Need advice from people who have done or are doing MS in another country

[shut saddle]

I am planning for applying for universities for MS for next year Fall. I wanted advice on how many universities I should select for application. Which countries I should choose. Should the letter of recommendations be separate for each university?
My profile is somewhat above average. I am currently doing a job for about 2 years, and my work performance is good. I have given TOEFL, got 108 and planning GRE in few weeks.
Also I wanted to know whom should I ask for LORs. Since I have been out of my UG university quite long, should I ask some senior members from my company for letters?

forgot to mention, I have computer science bachelors and plan for the masters of same

[spring birch]

Which countries I should choose
If you're going to be in tech, the silicon valley is the place to be. Go to the US

how many universities I should select for application
Depends on you but generally 7-8 or 9 universities with this breakdown:

1-2 ambitious universities (less chance of getting but is your dream uni)
3-4 moderate universities (good chances of getting)
1-3 safe universities (most definitely getting selected in these unis)

Should the letter of recommendations be separate for each university
Nah, reuse them for all your applications.

whom should I ask for LORs
2 uni profs, 1 from manager at current workplace

[steady lantern]

If you ask for lor from your manager, wouldn’t he know that you have plans to leave the job

[spring birch]

Yep!

I spoke to my manager (TCS) a year in advance - told him that I'm applying for MS abroad

and honestly, just keep your manager in good spirits untill you get your LORs - after that you can exit his WhatsApp group

[steady lantern]

Manager doesn’t have my phone number

[pale iron]

If you're working in tech/electronics/computers, then you can get a nice high salary in places like Bay Area. Even if you don't get a green card, you can still earn a good amount of money, save up as much as you can. Just don't contribute any money to 401k and stuff unless you actually get permanent residency or citizenship.

[pale iron]

Also, look for public universities that thave a good reputation and also don't cost too much. They tend to be good value for money. There are a lot of private universities that charge a lot and are meh.

[pale iron]

Lol, don't do that unless your manager actually cares about you. They'll either fire you in advance, or try to screw up your chances. Lots of horrible people out there.

Company doesn't care about you, it wants you to continue working for cheap while it makes large sums of money on your work

They don't want you to go abroad and earn a way better salary

White people and Indian overlords love their cheap labour

[shut saddle]

any suggestions for universities in each categories?
also, how strict are the rules on tests like TOEFL score applied.
I have 108 TOEFL score which meets most universities requirements. But some have breakdown requirements, in which Speaking is around 24, but I got 23. Will my application be immediately rejected?

[spring birch]

Yeah that's team dependent but usually no, not so bad. My manager wasn't fond of me but when i told him about it, he got off my back and was much more lenient about leaves and work.

[spring birch]

That depends entirely on your profile. Join Facebook groups, people have a more current idea of what universities to pick according to one's profile

[shut saddle]

ok, thanks for the help. will check for some facebook groups related to this. Any suggestions on groups?

[spring birch]

Lol, if your employer is offering you a 401k match, take it. It's free money. Even if you get your GC 30 years later.

[swift orbit]

[shut saddle]

@spring birch any suggestion on whether I should take most of the lors from my employer or from my professors? I have been working for more than a year, and by the time I attend university it will be more than 2 years. So will 1 letter from manager, one from my team lead and 1 from professor be good.

[spring birch]

Two years isn't much. Hence more LORs from profs. Team Lead isn't good enough, only Manager's is important. I took 2 LORs form profs and 1 from manager with 3 years of experience

[shut saddle]

Need slightly more advice on this regarding the visa. F1 requires the i 20 from from University. So do I have to wait till admission confirmation or should any process for visa started now? Like ds 160 form submission or something else?

@spring birch got any idea on this?

[spring birch]

Yes, you need the I20 first but the university may ask you for funds before that. Admit from university=F1 from university.

Some universities give I 20 with the admit (Syracuse & Rochester do this) whereas for some, you accept their air first and then they ship you the I 20

DS 160 and all comes AFTER you have your I 20. DS 160 is a regular visa application form (everyone does it for all visa categories)

[vestal beacon]

@shut saddle im on a server for helping people w their grad school applications, it's focused on US admissions but there are a good number of intl applicants too (including indians)

lmk if you'd like an invite