**Carnegie Mellon ED Results Thread 2014**

Colleges and Universities A-Z Carnegie Mellon University
1

<p>Putting this up for when we start getting ED results in the next few days.</p>

<p><strong>Remove spaces from brackets before posting</strong> so you can get all the pretty colors and formatting. Otherwise, it just looks like a bunch of ugly bbcode with spaces in it.</p>

<p>[ size=4][ color=green][ b]Decision: Accepted *[/color][/size]
[ size=4][ color=orange][ b]Decision: Deferred *[/color][/size]
[ size=4][ color=red][ b]Decision: Rejected **[/color][/size]</p>

<p>[ b]Objective:**
SAT I (breakdown):
ACT (breakdown):
SAT II (place score in parentheses):
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0):
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable):
AP (place score in parentheses):
IB (place score in parentheses):
Senior Year Course Load:
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.):</p>

<p>[ b]Subjective:**
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parentheses):
Job/Work Experience:
Volunteer/Community Service:
Summer Activities:
Essays:
Teacher Recommendations:
Counselor Rec:
Additional Rec:
Interview:</p>

<p>[ b]Other**
Applied for Financial Aid?
Projected Concentration:
State (if domestic applicant):
Country (if international applicant):
School Type:
Ethnicity:
Gender:
Income Bracket:
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.):</p>

<p>[ b]Reflection**
Strengths:
Weaknesses:
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected:
Where else you are applying or have already applied:
General Comments/Advice/Hindsight:</p>

2

<p>So excited. :)</p>

3

<p>Hey guys! This is super exciting time for everyone! I remember this time last year. My name is Josh, and I’m a current Freshman in ECE (with a CS minor!), part of CMU Greek life, and a 15-112 TA! If you have any questions about the school, please let me know!</p>

<p>Also: if you are accepted (or even if you aren’t but plan on doing RD), please join the CMU 2019 FB group! As in past years, many current students will be here to answer your questions and guide you through your journey until you get here. The group was honestly one of the most useful things for me last year. Especially being ED, I met tons of people who I am still really close friends with today. As the year progresses and certain due dates arrive for various documents, scheduling, etc, we will be there to help. Orientation week will come before you know it!</p>

<p>The group is called “Carnegie Mellon University Class of 2019”, and the banner is a picture of Gates :slight_smile:
Unfortunately, there are a few similar spam groups created by people who are not affiliated with CMU, including some college websites. This is the group where all of the current and future CMU students will be. Make sure you don’t join the one with (Official) at the end – none of the public facebook groups are officially endorsed by CMU, and the official closed group is only accessable once you have submitted your deposit and have an andrewID.</p>

<p>Also, if you have any friends who aren’t on CC who you know have been accepted, please tell them to join!</p>

<p>Thanks, and good luck in a few hours! I can’t wait to meet some of you!</p>

<p>EDIT: I made a new thread for this. Please ask any questions or discuss the group there! Thanks!</p>

4

<p>Decision: Accepted: CFA - School of Drama - Design/Production</p>

<p>Objective:
SAT I (breakdown):
ACT (breakdown):34 C | 35 W | 34 M | 34 R | 35 S | 31 W
SAT II (place score in parentheses):
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.51
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): Top 25
AP (place score in parentheses): National AP Scholar.
IB (place score in parentheses):
Senior Year Course Load: Fairly demanding. 5 AP courses in all subject areas.
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.):</p>

<p>Subjective:
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parentheses):Theatre (Lighting Designer and lighting crew head for 3 years), Mock Trial (lead attorney), Speech & Debate (Captain, VP), Choir, TEAMS, FBLA (state champion), FNHS, Tri-M
Job/Work Experience: None
Volunteer/Community Service: Volunteer at church for about 5 hours per week.
Summer Activities:
Essays: One essay about why I want to go into Theatre Design. Other about why my heart is in the work (w/out being too cheesy though). Solid essays.
Teacher Recommendations: One from theatre teacher/director who I’ve worked with throughout HS. Other from AP Chem teacher.
Counselor Rec: Not quite sure to be honest. She doesn’t know me that well.
Additional Rec:
Interview: Went very well. They seemed to like my work and my personality a lot. I enjoyed all of the faculty members who I talked with. The interview focused on me personally, not my work.</p>

<p>[ b]Other**
Applied for Financial Aid?: Yes
Projected Concentration:
State (if domestic applicant):
Country (if international applicant):
School Type:
Ethnicity:
Gender:
Income Bracket:
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.):</p>

<p>[ b]Reflection**
Strengths:Good test scores, teacher recs, and interview. Heavy EC involvement.
Weaknesses:Low-ish GPA
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected:Since 80% of my decision was based on the interview/portfolio review, I believe the professors just saw me as a good fit for the program.
Where else you are applying or have already applied:
General Comments/Advice/Hindsight: To all D/P applicants: Be yourself during the interview. Show them who you are and make sure you get to know them too.</p>

5

<p>**Decision: Accepted: CFA - School of Drama - Design/Production **</p>

<p>Objective:
SAT I : n/a
ACT : Verbal: 30 Math: 25 Sci: 29 Reading: 33 Composite: 29 Writing: 30
SAT II : n/a
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.85
Rank : n/a
AP : AP Lang- (4) AP Human Geo- (4)
IB (place score in parentheses):
Senior Year Course Load: Somewhat demanding. 3 APs + intensive performing/fine arts classes. No science/math.
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.):
Scholastics Art & Writing Awards 2014</p>

<p>Subjective:
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parentheses): Theatre (Assistant Lighting director, Prop + Stage design for 4 years), Yearbook Club (Head photographer), Gardening Club (Member)
Job/Work Experience: Bunches! Working as a wedding/event second photographer.
Volunteer/Community Service: Museum of Modern Art
Summer Activities:
Essays: Very personal, intimate, small moment. Wrote my essay on giving my breakfast to a homeless man in the subway.
Teacher Recommendations: 6 recommendations. 3 from arts/theatre related, 1 from my principal, and 1 from history teacher.
Counselor Rec: I know her on a minimal basis.
Additional Rec: 1 from employer
Interview: It went fantastically well! I brought all original works. They did not spend much time on the portfolio however- more time focusing on getting to know you as a person and how you work creatively. Be yourself!</p>

<p>Other
Applied for Financial Aid? Yes
Projected Concentration: Scenic Design / Production
State (if domestic applicant):
Country (if international applicant):
School Type:
Ethnicity:
Gender:
Income Bracket:
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.):</p>

<p>Reflection
Strengths:
Weaknesses:
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected:
Where else you are applying or have already applied:
General Comments/Advice/Hindsight:</p>

6

<p>**Decision: Accepted (MCS Math) **
Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): 2110 (680 CR, 800 M, 630 W)
ACT (breakdown): N/A
SAT II (place score in parentheses): 790 Physics, 780 M2, 680 Chem.
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.85
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): top 30%
AP (place score in parentheses): AP CS (5)
IB (place score in parentheses): IB Math HL (7), IB Physics HL (7), IB CS HL (7), IB English Lang.Lit. SL (6), IB German Ab Initio SL (6), IB Geography SL (6)
Senior Year Course Load: IB courses above
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): None</p>

<p>Subjective:
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parentheses): Tennis, CS50 Harvard extension school class
Job/Work Experience: None
Volunteer/Community Service: Typical school volunteer clubs
Summer Activities: Tennis
Essays:
Teacher Recommendations: Both very good and focused. One by my CS teacher, who went to Berkeley for math.
Counselor Rec: Excellent
Additional Rec: None
Interview: None</p>

<p>Other
Applied for Financial Aid? No
Projected Concentration:
State (if domestic applicant):
Country (if international applicant):
School Type:
Ethnicity:
Gender:
Income Bracket:
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): </p>

<p>Reflection
Strengths: Overall Grades/scores
Weaknesses: SAT writing score
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: Strong all around grades/scores, interesting background perhaps.
Where else you are applying or have already applied: Berkeley, UCLA, Johns Hopkins
General Comments/Advice/Hindsight: Just be yourself.</p>

7

<p>Decision: Rejected SCS (School of Computer Science)</p>

<p>Objective:</p>

<p>SAT I (breakdown): 2180 (760 CR, 700 M, 720 W)
ACT (breakdown):
SAT II: 780 Math 2, 730 Physics, 720 Literature
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): ~3.8 (4.2 Weighted)
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 21/79
AP (place score in parenthesis): AP Calc AB 5, APUSH 4
IB (place score in parenthesis):
Senior Year Course Load: AP Chem, AP Calc BC, AP Lit, Advanced Bio DE, Honors Gov
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.):</p>

<p>Subjective:</p>

<p>Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Mu Alpha Theta, Spanish Honor Society, STEM Club (treasurer), Chess Club
Job/Work Experience:
Volunteer/Community service: Online Math Tutoring, Recycling
Essays (rating 1-10, details): 7/10
Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):7/10
Teacher Rec #1:
Teacher Rec #2:
Counselor Rec:
Additional Rec:</p>

<p>Other</p>

<p>Applied for Financial Aid?: No
Intended Major: Computer Science
State (if domestic applicant): VA
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: Private
Ethnicity: Honkey
Gender: M
Income Bracket: 100k
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.):</p>

<p>Reflection</p>

<p>Strengths:
Weaknesses:
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected:
Where else were you accepted/deferred/rejected: Accepted GMU with 3k/year, no other results</p>

<p>General Comments: Not surprised, it was a shot in the dark. Peace everyone, congrats to the SCSers. </p>

8

<p>** Decision: Accepted to SCS **</p>

<p>Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): 2350 Total - 750 CR 800 M 800 W
ACT (breakdown): N/A
SAT II (place score in parentheses): 800 Math II, 800 Physics, 790 Lit, 770 Chem
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.0
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 13/328
AP (place score in parentheses): U.S. Gov/Politics, Calculus AB, Calculus C, Physics C: Mechanics, U.S. History, English Language, Computer Science (all 5’s)
IB (place score in parentheses): N/A
Senior Year Course Load: AP Bio, Differential Equations, AP Stats, Humanities IV, Advanced Object-Oriented Design, AP Physics C: Electricity & Magnetism
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): AP Scholar with Distinction, NMSQT Semifinalist</p>

<p>Subjective:
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parentheses): Science Olympiad (Officer), Unicef (Vice President), History Honor Society (Vice President), National Honor Society, Cross Country, Outdoor Track
Job/Work Experience: Tutor at Kumon
Volunteer/Community Service: Unicef, Summer Reading Volunteer at my local public library
Summer Activities: Internships at the University of Maryland in Epidemiology & MRI Scanning, Summer Pre-College AP/EA 2014
Essays: Common App - about Cross Country (8/10), Supplement - about developing interest in CS (8.5/10)
Teacher Recommendations: Calculus and English Teachers, both should have been pretty good
Counselor Rec: Not sure, counselor does not know me very well
Additional Rec: Rec from one of my Pre-College professors
Interview: 7/10</p>

<p>Other
Applied for Financial Aid? Not yet
State (if domestic applicant): Maryland
School Type: Public
Ethnicity: Asian
Gender: Male GG
Income Bracket: $100k
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): Attended Summer Pre-College 2014, received A’s in classes in Computer Science and Electrical/Computer Engineering</p>

<p>Reflection
Strengths: Academics and test scores, summer activities, pretty well-rounded overall
Weaknesses: Asian Male, Interview was pretty average
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: SUMMER PRE-COLLEGE
Where else you are applying or have already applied: MIT (deferred), withdrawing apps from Berkeley and College Park
General Comments/Advice/Hindsight:
SO HAPPY IM IN AT SCS! I think a big part of my acceptance was performing well at Summer Pre-College. SCS is very very competitive during ED, and best of luck to everyone else applying!</p>

9

<p>Decision: Accepted to SCS</p>

<p>Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): 2340 (800CR, 780M, 760W)
ACT: N/A
SAT II: 780 Math 2, 780 Physics, 760 USH
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.0
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 1/~500
AP (place score in parenthesis): Calc BC (5), Calc AB (5), Physics B (5), Statistics (5), Computer Science (5)
US History (5) English Lang (5), Environmental Science (5), World History (5)
Senior Year Course Load: AP Physics C, Linear Algebra, AP US Gov’t, AP Macroeconomics, AP Microeconomics, AP English Lit
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): None really. NMSF, but that’s more of a minor award.</p>

<p>Subjective:
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): wrote and self-published a novel, research internship, varsity swimming, church lector, PicoCTF (team captain), programming team, book club, NHS
Job/Work Experience: CS research internship, lifeguard
Volunteer/Community service: NHS stuff - nothing major.
Summer Activities: research internship, swim team, lifeguarding, book club, writing novels
Essays (rating 1-10, details):

  • Common App (8/10, wrote about getting criticism for my novel, what I learned from it)
  • Why CMU (10/10, had a little time travel frame story around an essay about why computer science is so central to my life and how important CMU is to me)
  • Book Essay (7/10, wrote about The Writer’s Tale, had a very long list of books)
  • Interview Essay (0/10 - I didn’t do it. I didn’t realize I had already done my interview when I visited CMU and talked to an admissions officer. I emailed them about it, and they said I was fine…apparently it actually was fine!)
    Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):
    Teacher Rec #1: Comp Sci Teacher (7/10, I read it and it was very complimentary, but I don’t really know
    what they’re supposed to say)
    Teacher Rec #2: World History Teacher (5/10 - no idea what this said and I had the teacher two years ago)
    Counselor Rec: (7/10 - probably good since he’s been recommending me for awards for a while now and we get along well)
    Additional Rec: Research Internship Professor (8/10 - probably good, but I didn’t get to read it)
    Interview: Terrible. I didn’t even know I was interviewing - I just got plopped down in front of an admissions person and talked to her. I literally have no idea what I even said. </p>

<p>Other:
State (if domestic applicant): Maryland
School Type: Public
Ethnicity: White
Gender: Female
Income Bracket: High enough to not qualify for financial aid
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): Woman in CS? Is that still a hook?</p>

<p>Reflection:
Strengths: GPA, APs, class rank, Why CMU essay
Weaknesses: Complete mess up with the interview and interview essay, not much service or leadership, SAT IIs
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: I think the novel helped - IDK maybe it makes me more rounded or something. And I thought my Why CMU essay was really good. But honestly, who knows?
Where else were you accepted/deferred/rejected: Nowhere. I was going to apply RD to most places. Gotta go pull my application from Georgia Tech now, though.</p>

<p>General Comments: This is so an answered prayer and I’m so happy and this is my dream school and OMG I still can’t believe I actually got in! I keep thinking someone’s going to tell me it’s a mistake! Good luck to everyone applying RD! </p>

10

<p>Decision: Accepted CIT ECE</p>

<p>Objective:
SAT I (breakdown):2220(710R,800M,710WR) 11Essay
ACT (breakdown):
SAT II (place score in parentheses):Physics(800), Math 2(770), Chemistry(710)
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0):3.7ish
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable):30/432
AP (place score in parentheses): CalcAB(5), Chemistry(5), CompSci(5), US History(4)
IB (place score in parentheses):
Senior Year Course Load:AP Lang &Comp, AP Stat, Advanced Java(second compsci), Calc BC, AP Physics, AP Gov
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): University of Rochester Xerox Award[Click</a> here](<a href=“http://enrollment.rochester.edu/hsawards/"]Click”>http://enrollment.rochester.edu/hsawards/), AP Scholar with Honor, Letter of Commendation for NMSQT</p>

<p>Subjective:
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parentheses): Robotics Club(VP Junior year, Co-President Senior year, 4 years),[Kits</a> for Kids](<a href=“http://www.kits-for-kids.org%22%5DKits”>http://www.kits-for-kids.org)-charity my friends and i founded(VP), Habitat for Humanity chapter at our school(Co-President), Student Ambassador, Varsity Tennis
Job/Work Experience:Kumon Grader and Paid Tutoring in Algebra 2
Volunteer/Community Service: Kits for Kids and Habitat for Humanity
Summer Activities: Pre-College!
Essays: Why CMU was pretty good, wrote about discovering ece at cmu over the summer at the program. Interview Supplement was about service opportunities my interviewer introduced me to(Engineers without Borders). Lol had like 5 books on my book supplement(i seriously have dropped the ball on reading :blush: )Wrote the sentence about a book called Hacking Harvard. CommonAppEssay- pretty good, wrote about building a quadcopter and how it failed at first but eventually worked(overcoming adversity)
Teacher Recommendations:CS Teacher(Really Good, he knew me for 4 years and he is sponsor of our robotics club), Calc Teacher(Pretty Good, had her for two years, we have a great rapport)
Counselor Rec:Decent? He knew me decently.
Additional Rec:None
Interview:REALLY Informal. </p>

<p>Other
Applied for Financial Aid? Yes
Projected Concentration: ECE
State (if domestic applicant): PA
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: Public
Ethnicity:Asian (Indian)
Gender:Male
Income Bracket:+100,000
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.):PRE COLLEGE. Got A’s in 15-112(Intro programming course) and 18-100( intro to ECE course).</p>

<p>Reflection
Strengths: Definitely the fact that i took their intro ECE course(18-100) and got an A in it. Since they use that course to determine who can transfer into ECE, the fact that i took it over the summer and did well in it helped me. Plus Pre-College shows immense interest(lol $8000). Also Huge upward trend in rank. At the end of freshman year i was 112/432 but at beginnning of senior year i was 30/432.
Weaknesses:Maybe GPA? SAT could have been a tad higher but it was good enough.
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: Pre College, Sat II’s, upward GPA trend
Where else you are applying or have already applied: Got into Penn state and Drexel. Dont have to apply anywhere else anymore!(ED ROCKS)
General Comments/Advice/Hindsight:For future CMU tartans. If CMU is truly the school you want to attend and you know it by heart i highly suggest if possible going to the pre college program. Although it is a steep investment($8000), it is extremely worth it. Getting two A’s in their courses absolutely boosts your application.</p>

<p>EDIT: edited for clarity.</p>

11

<p>Congrats guys!!! From a current student who loves it here, I’m so excited to meet you guys :smiley: </p>

12

<p>Decision: Accepted</p>

<p>Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): M 730, CR 730, W 700
ACT (breakdown):
SAT II (place score in parentheses): M2 780, EB 720
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.0
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 99% (2 out of 289)
AP (place score in parentheses):
IB (place score in parentheses):
Senior Year Course Load:
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.):</p>

<p>Subjective:
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parentheses):
Job/Work Experience:
Volunteer/Community Service:
Summer Activities:
Essays:
Teacher Recommendations:
Counselor Rec:
Additional Rec:
Interview:</p>

<p>Other
Applied for Financial Aid?
Projected Concentration:
State (if domestic applicant):
Country (if international applicant):
School Type:
Ethnicity:
Gender:
Income Bracket:
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.):</p>

<p>Reflection
Strengths:
Weaknesses:
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected:
Where else you are applying or have already applied:
General Comments/Advice/Hindsight:</p>

13

<p>Decision: Accepted Tepper</p>

<p>Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): M 730, CR 730, W 700
ACT (breakdown):
SAT II (place score in parentheses): M2 780, EB 720
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.0
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 99% (2 out of 289)
AP (place score in parentheses): Comp Sci. 5, US Hist 4, Lang and Comp 5, Stat 4, Bio 4
IB (place score in parentheses):
Senior Year Course Load: 4 AP’s, 1 Honors, 1 independent study, other requirements
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): AP Scholar with Distinction</p>

<p>Subjective:
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parentheses): FIRST Robotics (Captain and Head Programmer), Tennis (#1 seed every year and Captain), DECA/FBLA, National Honors Society, Debate, Engineering Club, Chess Club
Job/Work Experience: Business/Comp Sci Combined Internship (Unpaid) - 3 months, self-run tennis instructor
Volunteer/Community Service: Special Education Technology Program (Co-Founder and Head Programmer), Habitat for Humanity, Tutoring
Summer Activities: Previously mentioned internship, tennis programs/tournaments
Essays: Very good, I believe
Teacher Recommendations: Phenomenal. I saw them, and they raved about me. Comp sci teacher, and AP history teacher. Nothing but positive.
Counselor Rec: Not sure
Additional Rec: Internship employer, coach, NJ senator (long time friend). Also, all amazing.
Interview: It was before I knew i was doing ED and I didn’t have a ton of interest yet…Also the guy was a little bland and and hard to get read on, but he seemed interested. Definitely didn’t hurt me though.</p>

<p>[ b]Other**
Applied for Financial Aid? yes
Projected Concentration: Finance w/ minor in comp sci
State (if domestic applicant): New Jersey
Country (if international applicant): USA
School Type: Rural Public
Ethnicity: White
Gender: M
Income Bracket: Upper Middle Class
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): potentially recruited for tennis</p>

<p>[ b]Reflection**
Strengths: SAT II Math II (i think it made up for my low-ish SAT Math), GPA, Rank, Recommendations, Essays, Extra-Curriculars Leadership roles
Weaknesses: SAT Math at the low end of middle 50% range, not-above-average SAT (for Carnegie), Ethnicity
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: Based on my strengths listed above
Where else you are applying or have already applied: I got into U Pitt, but it was my safe school
General Comments/Advice/Hindsight: I know this will help people get a feel for Tepper. Since it is a small school, not many people post admission stats, but I know I looked like crazy for them before. I am SO excited. Text cannot convey my excitement. Good luck to everyone doing RD! </p>

14

<p>Decision: Rejected CIT - ECE</p>

<p>Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): M 800, CR 690, W 760
ACT (breakdown): 33
SAT II (place score in parentheses): M2 (780), Physics (730), USHistory (730)
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.61
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): Not released (probably around 40/334)
AP (place score in parentheses): APUSH (4), AP Comp Sci (4), AP Physics B (4)
IB (place score in parentheses):
Senior Year Course Load: AP Physics C, AP Calc BC, AP Latin V, AP English Lit, AP Euro
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): AIME entrance, AP Scholar w/ Honor, PSAT Commended (1 point away from semifinalist -_- )</p>

<p>Subjective:
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parentheses): Math Club 4 years, Chess Club 9th and 10th, FIRST Robotics 12th,
Computer Programming Club 9th and 10th
Job/Work Experience: Kumon grader 10th 11th 12th
Volunteer/Community Service: Teacher’s assistant at local chinese school
Summer Activities:
Essays:
Teacher Recommendations: Probably very good
Counselor Rec: Probably not so good
Additional Rec:
Interview: no</p>

<p>Other
Applied for Financial Aid?
Projected Concentration:
State (if domestic applicant): NJ
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: Public
Ethnicity: Asian
Gender: M
Income Bracket: 100k+
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.):</p>

<p>Reflection
Strengths: not much… average - above avg SAT scores?
Weaknesses: low GPA, few ECs
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected:
Where else you are applying or have already applied:
General Comments/Advice/Hindsight: :’(</p>

15

<p>Decision: Accepted (MCS Math)</p>

<p>Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): 2230 (690 CR, 770 M, 770 W)
ACT (breakdown):
SAT II (place score in parentheses): Math 1(800), Math 2 (800), Chemistry (720), Biology (750), United States History (780)
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.83
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): Approximately Top 10% or 5% of about 420 Students
AP (place score in parentheses): Statistics (5), United States History (5) Music Theory (2, did not self report)
IB (place score in parentheses):
Senior Year Course Load: AP Chinese, AP Physics C Mechanics, AP Calculus BC, AP US Government and Politics, Advanced English, Introduction to iOS Programming
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): None</p>

<p>Subjective:
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parentheses): Boy Scouts 5th grade to present (Eagle Scout, Senior Patrol Leader, Philmont Crew Leader), Crew 9th - 11th (2 years recreational, 1 year varsity), Exchange to China for second half of senior year
Job/Work Experience: CIT at Summer Camp, Math Tutor (private and through a math enrichment after school program)
Volunteer/Community Service: Plenty through years of Boy Scouts
Summer Activities: Philmont Trip, CIT, Math Tutor, Studying Chinese for 4 Weeks
Essays: Witty, personal, original, in the supplement I wrote about what I liked about the program and how I felt that I fit the campus life when I visited
Teacher Recommendations: Very good, one from a my Chinese teacher for four years, the other from a Math/CS teacher for three years
Counselor Rec: I don’t know, I filled out a form with a lot of information, she probably just stuck it into an automatic form to create the rec
Additional Rec: None
Interview: None</p>

<p>Other
Applied for Financial Aid? Yes
Projected Concentration: Mathematics (Operations Research)
State (if domestic applicant): Massachusetts
Country (if international applicant): Domestic
School Type: Public
Ethnicity: White
Gender: Male
Income Bracket: Top 5% maybe Top 1%
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): No hooks</p>

<p>Reflection
Strengths: Strong Academics and Scores, leadership opportunities and overall good EC’s
Weaknesses: No national awards etc., limited number of EC’s related to major, no other interest demonstrated beyond ED
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: I was an interesting candidate, overall pretty strong
Where else you are applying or have already applied: Didn’t apply anywhere else before this because I was ED
General Comments/Advice/Hindsight: The whole process is a mystery, don’t try to play the guessing game and fit yourself to the school, have many people read over your essays and read over other people’s essays critically so you can get a sense of how to craft your essays</p>

16

<p>**Decision: Accepted Dietrich **</p>

<p>Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): 1950 (650 CR, 640 M, 660 W)
ACT (breakdown): Verbal: 36 Math: 25 Sci: 34 Reading: 35 Composite: 33 Writing: 32
SAT II (place score in parentheses): Math 1 (680), Literature (760)
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.0
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 58/468
AP (place score in parentheses): Language and Composition (5), World History (5), Macroeconomics (4)
IB (place score in parentheses): N/A
Senior Year Course Load: 3 AP’s, a dual enrollment course, etc.
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): None</p>

<p>Subjective:
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parentheses): 4 years Varsity Cross Country, Literary Arts Magazine (Assistant Editor junior year, Editor senior year), Needlework club
Job/Work Experience: Tutoring younger students in math
Volunteer/Community Service: Volunteering at public library (~70 hours)
Summer Activities: CMU AP/EA Summer 2014
Essays: Writing is my strong suit and mine were pretty individual. Wrote about feeling out of place in my hometown for Common App, had a lot to write about for CMU essay because of my experience with the school, had a long list of books since I read a lot.
Teacher Recommendations: Don’t know- didn’t read them
Counselor Rec: Don’t know- Nothing of substance
Additional Rec: N/A
Interview: On-campus Admissions Office interview. It went really well. The younger guy who interviewed me seemed to understand where I was coming from and seemed satisfied with my answers. 9/10</p>

<p>Other
Applied for Financial Aid? Yes
Projected Concentration: Scientific and Medical Communications with a minor in Health Policy
State (if domestic applicant): Virginia
Country (if international applicant): USA
School Type: Suburban public high school
Ethnicity: White
Gender: Female
Income Bracket: $100K+
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): Older brother is a CMU student</p>

<p>Reflection
Strengths: Got A’s at Pre-College, ACT score, essays, interview, have shown a lot of interest. Also, I did an art supplement of some of my better knitting projects.
Weaknesses: Not much leadership and not too many extracurriculars
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: See ‘Strengths’
Where else you are applying or have already applied: Nowhere
General Comments/Advice/Hindsight: Try to make yourself stand out however you can on your applications. Admissions can be an impersonal process, so make the admissions staff see WHO you are, not just ‘what.’ Do this through essays that really reflect you, do EC’s that truly interest you, etc.</p>

17

<p>Putting this up for when we start getting ED results in the next few days.</p>

<p><strong>Remove spaces from brackets before posting</strong> so you can get all the pretty colors and formatting. Otherwise, it just looks like a bunch of ugly bbcode with spaces in it.</p>

<p>[ b]Decision: Accepted CIT Mechanical Engineering **</p>

<p>[ b]Objective:**
SAT I (breakdown): 2040
ACT (breakdown): 33
SAT II (place score in parentheses): math 2 (720), physics (640)
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.0
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): N/A
AP (place score in parentheses): US history (4), Environmental Science (5)
IB (place score in parentheses):
Senior Year Course Load: AP Calc AB, AP Physics 1, AP Computer Science, African Literature, Philosophy, independent study: robotics
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.):</p>

<p>[ b]Subjective:**
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parentheses): BEST robotics (team leader) 11th 12th, FIRST Robotics at another school 11th, FIRST robotics (team leader and founder) 12th, Student Council, Mock Trial, engineering club (leader and founder)
Job/Work Experience: food truck cook, intern at Inspectorbots (robotics company)
Volunteer/Community Service: children’s hospital, Calico cultures international student mentor
Summer Activities:
Essays: common app about robotics 8/10, one about shooting for the moon as related to college admissions and CMU 10/10
Teacher Recommendations: Calc and English teacher 9/10
Counselor Rec: don’t know her too well but 7/10
Additional Rec:
Interview:</p>

<p>[ b]Other**
Applied for Financial Aid? Yes
Projected Concentration: mech E with minor in robotics and BS/MS program
State (if domestic applicant): Colorado
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: private all girls school
Ethnicity: white
Gender: F
Income Bracket: $200,000+
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.):</p>

<p>[ b]Reflection**
Strengths: extracurriculars, decent test scores and GPA, sleeping bag weekend and info session in Denver
Weaknesses: NOT the perfect academic applicant
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: -strengths-
Where else you are applying or have already applied: MIT, CO school of Mines, CU Boulder, UIUC, Penn, Olin, Purdue
General Comments/Advice/Hindsight: GET INVOLVED! The admissions officers want to see someone who is going to make a positive impact on campus, not just another high achieving academic with no substance. Write a kick ass essay that you’re really proud of and then throw it away and write a better one. It’s not perfection, it’s passion. Make sure your “heart is in the work” but please don’t write you’re essay about it… Good luck</p>

18

<p>Decision: Accepted - CIT (ECE)</p>

<p>Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): 2240 (680CR, 800M, 760W w/ 10 on writing)
ACT (breakdown): None
SAT II (place score in parentheses): Math L2 (800), Physics (750)
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.7
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 25/627; top 4%
AP (place score in parentheses): Calculus AB (5), US History (4), English Language and Composition (4), Physics B (4)
IB (place score in parentheses): None
Senior Year Course Load: AP Psychology, AP Biology, AP Calculus BC, AP Physics C (Mech + E&M), Band, World Literature, Orchestra
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): None</p>

<p>Subjective:
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parentheses): Math Club (President, Secretary, Tutoring Commitee Head, Tutor), FBLA (President), Band (President, Section Leader, Historian), Key Club, NHS, CSF
Job/Work Experience: None
Volunteer/Community Service: Volunteer tutor for elementary school kids for 2 years
Summer Activities: Pre-College at CMU; got Bs in both of my courses
Essays: Focused majority of my energy on my supplement which got a lot of praise; CA essay was about a 5/10
Teacher Recommendations: Read the one from my US History teacher and it was amazing; didn’t read the one from my Physics B teacher but it’s probably average
Counselor Rec: Probably pretty generic
Additional Rec: None
Interview: Interviewed on campus. I’d say it went alright, but it wasn’t great (6/10). I didn’t really ask a lot of questions, so it made it hard for me to write the interview supplement.</p>

<p>Other
Applied for Financial Aid?: Not yet
Projected Concentration: ECE
State (if domestic applicant): California
School Type: Large Public (about 2500 students)
Ethnicity: Asian
Gender: F
Income Bracket: $100k+
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): None</p>

<p>Reflection
Strengths: Went to Pre-College and was able to make my supplement really specific (for example, mentioned my interest in their new ideate program), 800s in math for SATs, female
Weaknesses: Common Application essay; not many science-related ECs; low-ish GPA with a slight downward trend, although I suppose I showed that I challenged myself, CR SAT score
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: Pre-College! I also think it helped that I told them what my plans would be if I were to attend. So, even if I didn’t have stellar grades, I showed that I was focused and would do well at CMU regardless of a few B’s here and there.
Where else you are applying or have already applied: Applied to 4 UC schools + Cal Poly San Luis Obispo but already sent letters to withdraw from them.
General Comments/Advice/Hindsight: Yay, I’m so excited! I’m really happy that I was able to get in by being completely genuine throughout the entire application. There were some things that I wished I could have changed like my interview and really last-minute CA essay, but I’m glad that CMU fixated on my strengths rather than on my weaknesses. Also I wish that I didn’t browse through the past decisions threads because those crushed my confidence and made me miserable the entire week before decisions were released this year. SOO, if you’re reading this now, and you feel bad that you’re not good enough, know that CMU will not be comparing you to anyone on this thread. Take these with a grain of salt!</p>

19

<p>I am a Mom posting for my son! I found these acceptance posts very helpful. So, I thought I would post my son’s as well! (He is busy studying for finals.)</p>

<p>Decision: Accepted - Tepper</p>

<p>Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): 2240 (800M, 780W, 660CR)
ACT (breakdown): 33<br>
SAT II : 740M, 680Physics (Did not prepare…just showed up! He was tired of essays and testing by then.)
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.8UW, 4.1W
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): school doesn’t rank
AP (place score in parentheses): AP French(4), APEng(4), APUSH(4)
IB (place score in parentheses):NA
Senior Year Course Load: APLit, APCalBC, AP Physics, APEcon, French 5 honors, Chinese 3 honors
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): Le Grand Concours, FLAG Superior( Chinese), Excellent (French), AP Scholar</p>

<p>Subjective:
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parentheses): Lead drummer for Community Jazz Ensemble, Model UN, Model Arab League, French Club, Chinese Club (Secretary), Ultimate Frisbee, National Honor Society, National French Honor Society (VP)
Job/Work Experience: none
Volunteer/Community Service: Boy and Girls Club mentor, Emory Geriatric Center, Jazz music benefits to raise money for causes in the community, School Service Club
Summer Activities: JHU-CTY, Summer Jazz Camps/Workshops, Emory Geriatric Center volunteer - music therapy, Traveled to France/Homestay with French family
Essays: Very good. Wrote about growing up overseas before moving to the US. The CMU essay was about collaboration and jazz music and how that relates to CMU - how he was a perfect fit.
Teacher Recommendations: French teacher and Math teacher - both had him for 2 years in a row. I imagine the French teacher’s was excellent. Math teacher was probably good, as well. He did not see them.
Counselor Rec: probably generic - she is very nice, but doesn’t know him well
Additional Rec: none
Interview: Yes. During Sleeping Bag Weekend. It went well.</p>

<p>Other
Applied for Financial Aid? No
Projected Concentration: International Management Track
State (if domestic applicant): GA
Country (if international applicant): Grew up as an expat in Asia before moving back to the US
School Type: Large Private College Prep
Ethnicity: W
Gender: M
Income Bracket: 200K+
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): no</p>

<p>Reflection
Strengths: SAT scores and essays
Weaknesses: GPA - B’s dotted throughout the transcript. But, he was very consistent.
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: SAT scores, International background, well roundedness, and rigorous curriculum
Where else you are applying or have already applied: Pitt Honors (asked to apply for Chancellors)-offered scholarship, Northeastern, WUSTL, GA Tech, Emory, Brown, NYU - Pitt was the only school he had heard from at this time. Will pull all other applications this week.
General Comments/Advice/Hindsight: He was fully prepared for a rejection. But, were thrilled that CMU recognized my son’s unique experiences and found him interesting! I also think the Jazz ensemble getting out and performing to raise money in the community might have helped (rather than just being in the school jazz band). The money the band members raised helped to support music education for underserved kids in the city. (He wrote in the additional comments section of the common app to expand on that activity.)</p>

20

<p>**Decision: Accepted Tepper **</p>

<p>Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): M 720 CR 670 W 750
ACT (breakdown): n/a
SAT II (place score in parentheses): Math II (650), Literature (640)
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.95
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): ~7/832
AP (place score in parentheses): ComSci (3), US History (3)
IB (place score in parentheses): n/a
Senior Year Course Load: AP Psych, AP Calc BC, AP Physics, AP Prob & Stat, and etc.
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): I received AP Comsci Student of the Year award at my school and have multiple awards from FBLA</p>

<p>Subjective:
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parentheses): Tennis (Captain senior year, and varsity for 3 years), FBLA (Vice President), National English Honor Society (Historian), National Honor Society, DECA, Book Club and Teen Advisory Board member at my local library for 4+ years, Youth Advisory Board at my internship
Job/Work Experience: Waitress at a local restaurant (paid) / Student Marketing Intern at the credit union in my school (paid)
Volunteer/Community Service: About 104 community service hours through my school’s volunteer club; about 121 hours through serving at my local library’s TAB (mentioned above), and misc. volunteer throughout the summer.
Summer Activities:did PFEW (business program) for 1 week at Lycoming college; participated in a JA business program at IKEA
Essays: I had several teachers and friends edit my personal statement and did multiple drafts. (7/10) Since I participated in Sleeping Bag Weekend, I was able to clearly express my desire to attend CMU and talked about the school, the teachers, and the students. (8/10)
Teacher Recommendations: Got my rec from my Intro to Business/ Marketing teacher that I’ve known for about 3 years, who I’m also extremely close with and thinks highly of me. (9/10)
Counselor Rec: Not sure but knows of my determination to go to CMU. I’m assuming she liked me enough. (8/10)
Additional Rec: n/a
Interview: n/a</p>

<p>Other
Applied for Financial Aid? ues
Projected Concentration: Finance with a possible minor in CS
State (if domestic applicant): PA
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: Suburban public HS
Ethnicity: Asian
Gender: Female
Income Bracket: ~$50k
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): first generation college i guess and I attended SBW</p>

<p>Reflection
Strengths:high rank and somewhat high SAT scores; probably all the business programs/clubs I participated in and my job experience
Weaknesses: low AP exam scores and low SAT subject scores (didn’t send in my Physics score because I thought it was too low)
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: I honestly don’t know besides the fact that I showed a large amount of interest through my essay and by doing the SBW.
Where else you are applying or have already applied: PSU, Drexel, Swartmore, but CMU was my first choice (will withdraw all apps later this week)
General Comments/Advice/Hindsight: I’m really surprised that I got in considering I don’t have the highest test scores but I guess that goes to show that colleges value other stuff besides tests</p>