Want to apply to MS in Electrical Engineering: concerns

[Mah_renks]

Hello fellow gradCafe-ers!

 

I finished my undergraduate degree in Electrical Engineering in Canada, but I want to do my Masters in Electrical Engineering in the US. The problem is that my marks are terribly low. Less than 3.0 GPA. I have bad marks but I have some great internships at companies such as Research in Motion, Nvidia and Arista Networks. I gained exposure into schematic capture, board design, factory support and bring-up/validation, but I want more responsibility. Ideally, I want to do my Masters in VLSI design where I develop a strong understanding of digital of analog electronics and also in mixed signal electronics. 

 

I am in the process of searching for work after graduation and want to attend university part time, preferably in San Francisco bay area. These Masters courses will be course based and later I may want to switch to thesis based. I know what all of you are thinking: This guy has less than 3.0 GPA so how does he actually intend to attend university at one of the most competitive universities? That's where I need your help. 

 

I have my hardware internships to back my practical experience, but I am willing to struggle to get my Masters. In my undergrad, I never planned ahead and thought I could do a Hardware Engineer career without a Masters. But the truth is, a lot of the positions require at least a Masters to be considered and these companies often do not have entry level positions. 

 

I intend to write my GRE in November of this year. And I am really hoping to get admission to University of Southern California's DEN at VITERBI program (Distance Learning based). Not sure how bad my application looks right now, but I would really like your opinions and guidance for me to improve my chances of getting a Masters in Electrical Engineering in Analog and Mixed VLSI Signal.  

 

Thanks in advance.