<p>My application has top notch grades, superior GPA, the most rigorous schedule available at my school, many powerful leadership roles in various ECs that I am passionate about, tons of community service (1,000+ hrs), pretty darn good essays, fantastic letters of recommendation. However, my SAT scores are barely in the middle 50% of accepted students (all three sections are just at the 25th percentile, meaning 25% of students got admitted with lower SAT's than my own, but 75% had better). Since everything else is very much in order, do I have a reasonable chance at getting in to CMU with 25th percentile SAT scores in all 3 sections? Thanks :)</p>
<p>“many powerful leadership roles”…be careful of too many. There is a point where it becomes unbelievable because even ad coms know that there are only 24 hours in a day. Highlighting the two or three that are really in-depth shows more focus and interest development.</p>
<p>Everyone has a shot. well you said it yourself, as there are below who got accepted with your scores and below. So obviously you have a chance. Just apply and present the best application
possible. </p>
<p>I highly recommend watching these case studies liked in the very first post of this thread and see where you fit and how to present yourself:</p>
<p>@lilemmie @awcntdb Sorry for not providing enough information…by superior GPA, I meant 4.0/4.0 unweighted. For leadership roles, I managed to hold four in different fields, having committed between 2-4 years to each activity. Leadership in band, robotics, theater, and at work. Plus an independent research study for a science fair. All of them were fairly in depth and I did none of them simply to have stuff to put on an application. I enjoyed doing all of them and pursued them for fun, and committed a good amount of time towards them (at least 100 hours to each activity, with band and work both being well over 1000). I took 13 college courses that were DE, AP, or both. I feel that my essays were well written and original, and I know without a doubt my teachers wrote great letters for me my SAT scores were just bordered on the 25th percentile in each category. Also, awcntdb, thanks for the video links! </p>
<p>Oops… did not realize you already applied. Missed that part. The links should give you an idea how they might look at your application. Good luck!</p>
<p>well I think you’ve definitely got a shot! CMU is private and definitely thorough enough to look at more than just numbers. A friend of mine got in there last year (and is now attending) with GPA and SAT pretty far below CMU’s averages. And his extracurriculars weren’t eve anything above average. Show your interest! Do an interview; if you’re a good fit then they’ll be able to see that.</p>
my SAT scores were just bordered on the 25th percentile in each category. Also, awcntdb, thanks for the video links!