Do I have a good chance at getting into an Ivy League school?

Does work experience in a good company give you a higher chance of getting into an Ivy league school? (CS Major)

• I have just completed my under-graduation with a decent profile for Graduation admission. CGPA 3.75/4. Good internships and projects, but no publications. I will be joining Microsoft for NOW. But my passion is in education & research and I am very eager to do my MS. I was wondering if I should gain some work experience? or should I apply for the next term (Working at Microsoft for around 5-6 months only)?

• Answer:

  Generally, no. Working in industry does NOT help you improve your application.  Jobs at most companies, MSFT included, have very little to do with academic research, regardless of whether you're an engineer, program manager, software dev or tester.  The problems you tackle on a daily basis tend to be very narrow and focused on implementing/designing a single product.  This has very little to do with academic research problems.  The exception would be if you were a high level engineer at a company like Google and tasked with problems like "build the next GFS or Chubby."  But if you only have a BS degree, that's not you. I personally believe that you're best prepared for grad school the minute you finish your undergrad degree. Your experience, work habits, lifestyle, even social circles, all change significantly when you get a job. For most of these perspectives, you become less attractive to a grad program the longer you stay in industry.  It's HARD going to grad school after working a real job, getting a real salary, and living life with friends who don't have to study and work on the weekends.