Can I get into CMU's School of Computer Science?

Chance Me / Match Me!
1

<p>Can I get into CMU's School of Computer Science? </p>

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<p>I have discovered my interest in CMU recently and want nothing more than I want to enroll but I have heard it can be rather difficult. I'll list my stats so to speak but i'm interested in what more i can do to get my chances up. </p>

<p>freshman year : 3.85 s1 and 4.0 s2
sophomore year: 4.0, 3.85 unweighted then 4.2 s2, 4.0 u.w.
junior: 4.5, 3.85 u.w. s1
im in junior year s2 now taking calc ab and bc
got a 5 in apcs and an A</p>

<p>extras: debate, supercomputing challenge</p>

<p>sat math: 720 when i took it before sophomore year
act math same time: 33</p>

<p>any help is appreciated, I want to maximize my chances of entry</p>

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<p>It is pretty competitive. The stats for admitted (not enrolled) students are here:</p>

<p>[Carnegie</a> Mellon Admission | Admission Statistics](<a href=“http://admission.enrollment.cmu.edu/pages/undergraduate-admission-statistics]Carnegie”>Admission - Undergraduate Admission - Carnegie Mellon University)</p>

<p>If you have a Math SAT score below 780, you are in the bottom 25%.</p>

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<p>I’m not really looking for stats. My SAT is very old and not necessarily that accurate anymore. I’m really looking for what sort of things I should be doing to increase my chances.</p>

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<p>Well you need to definitely ace that sat because scores are going to matter. Your act isn’t bad but I believe that’s like an avg score for an applicant at cmu. Most of their applicants will have very high scores and gpas. Get some awards in your ecs and stuff but overall, its extremely difficult to get into cmu CS.</p>

5

<p>Get awards in CS competitions. Take classes in CS if your school offers them.</p>

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<p>IMPORTANT:</p>

<p>Carnegie Mellon DOESN’T CARE how much previous experience in CS you have. They care if you’re a bright, good student who excels in math and problem solving. Many, many smart students are admitted each year with no previous experience, and tons of people with a whole lot of experience are rejected. The 5 in APCS is nice, but they really just want to see that you can handle the problem solving. That said, show your aptitude in math, be an interesting person, make it clear that you can think outside the box. The CS related advice above is good, but they don’t really care how good you already are at CS. They care how promising you are as a person.</p>

<p>Source: Been obsessed with going there for a while and accepted early decision to engineering, also have lots of info on CS, if you want to talk pm me!</p>

7

<p>I’ve always had aptitude for math; until last year it was what I wanted to do. What sort of things can I do to show my talent in the area other than the SAT?</p>

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<p>Dual enrollment.</p>

<p>Take math courses at a local campus or community college in addition to your high school course load. Even if you don’t ace the classes, it shows you are driven and ready for the expectations of college.</p>