I don’t think I have enough time to apply to both unless I want to risk submitting low-grade applications for both… anybody have any helpful info on which school has a higher admit rate for CS, a better program, etc.? Anything helps; I really need to make this decision soon so I can START my essay ;_; Thanks!
CMU is arguably the best CS school in the country in terms of selectivity and job placement, but I’m not sure if it’s more selective than Princeton. Really depends which school you’d rather go to.
CMU’s school of computer science has a 5% admit rate slightly lower than Princeton’s 7%
CMU is one of the best CS schools in the country by all metrics, but it is incredibly selective. The acceptance rate for CS hovers around 6%. much lower than the general 23%. Meanwhile, Princeton’s RD acceptance rate is around 7%. So both are very difficult to get into.
I don’t know how good Princeton’s program is, but it is likely that CMU’s program is better overall. However, your application decision should come down to which school you like better and is a better fit since both are great and very selective schools.
Princeton’s RD acceptance rate is probably more along the lines of 2-3% as it has to balance out the 19% early action acceptance rate.
I think both are excellent programs, but the essays are one thing to consider. Which ones appeal more to you? Princeton will have 4 essays, 2 that are pretty long while Carnegie will have 2 long essays (1 is optional) and 1 short one.
If you are seeking financial aid that could be a deciding factor.
thanks, everybody for your help! I haven’t done any official visits or interviews with CMU, so I feel like this pretty much kills my chances (one optional essay is about how your visit/interview impacted you) 
I think I’m going to go for CMU anyways though due to the program and the fact that the app is more manageable.