What is science research all about?

What are the chances of an MS student in computer science with both industry and research experience from a reputable school getting into Stanford or Berkeley for a computer science PhD program?

• I am a MS student from a top tier computer science school. I have interned at a top research lab and one of the biggest networking companies. I also have several years of industry experiences in a small company in my relevant field where I made big impacts. My recommendations will come from an Ivy league professor, a reputable lab director, and a chief officer at a national lab. I have few research experiences (one co-authored paper published at a top conference, one first author paper being submitted to a top conference, and several published research posters/workshop papers). I decided to apply for Berkeley and Stanford for several reasons that I would not state here. My questions are: Should I contact professors before applying? How do you rate my chance of admission? Do you have any advices to improve my profile? I appreciate your responses.

• Answer:

  You have a MS in computer science with publications and work experience. Therefore, you Must know some of the faculty members at both Stanford and at Berkeley.  You must have: Read their papers Referenced their papers Met them at conferences Maybe they have referenced papers by you or your colleagues/professors So, if you are interested in getting a PhD, you Must have an idea of what area in which you would like to do Discovery research.   You must know who at Stanford and at Berkeley has funding in that area in which you are interested in working. Of course you should be contacting them.   You are a professional in their field.   You are contacting them to have professional discussions related to your work, their work, and the direction for advancement.   Find a resonance.   Go with that resonance.   One of those professors should be asking You to join her/his research team. At that point the admission paperwork is a mere formality. Be a Professional and talk with them as colleagues and take it one step at a time, and the final step should be a fully funded PhD program with one of those professors.  All the best.