Profile Evaluation

[aahdidya]

Hi,

I'm an embedded software engineer working in the wireless networking domain at one of the leading semiconductor companies in the world. After working here for more than 2 years (~27 months), I have decided to pursue an MS in Computer Engineering.

• CGPA: 6.67/10 (It might translate to a GPA of around 2.8-2.9) in Electrical and Electronics Engineering.
• GRE: 163Q/160V/4.0W (I am retaking the GRE again next month for a higher Quant score)
• TOEFL: 110 (Will be writing it next month. I got a 110 3 years ago but the scores aren't valid anymore).

I addition to the above, I've received 4 awards from my team leads for working on some critical areas. I've submitted a paper in an internal company conference (not sure if this would matter in my applications since the work is completely proprietary to the company - so I may not be able to elaborate on it). I also have research experience as a summer research intern at one of the best research institutes for high performance computer architecture, here in India.

The problem is that I wasn't particularly consistent in scoring during my undergraduate because of some issues beyond my control. In fact, except for a slight kink (upwards) in my progress during my third year of undergrad, I pretty much took a dive. I applied to grad school right out of college (~2017) and got rejected from all the 7 colleges I applied to. After some careful deliberations, I have come to the conclusion that it may be have been attributed to more than a couple of shortcomings from my applications:

1. Not a strong enough recommendation or statement of purpose.
2. GRE score (I had a 315 (159Q/156V/3.5W) back then)
3. GPA (most obvious defect)
4. Slightly ambitious college choices.

Would the profile above be able to offset my GPA shortcoming and give me a short at some good colleges? Graduate studies is an expensive proposition for me. So, I would only be motivated to move forward if I were to get into a college with a strong standing among academic and professional institutions.