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Will I get admission in Graduate school?

What should I do (or what qualities should I have) if I want to get an admission into a top 10 computer science graduate school for MS?

  • I'm not from an IIT or an NIT.

  • Answer:

    A2A I don't know too much about MS admissions because the MEng Program I manage is MIT's five-year combined bachelors/masters program, just for MIT EECS undergrads, and it's mostly a gpa standard, not competitive admission. Further adding to my ignorance is that MIT doesn't offer masters-only admission in EECS -- we admit students from outside MIT only to the doctoral program (they get a masters along the way).  For that they're looking for students with clear evidence of the ability and passion to do doctoral-level research.  So I think there are classes-only masters programs, which are clearly going to charge lots of money and not have much financial aid.  The research masters degrees might have research assistantships available, since students would be furthering their supervisors' research programs.  I think that companies may often willing to pay for employees to get the classes-only masters, as a benefit that helps the company recruit and develop employees, and such degrees can probably be pursued part-time while the employee works for them. I wonder whether, for many international students at least, part of the purpose of getting the masters is to get into the US, advance their technical skills, and use the university's careers activities to land a US technical job.  So they wouldn't want students who would be an excessive burden to the teaching staff, be too ill-prepared to get through the classes, or not be a credit to the university later.  After that, it's just competition -- taking the best ones from among those who apply, to fill their programs.  A quick online search brings up suggestions from universities that applicants should have a 3.5 out of 4.0 gpa, which is a random idea considering the variety of universities students would be coming from.  Since students are with them for such a short time they probably don't care too much about extracurricular activities, leadership, etc. although perhaps those would be indicative that they might be a credit to them later on.  The GREs are also an indicator rather than a major admissions factor. You need to do well on them, but doing fabulously probably isn't necessary.    Your essay is key, and your letters may be helpful if they're from known professors. Hope this is of some use.

Anne Hunter at Quora Visit the source

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Admissions look for lots of qualities in prospective students, so I am sure there are lots of things that can increase/decrease your chances, but here is my story. A couple of years ago I applied to CS Masters programs at USC, Columbia, and UIUC. All of these were highly ranked programs, with UIUC rated the best of the three.  (I chose these three because they all had courses I was interested in and offered the ability to do some or all of the degree remotely, which was important to me.)  Ultimately, only UIUC accepted me. Here's my guess as to why: Of the three, the GRE was required at USC and Columbia but optional at UIUC.  I, perhaps foolishly, didn't think I needed to prepare for the GRE and took it on a whim one day without any prep work, having been out of college for 3 years.  My reading/writing scores were quite good, but my math score was well below what any top ranked school would expect.  Being busy and not a fan of standardized testing, I decided not to retake the test and just submitted the scores to the two schools that required it and omitted it from my UIUC packet.  I am fairly confident that this score is why I didn't get into Columbia and USC. So why did I get into UIUC?  I believe it was a combination of these factors: Strong undergrad GPA (3.9) in a related field from a decent school (but certainly not an ivy or 'top 10') Good essay explaining how I would use the degree to improve the world, backed up with facts and examples. Leadership positions in technology clubs in college Resume with relevant work experience Letters of reference from undergrad professors whom I worked closely with and really liked me Of all these, I think the essay was most helpful.  Ultimately you need to focus on areas where you excel and may be somewhat unique and make sure those stand out in your admissions packet. Good luck! P.S. I'm now in the final course in my masters program with a 3.85 graduate GPA, so don't be discouraged by a rejection or two - admission decisions are not an indication of how well you'll do in a program.

Matt Burrough

The  first thing that top schools evaluate is certainly your academia. Then  comes your Statement of purpose (SOP). Then the letters of  recommendation that your professors/employers have written for you  showing your diligence in the field. Then they check your  GRE/IELTS/TOEFL Scores which act as a filter. These are the primary  things that are evaluated by the admission officers of any graduate  school you apply to. To get into top programs, you need certain profile boosters which should invoke the admission committes' interest in you. Do  you have some work experience ( internships included) in the field?  Have you innovated new ideas/techniques as to get a patent? Have you  gained a position in any national/international competitions? Have you  published some research papers in some renowned journals/conferenes? For  an instance, imagine yourself being the admissions officer. You have  the profiles of two applicants X and Y. X and Y both have aced in all  the primary criteria. However, Y has the aforementioned profile  boosters. If you are a sane and a rational human being, which one would  you choose? The answer is clear. I hope you get my point and work hard. Best of luck for your future :)

Sourya Karna

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