Manuj J. — UMass, Amherst, US: case study

Manuj held a B.Tech in Information Technology and was working as a Software Development Engineer when he began his Master’s application journey.

His professional experience included backend systems, database optimisation, and AI-based applications. One of his projects involved migrating millions of records, significantly reducing infrastructure costs. He also developed an AI-powered ledger analysis application for merchants.

His undergraduate projects included an NLP-based quiz generator and an operating system scheduling visualiser. He wanted to pursue a Master’s in Computer Science to deepen his understanding of distributed systems and system architecture.

Manuj had experience solving complex engineering problems in a professional setting. However, his work had taught him something important: while he could improve system performance through testing and experimentation, he wanted to understand the theory behind his decisions.

The challenge was to explain why someone with production engineering experience needed a Master’s degree.

His application could not simply be a list of technical projects or achievements. It needed to show how problems encountered at work had shaped his academic interests.

The narrative also needed to connect his undergraduate learning, professional growth, and ambition to become a systems architect into one coherent story.

We began with Manuj's brag sheet and a series of storyboarding discussions. His UAH mentor worked with him to examine his projects, identify turning points and understand what each experience had taught him.

Explored several themes, including ownership of systems, problem-solving, performance optimisation and learning through experimentation.

The large-scale database migration became one of the central stories. Manuj explained how the database structure created performance bottlenecks and increased infrastructure costs. Rather than focusing on the scale of the project alone, he explored the technical challenges, decisions, and lessons that deepened his interest in distributed systems.

Manuj and his mentor worked through multiple SOP drafts. They moved from describing what he had built to explaining why he wanted to understand the principles behind those systems. This became the foundation of his academic goals and university-specific essays.

For his recommendation letters, we worked on identifying examples his professors could use to discuss his approach to algorithms, system design and testing. 

Our support also covered university shortlisting, application planning and interview preparation. Post-admission guidance focused on evaluating university offers in accordance with his academic interests, career plans and programme fit.

Manuj secured admission to the University of Massachusetts Amherst for the MS in Computer Science, Class of 2028.

His essays explained his transition from a software engineer who optimised existing systems to someone who wanted to design systems using principles learned through graduate study.

The admission marked a step towards his goal of becoming a systems architect, with the knowledge to design systems for performance, reliability and scale.