Wow. Did a complete 180 on what I want out of a college and CMU shot to the top of my list. She basically was everything I wanted to be, and all of her favorite parts about CMU also turned out to be mine. Really regret not working as hard on the application (all of my time was spent on the Stanford app).
How do I keep showing interest now? Can I still write an interview essay and/or send updates on what I’ve been involved in in Jan/Feb? Also: applying to SCS, for some background.
TL,DR: Applied to CMU @ SCS, but it wasn’t a top favorite until I had my interview, post-Common App. Will sacrifice my first born child to get in now. (Kidding.)
I am assuming you have the stats if you are applying to Stanford. CS at CMU is one of the most difficult schools to get into (the most difficult is Drama). Show lots of interest. Have you visited the campus? Keep your grades up. They require an update on your grades. Yes, if you have accomplished something very worthwhile, send an update. But only if it is really something new. Can you afford it? Make sure that this is affordable for you. Financial aid is not CMU’s forte.
I wasn’t able to schedule an interview from CMU (partially because of a confusion over citizenship/using CIEE or not, partially my fault for not following up on the problem), but I am still very very interested in the school. How else can I show interest? I’ve seen in other places that interviews are really important for CMU, and I really don’t want that to shed a bad light on my application. Please help!
When you send the thank you note to your interviewer, include how specific on how the interview impacted you, Also let admissions know that the interview has really made a difference to you and how, so that they know this.
I see this all of the time. Kid spends most time, energy, attention on a lottery ticket school, so that the apps are not as keenly directed at realistic choices that are still highly selective and where that great app could truly tip the scales. Seriously, at schools like HPY, and Stanford is in that group, the finesse in the apps rarely make a bit of difference, but at schools like CMU, they can.