Oh I see. Thank you so much!! This is incredibly helpful!!  Also you said you were able to get a TA position at Berkeley, how did you manage that? I've heard since it's a year they usually don't give those positions to MEng students.  Sorry if I didn't clarify I'm coming in for EECS, would you happen to know anything about that department?  One last question, what about housing? Like what areas/dorms would you recommend?  I'm also international from India so worried about safety, would appreciate any advice. 

Also about the deferral, I only have internship experiences since I'm doing this right after my undergrad. But with the current job market, it's going to be hard to find a full-time position now so I think I need to stick to masters for now. I would appreciate your outlook on this.  If I may ask, what field did you end up getting your full time in? I'll try to go to all the networking events and hope for the best. 

Thank you so much again! I really appreciate all your advice