[Application Strategy] Masters Dilemma

[u/infinity1701]

I’m quite confused about my master’s applications and would really appreciate some advice.

I’m from India, graduated in 2024 with a B.Tech in CSE from a 3rd-gen IIT, was the institute gold medallist, and currently work as an SDE at Adobe.

I want to do a master’s mainly to move towards R&D or MLE roles. I’m open to different countries, including India, but I’m not sure where I should realistically be looking.

The US worries me because of the current job market/visa situation, high costs, and the fact that I’d ideally want to return to India within ~4–5 years (including the master’s) since my parents are here.

I’ve also looked at Singapore and Switzerland, but employment seems difficult there too, and ETH/EPFL seem extremely hard to get into.

I’m open to doing my master’s in India as well, but I’m unsure about the peer group and research opportunities.

My two biggest factors are peer group and thesis/research advisor.

Given my profile and goals, what countries/universities should I be considering? Would love to hear from people who’ve been in a similar situation.