Pros/Cons of CMU?

Colleges and Universities A-Z Carnegie Mellon University
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<p>Hello all.</p>

<p>I just got accepted to CMU in the Engineering program, and am currently deciding between this college and one other.</p>

<p>Since I know both colleges are great academically, it comes down to more of the social aspect of the college. Can anybody tell me about it? Specifically, I want to know about:</p>

<p>a) "Nerd" factor (i.e. how nerdy/socially awkward students are.)
b) Pittsburgh/surrounding areas.
c) Food
d) "International" feel (coming from an international private school, I want to if it is diverse, or of it is mainly a few countries represented, etc.)
e) General social activities. Do people go out to parties? Do you go into the city? Do you just sit around and work all day?</p>

<p>Also, if anybody has been from CMU to Boston, whats the fastest way to get there?</p>

<p>Thanks :)</p>

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<p>a) “Nerd” factor (i.e. how nerdy/socially awkward students are.)
While a good majority of the people here are nerds (very passionate/good at what they do), I would only consider a small minority (~5-10%) truly socially awkward. People here tend to be proud of their nerdiness, although here the term “nerd” describes ultra-outgoing drama majors as well as CS hermits. I’ve learned that conversations with CMU students tend to be much more interesting than conversations in the “normal” world.</p>

<p>b) Pittsburgh/surrounding areas.
I really like the city of Pittsburgh. It’s a big enough city to have a bunch of cool stuff (like sports teams and public transportation), while still small enough that it isn’t scary or overwhelming. The city is divided into many distinct, diverse neighborhoods. Squirrel Hill (where CMU is located) is a nice suburban residential neighborhood. Safe, quiet, easy to navigate, good place to go grocery shopping. The Oakland neighborhood is right next to CMU and is a definite college town due to CMU and the University of Pittsburgh. It has bars, shops, and tons of restaurants, some of which cut their prices in half after 11:00 pm to cater to the college crowd. CMU students ride the buses for free, and I love going to the cultural district downtown (the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra is amazing), as well as the Strip District (tons of really good shops and markets).</p>

<p>c) Food
The food at CMU is alright. Rather than a few huge all-you-can-eat dining halls, CMU has a couple dozen individual vendors. It takes a while to learn what you can get that’s good and/or healthy, but there is definitely good and/or healthy food to be found here. That being said, the meal plan is horribly overpriced.</p>

<p>d) “International” feel (coming from an international private school, I want to if it is diverse, or of it is mainly a few countries represented, etc.)
CMU is definitely a good school for you if you want an international feel. 16% of all CMU students are international (which is the 6th highest rate of any US university). Off the top of my head I can tell you had classes with or befriended students from Canada, Mexico, Japan, Singapore, Korea, China, New Zealand, Britain, France, Holland, and Jamaica.</p>

<p>e) General social activities. Do people go out to parties? Do you go into the city? Do you just sit around and work all day?
There are definitely parties, although only on Friday and Saturday nights. It’s also fairly common for students to walk over to parties at Pitt. Going out into the city is very easy with free bus passes, and it is a very common thing to do on the weekends. There are also tons of social clubs and organizations, and it only takes some minimal time and class management skills to be able to have time to do fun stuff. Those who say that all they do is work are either taking way too many classes or don’t know how to study effectively.</p>

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<p>

Truly socially awkward – I’d agree with the 5-10%.
I’d put the total percentage of socially awkward people at 25%.</p>

<p>However, our ideas of “socially awkward” are very different. So you can’t take our percentages seriously. There’s a lot of very sociable people, though, and you’ll quickly come to know who they are.</p>

<p>The number of socially awkward males is also much higher than the number of socially awkward females. </p>

<p>d) I see internationals EVERYWHERE. As for the 16% statistic, I feel like it must be higher than that! Anyway, I’m from the US. My best friend is international from India. My other good friend is from Singapore. Along with domestic students, I talk to tons of international students everyday. You really will not find a dearth of them here, lol.</p>

<p>e) Sit around and work all day? My motto is “fun never stops for work” and I am constantly telling other people that. I make the time to visit and socialize almost every day. I’m off campus at least once a week, whether to try new restaurants, go to some show, go shopping at the mall, and so on. I also have A’s in my classes. You just have to be very focused the rest of the time when you’re not having fun (i.e. not procrastinate).</p>

<p>I don’t party/drink, so I can’t comment on the party scene.</p>

<p>However, CMU is not a party school by any means. A huge majority of people really do sit around and just work, work, work. However, a good portion of those people who workworkwork still socialize, mostly by studying together in groups. </p>

<p>One thing I’ve noticed about CMU is that there’s ALWAYS something going on, though, eventswise. We always have guest lecturers (I remember this year the creator of SMBC, the Onion, VP of the World Bank, etc people came to CMU), and the various student bodies are always organizing presentations ranging to topics on sex to finding happiness, from discussions on nuclear disarmament to what “work” means. Last week, there was Matsuri, a Japanese festival, hosted by several of the clubs here at CMU and it was very well attended (even by non-CMU people).</p>

<p>I’m from Boston :D! Fastest way is by plane, ofc. Total travel time: 2 hours. I’ve also taken a Megabus from Pittsburgh to NY to Boston before (two buses). That was a 13 hour trip.</p>

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<p>Hmm thanks for the responses so far guys :P</p>

<p>Here is another question:</p>

<p>whateverletter) What is the workload like? A lot of posts I’ve seen, people complain about constant stress. I don’t know if that is an exaggeration or not, but will I constantly be swamped in work?</p>

<p>afterthat) Since CMU is generally considered “small”, do you guys feel that is actually is? Do you see the same people everyday? Do you know everybody by name? Is that a pro or a con?</p>

<p>Any other details you wish to say, feel free to elaborate!</p>

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<p>

Oh my god, YES. People normally take four classes at other colleges? Here, the people taking four classes is the minority. Five is standard. A good majority take six. Others will tack on smaller seminar classes/StuCo and make it seven.</p>

<p>As an Engineering major, you will be among the busiest people (Architecture, CS, and Engineers are the busiest people on average IMO). Be prepared to face Introductory Physics, which is the most failed freshman class at CMU. Be prepared for the Introductory Programming Class, which assigns homework on Thursday and is due Sunday 10 PM, leaving you to essentially spend half your weekend programming.</p>

<p>Get ready to take introductory engineering classes, which are notoriously difficult as well. Tack on labs that happen in the early-late evening.</p>

<p>Don’t forget all the review sessions and office hours that you’ll be going to which normally happens in the late afternoon.</p>

<p>Yes.
You will be inundated with work. Expect ~49 hours of homework a week if you’re taking 49 units – which would be 5 classes. (One unit is meant to represent an hour of work.)</p>

<p>There are students who are constantly stressed – I have friends in CS who truly wish they were elsewhere (like state college), but would never leave CMU because of the prestigiousness of this college. In their eyes, they just have to suck up four years and they’ll be done.</p>

<p>Other students seem to manage stress well. I don’t feel the stress at all, despite taking six classes, all of which are considerable work. All nighters are a routine of life for me. In fact, I thrive and enjoy being pushed to my limits. It gives me a great sense of satisfaction and pride every time I overcome something. I like the feeling of knowing that I’ve been pushed this hard, yet I’m still standing.</p>

<p>The work is a lot for everybody, but ya’all commiserate together :). The people who I see crack under pressure are the people who tend to keep to themselves. Perhaps even when you have a lot of work, having a solid group of friends helps keep you stable. It may be the whole “we’ll get through it together” mentality that keeps many people standing. This isn’t always the case, but I’d like to think that.</p>

<p>Of note: much of the work that you do should be collaborative. Work in groups for difficult classes and you’ll come out ahead. Study groups are very common here. Unless you really prefer to work alone – that works, too.</p>

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<p>Just to clarify, 49 units means 49 hours a week of total work, meaning classes and homework, not just homework.</p>

<p>Also, I’m currently taking 51 units and working (work-study) 12 hours a week. I still have time to participate in booth, buggy, Greek life, and orchestra, all while maintaining a very respectable GPA. I’ve never even come close to having to pull an all-nighter. The workload really all depends on how well you work, how you manage your time, and how well you spread out your classes so you’re not taking a bunch of notoriously hard classes at the same time.</p>

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<p>I think it really depends on your classes as to how true the units to hours works out. My H&SS classes tended to be way on the low side (maybe 3 hours of homework a week at most) while my engineering/physics classes had a minimum of 6, generally closer to 9-12 hours of homework a week (plus labs, if applicable).</p>

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<p>

Oh, I didn’t know that actually o.o. Thanks for the clarification.</p>

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<p>Don’t let the unit system fool you. There are 12? unit classes, and then there are “How the heck is this only 12” unit classes.</p>

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<p>Like 15-251, which is easily 20-30 hours of work a week despite only being 12 units. (CS majors take it second semester freshman year. Engineers aren’t required to take it, I think.)</p>

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<p>Pitching in on the “international feel” question–I’m a Russian-American who went to high school in a private international school in London, so cultural diversity in my school is the norm for me! I can say that to me, it doesn’t feel very international at ALL by comparison. I can say off the top of my head that I know five or so students who have told me that they are international, but just about everyone else I know comes from somewhere in the contiguous US–mostly California, Pennsylvania, or New Jersey. Now, that’s not BAD, exactly (and depending on your school, you may not experience as much shock–Americans were very much in the minority at mine), but it is definitely something to keep in mind because it was a bit strange for me to adjust to.</p>

<p>People do go out into the city, and people do go party. I’ve never been to one myself because I’m not a party person, but there are usually a couple going on during the weekends. Not going to lie though, I do spend a lot of time holed up on campus working. Partially due to my class load (intro CS with homework due on Sunday and art studio courses) and partially due to doing lots of extracurricular stuff that takes up quite a bit of my free time. But you can still find time to go and explore Pittsburgh!</p>

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<p>Alright sorry for the bump, but I have four (hopefully the last four) questions:</p>

<ul>
<li><p>Can anyone explain the Study Abroad program at CMU to me? I tried figuring it out, but it was so confusing because there were so many option. Are there a lot of places to go Study Abroad? Its really important to me.</p></li>
<li><p>Is there an option to learn a language over there? I’m really interested in picking up German.</p></li>
<li><p>This seems petty, but for some reason I am really worried about the food. Are there no dining halls at all? Are the vendors that good/bad? Can I do my own cooking?</p></li>
<li><p>Is there a workout facility?</p></li>
</ul>

<p>ALSO - thanks “uwaaaah” for that international perspective :P</p>

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<p>Study abroad is very common and very easy. Just talk to an advisor a couple semesters in advance so you can plan stuff out.</p>

<p>CMU does offer German classes and a major and minor in German studies.</p>

<p>There are no dining halls (which I think of as a plus, since it’s kept me healthy). However, while the food as a whole is pretty “meh,” there are definitely vendors that make some good stuff. It just takes a little searching. Every freshman dorm has a community kitchen, and every room in the Residence on Fifth has its own kitchenette.</p>

<p>There are two well-equipped gyms on campus, and most freshman dorms have a workout room consisting of mats, treadmills/ellipticals/stationary bikes, and a weight machine.</p>

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<p>Is there a swimming pool at CMU?</p>

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<p>^Yup, there’s a swimming pool in the University Center (UC). One of the nicer parts of the athletic facilities.</p>

<p>Anyway, to answer the original question - I’m a sophomore MechE, so I thought I’d weigh in. </p>

<p>a) “Nerd” factor (i.e. how nerdy/socially awkward students are.)
I think that people refer to CMU as a “nerd school” because it does have a contingent of, well, truly nerdy people. But the thing is that while everyone here is intelligent, most enjoy their majors, etc., those who are truly socially awkward are a minority. For someone who is nerdy/socially awkward, CMU could be a good place, because he/she could find others who are similar. But by and large, CMU students are quite friendly and normal :wink: </p>

<p>b) Pittsburgh/surrounding areas.
Definitely one of my favorite things about going here. I’m from San Francisco, and no, Pittsburgh is not the same as SF/NY/etc. But, it does have a lot of fun stuff to offer, and I explore the city a ton on the fun weekends. I love that CMU has a defined campus, but is situated in really fun urban area. Public transportation, museums, and other stuff are all free with your CMU ID. While access to Pittsburgh wasn’t something I thought about much when I decided to come here, it is seriously one of my favorite parts of the CMU experience. </p>

<p>c) Food
Meh…it’s okay, not great. I got off the meal plan after freshman year. It’s fine, but I’m not going to try to make it sound like it’s better than it is! </p>

<p>d) “International” feel (coming from an international private school, I want to if it is diverse, or of it is mainly a few countries represented, etc.)
I’m a domestic student, so I can’t comment as much…pretty much all the international students are from India/Asia, though. Because CMU doesn’t offer fin aid to internationals, this heavily influences the international student population. I would definitely say it seems like a lot of international students from a very small number of countries. </p>

<p>e) General social activities. Do people go out to parties? Do you go into the city? Do you just sit around and work all day?
On the weekends, I go out into the city a lot. You can party if you want, but you don’t have to. I suggest becoming involved in Greek life/cultural groups/other organizations known for parties if you want to ensure that you’ll have access to parties most weekends. Also, if you get to know people from Pitt, there are plenty of parties there. Yes, engineers work a LOT. But if you manage your time and make good decisions, there’s time to have fun as well. Plenty of engineers party, so no worries there ;)</p>

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<p>i spent 6 weeks on campus last summer&&i got accepted to engineering too</p>

<p>a) nerd factor - i didn’t think the students on campus (for the summer) were nerds at all. in fact, they partied like everyday but got their work done
b) university of pittsburgh is right down the street&&oakland so its pretty fun. at first, i didn’t like pittsburgh because im from chicago&&it was too different. but yu get used to it. there is a lot of shopping areas, good clubs&&stuff to do
c) the food is okay. at resnik (dining hall) its eatable depending on the day&there are exercise machines upstairs. the undergound in morewood gardens is delicious
d) i cant really say since i was there for the summer
e) like i said parties at upitt, oakland, downtown is bomb on saturday, shadyside, squirrel hill, waterfront, etc. you will never run out of things to do plus pittsburgh is home of wiz&&mac miller. what could go wrong?</p>

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<p>There’s also two jacuzzi hot tubs: one for the men and one for the women near the swimming pools. They’re located in the locker rooms, actually.</p>

<p>Very relaxing :).</p>

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<p>This is definitely the last post before I make a decision.</p>

<p>I keep hearing that people at CMU are unattractive. Is this true?</p>

<p>I’d find it hard to believe, to be honest.</p>

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<p>Not true…</p>

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<p>^^^agreed.</p>