CMU Design School (and general) Questions

Colleges and Universities A-Z Carnegie Mellon University
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<p>Hi guys-</p>

<p>I'm applying to colleges as an undergrad and want to know more about the school of Design at Carnegie Mellon. There doesn't seem to be too much information about it: its reputation, interaction with other disciplines in the institution, relative prestige, quality of teaching, quality of undergraduate work. If there's someone that can share their experiences as a design major at CMU, it would be much appreciated. I'm just debating on whether or not to apply. It's also hard for me to figure out how competitive it really is-- SCS level hard? or closer to dietrich?</p>

<p>I'd love to pursue design in a more intellectual/academic environment with possible interdisciplinary opportunity-- that's what originally attracted me to the CMU design school as opposed to visual art-focused schools like RISD and Pratt. I'm interested in industrial design. Problem is, I have little to no experience with industrial design projects, but have a decent traditional art background with a pretty good portfolio of drawings and paintings, etc. Will this disadvantage me, or do most students go in with no experience with their intended major? </p>

<p>What about the BXA programs? I'm interested in interdisciplinary study so this sounds really cool. Have people been successful with this approach?</p>

<p>This is a broad CMU question-- it seems to me that the whole college is very compartmentalized and, although the school is strong across diverse fields, it is difficult to connect fields of study or take classes across different schools. Also, it seems that the school wants you to have a solid plan of study right from the beginning. There doesn't seem to be much wiggle room to pursue different academic interests. This is probably the biggest thing pulling me back from CMU, as I'm not the type of person to know exactly what I want to study right away. I feel like the school would frown upon that.</p>

<p>Also, the environmental sciences seems pretty nonexistent-- I know the school of science is strong, but they only have biology, chemistry, etc. Does anyone know anything about offerings in fields of environmental studies (or the lack thereof)?</p>

<p>Thanks guys for any help.</p>

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<p>If you are interested in ID, my suggestion would be to research where CMU is in the rankings for their undergraduate program. It takes some work but the info is out there. You are right, there is little wiggle room in the curriculum because they have to pack a lot in. My S has managed to take a class for policy majors and a theatre elective where he goes to an elementary school to mentor kids in theatre arts. Also a class for mainly arch majors. ID majors spend a lot of time in studio. He did not have a lot of work in ID in his portfolio when he applied. Be ready for steep tuition and other costs.</p>