For me it was always the obvious choice... when I was deciding which university to go to.

I definitely wouldn't change my decision. FIT@VUTBR didn't appeal to me — I don't enjoy programming and it doesn't bother me that I won't have an Ing. in front of my name. In my bachelor's I studied Computer Science (B-IN) and in my master's Applied Informatics (N-AP). Not that I had anything against Computer Science — I just didn't want to take MB008 (Algebra II) — not because of the algebra itself, but because of its lecturer (doc. Polák).

Computer Science is far from an easy field — maths everywhere you look. On the other hand, a solid theoretical foundation gives you a lot, whether you go into networks, cryptography, or programming. Applied Informatics, the difficulty of courses is incomparable, but if like me you want to cherry-pick subjects that will be useful to you in the future — I still believe that — it's the ideal programme. Let me mention a few courses I'll never forget: IB005 (Formal Languages and Automata — a foundational course on languages and automata, gave me some trouble but it's a classic of computer science.) IV054 (Cryptography — hours and hours of solving ciphers for credits. In terms of time demand, one of the toughest courses.) MB005 (Mathematical Foundations — university maths as it should be; I nearly got thrown out of my studies because of it. No regrets though. My biggest thanks go to Ondřej Klíma — an excellent teacher!). PV210 (Traffic Analysis — more useful than all the networking courses throughout my studies. I have to admit though, some prior knowledge is needed. Thanks to this course I landed an interesting thesis topic.) VV069 (Presentation Skills — a wonderful course for people who get nervous or don't know how to prepare a presentation. It genuinely gets you ready for your defence.) c978 (Volleyball — I took it every semester. Always a great group and fantastic matches. The journey from beginners to competitive level, including two semesters of beach volleyball.)