CMU In Review

Introduction
Carnegie Mellon is an amazing school, with amazing and ambitious students. Everyone here is extremely bright, and I have found that everyone is very well rounded. Academically, Carnegie Mellon has everything to offer. While we're mostly known for our top ranked engineering and business, our music, design, and drama programs are world renowned, as well as our psychology and architecture. Honestly, all of the programs are top notch. Professors are very accessible and amazing people who love undergraduates. Most undergrads do research here, which is a big plus. Stay away from Carnegie Mellon if you're looking for four years of partying. While there are lots of parties, students are more focused on work. That being said, also stay away if you aren't independent and outgoing. If you don't make things happen for yourself, you won't enjoy Carnegie Mellon.

Campus Life and Social Life
The best part of Carnegie Mellon's campus is its location. Pittsburgh is right down the street: there are tons of art galleries, concerts, plays, and restaurants; not to mention, the Pirates, the Steelers, and the Penguins! Plus, University of Pittsburgh is right next door, so the area in between our schools is really geared towards college kids. The opposite way down the street is Squirrel Hill, a suburban town. There's lots of cafes, shops, and restaurants there. Then there's Shady Side to the side of us. Its an upscale suburban town with good restaurants and good shopping. There are two outdoor malls about 10 minutes away. And don't worry about getting anywhere. Our student ID acts as a free bus pass for any public transit bus. You can go anywhere you want at anytime you want! Plus, there's a five hundred acre park right next to campus with TONS of stuff to do Students also spend a lot of time on campus. There are always campus events and frat parties. Campus is pretty (not gorgeous) with a lot of open space. I'd say people spend about 50/50 on campus/off campus. Basically, if you here that Carnegie Mellon has no social life, they probably actually tried hard to avoid it. The problem with the social life is that a lot of people don't treat themselves to fun, because sometimes they feel the need to study on Friday or Saturday night. Honestly, I think those kids like throwing pity parties for themselves, because I'm double majoring in engineering and I still have time to go out and do things on the weekends, and even some week days. Academics
Carnegie Mellon is the place to be for a great degree. We're probably most known for engineering, computer science, and business, but other top ranked programs include: architecture, psychology, philosophy, design, drama, music, sciences and languages. Our humanities, such as history and English, aren't the strongest, but are still ranked highly. You will definitely get your money's worth here. No matter how good of a student you were in high school, you'll be doing a decent amount of work. The workload is challenging, but if you don't procrastinate, it's not too bad at all. Professors are great: they are very personable and will take time out of there busy day to talk with undergrads. I have my professor's cell phone numbers, and some professors invite students to dinner with their families. TA's are also really great because sometimes the professors are too smart and have trouble explaining basic concepts. At CMU, you'll definitely get a terrific education, and employers, grad schools, and med schools know that. The best thing about Carnegie Mellon academics is that it is not competitive at all! Students are great about helping each other out, and no one is out to get you.

Student Body
There are so many types of people here that it's tough to describe what a typical Carnegie Mellon student is like. I know it sounds cliche, but we have an extremely diverse student population in both ethnicity and personal interests. For every computer science nerd we have a uber-trendy drama major. For every engineering type, we have an artsy type. And the best thing about this is that we aren't bounded by our majors. For example, I'm an engineering student, and most of my friends actually aren't engineers! I'm great friends with art majors, pysch majors, bio and chem majors, music majors, architecture majors... the list goes on and on. Plus, everyone is really well rounded. I'm so surprised to find engineers or business majors who are also amazing musicians or artists. And I'm not talking about dabbling in music or art, I mean can play all of Bach's Two Part Inventions talent. Students here are really amazing. Plus, we have like 150 clubs, so meeting people with your interests is a breeze. Some negatives about the student body: most kids here initially wanted to go somewhere else for college. There are a lot of people who were on Harvard, MIT, and UPenn waitlists, or had their mind set on going to Yale or Stanford. So some kids feel like CMU is second best, and it sometimes shows.

In Closing...
If you choose to go to Carnegie Mellon, get involved as soon as possible, and get involved in something other than academics. Carnegie Mellon is an atypical school that is really down to earth and unpretentious. Everyone here wants to learn and change the world. It doesn't appeal to everyone, but if it fits you and you are hardworking and willing, Carnegie Mellon is a great place to change your life.