u/Normal-Huckleberry18

Undergrad

• BTech in CSE from a Tier 1–1.5 college in India, CGPA: 8.1/10

GRE

• Optional for most of my schools. I'm leaning towards not taking it since I have 7 years of relevant work experience.

Work Experience

• 7 years as a Software Engineer across FAANG level companies and 1 startup
• Most recent role: Senior Software Engineer at a product-based MNC

Research

• No publications
• One undergraduate research project

LORs

• 1 Academic, 1 Senior Engineering Manager, 1 Principal Engineer

Schools

• Reach: Cornell (MEng), UIUC (MCS), Columbia (MS CS)
• Target: NYU Courant, USC (MS CS/AI), Texas A&M, Johns Hopkins
• Safe: Boston University, Northeastern, Emory

I'd really appreciate honest feedback on my university list.

- Does this look balanced for my profile, or am I being too ambitious with my reach schools?

- Are there any universities I should consider adding or replacing, especially for someone with significant industry experience but limited research background?

- Will skipping the GRE hurt my chances, given my work experience?