I usually judge things by intuition, because hey, I'm an intuitive judger. But now I've got data and it all sounds like a good idea to me... So today's match, ITP vs Carnegie Mellon. ITP stands for Interactive Telecommunications Program, and by Carnegie Mellon, I specifically mean their HCI program.
I haven't heard of ITP until recently. Perusing through a couple of blogs, it was mentioned as some hot new thing. I've heard, however, it's been around for a while... So I was at the Adaptive Path social in New York, and I met these coders from a company I can't remember the name of... And they were graduates of ITP. I was like, man, that's weird, I didn't think this program was real. And then a friend of mine, Vinnie, has a friend who is currently studying at ITP. And then and then, I just found out that the founder of Dodgeball, Dennis Crowley, is graduate of ITP. So after all these pings, I can't really ignore how interesting ITP is sounding. It definitely looks like a place I should apply to if I ever get serious about graduate school.
And on to Carnegie Mellon... I've always had this self-fueled belief that Carnegie Mellon was the cream of the crop. Since the birth of the term HCI in the arena of undergraduate studies, Carnegie Mellon has always had the most ellaborate and sophisticated three-tier program (three-tier meaning bachelors, masters, and doctoral). I've always gave them a lot of credit, and have seen good things from their graduate students' web pages. One student in particular, Dan Saffer, is now a member of the Adaptive Path team. See how we're cycling back here now? Crazy.
Speaking of cycling back, at the Adaptive Path social in NYC, I met Meg Hourihan and Jason Kottke. I feel kinda bad (and then it went away) that I put up a little ruse and pretended not to know them. I did that more to prevent myself from turning into a little girl. I mean, they are (were?) web celebrities, you know? So from them, I find out that it's all a tightly knit community, and some are galavanting on the front lines and others like forming consulting teams called Adaptive Path. Whatever. Bottom line? They revolve around the free alcohol. I mean, really. Go free alcohol, you know?
So with that... I find myself with loads of free time... Just a change in the seasons if you will. Kinda closing a chapter in my life... I learned a lot. But I still wanna learn more. Maybe applying to ITP and/or Carnegie Mellon is definitely something to consider. I mean, I've been gunning for Carnegie Mellon since high school, but just with my laziness compounded with experience and the way things have actually worked themselves out over the years, I don't really see the need for a graduate degree. I see myself driven by my own innate capability rather than having a degree speak on my behalf. Maybe I'll do both, attend school and still crank it out. But with something like Japan on the horizon, I can totally see what people mean. It kinda puts a damper on your long-term plans. Graduate school, I think, for the most part can wait. Not to say that Japan cannot wait, it's just something that I think is better served when I'm younger.
So that's my plan. Choosing A or B based on the availability of youth.
Just do it.
Posted by Mark Canlas at December 9, 2005 08:15 AM