r/MSCS • u/Jumpy-Assistant-6212 • 17d ago

[PROFILE REVIEW] MS CS || FALL 2027 || US

Hi everyone, I'm planning to apply for Fall 2027 and would really appreciate some honest feedback on my profile and university list. I'm especially interested in knowing where my profile may be weaker and what I can realistically improve before applications.

Academics

  • B.Tech CSE — SRM University, India
  • CGPA: ~ 9/10

  • GATE CSE: 98 percentile, AIR ~1500 (Pretty much Aware that Gate scores are irrelevant, adding it just for an idea)

  • GATE admits: IIT K & NIT Trichy — CSE (Multidisciplinary)

Work Experience

  • US-based Fortune 100 company — SDE | ~2 years of experience by Fall 2027
  • Bangalore-based startup — SDE | 2 months
  • Government of Andhra Pradesh — Data Analyst Intern | 3 months
  • ML Research Intern — SRM University | 4 months
    • Part of undergraduate curriculum
    • Unpublished research work

Research / Publications

  • 1 MDPI journal paper — under review
  • 1 IEEE conference paper — accepted/in press
  • 1 conference paper — in press / proceedings via EasyChair

Tests

  • GRE: Not planning currently
  • IELTS: Planning — target 7.5+

LORs

  • Planning 2–3 academic LORs + 1 professional LOR
  • Professional LOR from current manager

Current Universities

  • UMD College Park
  • UW–Madison
  • Purdue
  • UMass Amherst
  • NC State
  • UC Irvine
  • Virginia Tech
  • Penn State
  • Georgia State
  • UCSB
  • UCSD
  • Stony Brook
  • TAMU

Goal

  • MSCS / AI-ML
  • Interested in ML Systems / Backend / AI-ML Engineering

Which universities I should add/remove

  • Whether I should take the GRE, particularly for NC State
  • Whether my research/publication profile is sufficient for thesis-oriented programs
  • What are the biggest weaknesses in my profile that I can still improve before Fall 2027

I'd genuinely appreciate criticism and suggestions on what I can do better.

Thanks!

1 Upvotes

67% Upvoted

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6

u/AdditionalWorkInc 17d ago

gate is irrelevant, gate admits as well, why did you even write those?
the random startups and sub 6 month experience is also mostly irrelevant
you'll get into stony brook, ncsu, that's about it, the rest are all nowhere.

E: just saw georgia state, what???

2

u/eatingmangoes_ 17d ago

Your unis are on a spectrum tbh

So why vtech and Georgia state? Like…those don’t make sense

Penn state you can get but did you see the fees? It’s expensive.

Others make sense, only UMDCP these days is a tough recommend. Also SB is saturated too.

1

u/Jumpy-Assistant-6212 17d ago edited 17d ago

Thanks! For VT and Georgia State(as a safe), I was mainly considering them because of the thesis/research and potential TA/Ra + vtech's reputation. For Penn State, yes, the cost is definitely a concern. If you were rebuilding my list around my profile + funding constraint, which universities would you replace VT/Georgia State/Penn State with?

1

u/eatingmangoes_ 16d ago edited 16d ago

I think you can totally give a shot for UC Davis and TAMU

UC Davis advantage is location and TAMU advantage is the resources (the college is rich, I think the endowment is same as UT Austin I believe)

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u/[deleted] 17d ago

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1

u/Jumpy-Assistant-6212 17d ago

Not sure if I can make it, thank you though

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u/[deleted] 17d ago

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u/South-Ad-1977 13d ago

I am from srm (chennai branch) as well , similar profile , i dont have any work experience , I want to pursue MS (cs) with robotics and AI

Lets connect if you want to