Fall 2019 | MS | CS | 164 Q | 157 V | 4.5 A | Manipal University | 3.5 Yrs IT Exp

[Plutonium]

Hello Everyone, 

Present 
I am currently working as a Full Stack developer for a technology company. I have had hands on experience with recent .Net(MVC, WebAPI) and front end frameworks(AngularJS/Angular2/4/5).

I started working with a startup right after my under-grad and have been with them for 3.5 years now. I got promoted from Software Engineer to Sr. Software Engineer and currently lead a team of 15 people on several projects. Simultaneously, I work for an international client (Director of Technology) on building their complex internal use software, for which I have designed the architecture, take requirements(Agile), develop and deploy its releases. I have a stack overflow reputation of ~4K. I am in top 5% users in AngularJs and top 20% in c# and always #SOreadytohelp. 

Past 
I graduated from Manipal University, Karantaka after completing my BE in computer science. I have had a tough time in my college as I could manage a mere 5.73/10 cgpa with over 15 backlogs. 
I self taught myself different languages(c#, javascript, python, PHP, etc..) and worked on small and enterprise projects when i entered the real world. 

Future 
Now, I believe I have gained enough knowledge that I could have from my current role and wish to explore further on my potential by doing masters in either MIS/DataScience/ML/AI. Another reason is that I really wish to taste proper education by studying in a good school.

GRE/TOEFL 
I would be giving the standardized tests by end of August and very certain to score 320-323 in GRE and 105-107 in TOEFL (got this data by analyzing mock tests I have given). 

LOR 
I can manage 4 recommendations

• 1 from either my java or maths professor in college.
• 1 from my ex-manager who recently quit.
• 1 from the CEO of my current company with whom I have worked on php projects.
• 1 from the client based in USA for whom I have worked closely in developing internal software.
   

SOP 
I believe that I can write a convincing statement about my potential to work for the program, defend my low grades and other relevant things. 

Funding 
I have gathered some to self-fund my tuition fees and rest would be a bank loan depending on the tuition cost (15K-25K per annum) 
 

Need clarification on the below queries :

• What if I could not manage a LOR from any of my professors since its been 4 years now, would a professor LOR really be required?
• How do I go about shortlisting universities(Ambi, Mod, Safe) which are not GPA centric yet can offer competitive computer science programs?
• Which universities of Canada can offer similar programs with my profile?
• What are my chances of scholarship in these universities?
• Are my chances better if i apply early to these programs?