Applied Data Science

you want math courses, not programming courses

CS degrees have lots of math in their first two years
Calculus, Linear Algebra, Discrete Math ...

that being said, I don't know of any courses in math that would impress a selection committee

so I think maybe do an Introduction to Python course

these two are specializations

-- this one is a sequence of 4 courses
Applied Data Science Specialization
https://www.coursera.org/specializations/applied-data-science#courses

-- this one is a sequence of 5 courses
Applied Data Science with Python Specialization
https://www.coursera.org/specializations/data-science-python#courses

each specialization is self paced so you can work as fast as you can

you should pick one specialization and do at least the first course
(the first course in each is an introduction to python)
continue and complete the specialization if you want to

or after completing the first course in the specialization do this project
COVID19 Data Analysis Using Python
https://www.coursera.org/projects/covid19-data-analysis-using-python

I think what might impress them is this specialization
https://www.coursera.org/specializations/discrete-mathematics
but it requires basic knowledge of python

so maybe rush through one of the Introduction to Python courses, do the covid project and start the math specialazation and do as much of it as you can

• Step 1. Learn Python, culminating in this Coursera specialization. Last two courses are totally optional.

• Step 2a: Brush up on calculus and linear algebra using this Coursera specialization. Last course is optional but recommended, as how well you can follow it will serve as a reasonable test of how rigorous your ML math understanding is.

• Step 2b: Fill in any gaps left by that specialization on your own using the web. There is an infinity of free resources out there. Spare no efforts on this step as the math only gets more intense from here.

• Step 3a. Get more acquainted with many formal ML details using this Coursera course.

• Step 3b. Then go back and review the content in the third course of the specialization in Step 1. You should understand it much more deeply now.

• Step 4. Get started with DL using this Coursera specialization.

By the time you finish Step 4, you should have a decent enough understanding of the “big picture” of ML, the types of problems in can tackle, how several popular learning algorithms work, and what else you will need to learn. Thus, at this point you’ll be prepared to go off on your own and specialize.

I’ll also point out that ML involves a good bit of stats too, and these steps don’t address that. I can’t recommend any good stats courses because I learned all my stats in school so haven’t had to do much self-directed study. So you’ll need to figure that out as well, probably best done just before or just after Step 2a.

Good luck!

have you started it yet ?

if you haven't then try
https://www.coursera.org/specializations/python-3-programming#courses

or
https://www.coursera.org/specializations/data-science-python#courses

or
https://www.coursera.org/specializations/applied-data-science#courses

or
https://www.coursera.org/learn/python-for-applied-data-science-ai?specialization=ibm-data-science

or
https://www.coursera.org/professional-certificates/google-data-analytics#courses

see if its something you really enjoy

Planning on doing these Coursera courses in this order:

https://www.coursera.org/specializations/data-science-foundations-r

https://www.coursera.org/specializations/introduction-data-science

https://www.coursera.org/specializations/applied-data-science

https://www.coursera.org/specializations/ai-foundations-for-everyone

https://www.coursera.org/specializations/data-science-statistics-machine-learning

https://www.coursera.org/specializations/ibm-intro-machine-learning

https://www.coursera.org/specializations/deep-learning

https://www.coursera.org/specializations/advanced-data-science-ibm

I want to become proficient enough in Data Science to be able to have it as a "tool in my toolbox." What are your thoughts on my self-teaching course plan?