How can one improve their chances of getting selected for a master's?
Srinivasan Sivaramachandran already has an excellent answer. Adding my two cents to it. There is a lot of confusion between research and what you do to get a Masters degree. The vast majority of Masters students I knew did not do research. They took very advanced courses, did extremely tough projects, and learnt how to communicate and present their work. The emphasis on research for Masters is slightly baffling. I know that the Masters thesis option can be done, but the number of people who do this is low, and it has no benefits except for self satisfaction. (see Vijay Chidambaram's answer to What is the difference between a thesis vs. non-thesis option in an MS in CS? Will tech companies think that a non-thesis CS program is nothing more than a typical BS program?) For a Masters degree, what matters most is your CGPA. Research, projects, all of that account for very little in decisions: its mostly your CGPA. If your CGPA is low (< 8.0), it will be hard to get a good admit right after undergrad, unless you've got publications in the top conferences in your field. How are candidates with similar CGPA differentiated? Letters of recommendation. A good candidate should have letters from people who are respected and who know what they are talking about. These letters should judge the potential of the candidate of the student for success in grad school. You need to have a good GRE score to be considered. A stellar or perfect GRE score will cause your application to stand out, but doesn't guarantee an admit.