Chance me: Top MSCS programs (Stanford, CMU, Berkeley, etc.)

Chance Me / Match Me!
1

Hello,

I’m thinking about getting into a top master terminal program. I’m not a research person so I have no publications and definitely no interest in pursuing a PhD. I’m applying from a Canadian university. I kinda funked my GPA during my 2nd and 3rd year because I had no intention to attend a master program and skipped ~95% of the classes. But I’m working on a stellar GPA this term (Hopefully it can turn the table a bit). I’d greatly appreciate it if anyone could evaluate my qualifications and shed some lights on things that I can improve. Thanks in advance.

Undergrad program:
Software engineering @ University of Waterloo (one of the best CS undergrad in Canada)
joint applied math (like a minor)

CGPA: 3.74 (no bird courses, this = major + applied math courses)

Major GPA: 3.71 (screwed up a CS course final, got a C+)

Internships:
8 months @ a startup in Canada.
4 months @ AMD, Canada
8 months @ Microsoft, US
Another 4 months from Sept. - Dec. Haven’t decided where to go.

Researches:
4 months with the director of my program.
4 months with the head of a research group in my U.

2

GRE:
V 160
Q 168
W 4.5

3

It is a long shot, but you never know. These US schools undoubtably know how strong Waterloo is for CS, and probably don’t get many applicants from Canada if only due to the cost. Expect to be full pay if you get in. Get your GPA up as much as you can.

Don’t expect a Master’s from a university in the US to help you get a visa to stay in the US. In my experience, graduating as a Canadian from a very highly ranked US university did not help at all in terms of getting a job in Canada either. However, this was a long time ago and my undergrad was in the US also – having a BS from Waterloo will at least give you some contacts in Canada and help Canadian employers understand that you are really a Canadian.

4

I’m not getting a master for visa. I’m not worried about finding jobs too much since I already have a lot of industrial experiences.

What made this a long shot? Can u give me more info so I can maybe improve some aspects?