How could I get a freelancer job?

How can a software freelancer get into PhD programs focused on systems engineering, in top US universities?

• I graduated 4 years back  and after that i have been working as software freelancer in India and i am 26 years old at present. I like my work and did decent job so far, But for last 6-7 months i have been thinking that i should go for PhD . I dont think i fulfill the requirements. For example i haven't published any research paper, None of my project can be categorized as research projects. I can get recommendation from my employers but that would not tell anything about my capability to do research. My GPA is also average. I can get Good GRE score (i am confident about that) but to the best of my knowledge that is only used in initial screening as lot of candidates have good GRE score. I also understand that even if i start now, it'll take 1-2 years just to fulfill all requirements. Any suggestions will be helpful. Thanks.

• Answer:

  MIT's systems group looks at code samples. If you have open-source software that you've worked on, make sure to link to it in your application. If you're really interested in doing systems research, find the professors you'd like to work with at each school, and get in touch with them directly. At the very least, the exercise will help you target your application better. For example, this is a reasonable place to start your search for MIT. http://www.csail.mit.edu/research/activities/activities.php#systems