So, I already submitted my CMU app, but I have not done an alumni interview and I’m not entirely sure if I should do one. I know CMU tracks interest, but I totally suck at social interactions and I feel an interview would impact me negatively. there is an alumnus in my same zip code so I don’t even have an excuse to not do an interview. I have heard that the interview is more of an opportunity for applicants to ask the interviewer questions about CMU, but if that’s the case, why is the interview so strongly recommended?? To those who have already done an interview, what should I do? If the interview is super important, I’ll suck it up and just do it, but I would like to know the deets.
thanksssss
@ellinmelon You’re correct on that the interview is more about having the prospective student ask questions about CMU. It’s mostly for applicants who haven’t visited the campus and want a better feel for the place. Ultimately CMU wants to gauge if its the right place for each individual applicant, which is why they have those interviews available. If you’re just doing it for the demonstrated interest points, then, imo, I think you would be wasting your time. But if you truly want to know Carnegie, and you can’t/haven’t visited, then do the interview. I also think that the interview definitely scores more interest points if you talked about it in the 3rd question of the writing supplement, but it’s too late for that. If you want to read more about it and get the opinions from a person who is an acutal alumnus interviewer, there’s a thread on either the first or second page of this forum that discusses it. Good luck!
Alright, thanks! I’ve done my best to research Carnegie Mellon through their website, viewbooks, testimonials from people online, etc. I did speak of my interest in my why CMU essay, so I hope that’s sufficient
@ellinmelon I didn’t do an interview either because of the same reasons (socially awkward), but I still got in (albeit through ED). I didn’t have much to indicate interest before that though, just went to one of their conventions in a nearby city and signed up for the mailing list, so I think you should be fine! If you did/are doing Turn Tartan Overnight/Sleeping Bag Weekend or CMU Pre-College, those would also score lots of points for interest.
@jyinsanity Can you please share your stats and your major?