Course Spotlight - ME204: Data Engineering for the Social World

We sat down with Aymane, who took ME204: Data Engineering for the Social World, to hear about his time studying the course.

 

Why did you decide to attend LSE Summer School?

I am part of New York University’s global programme, taking courses on multiple campus locations (Abu Dhabi, New York, Paris…) across my undergraduate experience. As an international student, I yearn to get as much exposure to institutions around the world as possible. Studying abroad at LSE was a logical choice given this mindset.

Why did you choose ME204?

Through my double major in Computer Science and Economics, I have developed an interest in the ways large quantities of data can be handled and effectively utilized. Before taking ME204, I had only taken foundational computer science courses and before moving on to higher-level machine learning/artificial intelligence electives, I wanted to get a more practical understanding of data science. ME204 seemed to be the perfect fit for this purpose. The course offers a great foundation for applied data science, offering very valuable course content in web scraping, API queries, and data visualisation techniques.

Tell us about an average day as a student on ME204.

I would wake up around 8:30 am, shower, and get ready for breakfast. I lived in Rosebery Hall, an LSE residence, which was around 30 minutes away from the LSE Centre Building (CBG) where I had class. The lectures lasted for three hours after which I either went for lunch or attended an LSE Summer School event. We then had labs in the afternoon where we practiced what we had learned during the lectures. As I was new to R, I spent some time in the evening reattempting the labs I hadn’t grasped. Other than that, my evenings were often social as there were many venues to meet other LSE Summer School students.

What was your favourite part of ME204?

I would say the labs. They were the most formative part of ME204 - even if sometimes challenging, I was able to apply all the knowledge I gained on a theoretical level in class. To put it simply: in labs, we focused on learning by doing. It was exhilarating and rewarding to see progress over the weeks.

What advice would you give to students considering ME204?

Don’t hesitate, just go for it! I learned a lot through this course and to this day I still utilise web scraping techniques I learned during it. The class has no exam and is fully coding and project-based, pedagogy that particularly resonates with my learning style. If this is you, go ahead and apply!

What are your short-term professional goals, and how does ME204 contribute to these goals?

I am really interested in computational social science research and ME204 provided me with the necessary tools to write complex scripts and get the current research assistantship position I am in. It gave me a solid foundation in applied data science that I can now advance more theoretically.

Was meeting and talking to other students on your course easy?

Definitely. I think being in round tables during labs helped in the process of getting the conversation going. We were able to collaborate in groups when one of us needed help. We were a relatively small class (around 30 students) which I think also helped. I felt like most people were quite approachable. I am still in contact with many of the peers I met during my summer course.

What would be your top tip for future Summer School students?

Make the most out of it, but don’t forget to take excellent care of yourself. LSE Summer School is very stimulating on many levels: academically, professionally, and socially. As a result, it can be sometimes overwhelming to prioritise yourself in this environment. My advice would therefore be to make sure that you get rest when needed and don’t, for instance, pressure yourself into going to an event when you are socially/emotionally/academically exhausted.

What was your favourite part of studying at LSE?

The people I met there. LSE Summer School is extremely diverse. I am still in contact with the friends I made there. London itself is a very cosmopolitan city with lots of different student-friendly activities. This really created a conducive atmosphere for studying, making LSE a very pleasant place to study at.

Did you feel supported by your lecturers?

Very. In class, the professor always answered our questions when we had doubts. We also had a messaging service where we could ask questions to our instructors and both were responsive. Additional office hours were held on Fridays.