University of Southern California

Application phase MS in US Application Phase
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Get real-time information about University of Southern California from seniors who have gone through the whole process.

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This webinar session will be hosted by Praveen Shivanna, who is currently pursuing his MS in Computer Science at University of Southern California. He will volunteer an hour of his time to answer your queries. Prior to USC, Praveen completed his BE in Computer Engineering from BMS College of Engineering, Bengaluru and has worked for Hewlett Packard Enterprise as a Software Developer and Senior Software Development Engineer at Micro Focus. During his masters, he secured an internship with Amazon in Seattle, Washington.

Here is how the Senior AMA works:

  1. Ask Qs now: You can start asking your questions right away right here.
  2. Answers via video: On Friday, August 30th, at 5 PM, Praveen will answer your Qs via a webinar, which you can join here.
  3. Answers transcribed for future reference: We will transcribe Praveen’s answers and post them in response to your questions on this page.
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How much avg pay per hr do SE interns get in LA or Palo Alto ?

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What’s the required GRE score?

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How much is the avg off campus Rent and utilities if one is sharing room in LA?

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Also, the other minimum requirements.

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  1. Which area is safe to rent an apartment around USC?
  2. How rigorous is MS CS course at USC?
  3. Knowledge of which courses is preferable before starting MS CS?
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How do you get cheap housing options in USC for spring term since all the housing is occupied by fall going students.

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  1. How to start the process of looking for apartments for the students joining in the spring semester?
  2. What is the average class size of lectures?
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  1. Is there test or smthyn b4 we can register for courses like ML, NLP?
  2. Can students pursuing MS get Research assistantship at USC?
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Is the $3150/sem on-campus meal plan worth it? How did you manage your meals? Please give specific dollar breakdown. Thanks.

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If you are going in spring term is it compulsory to join internship to get visa or doing courses and projects is enough ? Is there a chance of visa rejection if you don’t have an internship ?

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Congratulations first of all !
I have heard USC is very much GPA Centric , If someone has a GPA of 7.5 with a GRE Score of 320, how difficult it is to get into MS Business Analytics course? Also, if you could suggest some universities in West coast which are at similar level of USC(e.g. UCLA)

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As I will be joining in the spring semester, I have around four months with me. Do you suggest doing an internship or just doing online courses is enough?

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How is the on campus job scenario in USC?

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I have heard USC is very much GPA Centric , If someone has a GPA of 7.5 with a GRE Score of 320, how difficult it is to get into MS Business Analytics course? Also, if you could suggest some universities in West coast which are at similar level of USC(e.g. UCLA)

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Is the F1 visa interview different for spring term compared to fall term?

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What month did you apply to FAANG (Facebook, Amazon, Apple, Microsoft, Google) companies? Also, Where did you apply it? Was it on their careers page? or internal email calls on the maililng list? or campus fair? Thank you.

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@Akansha_Bansal

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Pros and Cons of Fall vs Spring entry ? When do folks who join in spring semester graduate ?How is the placement situation for people graduating from spring entry