Hi,
I am a rising senior and am in a dilemma as regards to whether to apply in ED cycle or RD cycle at CMU - its my dream school. My intended majors are CS and/or Mathematics (preferably as double major or major/minor combo). I know that CMU CS - is highly selective and my chances maybe low; but thinking of ED in the hope that it may provide a slight advantage. One disadvantage of applying in ED as I understood: in ED, I can apply to only one CMU school (SCS in my case) and if I get rejected, I will not be considered for any other CMU schools even in RD. If I go with RD cycle however - I can apply to 2 colleges (both SCS and Mellon school of sciences) and try my luck in my both intended majors. Am I right in my understanding. Any advice/Tips?
I toured CMU and went thru their curriculum - love it; no issues with finances as well. So yes - my concern with ED is purely whether I am correctly using the ED/RD to increase my chances of admission.
My brief stats:
SAT: 1580 (780EBRW; 800M); 800’s in SAT 2’s (Math1/Math2/Phy); one more sat in chem.
GPA: 3.8UW (out of 4) and 4.8W (out of 5); top 5%; high rigor with all honors or AP’s.
AP’s: 11 completed by end of junior year; 5 more in senior year. In completed AP’s, mostly 5’s (9) with couple 4’s.
EC’s/awards: decent but nothing spectacular; leadership roles in Math/Science/Tennis teams; state level wins in math/science/tech competitions. One national level math competition placement. 2xAIME qualifier. Hackathons - 2 placements. Math/CS science fair wins at state level. Another Math/CS research with an Ivy League professor under progress - no paper yet (not sure if I can get a paper but the project can be completed by Dec). National AP scholar. 250 hrs of community service (a bit of math/cs bent in the type of service)
Seeking advice on what my optimum CMU strategy should be - if I am ok with either math or cs as major with an intention of pursuing the other as a second major or a minor. Thanks a bunch.
It looks to me like you’re using ED exactly as it is intended to be used…CMU is definitely your first choice and your decision to enroll is not contingent on the financial aid offer. Your stats are competitive.
Going ED will probably increase your chances of acceptance significantly since you’ve indicated that you will be a full-pay student. In the end, it’s a numbers game that will favor you. 51% of CMU’s student body doesn’t receive financial aid and 22% of the student body is International (these students don’t qualify for FA). Therefore, ~29% of the student body is made up of full pay US students. Even if you get deferred for ED, you’ll probably still be accepted RD.
You don’t mention where you are from, or if you’re male or female. Both will impact your chances. The overall acceptance rate for women is almost twice that for men (I don’t see stats specifically for DC or SCS though).
I would check with Admissions regarding the ED limit of one college, with no option to add a second if deferred to RD. It doesn’t seem right that you would not have the same benefits as other RD applicants if you get deferred to the RD round.
Keep in mind that CMU will be a reach regardless of which college you apply to or if you do RD or ED. Line up safety and match schools that have the programs you want. If you haven’t already, I’d take a look at Pitt. They are partnered with CMU with the Pittsburgh Super-computing Center, so you might be able to participate in joint research and position yourself for CMU SCS graduate school if you want. You would also likely receive substantial merit aid if you apply by Nov 1. Their Computer Science college recently opened up for freshman admissions (you used to have to do two years in another Pitt college before declaring CS). They have a rolling admissions process, so you could apply early, get accepted, and still apply for CMU ED.
@shortnuke - thanks for the info and tip about UPitt - yes I had it as a potential target/safet but will look into more.
I am an Asian boy from a competitive US state (tough demographic but on the other hand, getting those math competition placements in our region is not easy and I had to work really hard and hopefully they are aware of that and appreciate its relative strength. math/cs competitions are my main EC’s/awards).
Yes - you are correct that I am a full pay and will not qualify for need-based aid at most places (based on college specific net price calculators - our efc is high at CMU and most other places; merit aid is the only possibility).
Hi @clgApp20 - I just came across your thread and was curious if you decided to apply to CMU ED. My S20 seems to be interested in many of the same schools you are, based on your other threads. Good luck to you!
@dreambig55 : yes, I did.
What colleges is your son applying - did he apply to CMU in ED or planning to in RD?
I thought of applying to a few other reaches in EA but could not - burned out writing essays I end up applying to couple safeties (apart from CMU). Most of my other apps will be in RD.
@clgApp20 He did apply to CMU ED. He applied EA to GT, UIUC, Northeastern, Colorado School of Mines, U of Denver and CWRU. He’s applying RD to Vanderbilt, Northwestern, Harvard (almost submitted), Michigan (still has to do) and maybe a couple more. He’s gotten the bulk of them done, but its pretty burned out as well. So I hear you on that. His goal is to get everything in within the next 3-4 weeks and be DONE. He went back and forth between applying ED to CMU vs. Vanderbilt. He’d be very happy at either one, but for CS, CMU came out the winner. He may switch his RD at Vandy to ED II if he doesn’t get into CMU.
@dreambig55 wow…that list is so similar to mine. Hope we both get in at CMU (GT, UIUC, Northeastern, Michigan and possibly CWRU are in my list as well).
CMU-SCS is kind of expected as its incredibly difficult to get into but still very disappointing. UIUC rejection is a gut punch. I have a few RD apps in the works but now am feeling defeated - all these years of hard work in hs - seems its not enough. Reflecting back, not having a significant award and/or not starting a charity maybe my weaknesses (being an asian boy in cs does not help either - though that may not be the main reason for rejections so far).
You are really a very strong candidate for cmu. Ecs really are very good with aime for math and vtennis to show you are well rounded. For many departments at cmu I’d almost go as far as saying you are better than likely, esp ed. Cs is a very tough there though - one of the best in the country. I think the ea v ed decision is ultimately a judgment call, but id be inclined to go ed for cs if thats what you really want.
I finished reading thread and was sorry to hear you of decision. You are a really good candidate. Perhaps your applications did not do you justice - if there is still time, you should take your application to a professional college counselor and have them go through it with you.
My S20, who I said above has very similar stats to you (36, 1600, 800 Math 2, 780 Physics, 3.92 UW, 4.49 W, lots of APs, etc), was also rejected from CMU ED, as well as UIUC EA (and we’re in-state). Sorry to hear about your decisions. Same here, we expected the CMU decision, but UIUC was a bit of a surprise. Especially being in-state. My son is 1/2 Asian, 1/2 white. Being a male on top of that is a triple whammy, unfortunately. Good luck with the rest of your schools! You will end up where you are supposed to! It will work out, but I know it’s discouraging! We’re in the same boat here. It’s SOOOO competitive, so don’t look at it as a relfection of you. Good luck!
@dreambig55 - sorry to know about your S20’s rejection. That is INSANE to get rejected at UIUC for a in-stater and with those stats (I am OOS and it still stung).
Hope he gets in somewhere he likes - its honestly UIUC’s loss to miss an instate student like that.
Initially - my app was checked by myself and my parents. After the results, I got it checked with one counsellor - she is not very experienced but thought there is nothing much to change (she suggested some minor things but don’t think it will make a huge diff). I had my essays reviewed with a few more people and updating it for RD apps.
I may have made one mistake - not having a second major at UIUC (CS is crazy competitive there - l should have gone for my second fav major).
I think UIUC has some problems, especially on its financial side because of the state government’s pool financial situation. UIUC has the motivation to admit more OOS students. In the long run, UIUC will lose its glory in CS. I heard many good professors in CS have already left. So do not feel sorry about it.
Parent of CS applicant here looking at some reach schools for youngest son with 1530/3.85UW/4.4W with good suburban extracurriculars:). Rejected by UIUC for CS and failed to list a 2nd major(which I thought was a mistake, should have listed one). We are in-state in IL, but likely to look elsewhere. Had classmate with lesser scores and equiv activities get accepted into UIUC CS, still scratching head over that. Other Son(34/3.9/4.55) went OOS for CS and picked U of MN Twin Cities to our surprise. Had better offer, cost less than UIUC and will had job lined up before he graduates with zero dept. Tend to agree that UIUC is mostly looking for OOS and INTL CS students now, pretty confident they need the $$ like most public IL institutions. Focusing on Purdue, Rose-Hulman(accepted) and maybe U of MN now. Sadly, do expect quick dismissal of CMU CS application, but he wanted to apply anyway.
@clgApp20 Keep your head up. It’s not where you start but where you finish. Our neighbor’s son went to NC State for CS. He’s working on his PhD in CS at Georgia Tech now. Where did you get in? Do you have any more apps to send? Maybe Maryland, UMass, or BU?
I went to Pitt years ago. Had friends at CMU. They worked very HARD. Not much social life. My S20 applied to Northeastern for business. We really liked Northeastern. That wouldn’t be a bad place to end-up. Boston is a great city for a college student. Things happen for a reason and usually work out for the best.
My high stats S20 (36, 1600, 800 Math 2, 780 Physics, relevant ECs) was also rejected from UIUC (we’re in-state too). He only has the CS major too, no 2nd major, but he didn’t want to major in anything else anyway. He was rejected from CMU ED (that one wasn’t as big of a surprise). Definitely a feasible theory of UIUC looking at OOS and INTL CS students for the money. Very frustrating though! It leaves us shaking our heads. Good luck to your son on the rest of his decisions!
@dreambig55@ChrisKos1 Wow. If UIUC is turning down well qualified state residents that seems like a big problem. I would consider contacting your state congressman and getting some other similar students/parents involved. That’s wrong on so many levels, especially if you’re paying taxes to Illinois. It’s a land grant university.
Right from their website. First line…
Mission
The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is charged by our state to enhance the lives of citizens in Illinois, across the nation and around the world through our leadership in learning, discovery, engagement and economic development.
UIUC has more than 5000 students from China, with probably similar number of students from India. So today it stands for University of India and University of China. No kidding.
Good luck to you!
I end up applying to couple safeties (apart from CMU). Most of my other apps will be in RD.