10.12 Why math for business? An admissions director talks data analytics

We often hear younger students moaning about the uselessness of mathematics. They think that if they are going into business, there is no point in putting effort into math class. It seems so useless! But is it, really? We asked someone who would know.Why do the best business schools care so much about your grade in mathematics? Why does your score on the quantitative section of the SAT or GMAT matter? And what is data analytics, anyway?Athena Mentor talked with Kelly Wilson, Executive Director of Master's Admissions at the highly-ranked Tepper School of Business at Carnegie Mellon University. CMU's School of Computer Science, you may recall, has been ranked Number One in the United States.Ms. Wilson explained that business today is driven by data analytics, the practice of using mathematical modeling to guide business decisions. At the forefront of the wave of interest in data analytics are programs like those at Tepper. Watch the video below to hear more what analytics means to Tepper, and why it's so important for applicants to double down on their mathematics preparation.

Click on the image or on this link to access the video: http://bit.ly/TepperDataAnalytics

Athena Advises

Kelly Wilson explains that faculty at the Tepper School were the first to create "management science." Science means data, and the curriculum at Tepper trains people "to use data in a meaningful way, to solve tomorrow's business problems."Tepper students learn to create mathematical models in all areas of business, from marketing and finance to operations. As Ms. Wilson says, "the ability to make decisions based on models . . . that are mathematically-based, allows our students to think into the future and imagine themselves solving problems that aren't even known to us yet.""By being proficient in math, you're setting yourself up to move into this curriculum . . . And so, for that reason, we think it's important for candidates who are considering the Tepper School to take seriously their math prep."But you don't have to believe me. Watch the video and take it from the admissions director!Dr. Marlena CorcoranFounder and CEOAuthor of Year by Year to College, on amazon.com, amazon.de and many national amazon sites