University of Chicago Data Science Clinic

Webpage for the University of Chicago Data Science Clinic

Hosted on GitHub Pages — Theme by orderedlist

Frequently Asked Questions

Table of Contents

General Questions

Prerequisites and Registration

Application Process

Scheduling and Attendance

Contact Information

General Questions

I am doing an internship/research experience/project in data science, can I waive out of the clinic?

Unfortunately these classes are required for the major and there is no method of substituting them. Internships, Research experiences and projects come in all shapes and sizes and it isn’t possible to guarantee any specific learning outcome, supervision or experience with them.

As a Data Science Major, can I take the clinic over two non-consecutive quarters?

It is strongly recommended to take the clinic in consecutive quarters. If you take it over non-consecutive quarters you will likely end up on two different projects which will significantly diminish the experience. At the individual level the most important learning experience occurs after you have internalized the domain and background of the project which frequently occurs in the second quarter.

Is the Data Science Clinic a two quarter class?

Undergraduate Data Science majors are required to take two quarters of the Data Science Clinic to fulfill their graduation requirements.

For students who are not Data Science majors, we strongly encourage planning to take the clinic for two quarters or more. Most of our projects have a steep learning curve before a student can contribute; participating for only a single quarter significantly limits the learning experience.

Can I take Clinic twice in one quarter?

No. Students may only work on one project per quarter.

Prerequisites and Registration

What are the prerequisites?

What if I’m missing a prerequisite?

For undergraduate students it is strongly recommended that students complete all prerequisites before enrolling in Clinic, but exceptions are considered on a case-by-case basis. Priority in project placement is given to students that have completed all prerequisites. If you are an undergraduate data science major taking the clinic in your senior year and are still taking some of the prereqs during the year you will be admitted, but you may not receive your preferred project.

For graduate students applying to the data science clinic we do our best to evaluate each application to ensure that the applicant has sufficient experience to be successful in the curriculum. This evaluation occurs during the application process and the strongest indicator of application success is completion of multiple computer science courses. For graduate students, our minimum requirements are two quarters of Python based computer science classwork or equivalent work experience.

Should I pre-register for the course?

No. Register for the course only when you’ve been matched with a project.

How do I register once I’ve been admitted?

Undergraduates should add the class via my.uchicago.edu. Graduate students need to contact their advisors to be added to the course manually.

Does the Clinic qualify as an elective for my program?

Please consult with your academic advisor.

Application Process

What if I miss the application deadline?

Apply next quarter. The Clinic runs during autumn, winter, and spring quarters.

What if I can’t attend the information session?

The information session will be recorded. Find recordings of past sessions here.

When will I be notified of my placement?

Nearly all notification of placements occurs during the week after the applications are due. However the process takes some time and is usually not fully complete until the week before the quarter starts.

Will I be notified if I am not placed?

Yes. Once placements are settled, all students not placed will be sent an notification via email.

I am a Master’s student and I was not selected, can I get a specific reason for why?

The Data Science Clinic at the University of Chicago is committed to providing as many students as possible with meaningful, hands-on experience in real-world data science projects. Due to high demand, we carefully consider each application but cannot guarantee placement for all applicants.

Scheduling and Attendance

What if I have time conflicts with the scheduled time?

During the first week of clinic students are expected to meet at the time specified in the schedule, commonly TuTh 5-6:20, for orientation and introduction activities. At this time each project will identify meeting times specific to their project (two TA sessions and one mentor sessions). These meeting times are dependent on the TA, Mentor(s) and students schedule. These meeting times will be used for the rest of the quarter.

During the sixth week of the quarter there are a set of mid-quarter presentations. These presentations are not required for all team members – though failing to support your team is a bad signal. The mid-quarter presentations are in-person and in the room scheduled for the class.

Since outside the times listed above we do not meet during the scheduled time it is not uncommon for students to enroll in a class with overlap. If you have a course which has some overlap or conflict with the scheduled time you may need to fill out a “Simultaneous Enrollment” form with your advisor.

From the clinic’s perspective this is not a significant issue. Please inform the clinic administration (Director and Asst. Director) if you are doing this so that we can keep track, but otherwise proceed with sending submitting a simultaneous enrollment petition.

Contact Information

Who can I contact about the Data Science Clinic?

Inquiries can be sent to Nick Ross, Director of the Data Science Clinic.