About
Hello, my name is Alexis Hancz, and I am one of your Fall 2023 QMSS Peer Mentors!
I chose to minor in QMSS because it is the only program at the University of Michigan that fulfills its niche. Before discovering QMSS, I wanted to improve my quantitative skills, including statistical reasoning, data wrangling, coding, and exposure to AI/ML, but was wary of the limited real-world applicability of other academic learning opportunities. I’ve since found QMSS to be an ideal complement to my double majors in Political Science and Cognitive Science, both of which have computational branches where data literacy becomes an academic and professional advantage. QMSS 201 and 301 gave me those foundational skills I was looking for and a variety of contexts in which to practice them, giving me the confidence to pursue and complete a data science internship with Red Oak Strategic this past summer.
Now, entering my senior capstone course, I am even more excited to give back to the QMSS community. I love that QMSS is still a smaller, younger and quickly exploding program, and that as a QMSS Peer Mentor there are plenty of opportunities to make a strong impact on current and future QMSS students, especially as a senior who directly secured her last internship by leveraging her QMSS connections.
No matter what major or career path you’re pursuing, I encourage U of M students to take QMSS 201, gain some foundational skills, and determine whether the rest of this exciting program is right for you, as it has been for me.
