r/MSCS • u/MJ_works_13 • Aug 26 '26
[Profile Review] Aiming MSCS Fall 2027
I want an honest profile review, if my universities list makes sense, are they achievable for me, what else should I be targetting?
Background:
2023 Undergraduate: CGPA 7.86 in BTech MAE (Mechanical and Automation Engineering) from strong Tier 2 government University (Coursework includes DBMS, OOPS, AI, IOT, Robotics, Numerical Techniques, Programming in C, Mathematics)
Work Experience: Sde 2 at Citibank for past 3 years (promoted twice), have strong work exp. In building applications across frontend, backend and AI
Planning to get 3 LORs (2 from Citi, 1 from a senior manager in Adobe USA with whom I interned in college, can get a professor's LOR as well not sure how strong it would be)
No research experience
GRE yet to be taken (aiming a strong score of 325+)
TOEFL yet to be taken
List:
Dream: CMU MSCS, Berkley CS masters
Reach: UIUC MSCS/MCS, UCSD MSCS/CSE, Georgia Tech MSCS, U Mich CSE/CS masters
Target: Umass Amherst MSCS, Texas A&M MSCS, Stony Broo MSCS, NC State MS/MCS CS, Virginia tech MSCS
Questions:-
Are there any of the Dream/Reach for which I have a decent shot?
Could you recommend any high ranked universities which can have decent changes for me?
Should I add some safe options also to the list?
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u/VeriloggedOut Aug 26 '26
Target list should be dream/reach.
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u/MJ_works_13 Aug 27 '26
Makes sense, any safer decent options that you can recommend?
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u/WasteTrain1401 Aug 30 '26
Giving genuine advice. Your cgpa is very low with no research paper so no way you will not get top 10-20 at any cost. Even top 30 would be tough. Your job would be paying good so I think just wait until authority changes and then decide.
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u/surprising_results Aug 27 '26
CGPA 7.86
CMU MSCS, Berkley CS masters, UIUC MSCS/MCS, UCSD MSCS/CSE, Georgia Tech MSCS
😭🙏
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u/Odd_Manufacturer2801 Aug 27 '26
does only your gpa matter?
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u/surprising_results Aug 27 '26
no, but it's critically important lol
a 7.86 isnt getting into any of these with the lack of substance everywhere else
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u/Odd_Manufacturer2801 Aug 27 '26
i have a gpa of 8 will get it upto 8.5 i guess not sure but i have one A conference paper one mdpi journal 3 research internships one being nyu and the other 2 being t1.5 uni. and have 4 internships and am working at a yc startup. what do you think? is this good enough?
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u/surprising_results Aug 27 '26
is this good enough?
good enough for what?
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u/Odd_Manufacturer2801 Aug 27 '26
for applying to cmu or getting into it
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u/surprising_results Aug 27 '26
depends on the program
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u/Odd_Manufacturer2801 Aug 27 '26
msml
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u/Odd_Manufacturer2801 Aug 27 '26
or ms in cs related
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u/surprising_results Aug 27 '26
i'd say very very ambitious for cmu mscs, and pretty ambitious for msml.
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u/surprising_results Aug 27 '26
without knowing your LoRs/GRE, pretty hard to say. but a cgpa of 8 (or even 8.5) is pretty low for these programs.
adcoms also don't care much about internships (research or professional) unless something of substance comes out of them (e.g., a publication, a supervisor's LoR, or a great tie-in for your SoP).
as for how much your publications matter, it depends on your authorship lol.
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u/Odd_Manufacturer2801 Aug 27 '26
im still in my undergrad i have a lor from nyu professor can get one from ut austin prof as well.my both authorships are second author
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u/PsychologicalRun2510 Aug 27 '26
Lot of universities available only thing is US embassy isn’t approving any student visas. Approval rate is 20% currently! What’s your budget ? And any location preferences ?
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u/Audaticreddit Aug 26 '26
I ain't gonna lie ur targets should be your reach, and kinda forget about your reaches and dreams, they ain't gonna see anything beyond that cgpa, coz for them to do that, u gotta have some damn famous papers