When organizers for a summer research program for undergraduates in the College of Engineering and Applied Science sent out invitations earlier this year, they probably werenât expecting an application from South America.
But Florencia Cabral, a student in the online post-baccalaureate in computer science who has been pursuing her degree from Montevideo, Uruguay, decided to take advantage of the opportunity, and spent her summer researching recommender systems with Robin Burke from the Department of Information Science.ÌęÌęÌę
âI think they were kind of surprised that someone from another country had applied to this program, which is targeted to on-campus undergraduate students, but it has been really helpful to have this real-world experience,â she said. âItâs a great way to bridge being part of the university remotely and getting to know the work being done at the university in person.â
The computer science post-baccalaureate degree is designed for working adults with a previous bachelorâs degree who are looking to make a career pivot. Students complete 45 credit hours of focused core courses and electives that culminate in a Bachelor of Science degree in Applied Computer Science.
After earning her bachelorâs in psychology from Dickinson College in Pennsylvania, Cabral spent four years working for an international development organization in Washington, D.C. Through her work in cybersecurity policy and digital government, she was reminded of how much she had enjoyed the computer science courses she had taken in college.
âI was intimidated to pursue a computer science major while in college,â she said. âBut after working for a few years, I decided I wanted to go into a more technical role and became very motivated to go back to school.â
Cabral said sheâs especially interested in artificial intelligence and is looking forward to the new AI electives being added to the curriculum. Sheâs considering going on to graduate school to specialize in the topic.
âAI has such a huge implication for society, and it will increasingly affect public policy,â she said. âThe organization I was in was always looking for ways to incorporate new technologies in development projects, and there is generally a huge movement for innovation in that field.â
Before applying to the post-baccalaureate, Cabral said she spent time researching various computer science programs, including coding bootcamps and online degrees at other universities. She ultimately chose CU Boulder based on reputation, as well as both the flexibility and rigor of the program.ÌęÌę
âIt was better than a bootcamp for me because I didnât want to be pressured for six months just to learn the basics and then have to learn important concepts on the job,â she said. âI chose to spend more time on my studies and come out with a solid foundation in computer science theory.âÌę
Cabral hadnât taken much math in college, so she completed a self-paced calculus preparation course the summer before applying to the program. With that course under her belt, she has found the programâs math-based coursework very manageable.
âThe discrete structures course was a lot more fun and useful than I expected, and I found myself applying a lot of the concepts in my algorithms class later on,â she said. âThis program makes you realize you donât need to be a genius in math to learn computer science.â
So far, one of her favorite classes has been algorithms, partly because the coursework felt like solving puzzles.
âIt was very challenging, but what was great about it was thinking in a very theoretical level about how to apply computer science concepts to solving a variety of problems,â she said. âYou have a lot of âeurekaâ moments where you think âOh, yes, I can use this structure in this creative way to solve this problem.â It can be a lot of fun.â
And while sheâs usually several thousand miles away from her classmates, Cabral said she doesnât feel disconnected, thanks to discussion forums and regular meetings with instructors.ÌęÌę
âThe professors have scheduled office hours twice a week through Zoom, where you can come in and talk to them about anything you want, from homework to the industry in general,â she said. âYou never really feel alone or left behind.â