so I have about a 3.8 UW GPA (not that great I know)
1520/1600 on the new sat
I’m from Pennsylvania
Unique Scenario: I lived in India for grades halfway through 7-9 and moved back here to a very competitive and highly ranked high school in Pennsylvania at the start of my sophomore year. My grades were not great about a 3.7 ish both my sophomore and freshman years of high school, freshman year: i switched from the indian curriculum to the British (IGCSE ) curriculum while also changing schools made my 9th grade in India kinda rough and sophomore year was pretty bad because of moving. Junior year was great, Straight As (3 APs 2 IBs and 2 Honors classes). So overall I have a pretty strong upward trend and I’m looking at getting straight As the first semester of senior year.
ECs: FBLA, MUN, Debate (I have been to regionals, states, and nationals for those), French Club, World Affairs club and firl child network club.
Leadership: Debate (Captain), French (VP), World Affairs (Secretary)
I want to go on the Pre Med track not really sure what I want to major in yet but I really like how CMU has a small Pre-med community.
I expect my LoRs to be pretty good because I know the teachers that I am getting them from pretty well.
I am an ok writer.
I want to know about my chances for admission at CMU and would really appreciate some pointers and tips for admission
Others can give more specific advice, I am sure, but one thing I can say is that while is isn’t good to be arrogant, it also isn’t good to be overly self-deprecating. A 3.8 UW is a very good GPA, and it really doesn’t work in your favor to act like it isn’t. Own it and be proud of it, especially since your junior year was so strong.
I would say that along with your 1520 your chances are pretty good, but again others more familiar with CMU can give you more specific tips.
Which college(s) are you applying to and what are your SAT subscores?
@fallenchemist I know that a 3.8 is good but it is below average for CMU but thank you 
@Mamelot Pitt, Michigan, Boston U, Tufts, NYU, UC Berkeley, UCLA, UIUC, Northwestern, Northeastern and Ohio State and subscores, 740 Reading/ Writing and a 780 Math. I also got a 760 on the Math SAT 2 and a 710 on Chem
From the Common Data Set for 2015 at CMU (https://www.cmu.edu/ira/CDS/pdf/cds_2015-16/c-first-time-first-year-admission.pdf):
Average high school GPA of all degree-seeking, first-time, first-year (freshman) students who submitted GPA:
3.757
So, not really below average. I’m not calling you arrogant; I’m just sayin’. If you want to say “average for CMU,” I’d probably agree.
Sorry @haarshinii I should have been more clear. CMU admits by college so which college(s) are you applying to at CMU?
@poblob14 thank you! i was looking at stats from my particular high school that said the average CMU admit from my school had about at 3.86 but thanks for the data
@Mamelot The Mellon College of Science
@haarshinii here are the stats by college which is really the best way to view your chances w/r/t academics and test scores:
https://admission.enrollment.cmu.edu/pages/undergraduate-admission-statistics
Your new SAT score concords to a 760M and a 1420 (CR+W). So for MCS you are within the mid 50% range although on the lower end of that.
Your GPA is right below the MCS median - do you know your class rank?
Your Math II is in the 65th percentile and your Chem is in the 58th based on national data (see link below). Not sure how much weight CMU puts on the subject tests. There are no CMU-specific stats available for these. And the scores are ridiculously high, IMHO so it’s really hard to distinguish among applicants based on those.
None of those academic/test factors eliminate you so that’s really good. Can’t recall if you were thinking ED or RD but you might consider applying RD just to get that extra semester of strong grades on your transcript before they make a decision. And knock the ball out of the park with your essay and rec. letters - those might weigh very heavily in your overall application.
Also, if applying RD you might want to come up with two other choices for major/college. The CMU app allows you to choose up to three. If you are applying ED then you are only allowed to choose one.
Good luck to you!
Thank you! I was also thinking of applying to Dietrich @Mamelot
@haarshinii you might be able to do pre-med prep. from Dietrich. The important thing is to fulfill the pre-reqs for med school. Say Dietrich is a back-up and you are in. Then, perhaps you can work with the pre-med advisor. I’ve been hearing that many med schools are accepting more candidates who majored in something other than bio-chem. They bring a refreshing and interesting perspective to their future medical practice.
@mamelot thank you! I was thinking something like psych bc CMU’s program has a biological focus too (i think) and that would help get some of my pre-med reqs out of the way or cognitive science
@haarshinii your stats look really good for DC. So that might be a great backup for you. Psych sounds like a good fit for the pre-med track. Good luck to you!