Taking a course abroad while being overseas with a time zone difference of six hours is no easy task. Even though I knew this would require such a great effort I decided the course Exploring Culture through Data: Digital methods & Data practices imparted by the Data Summer School of the Utrecht University was worth it.
Where it all started.
In my living room. As weird or comfortable as it sounds, I was able to take a full course of 5 days while being in my home without worrying to arrive on time or finding my classroom. Obviously, other stuff was considered such as assuring to have a good internet connection, avoid noises and having a clean environment.
So please, remember to keep a positive attitude since it is the best first step you can take towards a goal.
Keeping up with the rhythm.
9 hours a day during a week we focused on learning Algorithmic Accountability, Python Workshops, Scraping tutorials and Tableau. Learning all this at night and dawn can get tedious and frustrating. However, learning new methods to explore data has always encourage me overcome any obstacle as hard as it looks.
Always bring dedication and devotion if you are looking to succeed.
Overcoming as a Team.
During our workshops and tutorials, we needed to work as a team to deliver our results. 4 people working together to deliver results through coding, analysis and reports.
Yet, the secret is to know your teammates and learn about each others abilities to complement and build one functional group.
Wrapping Ideas.
As a final outcome we were asked as a team to deliver a final project compiling all the tools and subjects we learned during the week. Our team decided to do a Network Analysis using twitter accounts which post tweets related to Coronavirus. Finally, a presentation was delivery along with all our other classmates to show our knowledge and solving any doubts.
Summer Schools are not supposed to be this way, but do not worry because we are not the only ones who have this in mind, our teachers and classmates know it but everybody is doing their best to adapt so make sure to do your part.
There is always something new to learn if you keep your mind wide open.
Ivan Perez – Master of Science Student, University of Southampton.
