From a 2.0 Freshman GPA to Warwick’s Business Analytics Master’s

Updated 2026/10/16

Today’s guest is Joseph, who graduated in business administration from National Sun Yat-sen University and was admitted this year to the MSc in Business Analytics (MSBA) at Warwick Business School. He shares what he learned from applying abroad. Joseph also has an Instagram account (@joseph_in_uk), so go give him a follow!

About the Warwick MSBA

The Warwick MSBA ranks #17 worldwide and #3 in the UK in the 2023 QS Business Masters Rankings: Business Analytics. The program covers descriptive, predictive and prescriptive analytics, including visualization (Tableau), forecasting and data mining techniques, and optimization. Through interdisciplinary courses in business modeling, quantitative methods and data science, students prepare for careers in complex, data-driven environments. Students can also build their SQL, R and Python skills and receive guidance toward the Associate Certified Analytics Professional certification, whose exam knowledge closely matches the program’s core content.

Core courses

Data Management, Business Statistics, Analytics in Practice, Optimisation Models

Electives

Supply Chain Analytics, Forecasting, Discrete Event Simulation, Strategy Analytics, Pricing Analytics, Text Analytics, Financial Analytics

What was your application timeline? When did you apply and when did you get offers?

I started submitting around mid-November 2021. I submitted almost every application right at the deadline, except Imperial College London, which I sent as soon as the second round opened. Imperial publishes when each round’s decisions come out, but that year they were a week late (the school did email to say there would be a delay). I applied to Warwick in early March and got the offer at the end of April. King’s: applied in early December, offer in early March. USC: applied in early December, offer in early April. WashU: applied at the end of December, offer at the end of March.

Can you tell us about your internships? How did they help your application?

At an integrated marketing agency, I analyzed market research surveys. That internship didn’t involve much hardcore technical work (programming). I mostly observed how a startup is organized and how its management makes decisions (the structure was very flat, so I reported to the CEO every day). In my essays, this internship covered the soft skills side.

At PChome, I did product project analysis, using econometrics to build models that analyzed and forecast sales in the diaper market. In my essays, this one covered the hard skills side.

At ITRI (Industrial Technology Research Institute), I built a CNN model to help a well-known Taiwanese bank with its insurance business, assessing vehicle damage and estimating insurance claim amounts. In my essays, this covered both hard and soft skills, and I presented it as what made me want to do a master’s.

You were admitted to so many schools. Why did you choose Warwick?

My end goal is to work abroad, and I care a lot about whether a program’s courses are solid and whether I like it. I read a lot of reviews online and heard from alumni, and Warwick’s courses, career services and living environment all satisfied me.

There were practical reasons too. Unlike most international students, my parents support my studying abroad emotionally, which means I pay for everything myself (including all the tests and application fees before leaving). Compared with the US, the UK is a relatively cheap option.

Agency, DIY or semi-DIY? Why did you choose that route?

Semi-DIY. This was actually my second year applying; the first year I did everything myself. Later I felt my essays should be checked by a native speaker, and maybe I just wasn’t confident in my English writing. Working full-time is also tiring, and handling all those small tasks got on my nerves, so I decided to pay someone to polish my essays.

Why did you choose this field? What did you consider?

First, I have a business degree. If you have a business background and want to find a job after a master’s abroad, you still need a STEM-designated program. From what others shared, pure finance makes it harder to stay, so business analytics was the natural first choice for me.

Second, I’m very interested in programming and analytical strategy, so Business Analytics fit. Data Science would also have been a good choice, but I’m more interested in what business insights a model can produce.

How will studying business analytics abroad help your career plans?

First, I’ll gain more hard skills. I took programming courses in college, but I didn’t feel my foundation was solid enough. Second, and very practically, it gives me a visa to work abroad. Third, I’ll understand how people from different cultures think, which will help a lot whether I work for a multinational or even start a business in the future.

How do you rank GPA, language scores, GRE/GMAT, essays, summer school/exchange and internships/research for a business analytics application? What trade-offs did you make?

For me, GPA is definitely the most important. As everyone knows, apart from the MBA, the most competitive business school programs are business analytics and finance.

Keeping your GPA up is the most basic and most effective way to show a school you’re a qualified applicant.

Next would be the GRE/GMAT. People applying to business analytics have very high scores, so if you want to compete with them, standardized test scores still matter a lot. Language scores, in my view, are just a threshold. Once you’re above 100, it basically doesn’t matter.

After that I’d put essays. Take your essays seriously. Don’t just write “I did ABC and learned DEF.” Schools care more about your personality and your thinking. They want to know the why, more than the what and how.

Which experience do you think made you outshine other applicants?

I’m honestly not sure. Maybe developing stock trading software, or maybe giving the graduation speech.

In my documents for Imperial, I wrote about my thoughts and the journey behind giving the graduation speech, and I think that piece came out really well, haha. With my grades I probably should have been rejected, but I was invited to interview and then waitlisted. I didn’t get in off the waitlist in the end, though.

As for the stock trading software, I think few applicants my age have that kind of experience, so I imagine it caught the schools’ attention!

What are the basic requirements for this program? What kind of profile helps?

More and more people apply to business analytics, and without relevant internships and coursework you won’t be competitive at all. Ideally you should land a similar internship. Then take as many relevant courses (statistics, linear algebra, data structures, algorithms…) as you can in college. Don’t leave anything for them to pick at.

Where do you recommend looking for information about grad school applications?

While applying, I often read study abroad posts on Medium, watched YouTube, or went to agencies’ free consultations. That’s a quick way to understand what applying abroad involves. Once you start searching on your own, the algorithms will show you more.

How did you manage your mindset while waiting for offers?

Just let yourself be anxious. Everyone knows they should relax, but nobody manages it. When I really couldn’t take it, I’d play ball with friends or play some LOL. Trust that everything will work out for the best, then just keep being anxious. That’s an important part of applying abroad too.

Any advice on the application timeline? How should you prepare at each stage, and how should students in each year of college plan?

My timeline was a bit rushed, partly for family reasons. I started self-studying for the GRE in August and took it for the first time at the end of October. The score was decent, so I started on my essays right away, then took the TOEFL at the end of November (I only found out later that my first score had expired). By the time I finished the TOEFL, my application documents were almost done, and it was just in time for the schools’ deadlines, so I could submit.

If you can take a prep course, take one. If you can hire an agency, hire one. Use every resource you can get, and don’t make things harder for yourself. You can take a GRE course in your sophomore or junior year and get the test done quickly. Scores are valid for five years, so the sooner you’re done, the sooner you can relax. You can take the TOEFL in your junior or senior year, since the score is only valid for two years.

For freshmen, whether or not you plan to go abroad, I’d say you absolutely must keep your GPA up. If you stay in Taiwan for grad school, GPA is also the most important factor for recommendation-based admission. You can join a club or enter business competitions to build your resume and skills. Sophomores have more freedom to choose courses, so take classes in the field you want to study later. There’s less time pressure then, so learning the hardcore material is relatively easier, and I think a summer internship or an exchange is also a good choice at this stage. Juniors can start preparing application materials and tests. Ideally you take relevant courses at the same time: as long as you can keep your GPA high, the more hardcore courses the better.

Do you have any regrets about your applications or college?

I slacked off a lot as a freshman, and my GPA was only 2.01/4.3. In sophomore year I realized something was wrong and started focusing on my GPA, and I won an academic excellence award.

I also decided too late that I wanted to study abroad. If I’d known earlier, I think both the process and the results would have been better.

And I could have submitted my applications earlier. Especially for schools with rounds, apply in the first round if you can.

Do most business analytics students come from business or computer science backgrounds? What are the pros and cons for business students?

From what I’ve seen, most have business backgrounds. Students from computer science seem to prefer MIS or DS/CS programs.

The advantage of a business background is that you can talk more about soft skills in your essays. At first I thought that was nonsense, but when I met students from other majors during my internship, I found there really is a big gap in spotting business insights. The disadvantage is that our hard skills are weaker than applicants from science and engineering.

Click here 👉🏻 to see how Joseph funded his master’s himself, with a detailed breakdown of pre-departure costs and living expenses!

Are applicants from other majors likely to get in? Do you need related experience or coursework? What experience would you suggest building?

If you come from business or science and engineering, I think the chances are about the same, maybe slightly better for science and engineering. Applicants from liberal arts are at more of a disadvantage, I think. You can add a double major or minor to strengthen your resume, or find a related internship.

What do business analytics programs cover? Which courses should you master the basics of in college?

Each school’s curriculum differs, but they basically all have quantitative and programming courses such as statistics and programming, combined with business courses like marketing and strategy. If you’re applying, I’d suggest choosing a school that works with companies.

In college, the most important subjects are probably statistics and probability. Get the basics down first, then move on to deeper material like algorithms.

Do you need programming and data analysis skills in college? How good do they need to be?

I used to think they might not be necessary, but there are just so many applicants now. I’d strongly recommend taking at least one programming course.

You can make up for data analysis skills in plenty of other ways, such as internships. How good they need to be is hard to say, because apart from MIT, no business analytics program has a computer-based test. All I can say is, if you feel you’ve done right by yourself, go ahead and apply. The school has no way of knowing how good you really are anyway.

Can I apply for business analytics if I only know Excel and no programming?

You have a chance, but the program itself may be harder for you once you’re in.

If I have no internships, can my personal statement focus on using statistical software in class? How much detail should I include?

Hmm, you can certainly write about it. But I don’t think a detailed account of using software is very interesting, and it won’t show how you stand out. After all, everyone knows how to click buttons, right? If you focus on what you found while analyzing the data, what impact it might have, and what business opportunities or organizational improvements the results point to, the content gets more interesting and the school understands better how you think.

Which skills should your resume highlight?

For business analytics, showing your analytical ability is definitely important. If you have something else you think is special about you, link it to the qualities business analytics needs (analysis, math, communication, negotiation, synthesis).

Is business analytics harder to get into without work experience? Is work experience a deciding factor?

Work experience is a plus, but many applicants actually apply straight out of college. Compared with other factors, I don’t think work experience is decisive. Other things matter more, such as nationality, GPA and test scores.

A few words for younger students…

What I want to say next isn’t a pep talk, and I won’t tell you “You can definitely do it!” The process really isn’t that easy or that pretty, at least it wasn’t for me.

I used to think applying abroad was a marathon where you run alone. You know you have competitors, but you can’t see how good they are. All you know is that you have to keep running and running so you don’t lose to them.

That puts a lot of pressure on you.

Everyone starts from a different place. Some people simply have more resources. Even without running, they can use money or other resources to build an impressive resume and get good offers. I saw so many cases like that while applying.

I used to wonder all the time:

Why did I have to work part-time jobs and tutor like crazy in college to pay rent and living costs? Why couldn’t I just focus on my grades and live more like a “normal college student”?

Why did I have to self-study for the GRE and TOEFL? Why couldn’t I go to a cram school like Mason the way other people did?

Why did I have to pay those ridiculously expensive test and application fees myself? Why couldn’t I take the tests as many times as I wanted, like other people?

Why, whenever I did something, was my question “Can I afford to try?”

When other people’s question was “Will this be hard? Can I do it?”

These are harsh realities I couldn’t change. All I could do was force myself to accept them, however ugly they were.

Over time I made peace with it, maybe partly because I was lucky enough to live up to my own expectations in those things.

Now I still think applying abroad is a marathon. But you’re running in your own lane, with no competitors.

Just keep running and you’ll reach the finish line eventually. Then trust that everything will work out for the best.

To compare the backgrounds and application approaches of more MSBA students, see What Is an MSBA? A Business Analytics Master’s Application Guide, which brings together the experiences of 9 past applicants.