Fit for CMU?

Colleges & Universities A-Z Carnegie Mellon University
1

<p>Hello,</p>

<p>I'm currently finishing my 11th grade year and am very interested in Carnegie Mellon as an institute of higher education. I have quite an unusual high school record and am completely unsure of my chances at any college. So that leads me here to write this thread to list my strengths/weaknesses and get some input about whether or not I have a chance to be accepted at Carnegie Mellon. I'll start off with the weaknesses. </p>

<p>Weaknesses:
9th and 10th grade, I attended a private school and achieved average grades in average classes. B's and an occasional A. I was in average classes because of laziness and over-confidence before taking the school's placement examinations. They also were incredibly inflexible in adjusting my courses.</p>

<p>In 11th grade I entered a boarding school and achieved mostly if not all A's in still average classes. Despite this time around excelling on the placement exams, my course load from the previous school was factored in to my course selection.</p>

<p>Then I left school after emotional troubles relating to a loss in my family. I finished the year doing home instruction in coordination with my local public school district.</p>

<p>Despite this mediocre-bad high school record. I do believe all hope is not lost for the following reasons.</p>

<p>Strengths:
I have been a computer scientist since 8th grade and have learned to fluently use 8 programming languages. I have applied this to building iPhone applications and have sold a few quite successfully on the Apple App Store. I also am planning on a submission to the Siemens competition for high school students. This submission is the research I have done using machine learning algorithms to teach computers to correctly diagnose 669 tumors extracted from breasts as either malignant or benign based on parameters describing said tumors. The best of these algorithms is at 98.5% accuracy.</p>

<p>My SAT scores were mid 600's, but my ACT score was a 31 with the best being the Math component at a 33, which is far better than the SAT. Frankly, I would like any college to ignore those SAT scores. I am also planning on retaking the ACT. My sister had achieved a 35 in each section of the ACT and I feel obligated to attempt to match her. </p>

<p>Since leaving school for the remainder of the year (from January on) I have significantly boosted my course load. I took the AP Physics C: Mechanics examination this past week and believe I did quite well. This was after a semester of instruction with a teacher. I have switched from an Algebra II to a Precalculus Honors with significant Calculus curriculum as the AP Physics required such. I also will be returning to this boarding school for my senior year. Considering what I have done this semester at home, they have ensured me that I will be given a new placement test and most likely placed into AP Calculus BC and AP Physics C: Electromagnetism (my school does Mech and EM separately). </p>

<p>I am definitely planning on touring and interviewing at CMU. I have been told that I am very articulate and play up my strengths quite well and I believe that an interview with an admissions counselor will definitely be a positive.</p>

<p>I know what I want to do. Despite being in love with comp sci, I find myself enjoying physics more and more. I want to study physics as a major, get a doctorate and become a research scientist. I have been accepted to Columbia's summer program for high school students for this coming summer and will be studying String Theory there. </p>

<p>I am an autodidact. I teach myself everything I wasn't being taught in my mediocre classes. When I found out I was going to be in Algebra II this year, I went online and downloaded the MIT OpenCourseWare lectures on Single Variable Calculus and immediately grasped it. I taught myself everything I know about computers. I just love to learn.</p>

<p>I really do like Carnegie Mellon and it would probably be one of the most selective schools I will be applying to. I will most likely apply Early Decision to CMU to show a commitment to the University and my belief that it would be a great place for me to attend.</p>

<p>So, what do you think? Do my many strengths outweigh some poor grades early in my High School career? I feel like those grades do not at all show me well. I am a very intelligent guy, and believe I am very talented in Math and Science. I am a driven individual with a desire to learn. I have found that despite prestige of attending an excellent university being a great ego-boost, I just want to go to one with people of a similar intelligence and excellent teachers so I can learn, and learn as much as possible. </p>

<p>Thank you for your time,
Isaac</p>

2

<p>I think it could depend on what school you apply to. I know SCS is extraordinarily competitive, with SAT scores that match the ivy league’s. SCS would be tough to get into no matter what. But since you want to do physics, MCS is slightly less selective and you would probably have a better chance. I think it would really come down to the subjectives–essays, letters of rec, and extracurriculars. The summer program, I think, should help. I can’t give you a definitive answer on how the admissions officers will look at your situation, but to me, you seem like someone who’s genuinely interested in learning as much as possible, which is a good thing. I think, given your passion, you should definitely go ahead and apply. You have a good enough shot if you can effectively show the admissions officers that you are more than your grades.</p>

<p>This is just my opinion as another junior. Good luck!</p>

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<p>I think if you can work your experience with app development and the algorithms into the “why CMU” essay and your scattered background into your personal essay you could still be a very strong candidate. Bring up your standardized test scores as well and you would be even more competitive. Definitely have people review your writing and make sure it’s strong enough to compensate for mediocre grades.</p>

<p>As for the decision between CS and physics, I would lean towards CS since you seem to enjoy working in that field, and you could always study physics as the required minor or double major anyway. I don’t exactly remember, but I think if you don’t get into SCS ED then you can still apply to other schools during RD, so it wouldn’t be too much of a gamble.</p>

<p>EDIT: Actually, isn’t there an optional essay on the CMU application? That would be a good place to explain your background. Be careful to frame it as “these are the obstacles I’ve overcome” and not as “this is my excuse for not doing as much as I could have.” Then just choose something meaningful for your personal essay and you’re good.</p>

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<p>I think your application would be weak for SCS and a reach for MCS. I advise you to look into other colleges besides CMU.</p>

5

<p>I suggest explaining your situation with the extra space at the end of the common app., that’s what I did since I not only had a significant dip in my grades at the end of my sophomore year but also decided on leaving a pretty competitive math and science boarding school for a normal public high school. I think i did much better my junior and senior years (and even took up some classes at my local Community college) and ended up being admitted to MCS this past admission cycle (the only one of the CMU colleges i applied to). I didn’t have the greatest test scores either, a 27 on my ACT, Sat Bio-660, Math 2-750 and SAT phys-610. I guess i had a bit of an advantage since I’m a URM, but def. apply, what’s the worst thing that can happen? They reject you? As long as you have your safeties and matches in your college list, a rejection is no big deal. Plus, you’ll always wonder if you could’ve gotten in. Oh, and one more piece of advice, even though i didn’t, def. apply to more than one of the CMU colleges, from what i read on here (though I don’t know how reliable that is) you can transfer from one CMU college to another relatively easily. So apply to both MCS and SCS and maybe even CIT, cause then all you really have to do is get into one and transfer to SCS down the road ;)</p>

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<p>I think I disagree w/ the comment about being weak for SCS. I was admitted to SCS this year, and having met many of the others who were also admitted, I think your motivations and experience sound similar to what I’ve seen/heard. Although I do think grades and GPA are really large factors in admissions process, especially the math/science ones, if you can explain why they went down when they did and how you’ve changed your habits to become a better worker it’ll help. Also, take into account that CMU doesn’t put too much weight on freshman year grades. And your extracurriculars seem pretty awesome. That’s a trend I’ve seen in SCS admits - their extracurriculars are great. I personally didn’t have the highest grades, and I still got in, and I think a lot of that was through the passion I showed for cs and math.</p>

<p>Have you thought of double-majoring? I heard it’s a lot easier than trying to transfer into SCS, and you can get your physics degree. I mean, if you’re thinking of MCS over SCS.</p>

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<p>Thank you all for the replies. Very encouraging. I am considering a double-major in Physics/Comp Sci because I do have such a strong interest in both. If I wish to pursue that route at CMU, which school do I apply to, MCS or SCS? Would I need to be accepted to both? I have received feedback that agrees with the statement that SCS is more competitive than MCS.</p>

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<p>Undergraduate First-Year Admission Middle 50% range averages 2011-12
MCS: SAT M: 730-800
SCS: SAT M: 760-800</p>

<p>Most likely they will be even higher for the 2012-13 admissions and then for your first year 2013-14</p>

<p>Your SAT scores in the mid 600s leaves you a tough obstacle to overcome (though not insurmountable). You’ll need excellent references, a strong application essay, stellar fall-2012 grades, and extracurriculars of substance. My advice, apply to CMU but don’t pin all your hopes there. Good luck! </p>

<p>Good luck!</p>

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<p>@idrach55: For double-majoring, you’d need to get accepted to one of the colleges and you can take courses in the other one to fulfill credits towards a double major. I think people who are double majoring in compsci but are in other colleges have a slightly different path than people who are in SCS, but don’t quote me on this. </p>

<p>Here’s the page I found for the double major req. for cs: [CS</a> as a Secondary Concentration](<a href=“http://www.csd.cs.cmu.edu/education/bscs/second.html]CS”>http://www.csd.cs.cmu.edu/education/bscs/second.html)</p>

<p>Not that I’d be of that much help, but if you have other questions on scs admissions, pm me. It’ll probably be faster. Good luck!</p>

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<p>@infinity9001: I’ll take a look at that link. Thank you for offering your assistance! </p>

<p>@AndrewCarnegie: I completely understand that my SAT scores are much lower than the norm for CMU. That’s why I mentioned my ACT scores which are tiers higher. My ACT Math is at 33. I’ve read on college board that score corresponds to around a 740 in SAT Math. Not great, but getting there. I think the ACT shows me much better, which is why I’m taking it again in September.</p>

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<p>On top of that, I don’t know how CMU would react to the fact that the OP has a non-orthodox High School education, i.e partly home-schooled with a less-than-stellar GPA.</p>