<p>i moved in from india abt 2.5 yrs ago.
Realised 1 year ago on how picky colleges are.
Grades aren't the only thing that they look at ...
so i got into few clubsand stuffs..
what are my chances at carnegie mellon university for a major in PHYSICS</p>
<p>sat1
math = 800
cr = 610
w = 630</p>
<p>sat 2
chem = 770
math level 1 = 800
math level two = taking this oct </p>
<p>ecs...
Technology club
student council
NHS
Volunteer at local public library
Played in local soccer association for 1.5 yrs
UIL (sub , this yr i m going as a test taker)</p>
<p>Thats it all i got as my repritore..not steller but i guess? it looks good</p>
<p>Hey Levity, you didn't include anything about your grades, but as long as they're fine, I think your chances are very good. Your math/science scores are excellent, your reading and critical reading scores are respectable, and MCS is one of the easier schools to get into at CMU.</p>
<p>Best of luck in the college process and feel free to ask any more questions you might have.</p>
<p>Thank you , now i feel better after i asked abt my chances at caltech , i was replied that it was just a reach. Now at least i have a good university in hand.
Is their program for physical sciences good?</p>
<p>AlreadyAccepted:
No,man my dad lived here for 7 yrs alrdy and my mom and i moved here 2.5 years ago. Hes in a near GC state. So we are legal american residents, not aliens.</p>
<p>Hey Levity, I'm not sure what exactly you mean by "now i feel better about my chances at Caltech." I'm sorry if I was giving you some false hope. Really what I said was just about your chances for CMU. MCS is one of the easier schools at CMU to get into so I think you should get in easily. </p>
<p>However Caltech is a whole different ballgame. It's probably the best pure science college in the nation and will be much harder to get into than CMU. While your math and science scores are excellent, it should be noted that the average SAT at Caltech is over 1500. And while a 3.8 GPA looks very impressive to most schools, Caltech doesn't like to see any Bs.</p>
<p>Don't get me wrong, I think Caltech is a great school (it was my first choice) and I'd encourage you to apply there. I just want to clear up any confusion: what I said really only pertained to what I think your chances of getting into CMU would be, not Caltech.</p>
<p>Yet again my wording have failed.
I was trying to say that yes, i noe caltech was jus a reach. so now at least ii have a good university like carnegie mellon in hand other than caltech.</p>
<p>I didn have any Bs except freshman in english , i wasn't accustomed to american english, but will they look at my freshman grade because thats when i moved in and i joined the school at the last 7 weeks of sch.
How do we explain this to them?</p>
<p>Hey Levity, I think you're fine grade-wise then. I should've said Caltech doesn't like to see any Bs in math/science; they won't really care about a B in freshman English. That being said, of course, your SATs are going to hurt a little there, and it's hard for anyone without any significant research projects to expect to have a good chance of being admitted there.</p>
<p>MCS has a self-selecting applicant pool. I don't see how you can say he will "easily get in" without even seeing his grades. His SAT ranges are not perfect. 800 math is above the range but his writing and verbal are below or at the bottom of the range for MCS. With his % at around MCS's %, he'll have a 50/50 shot and this is NOT ACCOUNTING for the fact that CMU has consistently gotten a rise in applications over the years. </p>
<p>His SAT scores are good but the average grade for MCS is 6%. That means you should be about in the top 5% of your class. </p>
<p>Remember this is all the average and it depends on his essays and his E.C's too. Don't get me wrong, his chances are good but don't call it a "lock" or "easy". I'd say with a top 5% GPA he'd have a 50-65% chance RD WITH the current application numbers. </p>
<p>Next year's applicant pool will be the largest ever and with the way things have been going, CMU might get another 20% increase in applications (you never know) and he may have only a 30-50% chance. </p>
<p>Optimism is good but never expect 100% to get in (don't slack off your essays or anything).</p>
<p>I'm not sure what you mean by saying, "without even seeing his grades." He specifically said that his GPA was 3.8 and his class rank was 7th, both very good. I think his verbal and critical reading scores are pretty good too considering English is not his first language (that was what you meant when you said you weren't accustomed to English freshman year right?).</p>
<p>I shouldn't have said a lock, but I think your chances are much better than 50/50.</p>
<p>Oh sorry I didn't see that in his original post. I'd like a % though along with the placement even though 7th is probably top 1% regardless. Sure we won't hold him to English since it isn't his first language but CMU will. CMU has many internationals and they do care about writing/verbal scores. Also, Indians and Asians are overrepresented at top universities (including CMU).</p>
<p>I also agree that his chances are probably better than 50/50 around with the current numbers and the current CMU applications but another rise in applications (such as another 20%) may lower his chances. </p>
<p>Anyways, definitely apply and I think you have a good shot (just not a lock or "easy").</p>
<p>"Sure we won't hold him to English since it isn't his first language but CMU will. CMU has many internationals and they do care about writing/verbal scores."</p>
<p>Well, I know person from my high school who was able to get into CIT with a sub-500 verbal score (along with similar math/science scores) because English was not his first language. I know one person doesn't make a representative sample, but from what this person told me CMU considers the TOEFFL a better indicator of verbal skills than the SATs for students whose first language is not English. Personally I'm not too familiar with how exactly CMU evaluates students whose first language is not English, but I'm just throwing out what he said for whatever it's worth.</p>
<p>Okay but I don't see a TOEFL score here but you are probably right.</p>
<p>I personally think CMU is moving towards getting less internationals and focusing more on English/Verbal skills. One example is the Tepper school moving towards less tech/quant business (like MIT) and more soft-core skills (like Stern/Wharton). Also the tuition raise affects internationals much more as aid increased along with the tuition increase (American citizens). But yea my main point was not to call anything easy/lock in this time and age of competitive admissions. CMU's on the rise and the application increase for 2011 (the highest # of applicants yet) should be looked at. I just wanted to offer another opinion (still optimistic though) since I know friends who were devastated when they applied to only a couple schools thinking it was a lock and then got rejected <em>cough 4.0 sal w/ 2280 dinged at UVA</em>.</p>