Chances again?

Colleges and Universities A-Z Carnegie Mellon University
1

<p>I am in love with Carnegie Mellon</p>

<p>I stumbled upon this school a couple of years ago after reading about its robotics program and then attending an information session. I instantly saw that it would be a school which would put my career on the fast track, and allow me to explore subjects that deeply interest me (like computer science, robotics, artificial intelligence, and human-computer interaction).</p>

<p>I made the long trek from Texas to Pennsylvania this summer to see campus and do an on-site interview. The campus was breathtaking. The atmosphere was incredible, not at all like many of the state schools or very small universities that I had visited. This place seemed like a hub of intelligence, research and activity. I spent much of my time on campus exploring the CompSci buildings and speaking with professors and students about their opinions of the school. I even went in and interviewed the secretary at the Google office, and picked up several research abstracts from the Robotics Institute.</p>

<p>The course selection looks right up my alley, and the research opportunities are quite frankly astounding. The professors are all top-notch, and the campus is gorgeous. </p>

<p>I think my interview went pretty well. The woman I interviewed was very nice, and she seemed impressed with my EC's and summer activities, but was concerned about my SAT scores, but said that my ACT scores gave me a "good a chance as anyone" of getting in.</p>

<p>Unfortunately I'm a little worried.</p>

<p>Here are my stats:
White Male from North Texas
UW GPA: 3.89
W GPA: 5.12
Rank: 37/507 (as of 2nd semester junior year)</p>

<p>SATs:2100/2400
CR: 740
M: 650
W: 710</p>

<p>SATII:
Physics: 780
US History: 800
Taking Math I and II in october
retaking SATI in november</p>

<p>ACT: 33/36
E: 34
M: 33
S: 33
Essay: 10/12</p>

<p>AP tests:
World History: 5
US History: 5
English III: 5
Compsci A: 4
Compsci AB: 4
Micro Economics: 5</p>

<p>Taking Psychology, Calculus AB, Physics C, Euro History, Statistics, English IV, Government, Political Science and Biology this year.</p>

<p>ECs:
Band (Drumline)
Math Science Club (3rd place State for Biology)
White's Chapel UMC (usher 10 years)
Habitat For Humanity
German Club President
Robotics Club Founder and President
Ecology Club
Texas Young Democrats
NHS</p>

<p>Acheivements:
National Merit Semifinalist
NASA Aerospace Scholar, Red Team Leader (1 of 300 students selected by NASA)
NASA Employee (NASA Center of Aerospace Information, 14.07 an hour!)
AAA Award (only one handed out per year at my school)
SchoolJams Texas finalist (for a garage band)
Future Leader (ITSEC competition for coding a "simulation")
Wrote a novel (an awful unpublished one)</p>

<p>So, what are my chances for SCS?</p>

2

<p>And you're applying to SCS while your worst subject is math, why? Your NASA stuff is nice but may not be enough. I really don't see why you're applying to SCS. Is it just because CMU's SCS is top? because you'd probably do better in other colleges....</p>

<p>But don't let me discourage you. You should still apply. Chance threads are dumb anyway because it doesn't matter what anyone posts here. You're still going to apply, and nothing we say will change anything. If you're looking to easy your nerves, go play some basketball or something. You'll either get in, or you won't.</p>

3

<p>I'm applying for SCS because quite frankly I like it. I love the challenge of math and science, it feels so much more like a real study, like I'm really doing something. I would hate to do a humanity like English or History, because the humanities are so mind-numbingly easy for me, they seem like mere hobbies and speculation, rather than true academic work.</p>

<p>Also, Computer science for me is the ultimate way to use math. You get instant results, you get to actually see your logic and your equations work, and if you make a mistake, you simply go in and fix it. With pure mathematics, you're just doing guesswork, working through equations and formulas until you have a final answer at the end, but with no real feedback, no real results; and you're either right or wrong--and most of the time, I'm wrong.</p>

<p>Robotics further improves upon this line of thought. Robotics not only gives the programmer feedback in the form of output, this output occurs in the form of real-world motion and action. I get to see my logic worked out in the real world, which to me is incredibly fascinating and rewarding.</p>

<p>Carnegie Mellon has one of the best computer science and robotics research programs in the world. And if I want to get a career doing something that I love, that is, creating innovative code with results visible in the real world, CMU is my best bet.</p>

4

<p>Did you just reply to me in a 150 word essay? Lay off the college apps, dude. heh</p>

<p>You might want to know that the robotics department is part of CIT, not SCS - at least I'm pretty sure it's part of CIT. In any case, there is a lot of overlap, so there's no reason for SCS students to not get the robotics minor.</p>

<p>Good luck.</p>

5

<p>I was there this summer...the robotics dept. is definitely in CIT. Though, there is plenty of AI stuff in SCS. The only major in SCS is Computer Science.</p>

6

<p>I thought you could only get a Computer Science major with a minor in robotics. I was not aware there was a robotics minor in CIT.</p>

<p>That might make my chances a bit better...</p>

7

<p>I believe that the robotics minor is open to anyone who wants it; if nothing else, you can minor in robotics with a major in MechE or ECE.</p>