<p>Hello everyone,</p>
<p>This is my first post on this forum!
I have been thinking about applying for a Msc (I am also thinking about a PhD) in the US for one year now, but I am a lost due to the enormous variety of programs available, so I though I would ask the help of the experts, you! I hope I do not break any rules by asking a common question. I only post this enquiry because I failed to find a similar one.</p>
<p>Here is my CV: I am an electrical and computer engineering graduate from Greece (five year program of studies), specialized in electrical power systems. I have one internship in project management (assistant project manager in a major renewables construction firm, 2megawatts PV park), 2 internships in web design and web services and one internship as a AutoCAD designer. I volunteer at a organic foods NGO. My diploma thesis (dissertation) lasted 3 years and dwells on stochastic optimal control, simulation and mathematical modelling. I am fluent in C, Python, VBA and MatLAB. My GPA is around 3.3 (upper second honours, 7.3/10 I am not sure of the conversion) which is very decent at my institution (roughly upper 20%) but I understand that it is below average for in the US. I have yet to take a GRE or GMAT.</p>
<p>I currently work at an engineering firm as a research engineer. My employer cooperates with the European Space Agency, but I don't work on the aerospace side of things. We are looking into the application of satellite hardware for smart grid applications. I evaluate those applications and report to the owner of the company directly. I really love my job!
I am thinking about applying to Big Data and Machine learning or industrial/financial engineering programs.
Some universities I really like are: Carnegie Mellon, Columbia, Cornell, Berkley, NYU.</p>
<p>Could you please tell me some institutions that you think I would stand a chance to get admitted at? I hope I didn't forget ot mention anything important.</p>
<p>PS, I deeply and genuinely love sciences and engineering, I am not applying for career prospects alone.</p>
<p>Suggestions from this forum are just blind suggestions. What you need to do is a bit of research to identify the areas that most interest you and find the people who are doing work in that area. This will give you an initial list of universities where you can start to look. Once you have that list, you can reduce it by looking in detail at the programs to see which ones might suit you best. At that point, you can start figuring out if you are competitive for admissions.</p>
<p>in engineering, having work experience is a plus so you have a boost with that. Once you have your GRE (GMAT is only for Business School) scores you can better assess whether you have a chance of getting into a particular school. Your GPA is certainly acceptable for a solid program, just maybe not the most selective ones. Your letters of reference and research experience will probably be the defining factor but make sure you apply to a range of programs, from highly selective to less so. Since you know where the professors you wish to work with are, you can better judge which schools are good targets. Certainly shoot for some of the most selective but do hedge your bets and apply to some good but not as selective programs too.</p>
<p>Dear Xraymancs,
Thank you for your timely response. You comment was helped me very much in organizing my market research. I believe I will be posting again in this forum as soon as I have drafted a shortlist of specific programs, not just names of institutions.
“At that point, you can start figuring out if you are competitive for admissions.”
This is the part I can’t figure out, I hope you will provide me with your valuable input again in the future.</p>
<p>I should have visited this site sooner in my search, this is a very helpful community.</p>
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<p>You can start by looking at the minimum admission requirements. The schools you have named are highly selective institutions and you would be competing against applicants with very strong academic and research credentials. If you choose one or two of these and then also apply to some universities which are maybe not as well known and less selective, you will maximize your chances to get into a suitable program.</p>