REJECTED BY ALL 9 OUT OF 9 UNIVERSITIES | FALL 2022 ADMISSIONS CYCLE | MS IN CS

Instagram: abirbhattacharjee___
LinkedIn: / abirbhattacharjee

[@igrami9049]

Hi Abir! I like your honesty. Thank you for sharing your journey! I'm sure it'll inspire MANY folks out there.

[@rahulshah2685]

Thanks for such an insightful video, Abir.

[@gj8091]

The way you openly discussed about rejects and experience you had during the process. Mann! very useful info. Good Job

[@abirbhattacharjee5227]

Thanks man!

[@srabanichatterjee6524]

Always positive.. See how far you have reached after all this... This is the spirit dear.. Continue and congrats for everything you achieved in your life.. Love from mami. ❤😊

[@abirbhattacharjee5227]

Thank you :)

[@PriyankaRathod23]

Heyy So same thing happened to me, it was a really bad and humbling experience. Even i took the applications and sop pretty casually and ig that led to that glad you got into ASU. I just shifted my focus and tried for australia.

[@rahululla7637]

Bro you are brave to tell this in youtube. May you go far ahead in life.

[@abirbhattacharjee5227]

Thanks bro!

[@anks1181]

These Universities make a lot of money just from application fee, they are looking for pretrained students on whom they dont have to put any effort in teaching. Their focus is on research/phd. Indian government need to make strict laws as huge part of Indian money is getting to foreign Universities.

[@misspps_]

Thank you!!!!!

[@gruez6015]

Thanks Brother

[@adityadesai3755]

Thanks for giving a reality cheak brother.

[@abirbhattacharjee5227]

🙌

[@chiraaghg1782]

hey abir, i had 3 backlogs in 3rd semester and hopefully cleared it in 4th but carried math till last semester and have cleared it....will that matter if i had to apply for asu and few other universities...?

[@abirbhattacharjee5227]

1. The admissions council is a black box and it's very hard to understand their decisions so I'm not sure if they would see this on a bad light or not. 2. Having said that, does the transcript show the backlogs? Some universities just show the updated grades whereas some don't. Depending on how your transcript looks, the admissions team will be taking your decision.

[@piyushanand6664]

I am an ECE graduate (2022) with more or less same profile (GRE 328, CGPA 8.05, 2 research papers IEEE, 1 year + workex) trying to get into MSCS/MCS programs at the same unis you mentioned. Now I feel like it's better that I just humble the F down and apply to TIER 2/3 Unis. Any suggestions on what I should do?

[@abirbhattacharjee5227]

I think your research paper will give you a very good push though. Avoid GPA centric schools like USC but I’d say definitely apply to ambi schools. Back it up with safe schools like ASU.

[@Elusivee007]

​@@abirbhattacharjee5227can you tell me just one thing? Does bachelors college brand matters a lot while applying for MS? I am about to join a T3 college this year and will grind for 4 years to get into best unis for MS. Also, share some tips

[@abirbhattacharjee5227]

​@@Elusivee007 Yes it does for the top 20 unis in the US [Tags like IIT definitely are a big plus] However you can supplement that with good research publications and a high CGPA. Getting into a top 20-30 uni in the US is about strong academics and research. 30+ ranked unis are not that exclusive and it is possible to get in with moderate profiles and 0 research.

[@st1p426]

What do you think about the UChicago MPCS program (the professional one focused on industry)? Great video btw

[@abirbhattacharjee5227]

I haven't research about the prospects, etc so can't comment on that but just checked their curriculum - coursework looks good tbh, decent and relevant subjects

[@Mypassionandlove]

My son got accepted from NEU (AI) & UTDallas also Ucincinnati in MSCS, which one will be better option. do you recommend UTDallas... I dont understand what you mean about UTD. please suggest... Also waiting for Texas A&M.

[@abirbhattacharjee5227]

Yeah UTD = UT Dallas I think TAMU > NEU = UTD > U Cincinnati

[@jeevankurian9148]

Hey, if we apply through shorelight for uic , then we dont have to pay application fees. But then we will be something like UIC global, can you please explain about this . I have heard uic global students dont get scholarhips or ta/ra and tuition fees will be higher? Do you know anything about this. Also if we apply through Kaplan , asu is free ? so for asu how does this work lastly is asu 18m or 24m program Thankyou for taking your time.

[@abirbhattacharjee5227]

Hey I'm not really aware of the UIC thing you're talking about. ASU is a 24 months program (4 semesters) ; Compare the tuition - Kaplan vs Actual tuition (this can be found at the ASU website) I'm not sure how TA/RA will be hampered with this.

[@jeevankurian9148]

@@abirbhattacharjee5227 Thank You

[@gunjanshinde396]

I was checking this college SJSU for Data Science and there are huge highs and lows, so can you comment on SJSU, pro&cons ?

[@rachana.naidu7]

Hey even I was checking this uni out but they don’t have any national ranking so not sure.. lmk if you got any info

[@rahdreams]

Such an informative video Abir. All the best, fall 2025 aspirant here. I sent you a connection request on LinkedIn too.

[@abirbhattacharjee5227]

Hey! Yes we are connected on LinkedIn now!

[@bhoovichauhan8493]

Hey! Could you share the website you used to check the statistics for each uni?

[@abirbhattacharjee5227]

It's not a single website, every college has their own stats in their own website.

[@user-uk6gd1ii4k]

which do you think is more advantageous whether to pursue a Master's in Computer Science as a fresher or with work experience ?

[@abirbhattacharjee5227]

In my opinion, companies prefer freshers for internships ; but for full time, experienced folks have a slight edge (only if the experience is relevant to the position, of course) - so it's a not a simplistic comparison, depends on case to case. A lot of freshers end up doing better than experienced folks because they are better in DSA and have a bunch of side projects (which are, to some extent, a proxy of work experience)

[@user-uk6gd1ii4k]

@@abirbhattacharjee5227 Thank you so much for replying . Hope you are doing really awesome, your vlogs are so informative and helpful! All the best!!

[@RoadSigns19]

hey! my profile is 311(160q) in gre, 104 in toefl, 6 months intern and 8 months fte at american pbc . I have 8.43 cgpa tier2 cse and one paper in irjmets in deep learning domain and some volunteering exp. can you tell me some clgs i can start applying to for ms cs besides the mentioned one and which are better in terms of col, job prospects etc. ASU - kaplan Uo Arizona San Diego SU JHU SUNY & SBU buffalo TAMU UW madison CSU LB

[@abirbhattacharjee5227]

Considering exploring: Virginia Tech, NCSU, SJSU, ASU, UTD, NEU, UIC, SBU, SUNY Buffalo

[@Ms21701]

What is minimum cgpa accepted in asu

[@aryanambastha4050]

You mentioned how working in companies doesn't matter when applying for masters. Can you explain that please?

[@abirbhattacharjee5227]

[Personal opinion] I think academic success and corporate success are kinda separate paradigms. Academic success: High GPA, Publications, Research Internships, Research projects [This is what ambi schools look for] So a person with 9+ GPA and 2 publications will in general have a higher chance of getting an ambi admit, than a 8+ GPA with 2 years of work ex in Amazon.

[@diashadas6751]

Just a query, is there any interview round/session for selecting students? I mean based on the performance, student can get a chance, like this...

[@abirbhattacharjee5227]

No. MS CS does not have any interviews. Some business degrees like MS BA, etc. have an interview round after the initial screening.

[@diashadas6751]

@@abirbhattacharjee5227 Thank You so much...

[@thavakkodi6290]

Hi bro I am a final yr student and with not so great gpa(above 8). I did my SFP 23 at IITM and currently working on a paper under prof from NITT(is these both sufficient in order to compensate the low gpa). I need to get into ms in electrical and electronics engineering (ECE dept) which schools do u suggest I should apply to for FALL 24

[@abirbhattacharjee5227]

Hey I'm honestly not the best person to advise regarding MS in ECE but as a general framework, yes your research publication should boost your profile, considering your statement of purpose is well crafted and brings out your experiences. I would suggest talking to people who are actually studying this, to get a better understanding.

[@thavakkodi6290]

@@abirbhattacharjee5227 ok 😇

[@Elusivee007]

​@@thavakkodi6290hey, I have a question. Can I contact you on social media?

[@TurboAditya]

Hi Abir, thank you for this informative video. I have a doubt, I am from btech Ece branch and currently in 4th year.. i want to pursue ms in cs from asu... my cgpa till 6th sem is 8.6 but I don't have any research paper published and work experience whatsoever.. however i do have some web development projects built by me. Do u think there would be any problem in getting admissions or if u have any suggestions that can help in getting admit in Asu for mscs.

[@abirbhattacharjee5227]

No I think your profile is okay for ASU. Showcase your CS projects and build a narrative around them in your Statement of Purpose and you should be good.

[@TurboAditya]

@@abirbhattacharjee5227 Thanks man.

[@hailhydra2497]

hey, i am starting my third year(btech CSE), i have 7.4 cgpa up until now and i also studying BBA(finance) via online, I have 8 cgpa on BBA.planning to do 1 year diploma in data science and machine learning and apply to MS in CS in USA,is this good idea what should i fo to boost my chances?

[@abirbhattacharjee5227]

Depends on what your goal is ? Is it software engineering ? Is it data science / machine learning ? Is it financial engineering / quant ? Depending on your goal you should choose your Masters major CS / DS / FE.

[@hailhydra2497]

​@@abirbhattacharjee5227thanks for the reply, my goal is Business Analytics,is it worth doing a diploma or master in data science before applying to MS in US or should I focus on something else to increase my chances?

[@abirbhattacharjee5227]

​@@hailhydra2497Yeah that should "increase" your chances but I'd recommend not spending extra time and effort to do another MS just to get an admit of an MS. Just do some projects in analytics and talk about that in your SOP.

[@rahulmandadi85]

Hey abir, i got admits from ASU DS and NEU DS from fall 24, could u suggest which is better

[@abirbhattacharjee5227]

I think NEU DS is better than ASU DS. ASU DS is a very new program (I think 2023 was the first or second cohort)

[@rahulmandadi85]

Well the course name is not exactly called DS in asu, Data Science, Analytics and Engineering (Computing and Decision Analytics concentration)

[@vishwarajv14]

Thanks for the insightful video abir. I am applying for MS in ECE fot fall 24. I have cgpa of 8.89 and 4 research papers And 2 yrs work exp but in my company i am part of thr R&D team. My gre is below average. Since my gre is low i also make sure i apply for the universities which have waived of gre. My moderate univ would be UC Davis and UC irvine(kinda ambi) and then trying for Umass amherst and NCSU. U think i have chance of getting these universities

[@abirbhattacharjee5227]

I think your GPA and 4 papers makes your profile strong. Just make sure to craft a solid SOP and you should be good!

[@vishwarajv14]

Thanks a lot abir.

[@SHASHWATNEGIBCE]

Hey ! Fellow VITian here . Can you tell me what do you think was the reason they rejected your application?

[@Elusivee007]

GPA & No ECs.

[@SHASHWATNEGIBCE]

ECs meaning ?

[@ChiragMalik.]

I got into Master of Professional Studies in Analytics In NEU well I really confused if I should go for it. so far its the only university that i have been accepted to.

[@abirbhattacharjee5227]

I just checked that it's STEM, so that's good. I don't know much about this program but NEU is good for CS and related fields. Assuming you want to get into analytics roles (data analyst / business analyst) - try connecting to the alumni of NEU once and see if the job prospects are decent.

[@ChiragMalik.]

Thank you so much for your suggestion @@abirbhattacharjee5227

[@athulyaanil9517]

when you apply again, do you apply with the same LORs and SOP?

[@abirbhattacharjee5227]

Yes, I just modified the last paragraph of my SOPs to make it more specific to the school.

[@pawnikhurana9461]

Can you share the link where you checked stats of the admits

[@abirbhattacharjee5227]

It will be in the university's website. There is no ONE link to access all the stats. Just google like I mentioned (with the uni name) and you should be able to find it.

[@trusttheprocess4775]

Bro can u pls share the resources you used to study for the GRE? Your GRE score is incredible

[@abirbhattacharjee5227]

Hey! Thanks! I did Quant from Manhattan (only Manhattan) And I did Verbal from Manhattan and ETS Guidebooks [For Verbal, ETS Official Guidebooks are the best - Kaplan, Manhattan, Magoosh aren't that great] In my opinion doing 1000 words is not necessary. GRE tests semantics much more than vocabulary for which ETS official guides are the best. Something which is very important is composure (to avoid silly mistakes due to frustration or mental fatigue) I took a lot of mock tests (15+) to practice composure. Hope that helps :)

[@trusttheprocess4775]

@@abirbhattacharjee5227 thanks a lot man. Appreciate the help. Is the ETS guidebook like a textbook or does it just contain answers of ETS questions? As in, does it explain each topic?

[@abirbhattacharjee5227]

@@trusttheprocess4775 Yes it has guidelines on how to handle questions and then a bunch of questions with solutions and explanations.

[@trusttheprocess4775]

@@abirbhattacharjee5227 oh nice. How long did it take you to finish the ets guidelines book? And how would you suggest to study it?

[@abirbhattacharjee5227]

@@trusttheprocess4775 I think it took about a month. I'd say do some vocab from Magoosh, take some tests from Manhattan and then dive right into ETS Guidebook.

[@therobinx20]

Hi, could you please share the link of the stats website, shared at 12:20?

[@abirbhattacharjee5227]

lite.gatech.edu/lite_script/dashboards/enrollment.html

[@therobinx20]

@@abirbhattacharjee5227 Thanks👍

[@Dattebayo3089]

I had 19 backlogs. But no year drop. Done engineering in pune universities. 2017 passout. Have 5 yrs experience with Capgemini, Dell and bnp as qa and automation tester.. Also done extra curricular activities. in gre have 305 marks. Can I get atleast a top 50-150 rank university for masters in mis. Engineering was past which I can't change now. Councelling companies also telling me not to go for masters😢 cuz I am never going to get any avg good college. Is there is possibility?? I need a public school in California, Florida, texas, Arizona states. CSU la, long beach, san jose, asu, Florida, texas a&u, suny buffalo, NJIT.

[@abirbhattacharjee5227]

I think the backlogs are going to be a major red flag for admissions. Work ex won't neutralize that IMO. So you might have to look for tier 3 schools.

[@raajac2720]

19 backlogs completed without year waste,is just incredible. But no one day exact how admission committee react about whether they take positive or not. Despite 19 backlogs ,how you are comeback. Without any skills and abilities can't over 19 backlogs. So Definitely some good reason behind. If you brief about in Your SOP honestly, definitely have good chance to get some uni. So not mention about gre, tofel,since even waive go for gre , will add to profile . And apply in early in August or September it self. Beyond other things,luck is huge factor where you are in.hopes good in future endeavours.

[@Dattebayo3089]

@@raajac2720 Actually I have 13 backlogs. I mis counted my KTs. Still it's alot. it happened due to theory subjects. I suck big time in it. Even I had least interest in data structures and coding. In last year my grade is first class and I improved my grades. Cuz in pune university we have optional subjects for last year. So I chose all application based subjects. I suck in theory. I Can write 3-5 lines bt can't write 1-2 pages answer. Even can't remember more than 10+ questions. In corporate and interview they ask limited questions which u mention in resume. If i don't know anything I don't mention that in resume. Bt in exam there are more things which I don't know. If i would be in any country where theoretical subjects are less I could have got higher gpa. Our country's education system is not creative people. It's for Rattu people. In CS there are other 14 fields apart from developer role. Bt in our syllabus 80% is just about development. Hence I want to choose mis as their more subject are application based. And theory weightage is only 30%. I already added these problems in sop.

[@raajac2720]

Yes I understood reason behind,but still we can't complaint our education system. Because western countries well regards about indians intelligence. So don't worry concentrate more on SOP, Draft too many sop ,add more points to why I am so lack, Brief despite weak in theory,if situation demands i will able to work on more. So you demonstrate according to your skills, Might be the admission committee accept your beliefs. Your Insights of SOP will matter most. Wish you best of luck.

[@NONAME-qe3ju]

can you provide the name of the websites used to check the enrollment of the universities

[@abirbhattacharjee5227]

Most universities showcase this data in their website. The one that I was showing in this video is of Georgia Tech's.

[@abhas7]

Lor for ASU MSCS is not required. Did you still submit LOR. Also should I apply for free through Kaplan ?

[@abirbhattacharjee5227]

I did not submit LORs for my application. Yeah you can apply through Kaplan if there are any benefits to it, totally your call.

[@abhas7]

Thanks for answering!

[@vigneshrb1626]

I got into MSDS in NEU for fall 24. What is your opinion about the university and course Abir?

[@abirbhattacharjee5227]

I think MSDS at NEU is decent - it's a 2 year program right ? And I'm assuming DS also has the co-op program ? If yes, then it's a pretty solid option.

[@vigneshrb1626]

@@abirbhattacharjee5227 thank you for the reply Abir. Yes it's 2 years and co-op.

[@abirbhattacharjee5227]

@@vigneshrb1626 Great!

[@vedantbhenia9085]

Hey I was applying to NEU for MSDS for fall24, Can we connect?

[@hakkamadan9941]

I have a 9.3 gpa, 2 journal papers, 2 more submitted, 6 month research at IIT D, still rejected from 9/11 choices. Admissions are absurd this year!

[@abirbhattacharjee5227]

wow, that's actually insane

[@g.aakash3815]

May i know what were the universities you have applied. Cuz even I have the same kinda profile

[@stafnykarkada3330]

Hey thank you, this was informative. It would be helpful if you could give your insights on my question below, What would you recommend in Mcs from Rice Ms in SE from NEU boston Ms in Information Technology from Asu, polytechnic campus. And one from Concordia canada for ms in applied computer science. Out of the four Concordia being the cheapest and rice the most expensive one I am a little inclined towards ASU but the campus is the issue. Also what is your take on polytechnic campus? Ik you study in tempe, but hoping you would have some idea on this too It would be really helpful if you could help me with it!

[@abirbhattacharjee5227]

There are no inherent issues with Poly campus. Most people studying IT/SE choose to live in Tempe and just commute (45 mins by shuttle) to Poly for classes (you don't have to go to all the classes so it's fine) As for the choices, if I were in your situation, I'd probably take MCS from Rice or MSIT from ASU. Just a personal bias, I'm inclined towards CS degrees and not towards MSSE, MIM, MEM, MISM, etc.

[@stafnykarkada3330]

@@abirbhattacharjee5227 thank you so much!!

[@taniyanegi5437]

Ok so if someone has 7 cgpa out of 10 in grad so do they stand any chance ?

[@abirbhattacharjee5227]

1. Admissions are based on a holistic evaluation so other factors like research work, etc. also matters. 2. However generally speaking, top schools will be a reject. 3. Tier 2 and 3 schools should be doable with a 7 CGPA. (Tier 1 being Top 30 schools)

[@jeevankurian9148]

Hi Abir, did you apply on you own or through any study agency? Because I was just wondering does applying through study agency lower chances of getting any scholarships as study agents get commission form university from our first years tuition fees. If so will not the university prefer to give schilarahip Or Ta/ ra to those who didn't apply through stydy agency

[@abirbhattacharjee5227]

1. I applied on my own. 2. Pretty sure TA/RA/GSA does not depend on whether you apply via agency or not. 3. For scholarships I'm not 100% sure but my guess is, it does not matter how you apply. If you have a good GPA, I think you should be awarded the scholarship, regardless.

[@jeevankurian9148]

@@abirbhattacharjee5227 got it Thank you☺

[@harshdobariya3858]

i got offer from Arizona state university and Northeastern universtiy , boston. i am waiting for UMass Amherst decesion.

[@abirbhattacharjee5227]

Congrats ! I hope UMA comes through as well !

[@harshdobariya3858]

@@abirbhattacharjee5227 thanks man. If i Do not get admit in Umass then which university should I prefer? ASU or NEU?

[@aasthachauhan4385]

what tool is that! By which you are checking the enrollment numbers

[@abirbhattacharjee5227]

A lot of universities publish these numbers on their website. In this video I was showing Georgia Tech's enrollment on their website.

[@aasthachauhan4385]

@@abirbhattacharjee5227 thank you

[@harin2227]

Applying for ASU in fall 2024, is 3.0 GPA low for ASU?

[@abirbhattacharjee5227]

You mean 3 out of 4 right ? I think it should be fine. I got an admit with 3.22

[@mohaksharma9463]

I've got 8.3 in Bsc IT, 3 mnth internship, 4-5 courses, sop , lor which colleges would u like to suggest me

[@Elusivee007]

Very few US universities consider 3 year bachelors for MS. So, research on your own.

[@trusttheprocess4775]

Almost no unis in the US even consider a 3 year degree....try Canada and the UK. They do accept 3 years bachelors. I have a friend who got into UBC, Canada for MSAI by doing a BSc in Indian

[@st1p426]

@@trusttheprocess4775 Remark, they don't consider 3 year degree from India*

[@vivekmohan4271]

​@@trusttheprocess4775what university did he study in bachelor's?

[@trusttheprocess4775]

@@vivekmohan4271 she studied in a random college in Mumbai

[@01_anturkarekta33]

Is your course research based or program based?

[@abirbhattacharjee5227]

You can choose to do just curriculum based (10 subjects) or research based (8 subjects and a thesis)

[@thevagabond85yt]

I mean where u r good GRE/TOEFL , u flex ur score for 2 min. but Ur GPA which is low you dont mention it once. How does that help audience?

[@abirbhattacharjee5227]

seems to have helped a decent number of people based on data (views, DMs, comments, etc.) so I'll have to take your critique with a grain of salt

[@rosalinrout5265]

I am from Kolkata

[@rosalinrout5265]

Beta can u guide my daughter forMS in USA.

[@abirbhattacharjee5227]

Hello! Please ask her to text me on LinkedIn/Instagram and I'll definitely try to help her (the links to my accounts are in the description)

[@kiwi-mf2do]

How is 8.05 less?

[@abirbhattacharjee5227]

In terms of VIT, it is less because literally everyone has a 8.5+ As for international admissions, a lot of folks did deferred their admits/apps from 2020 and 2021 to 2022 so it got extremely competitive.

[@werref634]

Thanks for the insightful videos you make, it's really helpful. Even I am an upcoming ASU MS CS student for fall 2023. Please either make a video or do mention regarding the current situation of jobs for your seniors graduating now. Also your opinion regarding whether we should be coming for the semester/ deferring admit?!

[@abirbhattacharjee5227]

Hey to be very honest, full time opportunities are extremely scarce right now in the tech sector. It's an extremely difficult situation for folks graduating this semester. However you'd be graduating in May 2025 so things will hopefully be much better from now.

[@werref634]

Do u suggest deferring to next fall? Fall 24? Considering dedollarization etc.?

[@abirbhattacharjee5227]

​@@werref634 I'm not sure how deferring the admit will help, because weakening of the dollar (and if at all de-dollarization) is not a sporadic event but rather a huge change that will impact every facet of global market. I'm not sure if I'm 100% qualified to assess this, but that's my two cents.

[@Dkdcfkfodowpaallagkroeowpwlsl]

Utd is ambitious for me 😂😢

[@abirbhattacharjee5227]

Given my stats, it should’ve been ambi for me too. 😂

[@arjyahi]

how do people get international internships?

[@abirbhattacharjee5227]

Do you mean how international students on F1 get internships ? - Applying on company portals, LinkedIn, Referrals.

[@arjyahi]

@@abirbhattacharjee5227 hey thanks for the answer! I actually meant to ask that do you know how prospective students can get international internships, to strengthen their applications?

[@abirbhattacharjee5227]

@@arjyahi Okay so you mean research internships. 1. Some schools have applications for 2-3 months summer research internships [ASU has SURI and FURI - just google] 2. Another way is cold emailing professors of universities and tell them about your research interests and if they are aligned he/she might give you a shot [This is a brute-force method, I've known people doing this but it takes hundreds of emails to get a response and then it depends on the professor's funding, research scope, etc]

[@arjyahi]

@@abirbhattacharjee5227 thanks! That really helps!

[@dipaldonna]

UTD is gpa centric

[@abirbhattacharjee161]

Tomar jonno amar channel tar nam Abir Bhattacharjee vlogs rakhte holo congratulations bhai for your 1K subs. All the best bhai🤟

[@abirbhattacharjee5227]

Hahaha! Thank you! Subscribed to your channel :) All the best for your 1K soon.