[Profile Review] MSCS / Research-Oriented CS Programs, Fall 2027
Hi everyone,
I’m planning to apply for MSCS / research-oriented CS master’s programs for Fall 2027 and wanted some honest feedback on how my profile looks, especially for AI/ML, NLP, HCI, and AI-related programs.
My Profile
Undergrad: Virginia Tech, B.S. in Computer Science and Data Science (Double Major)
Minors: Mathematics and Statistics
GPA: 4.0/4.0
GRE: Not taken yet. I’m trying to decide whether it would be worth taking.
Research Experience
I’ve been involved in several undergraduate research projects, mostly around AI agents, human-AI interaction, NLP, and information theory.
My main current research is in human interaction with AI agents and LLMs. I worked on a project studying OpenClaw & AI agent interactions. This paper has been accepted to IEEE VL/HCC 2026.
I’m also working on research related to benchmarking/evaluating AI agents, and another project applying NLP and information theory concepts, such as surprisal, to engineering education. I've had research experiences throughout my undergrad, but not a lot are end-to-end besides the Agent Interactions one I mentioned.
Publications
1 accepted conference paper: IEEE VL/HCC 2026
Topic: AI agents, human-AI interaction, trust, autonomy, and oversight
Work Experience
- Software Engineering Intern, Fannie Mae
- AI Engineering Co-op, IBM
- Data Engineering Intern, A smaller consulting company
Teaching / Academic Roles
Teaching Assistant for Machine Learning
Teaching Assistant for Intro to Python
Course Development Assistant for Virginia Tech’s MS in Data Science program
Grader for Data Analytics & Visualization Course
Leadership
- President of Data Science Club
- Founder/President of a coding/AI-focused student organization
- Resident Advisor / Student Leader
- Organized technical workshops, industry events, recruiting events, and student programming around data science, AI, and software engineering.
Projects / Awards
- Several AI/data/software projects, including RAG systems, AI agents, transcript Q&A tools, PyTorch/CV projects, and synthetic data projects.
- Merit Awards from both CS Department and Data Science Department
- Hackathon wins
Research Interests
AI agents
Human-AI interaction
NLP
Machine learning
LLMs / applied AI systems
HCI
Tentative University List
I’m still refining this, but this is my rough list so far. I’m especially looking for feedback on whether the tiers make sense.
Very Ambitious and Research-Heavy Programs
Princeton CS MSE
Stanford MSCS
UC Berkeley EECS MS / MEng
CMU MSCS / MSML / MSAII
Cornell MSCS
UT Austin MSCS
UC San Diego MSCS
University of Michigan CSE MS
Other Ambitious Programs
Georgia Tech MSCS
UIUC MCS
UMass Amherst MSCS
Columbia MSCS
NYU Courant MSCS
Purdue MSCS
UW-Madison MSCS / Professional MS
University of Washington PMP
I know some of these programs are very different from each other. Some are research-oriented MS programs, while others are more coursework/professional master’s programs. I’m trying to figure out what mix makes the most sense for someone who is interested in both research and industry AI/ML engineering.
I’d appreciate feedback on:
- What tier of schools would be realistic for my profile?
- Does this list look too ambitious, or is it reasonable given my profile?
- Should I be aiming for top research-heavy MSCS programs, professional/coursework programs, or a mix?
- Would not taking the GRE hurt me?
- How much does having one accepted conference paper help for MSCS admissions?
- Are there any schools I should add/remove for AI agents, HCI, NLP, or applied ML?
Thank you!