On a Personal Note

So, how much difference can a week make? As I have now learned, a lot.

Last Monday and Thursday, I made a couple of trips to visit Purdue. They have a large group of people that specialize in the field I'd like to join, computer security. I essentially made the trip to get a semblance of whether or not I had a snowball's chance of getting in. After meeting with six professors and one administrative person, I'm feeling pretty good. In fact, two of the professors strongly encouraged me to apply for admission in the spring of 2007 instead of fall! And one of them even invited me to have chocolate cake with the people in her lab. :-)

Two weeks ago, I was worried that I would not be accepted to any of my choice schools for a Ph.D. Now, I feel that I have a very strong chance of getting into one of the best security programs in the country. Of course, this is not a certainty. I still have to apply and impress the admissions committee. However, I feel much more confident now. Now, instead of spending the next eight months in a very undesirable situation where I must be apart from my wife, it seems possible that, in four months, I could be starting work toward a Ph.D. while seeing my wife every day!

The next several months are going to be extremely interesting...