Current Student-- Any Qs?

Colleges and Universities A-Z Carnegie Mellon University
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<p>It's true - Pittsburgh is NOT NYC, LA, Chicago, Miami, etc. Nightlife is a step down..students looking to go clubbing at 4am will have to look hard to find those spots.....however, am not sure that those kids would be lasting long at CMU with a steady diet of that nightlife! It is also considerably safer and cheaper than those cities.</p>

<p>There are lots of ethnic neighborhoods left in the city, with corresponding vendors and restaurants...there are also blighted places where students have no legit business being. There is some rehabbing, but that is slow going. The areas surrounding CMU are by and large very nice - older neighborhoods with large family homes, some of which have been converted to apartments and condo units. Directly west of campus lie UPitt and the museums and several world-class medical facilities associated with Pitt....also lots of small shops and food places, drug stores, etc. To the north is Shadyside - pretty much trendy shops, galleries and eateries along Walnut and Aiken Streets and a newer area developing along Ellsworth Ave. This is probably a 15-minute walk from campus - all sidewalks along busy streets. Beyond that would be Bloomfield - still a heavily Italian area with great food spots.</p>

<p>To the east is Squirrel Hill - a longer walk and probably easier to ride the bus if you've been shopping. This is where lots of Jewish immigrants settled early on...it still carries that distinction, with great food spots, stores, movies. It's a few block larger than Shadyside and has grocery stores, banks, etc.</p>

<p>Immediately adjacent to campus is Schenley Park - I believe it's the 2nd largest city park in the nation...swimming pool in summer, skating rink in winter, running paths, soccer fields, golf course - several hundred hilly acres of woods and grass....Flagstaff Hill sits immediately behind CMU's library - they show free movies on a giant screen on Sun. & Weds. nights all summer - students should be able to catch a couple of them when they first get there.</p>

<p>The downtown area would be further west - maybe a 10-min. bus ride? The areas known as the South Side and the North Side - immediately on the other sides of the rivers bordering the downtown area - offer some of the oldest housing in the city, so there are a lot of areas that are very rundown. Along Carson Street on the South Side, it's been redeveloped with lots of galleries, restaurants and bars. Then Station Square has shops, a hotel and restaurants....also a large tented area for concerts. I think the river cruise boats still dock there as well. Good seafood at the Grand Concourse - just go see it inside, even if you don't eat there - it's the restored P&LE railroad station. Also - you can drive or take one of the inclines up Mt. Washington from there to Grandview Ave. - panoramic city views and fine dining. These would most likely be spots to go to when mom or dad are paying for dinner, though - quite pricey and reservations a must!</p>

<p>The North Side is home to PNC Park and Heinz Field, plus the original - and still operating - Heinz plant. There are also the usual bars, etc. that tend to crop up near sports facilities. Again, there are also some blighted housing areas, but students typically wouldn't be over there unless they were going to a game or to the Warhol or Mattress Factory museums, and those places are all within a block or two of the river and bridge back over to downtown area.</p>

<p>The Waterfront area is probably where most kids will go to shop - newer development - about a 20-30 minute bus ride - all the stores in your local mall, plus multiplex movie, some higher end retailers, Target, grocery store and lots of restaurants.</p>

<p>The bus system is typical of any city - lots of different people ride the bus. I saw a post on CC a little while ago about how the poster was just appalled and horrified when she rode the bus system at CMU - pretty melodramatic and sounded like she'd probably never ridden public transportation in her own hometown, either. Students would usually be going to any of these places at least with a friend, if not in groups, so I can't imagine they'd encounter any trouble on the buses....no more so than any other city.</p>

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<p>Ok.. lots of stuff to respond to. Firstly, I just wanted to say that Morewood E is an excellent freshman dorm. That's where I was last year, and while the roommate situation wasnt the best, that can happen anywhere. In general, I cannot even imagine having been anywhere else. I met almost all of my best friends there, actually, and its a really friendly and open environment.</p>

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<p>Actually, there's not much more left to say. Everyone is very helpful. :)</p>

<p>I guess I should add that an "art" major is very differnt from a "liberal arts" major. CMU is very well known for its fine art program, but less so for its liberal arts in general, although, as previously stated, the professional writing program is supposed to be excellent. </p>

<p>I guess the thing you wouldnt know from books and stats is that if you are around the school and you were to say you were doing a liberal arts major, the things that would cross other students minds would be mostly unfamiliar words... something like "OH, this person might actually have free time. Wow... " </p>

<p>This is not to say that H&SS majors actually have an easier time, but it certainly seems that way. It may just be that the workload is not as bad because the teachers are understanding, or for any other reason. I have certainly heard that many of them are quite enjoyable (no horror stories yet) and some students have had really great relationships with H&SS teachers. Still, it is percieved as an "easy" major, in stark contrast to art-- or worse-- architecture.... some computer science courses... and maybe Japanese.</p>

<p>Certain courses are just known for being hard, and some for being time-consuming, and many for being both. Personally, there are many days when I would love to be an H&SS major... but it very much depends on what you are looking for.</p>

<p>Also, regarding Pgh, its a quirky city... not much of a "city" in comparison to NY, where I am from... but after the typical 6 months of hating it that many students go through, everyone I know (myself included) has come to love it for all of its weirdness. At its best, its eclectic, unpredictable, and very artistic.</p>

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<p>sots, So many people asking you questions! :) As far as the fine arts department is concerned, do you have any knowledge of how well it interacts with the computer science department? I guess what I am trying to learn more about is the difference between the BSA and BHA degree. In looking at the school's website it is interesting to see that CMU really tries to accommodate their students with training in the technical areas (digital media/computer science) in addition to the all important studio art classes. Do you know of any classmates that are going toward either of these undergrad degrees and how they compare?</p>

<p>Also, what do you know of the swimming program? Particularly the men's? Do you know of any classmates who manage to compete on the collegiate level and still "stay afloat" at CMU? Sorry to bombard you with so many questions! Thanks again for trying to help all of us out here!</p>

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<p>kandksmom, I recall reading something about the swim team academics and checked the website-- the team received All American Academic status with men averaging 3.26 and women 3.4 so they don't seem to have much trouble juggling the books and hitting the pool. I was at CMU a couple times during meets...they were UAA group meets (invitationals?) with CMU plus 3 other teams in their league, so there's good competition, there seemed to be a lot of spirit, and all the swimmers were at academically demanding schools similar to CMU.</p>

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<p>What's anyones take on the Hammershlag dorm?
Is it really as bad as it sounds?
Their website doesn't look too bad.</p>

<p>PS I found my dorm mate... I got a packet from CMU with all of that sort of stuff... He's from tokyo and I was able to contact him over the CMU email to talk about what stuff each of us are going to bring.</p>

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<p>It seems that the main problem people have with Hamerschlag is that it's all male... and most of the guys in it didn't sign up for that and want ladies around.</p>

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<p>I've heard that some girls just go to Hamerschlag to hang out - since there are guys there. So all hope may not be lost.</p>

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<p>Hehe... I've heard the same, don't know if it's true. Not my concern, since I'm female and in Morewood E. :)</p>

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<p>Sorry for the late response. I just moved into my apartment and we dont quite have internet yet.</p>

<p>I hope you guys who just arrived are having fun. Morewood E is the best, but of course I'm saying that because I lived there. Even Donner, which is rumored to be awful, has all-new bathrooms, furniture, etc, and is actually looking quite nice, what w/ having some of the biggest rooms on campus, etc. And the response posted about hammers is quite right. Its generally filled with guys, although towards the end of the yr a few of my schlag friends & their RA started talking to our Morewood E RA, and we had some
"socials" with ice cream, movies, board games, etc, that were reportedly quite fun. While I was always too busy to go, many people went to all of them. SO, definitely talk to your RA (theyre usually gung-ho abt this stuff... I think they get RA brownie points or something), and if you need to talk to an RA in E-Tower, try the seventh floor RA. Her name is Deena, she's extremely nice, and I think she was involved in the arranging of things last year.</p>

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<p>Sorry-- I wouldve included this in my last reply, but I wanted to reread your message first so as to make sure that I answer it clearly.</p>

<p>"In looking at the school's website it is interesting to see that CMU really tries to accommodate their students with training in the technical areas (digital media/computer science) in addition to the all important studio art classes. Do you know of any classmates that are going toward either of these undergrad degrees and how they compare?"</p>

<p>Today my music major friend started laughing at me, mid-sentence, and said "That was such a wonderfully CMU thing to say, haha. I cant believe we go here. Amazing. Where else do the art majors know how to program??"</p>

<p>Actually, I don't know how to program, nor do I remember what I had been saying in order to get that response, but I hope that will answer a part of your question. It isnt that the art majors all come in entirely tech-savvy (not in the least), but CMU is all about what they cheesily call the "DaVinci Effect," which is the combination of and collaborations between different majors. A freshman yr prereq for artists is Electronic Media Studio 1 (EMS1), which teaches basic sound recording and a tiny bit of programming as it pertains to certain animation programs (it all depends on the teacher), as well as basic software like photoshop. Second yr art majors all take EMS2 as a requirement, which is more video. There are TONS and TONS of options, especially as you get into advanced 3d animation and interactive art that require tons and tons of CS crossovers. Even as a regular art major, I had a serious talk with my roommate today about whether or not I should take a course in basic programming, even though it seems to-- as of now-- have absolutely nothing to do with where I am going in life.</p>

<p>As for BHA and BSA, theyre wonderful and they are a great idea, as long as you are up for having even more work. It seems to be about 2/3rds of each major, which IS more work, but also a wonderful and rewarding experience. You can also do a yr of straight-up art, and then decide. I did that, and I am beginning to feel like I am just a big heap of right brain bouncing down the road (love the image...but i swear that is what comes to mind) and I'm starting to loose al speling abilitie. A couple of my friends have felt the same, and 2 of them are switching to BSA this semester. I just talked to someone this morning who has already graduated with a BHA, and she was very very excited about the whole idea of it, and very encouraging. Doing BHA myself was something I was 60% set on already, and she definitely bumped it up to 75%. If I can possibly handle it next semester, well, it will be a serious consideration.</p>

<p>So, to answer your q in a horribly long and rambling way, the BSA and BHA programs are excellent. Its one of the greatest parts of CMU, so take advantage of it if you can.</p>

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<p>sots, you are a gem! Thanks again for taking the time out of your beginning of the school year craziness to share information. The next time you catch any grief from your friends about asking (our) questions, just remind yourself you are doing it for moms like me who really do appreciate you! :) My S (and I) really like what CMU has to offer in the arts field. He hopes that he can do well enough academically in the next three years to possibly have a chance to go there. </p>

<p>One other question I had that I haven't been able to find on the CMU website is the approximate class sizes for those kids in the art and design schools. My S is hearing impaired- he wears a cochlear implant- and would face a big obstacle in a class that is huge (I have read about some of the intro classes at big universities being 150+ students). While CMU is a bit larger than a small LAC, have you had classes that are large? Thanks again for your help!</p>

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<p>I know CMU isn't KNOWN for it's liberal arts program but is it still pretty respectable? I plan on majoring in Political Science and want to go to law school...will it be difficult to get into a reputable (like top 20) law school after graduating from CMU's H&SS?</p>

<p>All other schools I am considering are way different from CMU--Wellesley, Amherst, Williams, Emory, Colgate, Tufts, Cornell. However, I recently discovered CMU and something about it draws me in...it's just different I guess. The other thing is that I have quite a bit of very selective schools on my list that I am looking for some solid matches. CMU is another very selective school but H&SS shouldn't be tooo difficult to get into. Hm so if you were me, would you apply? Do anyone of you have any friends at CMU that are considering law school? </p>

<p>Off topic q: How is the financial aid? Are students satisfied and well taken care of? What is CMU's general reputation regarding financial aid? </p>

<p>Thanks tonnns :)</p>

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<p>parts of H&SS are very respectable with psy, logic, and to a lesser extent economics and statistics being world class. However, I would advise against going there if your intrests are solely in the humanities especially if research isnt a goal (They are very big and good on research and the small scale interactions could counter some of the things I was going to mention). For one, both CMU and outsiders see it as a technical school. More resources go to the other departments and I found it hard to get a balanced liberal arts education (given a tech influence on everything and profs in the mainstream humanities (history, english) that seems significally less qualified than the more scienceish humanities (psy)). H&SS students arent nearly as qualified as their conterparts in other depts (it is fairly easy to get in). Whereas most colleges can be assessed fairly well as a whole (given a set rating/reputation one could expect that level of quality for any class they walk into) cmu cannot. The different colleges/majors have completely seperate difficulty of work, quality of profs, and students (of course hightened by the unique admission process). Thus, the H&SS dept doesnt deserve the credit that the school as a whole gets. I think all of the schools you mentioned with the exception of colgate would provide a better overall h&ss education.</p>

<p>I cant say what top law schools think of cmu hss grads but I think a smaller lac would serve you better for that kind of field, cmu seemed to subsutute technical for the critical thinking/ open discussion in their humanities ( ie in philosophy I there wasnt all the arguing I hoped for but a heavy use of flowchats and logic inspired stuff to expain what the reading really meant)</p>

<p>as for fin aid i found it good, very good for a school that also does merit and operates off a small endownment. they gave me more than stanford did and stanford has about the same number of undergrades and ten times the endownment. No one is ever satisfied with fin aid though, if you are they gave you too much. The goal of fin aid is solely to move college from prohibitively expensive to extremely expensive.</p>

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<p>KandKsmom, Thanks. :) Since I was the oldest child, my parents and I were new to the process and my application process turned into an over-complicated mess (due to other factors as well). I learned soooo much from it, even a third of which, if I had known then, would have made my senior year of high school entirely different. So, I figured I would try to get at least that little third out there so other people do not have to go through the same thing. </p>

<p>As for class-sizes, a FEW gen-ed classes are very large. In two years I have only had one very large class, World History, which seated 500 students (although it looked like only about 200 showed). These were held in large lecture halls, and students met with TAs in small groups on every Friday. Still, i would definitely not make this class a cause for concern. The teachers seem to be aware of the fact that we have a lot of other classes that are required for our majors and we probably have no spare time already, so they don't throw any curveballs. I took it Fall Semester last year, and while I have heard that they changed it a bit (swapped one of the 2 main tests for small pop quizzes, I think) at least then it was a bit of a joke. I'm not a slacker, but I just didnt have any time for that class, so I went to lecture only once or twice, never read a page assigned, and basically just showed up for the two tests and applied my writing ability, mixed with vague memories from middle school history (columbus, native americans, corn, tobacco, china, cordoba, etc), and got an A. Point being, don't base a decision on that class.</p>

<p>For art students at least, although I cannot speak for design, classes are extremely small. My largest regular (chosen) class is 18, which is because the teacher let in a whole bunch of people from the waiting list. The others have 8-12 students, and the entire sophomore class consists of forty-something students. There are, however, special (required) Art History classes that the entire class should theoretically attend. My teacher this year talks into a mic even though the room isnt too big, which is pretty unecessary, and there are about four times as many seats as students, so if you wanted to sit near the front it would be very possible. Also, I dont think design students have anything art-history-like to take, and they might not have to take World History either. </p>

<p>On FINANCIAL AID... that is why I am at CMU. I actually had an awkward situation because my parents were divorcing right at the time that I was applying for schools, so basically my father makes a great deal of money, and most schools counted a large contribution from him (since they were still technically married~ the divorce took a few years), when in truth I would be paying for college myself. Pretty much every other schools response was something like "haha, too bad for you," but CMU was extremely kind and generous. They fully understood my situation and helped me out a great deal. As I had an odd situation I cant really speak for everyone, but I know that many of my friends were really impressed by the financial aid given to them as well. For a school with a small endowment, they really try. I'm guessing that the huge number of international students (who typically cannot recieve financial aid) helps as well.</p>

<p>As for LAW SCHOOLS, etc.... </p>

<p>I think 42 covered everything (thanks). :) I guess I would just add that you aren't shorting yourself by going here, and it especially depends on how you spend your time here as well. I have a friend who I believe has a two-point-something GPA, basically failed out of CS, and switched to Social and Decision Sciences (which is, I believe, research-based). He is actually a brilliant kid though, and has an important job in the newspaper. By using his newspaper experience as a selling point, and doing two summer internships with a NYC-based company, he has secured a job with them where he will skip the entry-level positions and start off with 150k per year... which, I think, is pretty good for a failed CS major.</p>

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<p>How is the Chemistry and Physics program at Carnegie Mellon???</p>

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<p>from what I have heard, very good. It can also, apparently, be extremely hard depending on what courses you choose to take.</p>

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<p>(also, just as a note, they make all science students take all of the sciences -- computer science, bio, physics, chem-- in the first year to try everything out). Although seems to be all about choosing 1 or 2 things and specializing, the sciences seem to be more open for exploration.</p>

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<p>i am a prospective student (senior) and i will be applying to the tepper school of business at CMU. However, i am not taking physics, and physics is a requirement (i read it on the CMU website). Will i be disqualified from getting in to CMU?
thks a lot</p>

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<p>these are the schools I am applying to along with CMU--- Business Major</p>

<p>UPENN
Boston Univ.
Carnegie Mellon
UC Berkeley
Wahsington St Louis
NYU
U Mich Ann Arbor
Cornell
John Hopkins
UNC @ chapel hill
Univ of Virgina</p>

<p>which are safe, fit, reach schools?</p>

<p>MY STATS</p>

<p>SAT 1900, taking it again, aiming for 2200</p>

<p>MATH IIC 730 CHEM 640</p>

<p>GPA 4.0 unweighted 4.5 weighted</p>

<p>top 2% of class out of 760 students</p>

<p>AP's CHEM (4) ,CALC BC,STATS (rest are all Honors)</p>

<p>+200 hrs service in hospital</p>

<p>KEY CLUB 1 yr (+50hrs)</p>

<p>Chess Club 4yrs</p>

<p>CSF- 1yr (+20 hrs)</p>

<p>i am a math tutorer since 9th grd (over 200 hrs)</p>

<p>temple service +20hrs</p>

<p>I live in california</p>

<p>also, if anyone knws, i am applying to carnegie mellon and for the business school the requirement is 1 yr of physics, however i am not taking physics, so am I automatically disqualified from the college application process?
HElp me plz.
~thks to all</p>