<p>I’m from Mumbai and I was wondering if someone could just evaluate my profile and tell me if I stand a chance at UC Berkeley. I’m applying for an MS in Computer Science.</p>
<p>Here’s how my profile looks::</p>
<p>GRE 1490 800Q 690V 5.5 AWA
TOEFL…its 2 days from now.
I have an aggregate of 65%</p>
<p>2 years and a month work as a software developer in my friend’s company
A month’s internship with a project on Image Processing from CMC, a subsidy of TCS which is India’s largest software compant.
Worked as a freelance web designer with 12 websites constructed.
I was also a member of a local social service organization and conducted several medical awareness camps and drives to help the indigent.</p>
<p>I’m working on a few research papers as of now on Medical Imaging.
I’ve made research projects in college on QR Codes, Wireless Network Security and my final year project is creating an image processor and a text editor for mobile phones.</p>
<p>I’ve won a few university level quiz competitions. Came seventh in my city in one of them.
Was on the editorial board of my college magazine.
Worked on my college’s technical team for a number of events.
And theres a few more things…</p>
<p>I know: Java, C++, C, Python, PHP, ASP etc etc</p>
<p>So hey, is there any way I can get into UC Berkeley? It’s my dream college and right now I’m just kinda fretting about it. So give your advice on what my situation looks like. Thank You!</p>
<p>Coursework? Uhh could you please elaborate, Sir/Madam?
GPA…well my score amounts to 3.5/4 i believe. </p>
<p>I’m not really looking for a Research Based MS…does my research work have a great bearing? Or is there no such thing as a non-research based MS?</p>
<p>Uhh…my research work basically entails the usage of image transformation techniqes in order to increase the efficacy and comprehension of medical images. My papers should be done by next month. Only then can I actually tell what results I have obtained.</p>
<p>My SOP as has been evaluated by my guides is pretty good and my LOR’s I believe are from people with a rather excellent standing in my field. </p>
<p>By competition result…do you mean my GRE score?</p>
<p>Since you’re applying for a Masters and not a Ph.D., I think you’re actually quite a strong candidate in both. Research isn’t emphasized for most MS programs.</p>
<p>Requirements? Just whatever pre-requisite coursework that the Engineering schools require.</p>
<p>What will get you in? The higher the GPA, the higher the GRE Q, the more relevant work experience, the more research experience, the better quality references, and the better-written SOP.</p>
<p>OK here is the thing. My TOEFL went absoltely horrible. I dont know why! </p>
<p>I know for sure that I got one question wrong in listening and reading! And one of my essays has well, one line right in the middle which makes no sense (because I was typing it out on the keyboard …but the computer was unresponsive or something!>
And idea what kind of score I might be looking at??? </p>
<p>I’ve not had a great life, I was diagnosed with a weak heart when I was 9 and I can’t really get around much. Well, I really want to get into a good university this time, to just prove to myself that I’m worth something… Not just some worthless drudgeon who’s been wheeled through all the avenues of life by someone else…</p>
<p>Maybe now you know why this means so much to me…</p>
<p>I do not think U.S. universities use the TOEFL so much to distinguish between international applicants and select those with the highest scores. I think that they generally just have a cut-off level with students scoring at or above that level being deemed proficient enough in English to succeed in their studies and are therefore eligbible for admission consideration. Students who do not reach the cut-off score will likely not recieve further consideration because their poor English language skills would almost certainly be too much of an obstacle to learning the required subject matter in a U.S. university. I think different universities have different cut-off scores for the TOEFL. If you achieved the cut-off score on your TOEFL exam to meet the minimum requirements of the schools you apply to, even if it is not a spectacular score, you will have done all you really need to do as far as the TOEFL is concerned.</p>
<p>Your score of 690 on the Verbal section is much higher than most native English speakers achieve which indicates that once you get to an American university, become immersed in American society and converse in English every day, your spoken English skills should improve dramatically.</p>
<p>there are too many other great cs programs - cmu, uiuc, wisconsin, ga tech, cornell, mich. apply to few. you will get in somewhere good. you know that you need to have $$$,a s schools will not support you.</p>
<p>I agree don’t focus on one school, only a fool does that. Apply to a nice range of schools. All the ones listed in the above post are highly respected, (and competitive) as well as many other programs. Don’t base your own self esteem on getting into one highly competitive program or not. Most qualified applicants will not get in.</p>
<p>Nice one on the Verbal score. just realize that the GRE and TOEFL don’t matter once they aren’t scraping the bottom, once you pass a hurdle a higher score doesn’t really signify in the process any longer. They are the least important part of the application. More important: your courses taken, gpa, lor, sop.</p>
<p>Are you taking the subject level GRE? I suspect that is important, and perhaps required, by some schools.</p>