Welcome information

Please complete the short activity below which is aimed at sparking your curiosity about data and analytics, while helping your to reflect on your own skills and expectations. 

Task 1: Personal Data Exploration and Reflection

Choose a Dataset
Select a publicly available dataset from reputable sources such as Kaggle, UK Government Data, World Bank, or WHO. The dataset should be relevant to your interests, previous work experience, or a sector you aspire to work in (e.g., healthcare, finance, marketing, sustainability).

Initial Exploration

• Open the dataset using Excel.
• Identify at least 3 interesting observations, patterns, or anomalies in the data.
• Consider what the data might be able to tell you and what it might not.

Task 2: Programming and tools Setup

• Install Anaconda and Configure Jupyter Notebook
  Download and install the latest version of Anaconda for your operating system, ensuring that Python 3.x is selected. 

  Explore the Anaconda Navigator interface, create a new virtual environment, and install commonly used data analytics libraries such as Pandas, NumPy, and Matplotlib. Open Jupyter Notebook from Anaconda Navigator, create a test notebook, and practice running simple Python commands to confirm your setup works.

• Learn the Basics of Python Programming
  Complete a beginner-friendly Python course from free online resources. Focus on understanding core concepts such as data types (integers, floats, strings, lists, tuples, dictionaries), conditional statements (if, else), loops (for, while), functions (including parameters and return values), and file handling (reading from and writing to files). Practice each concept with small exercises such as calculating averages, manipulating text, or parsing CSV files to build confidence.
   
• Practical Mini-Tasks for Familiarisation
  Create a few small Jupyter Notebook projects and practice basic data analysis concepts, for example, import a CSV file and write a function that calculates simple statistics (mean, median, standard deviation).

Laptop requirements 

Please see our laptop requirements document to ensure you have a device that will be suitable for your studies.

Course equipment 

This course does not require specialist equipment other than a laptop.  

Your course welcome week activities will be taking place on the following dates. This is a really important time for you to meet fellow students, your course team and become part of the Ravensbourne community. These sessions will cover key information about your course and everything you need to set you up for your studies.  

Friday 19 September: 10.00am - 5.00pm, room R1-M01

Activities will take place at our main campus: Ravensbourne University London, 6 Penrose Way, London, SE10 0EW

Students’ Union Welcome Festival 

Your Students' Union team is currently working on putting together a fantastic Welcome Festival, full details of all events will be released in September. To keep track of all SU events and to buy tickets visit: rave.native.fm

During this week you must attend an enrolment session to complete your in-person enrolment and become an official Ravensbourne University student. Following this you will attend inductions on living and studying in the UK, have a tour of the campus and meet other students.

Tuesday 9 September - Friday 12 September

In-Person Enrolment: 9.30am - 12.00pm

Please book a day and time to complete your in-person enrolment here. You must complete your in-person enrolment before attending your international induction and your first week. You only need to attend on one day.

See our in-person enrolment page for details of what to bring with you. 

International Induction: 12.30pm - 4.00pm

Once you have enrolled you will attend this session which covers key information about living and studying in the UK.

Activities will take place at our main campus: Ravensbourne University London, 6 Penrose Way, London, SE10 0EW

Your teaching starts in the week commencing Monday 22 September. In your first semester you will have three teaching sessions each week taking place between 9.30am - 5.00pm.

In addition to this you may be required to attend an English for Academic Purposes module during your first semester.

Due to the size and set up of your course it is not possible to share your timetable information prior to your enrolment. Once you have completed enrolment you can find out how to check your timetable here.  

If you have any questions ahead of joining us, our online drop-in sessions will take place on Tuesdays and Fridays, 1.00pm - 2.00pm UK Time.

Members of our friendly Student Services team will be on hand to answer any questions you may have at the start of your journey with Ravensbourne. Join here.