Applying for MSc’s

A few months back I mentioned that I have been applying to do an MSc at a few US universities. I applied for a few really good ones with the hopes that I might be able to convince them that I would be worthy of one such place. Never had I imagined that my truly long shot, Carnegie Mellon, would offer me a spot. Don’t get me wrong, it’s been a hard and long process, and it’s been tough balancing how much time I spent preparing for next year vs concentrating on my current degree.

Earlier this week I got an email from Carnegie Mellon offering me a spot on their MSc in Software Engineering Technical Track program. It is taught at one of CM’s satellite campuses in Silicon Valley. For me, this is a dream come true, as this is ranked to be one of the top computer science departments in the world.

It has certainly taken a weight off my shoulders to have next year’s plans ready; now I can get back to concentrating 100% on my current degree. Both my tutor here at Southampton, and my project supervisor, have been very helpful throughout this process, and provided me with good enough references that I got a foot in the door with Carnegie. Once there, I had to do a Skype interview that challenged me both technically and personally, but the lessons learned here during my Bachelors’ had (obviously) prepared me well enough.

Exam marks back in two weeks; hopefully the first semester won’t have any unexpected surprises!