PSP distance learning

I thought I would be able to rest these couple of weeks before going to Pittsburgh to study but it seems I have to start studying before that. Actually I started taking the dust of my learning-mode brain and read a few book on discreet math and a bit of algorithms, not too deeply, but just to review a few forgotten things and refresh mi mind and help lower the shock that will be studying again 24/7.

But is seems CMU is going to give me a hand and throw a distance course my way that is to start on may 29th: Personal Software Process. I already received a DVD with distance lectures (videos) and bought the book; what I peeked so far looked interesting.

Sending papers in

What a busy month this was!!

After receiving CMU acceptance letter I had to go and get funding, plan a "what if" scenery with my personal life (read girlfriend) and how to make a clean exist out of my current employment, so I had little time to write. Also, MSE program director David Garlan was visiting Argentina so I got a chance to be up close and personal with him. For those who don't know him, Dr. David wrote several books on software architecture, formal methods and other interesting stuff besides being a very avid tango dancer. He is a very sharp and interesting person to talk to.

After much discussion with other international students I got to realize that financially speaking, one has to get enough money to start college and plan on getting funding along the way in order to finish it, instead of coping with the entire cost of the program at the beginning. After the first 8 months, most former students seem to agree that a student loan, even without a US co-signer, is possible (but with a higher interest rate). So thinking about college as an investment, I have enough to start it but I’ll have to figure out how to finish it along the way. Once I’m out I’m hopeful I’ll be able to repay my debts. So after sending in most documentation all I have to do is wait for the I20, a special form sent by the University that allows student to obtain F1 visas to study in the US.

To close this posting, I received today an email about some distance course preparation before attending campus that is supposed to start at the en of May, so I'll keep writing on about that in the future. Right now I'm really scared on how all this will turn out hoping I'm making the right choice. Of course, I'm aslo very very excited to start...what a contradiction right?