A year in review: My experience in the Master in Digital Marketing & Analytics at IE University

5 min read

by Kristina Taveras — She made her move from DC, where she got her bachelor’s degree in PR, to Madrid, to pursue a Master in Digital Marketing & Analytics at IE University. One can describe her as a “right-brain” thinker, with a great passion for all things creative, especially in the cinema industry, where she ultimately wants to put her marketing expertise at play. Connect with her through LinkedIn if you want to dig deeper into her career or to simply chat about movies.

I still vividly remember the first time I came across the Master in Digital Marketing & Analytics webpage in September of 2018. As a current college senior majoring in PR with a minor in marketing, and after having interning on both ends, I without a doubt found a greater love for the latter. In fact, it’s what ultimately drove me to where I am today.

Although the fields go hand in hand, being able to put into practice my love for writing, media, and entertainment, along with my growing curiosity in what truly shapes and drives consumer habits, I felt my most confident and creative whenever it came to content visualization and ideation in marketing strategies, whether at school or in the office.

Yet, despite not exactly knowing which direction to follow next as my graduation date began approaching, all I knew is that I wanted my following career step to be within the marketing realm.

The beginning of the rest of my life

After months of contemplation, I ultimately found myself deciding to pursue a master’s degree as my next big move. Besides wanting to do something related to marketing, I knew I wanted to shy away from what I had already experienced during my four years at an American university.

Through extensive research of countries, universities, and programs themselves, the Master in Digital Marketing & Analytics at IE University caught my attention like no other.

What drew me most to IE University wasn’t its reputation for being one of the leading international universities across the EU, but more so its array of tailored programs bridging together innovation and consumer behavior, the diversestudent body and emphasis on community, and lastly, a combination of different teaching methodologiesto get a taste of what working in a fast-paced environment is actually like.

Though all programs had their own unique propositions, the Master in Digital Marketing & Analytics embodied everything I was looking for in this next stage of my life, and following through with it was one of my most rewarding decisions I’ve ever made.

Trusting the process

As I decided to pursue the full-time immersive program for a period of 10 months, although knowing that I was getting myself into a heavy workload, I had no idea I would learn to love each moment—inside and outside of the university—to this extent.

The first few weeks of community-building activities—within both my own program and IE University as a whole—were enlightening. While all of the students were there to make the most out of this educational decision, IE University constantly reminded us that we also had to enjoy the full experience of living abroad in one of the greatest cities. They encouraged us to go beyond just co-existing with classmates, instead making them part of our “home away from home.”

From the very beginning, professors and faculty alike emphasized the importance of this,

along with the whole student body. Everyone was eager to learn, but above all, empathetic and open to embarking on this journey side by side. The program offered a base of foundational marketing courses followed by more technological classes that centered on omnichannel strategies, data and analytics, and digital market research.

Beyond that, we also took visits to leading tech companies and were given the option to do online certifications. This reflects how what we learned in the classroom came to life through proper strategy and execution in the real world.

As much as we learned from our exemplary digital marketing professors, though, we also learned from one another.

If there’s one thing all digital marketing students can agree on, it’s the importance of teamwork to efficiently problem solve and to continuously bring out the best in one another, no matter how big or small the task.

A bid farewell and a thank you

As I reflect back on the year, the Master in Digital Marketing & Analytics truly fortified my pursuit of working in the digital marketing field now and onwards, living abroad, and seizing opportunities in general. What follows next for me post-graduation is a content creation internship in a Madrid-based digital media agency—an opportunity that wouldn’t have been possible without the guidance of the program.

Extending my career in the place where it all started 10 months ago was a primary goal of mine, and ultimately achieving that—even in times of adversity—shows how resilience and passion will never fail to push you through.

To incoming students,

My piece of advice to you is to savor every instance throughout this journey. Though you’ll be busy balancing your professional and social life during this time, don’t forget to take it all in and make the most of it, even on days when you think you can’t make it. Challenge yourself and others around you, be active on campus, but also give time to yourself to sit back and enjoy the ups and downs of this crazy ride.

To IE University,

Thank you for exceeding my expectations, not solely as a higher education institution, but as an overarching community I’m proud to be a part of. Your dynamism through distinctive courses, events, and culture as a whole have opened my eyes to a world I’ve never seen before and opened doors to opportunities that will influence my future career for the better.

And to my classmates,

There are no words to thank you enough for making this experience so memorable. It’s safe to say that I learned something new from each and every one of you, positively impacting my outlook as a marketer and as an individual for the rest of my life.

Although our time together in person was cut short, I’m extremely proud of us for making it this far, and for doing it so damn well.

Some may say we were unlucky to have had a pandemic come in the middle of everything, but if anything, it taught us to take our teachings of adaptability, agility and innovation even further, within all areas of our lives.

In the simplest of terms, I still wouldn’t have had it any other way, because my luck of the draw was to be placed among such an incredible group with all of you. I’m so excited to see where life takes you next, because this is just the beginning of your paths to greater success.

A huge congrats to the Class of 2020, and in true Madrileño lingo, hasta pronto.