Chance me for T10-ish Data Science Master - Econ, Infosys Double Major, CS Minor | Professional Exp

[CuriousMonkey]

Hey GradCafe, 

Applying to MSDS for this cycle and am a bit stressed, worried about my chances. Any input would help

Background:

• Undergrad: Information Systems + Econ double major, Computer Science Minor. 3.82 GPA (all A’s in CS courses) from T-30 - 40 US Private School

• Coursework: stats, econometrics, info systems, computer science electives

• Campus: CompSci TA for 2 years, president of Developer Club

Professional Experience:

• 3+ years in operations, business analytics (MBB Consulting, Samsung, Couple of public tech companies)

• Consistent exposure to Excel, forecasting, process automation, and data-driven decision support

• Noticing limitations in “light” data work → motivated to get deeper into modeling, machine learning, and statistical rigor. 

Extras:

• Independent study of AI/ML via online courses

• International Student

• No GRE

LoR:

• 1 from CS Professor that I TA'ed for and had all As for his course
• 2 from Former supervisor

Target Schools: Harvard, Stanford, Columbia,  NYU, U Chicago, UCLA, Northwestern, UPenn, MIT, Yale.

Questions:

• How competitive am I for top MSDS programs?

• Should I emphasize my strong academic record in CS/quant, or lean on the professional exposure side?

• Any red flags I should address?