakfast, lunch, and dinner options all mixed in with small businesses and local theaters. I really enjoyed the Virginia Film Festival where I had access to critically acclaimed movies that I never would have seen otherwise. Right down at the end of the mall I spontaneously attended a weeknight concert at the Ting Pavillion and have the option to spontaneously attend more shows with so many artists passing through Charlottesville. And if the arts aren’t quite your choice either, then UVA’s many athletics teams should do the trick. Win or lose, getting to support student athletes in a fun student section atmosphere is always a fun time.

I have been lucky enough to experience a great mix of all these scenes and many more during my time as a UVA student, something that is too quickly coming to an end. I hope to make the most of the rest of my opportunities at UVA and really soak in the student experience. Regardless of where your place is, I truly believe there is a place for you in Charlottesville.