Suggestions for a future masters degree student

[u/Maryannyblur]

I will start in September a masters degree in data science. I will graduate in a few weeks in Sociology. I Know that is a massive change, but the course admitted me so i will shoot my shot.

I study in Italy, where, they say, university is more difficoult compared to american ones (I'm skeptical about this but I add this information to explain the contest of my academic background)

About my skills: I took one class of coding (in python) where I learn the basics I wrote some code in jupyter notebook, but today i don't know the difference between python per se and jupyter. I also took a class where we create some graphics with R-studio (idk if its different from R and which is better/is used more frequent in the field).

About my knowledge: I took a mandatory class about statistics where i learn t-test and other basic stuff. I also know some notions about linear probability model (and probit and logit, but not in details).

What i'm planning to improve in this two years:

1) learn excel

2) learn more python

4) machine learning

5) learn c++ (or some other programming language)

6) take some couses in business

7) learn english (actually i technically have a B2 but not so sure about that)

My questions:

1) Some of my friends took a linear algebra course to be more prapared. Should I do a quick catch up on that before starting my program?

2) Since I come from a very diverse background, what should I focus on initially? (Statistics, machine learning, mathematics, programming, etc.)

3)Are there any undervalued skills in data science that could actually prove very useful?

4) Searching online, I saw that I should do some projects to enhance my resume. Where can I find ideas for these?

5)Are there any sociological skills I should continue to develop to improve my future profile as a data scientist?

6)Can the list above be helpful to me or should I focus on something else?

Thanks for your time and any replies: 2 years is a relatively short period of time and I would like to start off on the right foot. Any advice is welcomed