I have already been accepted to [a program], and entrepreneurial program. I have plans to focus on CS and design several applications and market them accordingly.
But I recently got admitted into CMU SAMS. I heard this program is very prestigious but is it actually? I heard the acceptance rate to be around 7% but students are getting in with relatively low standardized testing scores.
Is CMU SAMS really worth it? I hope to major in CS or Engineering of some sort.
Thanks
Summer programs make very little difference on your resumé, unless they are free and very competitive to get on. Otherwaie, they are all seen as paying to play, which typically doesn’t impress colleges. You should just do the one that appeals most.
You choose the thing you will enjoy. Bottom line. You get into college doing the things you like. That’s what’s important.
Agree with @Lindagaf Do what you enjoy. If money is an issue, do the free program.
would listing that I was accepted somewhere on my app have any bearing on my application. This program is relatively difficult to get into so if I included the fact that I got in but didn’t attend, would this have any weighting on my app?
I would not list programs you were accepted to but didn’t attend. Focus on what you actually did not what you passed up.
This is an email I got from a SAMS alumni who currently attends Carnegie Mellon.
Generally, SAMS is a really fun pre-college experience that allows you to see what college could be like on a smaller scale. You take 3 main classes (math, physics, and cs) and then pick two electives. You’ll have a presentation at the end for whomever decides to come see and you’ll get to take lots of trips around Pittsburgh along the way!
She also said that SAMS won’t get you into CMU, but it does demonstrate interest.
Also, I actually called a while ago and the confirmed acceptance rate was about 10% (100 accepted out of a little more than 1000). I would say considering the fact that it has a sub 20% acceptance rate and the fact that it is a generally free program, it’s pretty prestigious. The thing that sets it apart from MITES and other programs is that it seems to focus more on actually helping the good students who need the extra push to succeed in the college admissions process, not students who are just trying to find another interesting thing to put on their app. All in all, it seems to focus more truly on diversity (even grade and test score-wise) than prestige. I got in, and I’m certain it’s going to help me quite a lot with my SAT score. Taking the Calculus, Programming, and Physics classes are allowing me to take Calc BC, Comp Sci A, and Physics C next year, so that’s a plus.
But honestly, I’d there’s anyway you could do both try and see. We’ve actually already made a groupchat with some of the acceptees and we’re all getting to know each other too.
I cannot do both sadly, I definitely would have done both. I did not choose SAMS because I feel I would not benefit from it as much as others. Im already done with SAT/ACT testing, Calculus and Physics. Someone else could have benefitted more than me, it was not right for me to take a spot in this program over someone else who needs it more.
Thanks for this info, hope you have a good time. @ak2018
@kjake2000 Well that’s perfectly fine.