I have a better chance of getting into Caltech than CMU but don't know which one to choose.

College Search & Selection
1

The thing is, my stats are around average to getting into Carnegie Mellon for engineering, but below the standards of Caltech.

However, I play tennis, and am recruit for Caltech. Basically, the coach will talk to admissions and write a letter helping me get in - this is one of the first years the tennis coach gets power in getting recruits into the school. I visited Caltech, got a tour from the coach, and talked with the admissions director for my alpha-group. So basically I have a pretty high chance of getting into Caltech and playing on the tennis team (a high priority for me in college).

On the other hand, I’m currently at CMU for the summer and I really like it. However, I spoke with the coach today, and my tennis isn’t good enough right now to be a recruit just yet - they have recruited players ranked lower than me in the past, but it’s a slim chance that I’ll be able to be recruited. I really like CMU, but if I am not recruited, I would have to apply with academics and play on the club team - where I probably won’t get the competition and serious practice I really want. I think I have good chance of getting in Early Decision and a medium chance of getting in Regular Decision.

However, as a school, I like CMU more - the social life is not too bad, the people here are relatively kind, the food is great, the campus is perfect, and the education is great. I feel that Caltech is a little too nerdy for me and the education would probably be overly rigorous, but I do get to go to a really prestegious school that is definitely out of my league academically as well as play tennis competitively (which I probably won’t be able to do at CMU).

I’ve been split on this for a very long time and have no idea what to choose :frowning: Thoughts?

2

Any other schools in the mix? (Say, Harvey Mudd?)

3

Well, walk it back a bit. How many people is the tennis coach at Caltech talking to? Is it possible that he’s talking to more people than he can admit? Imagine a scenario in which the Caltech tennis coach talks to, say, seven promising young tennis players but he’s only allowed to write letters for two. Also, a school like Caltech may put a higher premium on your academics - the sports may help you if you are slightly below their admissions standards but not beyond that, for example (although if you are average for CMU, then you’re not far from Caltech).

Secondly, why do you have to choose now? Caltech does not have binding Early Decision - they only have Early Action. Even if you are admitted, you can wait until May 1 to decide whether or not you want to attend.

So why not just apply EA to Caltech and regular admission to CMU?

When making the decision (now or later), you will have to decide what’s more important to you - the potential of playing intercollegiate tennis, or attending a school that has a more appealing all-around feel to you. Consider also that you only know these things about CMU because you spent the summer there, but you may find that they are true of Caltech too - the students may be nerdy (but I imagine that the CMU students are also very nerdy - just in different ways) but the social life may also be good and the people may be kind. It’s hard to compare a school you’ve lived at to a school you haven’t. Consider also that the CMU summer experience, with other high school students, is likely quite different than the academic year experience.

4

Have you gotten accepted yet? Do you have financial offers to compare? If not, the question seems premature.

Also, how do you feel about being able to handle the academics at either? You can do very well with a degree from either school, but getting the degree needs to be job #1.

5

Caltech is without question one of the top three engineering schools in the country. Unless you’re getting recruited by MIT or Stanford, applying to Caltech sounds like an easy decision, assuming you want a STEM degree. I would use my only ED bullet on the school I thought was most likely to admit me, and it sounds like that’s not CMU.

6

@postleg do you feel you can play tennis at a high-level and do well at Caltech?

7

Thanks for all the replies! (This is my first time on CC)

@DadTwoGirls
I’m class of 2018, so I haven’t even applied to either yet. I’ll be applying for Engineering (ECE or EECS). I’m fortunate enough to say that finances aren’t an issue, though the only glaring finance differences would be for UC’s (I live in California) - but I prefer a smaller school so I don’t really know.

@intparent
For tennis, the only schools recruiting me that I am considering are Caltech and Tufts University.
For academics, my (super) reaches are: MIT, Stanford and targets are: UCLA, Northwestern, Cornell, CMU.

@juillet @roethlisburger
My biggest fear is that I would have gotten into CMU by ED but I pass it up and end up getting rejected Regular Decision (that’s why I’m so wound up about CMU ED. I guess I’m just really comfortable here and am almost certain I’ll be happy here, whereas its an unknown for other school. Also, the students in my class during the summer are CMU students, so I would say it’s not an actual representation of what it’s like in the school year, but it’s pretty close.

@psywar I think so, but I’m not really sure. I do know that Caltech tennis is not nearly as rigorous as CMU’s tennis - they accomodate a lot for academics, whereas they don’t for CMU. Also all the players on the Caltech team are in STEM and a grand majority of the players on the CMU team are in business and humanities.

8

“…targets are: UCLA, Northwestern, Cornell, CMU.”

I am just wondering how good (you think) your stats are that you consider above schools as targets?
Would you share with us your stats?

9

You sound happy at CMU, but you will also grow a lot senior year, so don’t box yourself into just a couple options. But here’s some thoughts on those two for now.

Caltech is a very unique place, you have to love it and feel it a good fit or it can be very difficult in many ways. This is not the first year tennis has power to get a recruit in at Caltech, I know several tennis players recruited there over the years, a few played for them, a few chose other schools. I don’t think Caltech is a “maybe” school for many, for most it is a love or hate kind of thing. It doesn’t matter if you play tennis there if the school isn’t right for you. Don’t make that mistake.

CMS is ranked #2 in DIII, so yes, their tennis is at higher level with greater demands. That also may mean they have a solid club team. Some club teams have a travel budget and compete, have you checked into that? Since you aren’t looking for a future in tennis, you should explore different ways to enjoy tennis through college and beyond. If being on a competitive team, regardless of the level is of utmost importance, then Caltech may be the way to go, between these two choices - only if you think the school and academics are great too. If playing on a club team is ok, then CMU may solve that. You have to choose your priorities and make a decision based on that order…is it social, academics or tennis that is number one? As an engineering major, I can tell you that academics needs to be at the top of the list. So then, what is an acceptable kind of tennis to play for you - does it have to be competitive?

What did Caltech say about the timeline? As a recruited athlete you will not have until May 1st like non-athlete students, you will only have until they get someone for that spot on the team, that could be as early as very soon. Once that spot is filled it is filled. Athlete acceptances often run on their own schedules. You may fill out the app the same time as everyone else but need to commit/find out much earlier. My guess is ED for CMU is the same time you would be deciding about Caltech. That is, if someone with amazing stats andappropriate tennis hasn’t jumped into the spot first. You have to be very careful and not ignore other opportunities over what “might” happen.

If competitive tennis is really important to you, there are a lot of other DIII schools you can consider, particularly since money isn’t an issue. I would cast a wider net by finding some lower ranked DIII schools where you could play and still get a great engineering education. I am thinking you are a one or two star? I suggest going to the college recruiting lists on Tennis Recruiting and see where players ranked similar to you have committed in the last few years. Or pull up the list of all DIII Men’s tennis schools and check out the players they have, and whether it is full of 3 and a couple 4 stars or 2 star type players. That may give you ideas for schools you haven’t considered. Obviously at Cornell, Northwestern and UCLA it would only be a club team type option, and some of those can be quite competitive as well.

10

Caltech has never had recruited athletes, so it isn’t possible to compare the timetables to other schools. If the coach has only two spots, he may want them filled by EA, but he really doesn’t have any control over it except to keep you off the team if you don’t commit on his schedule, but really, will he be filling those spots with non-recruited athletes between say Feb 1 and May 1?

11

If Caltech is non-binding EA–and not SCEA–and CMU is ED, can’t you just apply to both, one EA and one ED?

12

OP’s impression of CMU is based on a summer program. It sounds like he needs more research into his match, how he fits (that works both ways: what he wants and what the college looks for,) and his chances of success as a student at any of his targets- not just this current thing on CC of assuming Early apps have a better shot. That’s only when you truly match. Don’t apply blind, based on tennis and some easy impressions.

13

It is definitely poor form to accept a coach’s endorsement for a school you do not plan to attend, but if you would attend Caltech if you do not get acceptance to CMU, it is OK to apply for both as long as you don’t use ED.

Applying in the ED pool seems to give an admissions advantage, but the pools are different so the acceptance percentages are not directly comparable. If tennis is important to you, then getting in ED to CMU would foreclose the opportunity to enroll at a school that is a better athletic fit.

14

@CADREAMIN I was a high 3 star a few months ago. I’ve dropped a bit since I haven’t been playing tournaments over the summer, but I think I can get back to high 3 star or even low 4 star if I really train Senior year.

Thanks for all the input guys, I really appreciate it.

@Consolation But wouldn’t that be like choosing CMU already? Because if I ED CMU and get it, then I cannot go to Caltech even if I am admitted.

15

Considering your options now is good. A few things about CMU.

– It is a top STEM school. Depending on what you are interested in, it’s ranking would be in top 3, 4, 5,…
– It is very competitive. When you apply, they ask you to identify your #1 and #2 pick of college/major.
– They publish acceptance by college/major. SCS is very competitive.
– They consider expressed interest in their admissions, so your summer program would be a plus. Strongly suggest
another trip there for a face-to-face interview.

Not sure what your stats are, I’m assuming strong since you are talking about CMU and CalTech. You should try to tour CalTech if you can. I’ve seen both while making college tours with my son. Of the two my son was strongly biased towards CMU.

16

@Rivet2000

Thanks for the info. I’ll be applying for ECE in the CMU School of Engineering, but don’t know if I want to commit for ED. I had a face to face interview at CMU - I don’t think it went as well as it could have, but it wasn’t too bad. I’ve also already toured CalTech with the coach. Both are pretty nice. I’m very indecisive at times.

My brother also is currently at CMU and was a very top recruit (almost 5 stars) for the tennis team, but will be graduating the same year I graduate high school. He knows me better than anyone and says I would probably like it at CMU, but at the same time CalTech is a crazy good opportunity. My stats are just above the average of the students at my school that were admitted to CMU (most went to Engineering and CS, some Humanities).

17

Tough decision. One thing I asked my son to consider, was his long term plans. If an MS is in your future that might influence your decision making process.

Keep and open mind and when the time comes go with your gut - make sure it’s your decision.

18

@twoinandone - Yes they do recruit athletes at Caltech, but unless you are one of them you would likely not know. I know they do, firsthand. Nothing deceptive, but why would they tell someone they didn’t want in the first place? They certainly don’t need to advertise. Special rules apply at certain schools and for certain sports within that school. Some of the most incorrect info on CC regards athletics, because people think what applied at their school, or with their athlete applies across the board. It does not, better kids get better offers, plain and simple, it is not a vanilla process. Different skill sets (and combinations of) can open very different doors when it comes to athletes, doors others never hear about. Just like Ivies don’t give athletic scholarships - true and untrue because of other creative options. But if you are not a player they want, you would never hear about them. UVA and other schools are very creative with athlete money. There are a lot of ways to get a player in the door. But only when you are “that” player, do you know. But somewhere in fairy land, people like to think it is the same for everyone and NCAA guards all. They can’t because there are better athletes and work arounds to get them.

OP, Caltech is pretty low level tennis wise compared to top DIII teams, but if you can play and be part of a team, that would be great. I agree, if it is not Caltech, try to find a school that fits both academically and tennis wise. You like CMU cause it is familiar at this point in time. It might be boring a year from now. Keep options open and look around more.

19

Regarding only Tufts & Caltech recruiting you, have you reached out to coaches at other DIII schools that might be a fit?

20

@intparent Yes, I have other offers but they don’t really satisfy my academic interests. The other schools that do satisfy these interests are looking for higher ranked players (4-5 stars).