Is NCSU within my reach? And other "safety schools"

[santo35]

Hey guys,

i am an industrial engineering student from India studying in one of the top 5 colleges down here (NIT only next to IIT's). I am applying for 2015. and i have selected few schools as of now. I just wanted to make sure is the list i have is "okay"

My profile as of now -
1 Journal articles in physics (general relativity)
4 Projects in physics (2 summer and 2 winter projects) (general relativity and Quantum mechanics)
1 Statistical Math Project
1 project to mathematically model product life cycle (used physics model for solving industrial engineering problems)
1 conference (this summer)
1 Lecture course by Prof michael berry (this summer)
1 Summer school in advance quantum mechanics IMSc (institute of mathematical sciences)

Over all GPA now in indian system = 7.2/10
GRE 315
PGRE yet to take.

Selected schools -
Ambitious - CMU, Zurich
Moderate- NSCU , SCSU, Waterloo

Other list - SUNNY buffalo, Univ of pittsburgh,Univ of Tennessee, Knoxville ,Univ of Kansas , michigan state , SUNNY stony broke, Univ of torento

I want to select couple of more univs from the "other list" that i would have a shot on.

please do tell me if these selection are over ambitious or okay-ish or too low for my profile.

And if i am applying (sending my scores and stuff) to department of physics for masters of physics program, do i have to apply separately for the astronomy(or any other physics) program or would mine be automatically considered for it too ?

Thanks a lot in advance

 

[R.Mesri]

. Your list of schools looks good, and you should definitely consider applying to some of the ones from the "other list" as well to increase your chances of getting accepted. For the universities you're applying to, make sure that you check their websites carefully to see if they have any special requirements for international students or any other criteria that you must meet. Also, when you apply to a university, it is usually for a particular department (e.g. Physics), and you can often choose to apply to additional departments within the same university if you wish. This means that if you apply to the Physics department at a particular university, your application would also be considered for the Astronomy department (or any other department) at the same university, provided that you meet all the necessary criteria.