I know GPA and SAT/ACT scores are important, but what other factors determine your likelihood of getting in?
(I’m talking about race, gender, extracurricular, basically anything that can help me)
Being female might help. I’d imagine ECs in the CS field would also be helpful. No clue on URM tip there. CMU is need-blind so applying or not for FA shouldn’t matter, but they do not claim to meet financial need (in some cases they do for ED only, and I assume ED is also a tip there). Demonstrated interest - have you visited, interviewed, contacted them, etc.? First-generation to attend college is a tip.
SCS is a school, not a program, and admits separately from the other schools. I think you put your first choice, second choice, etc. on the application (except ED< you only put one), and if accepted to one switching to another is much like transferring colleges, so it’s best to be sure what you want there.
They say applicants are rarely admitted to a college if it isn’t their first choice on the app.
Aaaah thank you for replying
EC’s that relate to CS are definitely a big plus. This includes apps, websites, etc. that you coded.
Being a URM Female could help, but not as much.
Good essays are also crucial, really clarifying your interest in Computer Science and Carnegie Mellon’s Comp Sci program.