What should I prioritize to reach top AI MSc + top AI companies from this profile?
Hi everyone,
I’d really value some honest (even brutal) feedback.
I’m an AI Bachelor’s student in Italy (graduating in 2026), and my goal is to get into a top-tier Master’s (ETH, top UK, or top US) and then break into top AI labs/companies like DeepMind or OpenAI. Long term, I’d like to build something of my own in the AI space.
Right now my profile is roughly: 3.75 GPA, AI/Software Engineering intern at Airbus, and a few solid ML projects (including a retrieval + reranking system with strong results on BEIR FiQA, plus some work on healthcare data and optimization).
My main concern is that I don’t have any publications, and I’m not sure how strong the competition really is for these paths.
So I’m trying to understand whether I’m aiming realistically or not.
If you were in my position, what would you focus on in the next 6-12 months to maximize your chances of:
- getting into a top MSc (and whether a Master’s is actually necessary for top AI companies, and which universities/master programs you would target)
- eventually landing in top AI roles
Would you push more toward research/publications, or double down on internships and engineering skills?
Really appreciate any advice, especially from people who’ve gone through similar paths.