Chance Me: Non-traditional SWE @ Google (3.08 GPA), aiming for MSCS at Columbia, UT Austin, UIUC, and Rice

Chance Me / Match Me
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Demographics:

  • US Citizen
  • Texas resident
  • Male (Age: 24)
  • First-generation low-income (FGLI) background

Intended Major(s):

  • Master’s in Computer Science (MSCS programs)
  • Long-term goal: Transition into Quantitative Research roles

Undergrad GPA:

  • 3.08 GPA (University of Houston, B.S. Computer Information Systems)

Test Scores (Planned):

  • GRE: Currently studying, aiming for 165+ Quant

Relevant Coursework (Undergrad):

  • Data Structures and Algorithms
  • Database Systems
  • Computer Architecture
  • Fundamentals of Software Engineering

Current Education Plans:

  • Computer Science/Data Science Bridge Course(Rice University)
  • Post-Bacc in Mathematics at Tufts (Fall 2025)

Awards:

  • LeetCode Top 4.2% (2023)
  • 2nd Place @ AWS Cloudathon (System Design)
  • 1st Place @ USTICC (Coding Competition)

Extracurriculars & Professional Experience:

  • Full-time Software Engineer at Google (5 months by Fall 2025)
  • Part-time Quantitative Developer at QuantMate, a quant startup (5 months by Fall 2025)
  • Former SWE Intern at Oracle
  • Former Full-Stack and iOS Intern at Comcast
  • President of Future Information Technology Professionals (FITP), securing $20K+ in funding and organizing corporate partnerships with AWS
  • 1 research publication (3rd author); planning additional papers in applied mathematics and ML

Essays/LORs/Other:

  • 2 Letters of Recommendation lined up (Google manager + faculty advisor)
  • Personal Statement will cover overcoming challenges as FGLI, balancing school/work to support family, and professional growth from internships to Google SWE
  • Explaining GPA impact: Focused on internships/interview prep while supporting family through multiple jobs in undergrad

Cost Constraints / Budget:

  • None, planning to fund master’s education through work/income

Schools I’m Aiming For (Fall 2025/Spring 2026/ Fall 2026 Admission):

  • Reach: Columbia MSCS, Stanford MS Statistics/ICME, UIUC MCS
  • Target: Rice Online MCS (applying), UT Austin Online MSCS
  • Safety: Considering additional online MSCS programs (Georgia Tech OMSCS as a backup)

What I’m Looking For:

  • Programs that allow me to deepen my CS and mathematical foundations with flexibility (remote/online or part-time preferred due to working full-time at Google)
  • Opportunities to position myself for Quantitative Researcher roles at firms like Citadel or Two Sigma
  • Schools that value professional experience and potential over GPA
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Just a question: Why isn’t your employer (Google) funding your MS degree in CS?
I know that my daughter’s firm had ties to several universities and all she had to do was pick one, take the GRE, send her transcripts/enrollment forms and that was it. She was enrolled online and the process was quick.

Edited to add: She was an EECS major and her GPA was very strong. She had coworkers who also applied via her employer’s program. The schools on the employer list were strong.

1 Like
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@Shah_Raza, what is the “non-traditional” part of your profile? Sorry, it isn’t clear to me.

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