No
I requested my recommender to submit the letter online. She submitted and CMU notified me via e-mail. I don’t think I have to upload it again, right? How about you guys?
@astromae2001 @Youngmis123 Acceptances usually start to trickle in closer to the end of January. Most kids are usually accepted by mid-March.
@bhoangluu You shouldn’t have to. You’re all set.
My son applied and mailed the recommendation because his teacher had already sealed it and that’s the protocol at his school. I called today to see if they had received it and asked when decisions would be coming out. She said they just started making decisions last week and would be doing so weekly. His recommendation hadn’t been uploaded yet and she suggested calling back next week.
how you all applying already the application isn’t due till march
@anonymous522083 The app is rolling-decision based. Meaning the sooner you apply, the better your chances as well as that you can receive a decision as soon as now and as later as late March.
Has anyone gotten anything yet?
No
I called yesterday and they said that they already made their first few decisions, but will not release them until around the end of January/beginning of February. Not that many people are usually picked in this wave, so do not be discouraged if you don’t get in within the next week. Only one person on CC got in this early. They accept a chunk of their applicants in late February to mid-March.
Also, here is a post I made on Reddit:
Just to add my alumni experience about SAMS:
This program is NOT JUST for low-income minorities I have friends who got in with $100K+ incomes and 3.2 GPAs and $50K incomes and 4.3 GPAs. So your essays really do matter! However, being a minority does help.
The cost of the program is literally FREE! The $100 deposit they suggest you pay is optional and goes onto your CMU card to use as CMU spending money for books and supplies from the bookstore. You won’t really need to spend money on textbooks though, if you know where to look online. Your CMU card allows you to do so much too and the way the program is structured, you are given quite a lot of freedom in terms of what you want to do besides classes. Your CMU card allows you to get around Pittsburgh for free as well as the fact that in-building curfew is 11pm every weeknight and 12am every weekend. They try to make it as much like college as possible. There are literally so many places you could go and honestly you should make as many memories as you can by going, if you get in. I remember all of the late night Target-runs we’d make as we tried to get all of our shopping done before the bus came back and we would miss curfew. And there are so many museums, theaters, and sport stadiums that offer CMU discounts. Not only that, but since SAMS is funded by endowments, every weekend the RAs (residential advisers) would schedule multiple outings that are free for you guys to attend. But yeah, your CMU card will literally take care of you. In terms of spending money, I would say bring up to $250-$300 for to pay for emergencies, birthday dinners, and late-night shopping and anything you could think of. Here are the links to both the SAMS and Pre-College program applications. Pre-College/APEA is a CMU program for the more wealthy kids (meaning you have to pay about $3-7K) but for low-income students, there are a limited amount of full scholarships.
Here are some links:
https://www.cmu.edu/news/stories/archives/2017/september/largest-sams-class.html (That is me in the picture by the way)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gQ6Ieu4ST14 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qfja5JMGxz8&t=27s https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7qJIyr87vk8
In fact, some of my favorite memories include: the late-night shopping, watching Spider-Man Homecoming, playing Assassin, running to my math class everyday and getting there consistently at 8:03am, watching people run away from their Assassins while other college students just stared in awe as to what was going on, going to Google, the 2nd floor boys vs. 3rd floor boys and the wet bed incident, eating at Au Boi Pon, Resnik, and the Underground, always riding the bus for free, ending up on the wrong side of Pittsburgh, going to Kennywood Amusement Park on the 4th of July, fireworks on the CMU campus, the SAMS talent show, going to all of the museums, and so much more.
Thanks @ak2018 ! Your posts are always so helpful! I really hope my son gets the opportunity to attend this summer. It sounds like such a great experience. I didn’t realize SAMS was so competitive when he first applied. His GPA is definitely lower than many posted here but he is a URM and lived in foster care in a different country until he was 11 (mentioned this in his essay) and currently has straight A’s in all AP and Honors classes. I guess we just have to keep our fingers crossed and hope for the best.
@Tennismomto5 You’re welcome. I do remember that some SAMS participants did have a similar experience in foster care. One of my really good SAMS friends was actually adopted and he is definitely one of the funniest people I know. In terms of competitiveness, if his essays are superb, he’ll be fine.
Would they notify you whether you get in or not or they notify those who get accepted
@Youngmis123 I believe that they try their best to not send rejections, at least until the end of March.
So when is near to end of March you are most likely rejected
@Youngmis123 No, that is just when most everyone who applied and was not accepted will get a rejection notification. They will still accept people and by April, they will start to select people off the wait list.
So, to be clear, if one isn’t accepted in the first wave, they are not completely eliminated from being in the program yet?
What credentials do you think people have in order for the admissions committee to make such early decisions?
@Deferno54 Yes. Also, first and foremost, they want to see commitment. Applying this early usually correlates to high interest. They want reassurance that, if accepted, you will go. Other than that, you don’t need a top GPA/perfect SAT score to get in early. In fact, one of my SAMS friends, who was accepted to MIT and CalTech, was one of the last people accepted. So again, your essays are important.
Also, I have finally organized my SAMS photo album so you guys can see for yourselves how fun it was. I, as well as some of the alumni, will be adding more pictures later on. PM me for the link!
Lastly, I will be getting to some of your essays today! 
@ak2018 Is it normal that the essay is only a 100 word limit
@mbenitez1201 Not from last year. We had three 400-word essays, I believe. They probably made it shorter to accommodate for the higher amount of applicants. Also, there is a 400-word supplemental essay after you submit the app.
@ak2018 This year they only gave us a 100-word short answer and a 400-word essay if I am correct.