Hey, I’d really appreciate some advice about whether or not to apply to CMU. I know generally the advice is just to apply anyways, and I swear I’m not trying to humblebrag, but saving money on the application fees and also the mental energy to write the essays (though of course I will work very hard on them if I decide to apply) must be considered. I’m mainly skeptical about my SAT II scores, which I would probably be unwilling to take again because of how much is going on and how I need to prioritize.
School of Engineering - probably RD at this point
SAT: 1530 - 790 M, 740 CR
ACT: 35 (36 R/S/W, 33 M)
SAT Math 2: 770
SAT Chem: 750
GPA: 4.0 UW, 4.6 W (taken most rigorous schedule possible, top 5% of class)
President of robotics team for two years, president of 3-4 small clubs, members of many other clubs/sports, extensive volunteering and part time job. Will probably submit small maker portfolio.
Once again, I’m not trying to be obnoxious and any help is appreciated.
What SAT II scores do you believe you need in order to be accepted?
@JBStillFlying Most of my friends from my high school who were accepted from CMU and other institutions of similar merit (but rejected from those considered a tier above) have double 800s. Sorry if that is a misinformed opinion.
@helpless2017 so assuming that your friends had similar ACT/SAT scores to yours, you then know that 800’s will help you get into CMU. Not exactly surprising and it doesn’t mean that NOT having 800’s won’t get you in. It’s a bit frustrating not knowing whether CMU has a subject test score cutoff (we are facing the same question for Tepper/Deitrich) but you can take some comfort in the knowledge that College Board hasn’t modified the score scales to delineate well between a 750 and an 800 for any of the subject tests - especially the STEM tests. Also, as a LOT of applicants have super high test scores and GPA’s, CMU will look closely at everyone’s EC’s and maker portfolios. They also like to see demonstrated interest so try to get out there for a visit or attend a CMU session in your area.
Obviously you should apply because you have a decent chance of being admitted to one of their colleges. The supplemental essays aren’t a big deal and you’ll probably have to do a common app. essay anyway so it’s really not much extra work. RD makes total sense as ED is highly restrictive (can only choose one college, financial aid is awful, etc.) so hopefully they won’t ding you for waiting. Have a backup college (look into Tepper and MCS, for instance) and have backup schools on hand as well in case you don’t get into CMU.
Good luck to you!
@helpless2017 something you might also do is look at last year’s acceptance thread and see how applicants with your stats and EC’s etc. fared. That’s a good way to gauge what sort of subject scores you might need.