Hi guys. I was wondering if I could get a profile evaluation - what are my chances like for getting into the schools listed below and their respective programs. I was also wondering if I could get some opinions on whether I should submit my GRE scores and will there be any interviews for the schools I am applying to (a simple yes/no in list form for each school will suffice and a couple of words on what the interviews entailed will suffice). So here goes nothing (I feel I'm being a bit too ambitious with my choices and I am also gradually losing my mind over anxiety and stress from this application process hahaha).
Thanks for your time, and I'm looking forward to hearing what you all think!
Undergrad Institution: Imperial College London, UK
GPA: Dean's List Award for Academic Excellence so I think my GPA is something like 3.9 - 4? I am unsure about this because UK doesn't do GPA
Undergraduate Degree: MEng Civil and Environmental Engineering (4 Years integrated Masters - I have no Bachelors oddly enough) - Currently in my final year.
GRE General Test:
Q: 165V: 152 (This score is really low which is why I am asking if I should submit these scores because most schools don't mandate them anymore due to COVID)W: 5.0
* Won't have time to resit my GRE because of commitments to undergraduate program
Relevant Courses:
Mathematics I & II (We went as far as Fourier Series, Vector Calculus, PDEs, Multivariate Calculus so I'm not sure how much that lines up with American college level Calculus I & II)
Statistics
Computational Engineering Analysis I, II & III (Programming in MATLAB for Engineering uses - Finite Element Analysis etc.)
* MATLAB is a bit of a useless language in industry, which is why I picked up Python and SQL during my internship and I'm quite comfortable with Python right now.
Type of Student: International Student (Asian)
Programs Applying: Masters in Data Science mostly and Masters in Analytics/Business Analytics
Research Experience: By the time of graduation and due to start in January 2021 - Individual Research Project using Machine Learning to assess flood risks by forecasting storm cell movement and intensity in Birmingham, UK. Formally agreed to undertake this project with a supervisor/professor.
Extracurriculars:
VP of largest national society in my high school
Did a 3 week expedition to a rural area in my home country to build a kindergarten in 3 weeks for the villagers and children
Represented university in inter-university football/soccer matches and performed in 2 annual events (2018 and 2019) as a dancer
Letters of Recommendation:
1x from Internship
2x from academics (1x from high school and 1x from university)
Work Experience:
AI and Advanced Analytics Intern (3 months) w/ largest Telecommunications company in my home country - Networks team. Used Machine Learning to forecast and identify which cell towers require an upgrade based on cellular throughput, traffic and capacity (not giving much details here because I'm sort of lazy to write everything out).
Deals Advisory Intern (2 months) w/ Pricewaterhouse Coopers - Streamlined analysis of receipts and payments transactions with software/programming approach. Participated in liquidation exercise to cross examine and verify authenticity of creditors' claims. Helped assets and divestment team to realise a proportion of company assets during liquidation to stimulate cash flow.
My current list:
Harvard – Masters in Data Science
Stanford - Masters in Statistics, Data Science track
UPenn - Masters in Data Science (Early Decision)
University of Chicago - Masters in Analytics
Brown – Masters in Data Science
MIT – Masters in Business Analytics
Columbia – Masters in Data Science
Duke - MIDS
USC - Masters in Applied Data Science
I feel that I'm reaching quite high and that I don't stand an optimistic chance of getting accepted into these schools against other applicants because I'm applying straight from undergrad and most people it seems are applying with like 2-3 years of work experience. Should I submit my GRE scores since most schools do not mandate them anymore? Does submitting them regardless pose any benefits to my application over those that do not? Is GPA or GRE score more important?
Pointers on how my chances are with these schools and what I should do with my GRE scores are really all I'm looking for!
Thanks again!