When applying to MS programs in the US, many applicants wonder if work experience is necessary to increase their chances of admission. The truth is, work experience is not a requirement for MS programs, and a fresh college graduate is just as qualified to apply as an experienced professional.

However, work experience can have an impact on an applicant's chances of admission, depending on various factors. Firstly, the role and relevancy of the industry to the program of study is crucial. For example, an applicant applying for an MS in Computer Science specializing in Artificial Intelligence would benefit more from work experience in a research lab or R&D wing of a company that works on AI problems. Working as a software or hardware engineer in the computer industry, even if not research-oriented, can still provide significant programming experience to the applicant.

However, working in an unrelated industry such as sales in the pharmaceutical industry is unlikely to have any effect on the application. Therefore, the weightage given to work experience depends on how much the committee deems the work to be relevant and of use to the candidate for the graduate program.

The identity of the company the applicant has worked for also matters. Reputed companies that are more familiar to the committee will have more weightage than others. For example, in the computer industry, companies like Microsoft, Google, Apple, or Oracle carry more weight.

If an applicant does have relevant work experience, they can choose to have one of their recommenders be their immediate manager from work. This can help applicants who hail from fairly unknown colleges but work in a reputed company or those who could not perform very well in college but excelled in their job.

In conclusion, work experience is not necessary to apply for MS programs in the US, but relevant work experience can positively impact an applicant's chances of admission. It is important to showcase the relevancy and quality of the work experience, along with other components of the application, to highlight the potential for success in the graduate program.