I’m leaning towards Carnegie Mellon. I plan on majoring in ECE or MechE. I want to make sure I’m making the best choice out of these four options. Graduate school placement is the biggest factor in this decision. I would like to do aerospace, mechanical, or computer science at Stanford or Columbia for graduate school.
Both are excellent schools with very different vibes. Have you visited both? Lafayette has more of a frat/sports/preppy vibe. CMU is more of a quirky feel, for lack of better word.
CMU is one of the best for computer science. I know several MIT kids who were rejected by CMU in 2017.
Very different schools. CMU has much more of a national reputation. It’s also known for being a grind and will be a lot harder to get into than Lafayette.
For your major CMU is stronger but also much more competitive. As noted above, the vibes are very very different.
Lafayette is the rare LAC that offers engineering, and all three (mechanical, chemical, civil) are among the top ten majors at the school. Lafayette might be a great choice if you want a more traditional vibe, where the slightly smaller setting allows you to have more direct access to professors. Carnegie Mellon is strong in the arts (which people sometimes forget), but obviously it’s better known as a STEM school. Lafayette, as another noted, will have a more preppy vibe (it has a significant number of wealthy students), and school spirit is strong (its football rivalry with Lehigh is the oldest in the nation, I believe), while at C-M sports are an afterthought. It depends on what the OP wants: a STEM school that also offers strong study in the liberal arts or a liberal arts college that happens to have a strong focus on STEM.
I see you added a couple of schools. None of these are easy admits. Why not apply to all if you’ve researched them and like them all?
MIT and CMU are reaches even with a perfect SAT score. Ga Tech isn’t far behind for out of state applicants. You need a few match/safety schools. Also, you can go to top grad schools with an undergrad from a good state school.
All great schools, though, for CS, Lafayette or any LAC (except HMU), are not as good as research universities. There is little to differentiate, quality-wise between CMU, MIT, or GTech, but each have their specific strengths and weaknesses. CMU is known for being more creative (and, indeed, more quirky), MIT has the strongest program, while GTech has the benefit of numbers. Your chances of getting in the grad school of your choice from any of those three is about equal, meaning, if you do well, you have the same very high chances.
However, you first need to be accepted to these programs. The acceptance rates to CS at CMU, MIT, or Gtech in are extremely low, in the single digits, and you need excellent stats and ECs to be even considered. Lafayette has an acceptance rate of about 25%, and I do not think that your proposed major makes a difference (though I may be wrong).
PS. OOS general acceptance rates for GTech are under 15% (CS is likely much lower), CMU CS was 6% in 2018, and MIT general acceptance (CS is the same as the rest) was 6.7% in 2019.
Let’s say I have acceptance into all of these schools, but computer science is restricted. What should the deciding factors be. Also, could you define well?
That’s your call. If CS is your passion then look at other schools or only put CS on your application.
If you want the college experience probably Georgia Tech. I went to Pitt and know CMU grads. My son asked me about CMU and what they do for fun. I said “Study”.
“Let’s say I have acceptance into all of these schools, but computer science is restricted. What should the deciding factors be. Also, could you define well?”
Factors would be, how hard would be to get into CS or EECS from your major, is it something that even can be done (there may few, if any open spots, even if you have a 4.0). If you can transfer what gpa is typically needed in what courses. Next would be if you decide engineering is not for you, what school is strongest across the board including non-stem majors. Third would be reputation for grad school.
If you can get into MIT then you go there (good luck on that). If you want CS go to CMU. If you want MechE then go to GT.
GT, at least this year, had no restriction on changing your major before enrollment. S19 was accepted for Chemical Engineering but decided to change to Material Science Engineering before orientation. They sent this option out to all of this years incoming class with the only restriction being for the new Music Technology degree which required an audition. He could have gone to CS if he wanted. While I think this was new for this year, they already had a policy allowing 1 free unrestricted major change anytime after your first semester.
I have acceptance into both CMU and Tech. I included MIT to see how big the drop off was and if going to one of these schools will stop me from attending my dream grad schools. If I go to CMU, Computer/Electrical Engineering is an option, but computer science is not. Double majoring in two of the following: eece, mech e, chem e, or bme is an absolute. If my choice is CMU, then this will also be paired with some type of liberal arts minor. My ultimate goal is grad school doing aerospace engineering at Stanford or MIT, or business at Stanford or an Ivy. Which is the ideal school for these goals? Is there a major combination that will best open these doors? What should my grades look like?
I would lean to CMU, you’ll be totally fine for either of your grad school plans. How do you have acceptances so early, unless you’re off a waitlist or something for this fall.
There won’t be a noticeable difference between GT and CMU when you apply to grad school. Go to the one that you think you can be the most successful.
For CS, I’ll join my voice to those who recommend CMU, however, if you want to major in ECE and MechE, I think that GTech has an edge. However, in all honesty, you will have a top notch undergraduate education in either, and, as @AlwaysMoving wrote, there will be no real difference in chances of acceptance to grad school. A BS from either with a decent GPA will make put you in an excellent place for being accepted to any graduate program in the world.
MIT if you can get in. CMU and GT are about a wash. Lafayette isn’t in the same league, IMHO.
(then again, a 4.0 graduating from Lafayette will probably set you up for grad school better the squeaking by at the bottom of your class with a 2.1 at MIT).
(From a CMU MechE grad who was rejected at MIT)
I am currently going into my sophomore year at Lafayette College. I am debating transferring to Cornell or Carnegie Mellon to do Chemical Engineering. I am a division 1 athlete and apart of the ROTC. My goal is to get into an engineering/MBA dual degree program at Stanford, MIT, or an Ivy. LC is #11 undergrad engineering for schools without doctorate. Cornell and CMU are both within the top ten for undergrad schools with doctorate. I understand a move to either school will improve my education. However, my class rank would most likely drop to more of the middle of the class. Should I move to one of these schools? How important is your class rank when applying to grad schools as an engineer and for engineering? Which school will better help me reach these grad schools and how much more is that in comparison to the other options?
Choice between GT and CMU for you, given getting Into CS at CMU if not accepted to that school is very difficult; If pick GT for the flexibility