Discussion on Georgia Tech

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Is CGPA of 8.19 a deterrent for masters in Electrical engg in Georgia tech? How do I compensate for it?

@vishvik
https://www.linkedin.com/in/rajeshchowdarychitturi/
This is the link for Rajesh’s profile

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@Anupam

Even though I am not from Chemical Engineering background but I would say that anywhere around 320 is a safe score for any Major.

@Anubhav_Nanda

The numbers look good to me. The only thing is that the CGPA of 7.8 looks a bit of a concern, but that should still be fine provided that there is a 3.5 years of work experience till fall 2020. I am not really sure about the GRE centric universities I can say that they value work experience as much as the CGPA and the GRE.

@Avneesh_Khanna

I would recommend not doing Electrical and Computer Engineering for that. You can always do a Computer Science degree and choose electives of your interest. That way you will have the flexibility. It is not that it cannot be done. I have friends who have done that but for CS centric role for job, it is preferable to do MS in CS.

@vishvik

My GRE score was 323. My TOEFL score was 107 out of 120 if I remember correctly. My CGPA was 9.1. There were no specific highlights in my application besides my undergraduate coursework when I applied for Georgia Tech. I do not think that international students can get scholarships easily. But they can get teaching assistantships or research assistantships. In my batch I knew nobody who got a scholarship, but I knew plenty of batchmates who had got assistantship. In CS department, assistantships are easy to get. Most of my coursework concentrated on Computer Architecture and Digital Design, and also I am more into Low Power VLSI. The internship opportunities are pretty good. Getting internships and jobs is easier than other universities where the coursework is not as good as Georgia Tech. Research publications influence the selection probability. Research publications and research experience can be helpful in getting an admission but they are not a requirement for it.

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@Shubham_jain

I cannot really say, especially since the exact work experience is not mentioned. More details would be needed for me to say anything.

@Aashish_Tattikota

Whenever you write an SOP, try to be as true as possible. Your admission is based on it. Try to be as descriptive yet concise. Try to highlight what you have achieved and contributed. Mention your work experience. Frame it to show what you did and what was the outcome of your endeavours. Make the SOP a comprehensive account within the stipulated word limit.

@Smruti_Govind

There is no restriction regarding background to get into a CS program. Georgia Tech is a very competitive college for pursuing master’s in CS so be very particular in your application as to why you want to switch your major. Mention what interests you more in CS as compared to Electronics. Also mention any of your achievements related to the CS.

@Rajesh3,
Thanks for the reply! Very clear now…

From your experience, do you feel Georgia Tech is more GPA centric? My GPA is 8.05 on a scale of 10. So could a good GRE score (325+ maybe?) and good TOEFL score help offset the shortcomings in coursework GPA?

@Nivetha_Balasubraman

The scores look really good for Georgia Tech but I cannot really say anything about other things. 2 years of experience in ML domain will definitely help. More information regarding the work experience would be helpful for me to say something more reliable. What did the candidate do during the two years in job? If that can be known in some detail, I would be able to answer this further. I do not want to be too assuring or too discouraging, though the scores and work experience look good to me.

@Pranoti

I would definitely recommend Georgia Tech for Embedded Systems but if you would have provided me with some other college to compare with, that would probably have been a fairer answer. To my knowledge, UT Austin is pretty good for Embedded Systems if you are considering that too, but Georgia Tech itself is also a good option. I am not really sure about research projects and areas particularly around Embedded Systems. Hopefully, the Georgia Tech website would have some information in this regard. Try checking that!

@Shubham_jain

I have never used WES, so I am not really sure how it works. I would recommend not to be too concerned about the CGPA. Please go ahead and apply for the college. You have some extra-curricular activities like some projects which is good. I cannot really say anything about the probability but that’s a pretty good profile you have.

@Dhairya_Patel

Georgia Tech is very good for Industrial Engineering. I think it is the best college in the US for MS in Industrial Engineering. I am not really sure about whether this profile will ensure an admission into Industrial Engineering but the scores are good as I can see. (Aman: The CGPA and GRE scores are really good. Industrial Engineering is a relatively less competitive field than CS or ECE and so your chances are really good according to me.) To make your SOP more impactful, try to highlight what you have done that others have not. What makes you special from the rest? Mention the things that you have done extraordinarily or different from others and what you achieved from them. This will help your application get attention. Do not be generic by mentioning that you have done this course and that course. If you have some work experience, mention specifically how it helped you and of what value was it to your team.

@vishvik

I looked up USNews to find out the rankings of colleges. I did not go through any consultancy. I was comfortable going through the selection process on my own. I took help from a cousin whenever I needed but it depends. If you are comfortable on your own, that’s fine else you can approach a consultant. Try to get LOR from those whom you have really worked with or engaged with. If you plan to get it from a professor, try to get it from someone who has taught you 2-3 courses. If you are planning to get it from the workplace, try to get it from someone whom you have worked with closely, someone who knows you and with whom you have worked for a long period of time, so that the person can write genuinely, sincerely and deeply about your work. It is not really worth it to get it from the CEO if you have not really worked with her/him closely. I believe there is no difference in the value of LOR whether it is from an academic institution or workplace. I did contact the professors for TA/GA/RA, but I am not sure about whether it should be done before applying or after applying. There is however, no harm in approaching the professors before applying. It doesn’t really matter when you apply for the GaTech as long as the deadline is respected. My Quant score was 170, if I remember it correctly. I am not really sure what GeorgiaTech cut-offs are.

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@Nikhit_Sai

Yes, Georgia Tech has Co-op program for master’s students.

@avipaga

There are a couple of courses where you get some hands-on experience in FPGA but they are not really focused on RTL design. I am not aware of any particular courses on RTL design that are related to FPGA. University of Minnesota is really good for VLSI. University of Michigan and NCSU (North Carolina State University) are also good.

@Aashish_Tattikota

The CGPA of 8.19 is certainly not a deterrent for admission into Georgia tech. Your admission is based on a holistic view of everything you have done. It includes your coursework, any extra projects you have done and publications etc. If you have done extra things beyond the coursework, then do not really bother about the CGPA itself, it is just a part of your application. It is not mandatory to have a highER CGPA of 9.0 or something like that.

@Nivetha_Balasubraman

I am not really sure about what these tools or work experience is related to. Sorry, I cannot really comment. Probably someone from the CS background would be in a better position to say anything.

@Smruti_Govind

No, AI or ML specializations are not available under ECE. I would recommend you to apply for CS.