SAMS at Carnegie Mellon 2019-2020 Discussion

@coconutfloat last year i turned in my application a day before the deadline and i got accepted.

@imabigOof that makes me feel slightly better. however, Iā€™ve heard rumors that theyā€™re accepting less people this year, and that makes me stressed. also, my stats arenā€™t amazing either so Iā€™m relying on my essays to get me in. ahhhhh

the rumors are true but the spots wouldnā€™t fill up until the deadline. Itā€™s just harder to get in the later you wait

I just got an email last night saying that she wanted to talk to me today, lets see how that goes!

Iā€™m literally dying! I wish theyā€™d just send me my rejection letter already lol

I submitted my application on the 22nd and havenā€™t heard anything back. Getting kinda worried.

GANG GANG I GOT IN, GOOD LUCK TO YOU ALL!

@alanxyz Congrats! If I may ask, when did you submit your app?

broā€¦ iā€™m such a bad procrastinator. i decided like hey iā€™m gonna do this on a whim ā€¦ wrote my essays in 2 HOURS sent requests for LOR like tHree minutes ago ā€¦ and sent in my thing JUST NOW. i didnā€™t even send in my full transcript ??? (only freshman year not first sem of sophy)
just in case anyoneā€™s curious ~
my gpa is like a 4.33 out of 4.66 (well my freshie one lol)
i put my 8th grade ~sat~ even tho itā€™s a while back and itā€™s a 1510 (770 math 740 reading)
i got a 1480 on PSAT
my essays were like very personal they made me cry and iā€™m like pretty apathetic so we shall see how dat goes bb
but yeah if i get in i get in iā€™m just kinda annoyed at myself for being this way
also ima latina interested in math ^
but i am fortunate enough to go to a private school on scholarship and i come from a very financially stable home (but not like ā€¦ stable family)

I applied the 21st of January, Diane called me personally to ask some me questions regarding my application literally this morning, and told me sheā€™d have my decision before the next week. To my surprise, my acceptance came only a few hours later.

me some* lol

Hey, yā€™all! SAMS ā€˜19 alumni here. I can answer some of your questions about the program. Good luck to everyone!

Iā€™ll leave my stats that got me in for reference.

HS Rising Senior
SAT: 1360
PSAT: 1380
ACT: 28
No Subject tests.
GPA: 4.0UW (Been to two high schools, three now)
Rank 2/34 (Yeah, I know)
No AP classes
11 Dual Enrollment Courses at local Uni
Hispanic Male
First Gen
Income: ~35k
Awards: Idk if we put this down but I mightā€™ve put down honor roll, Governorā€™s school semifinalist, and Honors College at local Uni.

ECā€™s: Didnā€™t have much but I did lots of volunteering, NHS, tutoring, and robotics.

Essays: Very last minute and strange but authentic and unique. We had five essays last year so hereā€™s what I wrote.
Challenge: Described my struggle and what I learned from moving around a lot; my dad is in the U.S. Army so yeah.
Community Issue: Talked about solving the problems that affect Peruvians in rural areas. Basically an anecdote from my trip to rural Peru (Iā€™m Peruvian, not rich lol) and talked about the lack of infrastructure there.
Culture and Family: Discussed my familyā€™s Peruvian background and how that has affected our lives in the U.S., including the American dream, poverty, food, customs, etc.
STEM Interest: Provided a chronological order of my interest in STEM from preschool to high school. I hadnā€™t done much in STEM before so I explained that.
SAMS Benefit and Contribution: Talked about how SAMS would prepare me for the rigorous STEM classes at my local uni. Explained how the emphasis on a minority cohort would improve my education, and how my own diversity could add to that.

As you could probably tell, itā€™s really all about the essays. Once you meet a certain threshold, stats donā€™t matter. You guys have different prompts this year, but itā€™s all the same. Really try to be honest about yourself. Theyā€™re not looking for perfection.

Hi, does anyone have Dianeā€™s email address?

I donā€™t think I had the best stats :/. But I feel like my essays were very compelling and very true to my person. Will I even have a chance ?

@Funnnjklsu I hope you get a happy result! I feel the same way. My stats are subpar but I wrote my essays about very personal events and I hope it helps.

Alright so dumb question, but is Diane the head of the pre-college programs at CMU? I submitted my app (with rec letters sent) on Feb 6 and havenā€™t gotten any emails or calls directly from her (or anyone else at CMU), so should I be worried?

Diane is the head of the SAMS program for this year. I donā€™t think you should worry.

around what time did you get accepted

Hello! Iā€™m still in the process of finishing my essays and applying. I was wondering if anyone knew how many spots are left and the odds of still getting in? I believe itā€™d be fairly low. Also, if any alum or accepted students would like to chance me Iā€™d like to know if I have any chance before applying. Thanks!

Has anyone that submitted on 2/4 gotten their decision yet?