Why is this school awesome?
CMU’s gorgeous 143-acre urban campus in Pittsburgh, PA is home to a group of impressive students, faculty and staff making strides in computer science, literature, business, etc. as well as dozens of on-campus research projects. The university is known for rewarding creativity and entrepreneurship, so if you like to think outside the box, there is no better place to get started on an interesting project. Around 3,600 students live on campus in one of several houses for undergraduates, and each house develops a strong sense of community through organized recreational activities the school uses to bring its students closer. In addition to rigorous academics, CMU takes pride in its successful sports teams and emphasis on physical education for its students. Both the Tartans’ football team and tennis team have had impressive showings throughout the past several decades, and in recent years the cross-country team has also performed very well. The university’s impressive recreational facilities like the Skibo Gymnasium as well as the very popular intramural sports program on campus keep students active, so there is a real balance between physical and mental discipline amongst the student body. Overall, Carnegie Mellon University offers a truly well-rounded education, esteemed as one of the nation’s premier research institutes, and the opportunities for expanding your horizons as a CMU student are endless.
5 Words to Describe Campus?
MODERN, COZY (small-town vibe with lots of restaurants), COLORFUL (some of the buildings glow different colors at night!), SPACIOUS, & VARIED (while parts of campus have clusters of large, structurally-impressive buildings, some areas are green as far as the eye can see!)
The “Typical Student” is…
Passionate, diligent, creative, ambitious, & inquisitive.
International Perspective?
Over 22% of the undergraduate student body at CMU is comprised of international students from 80 different countries. Carnegie Mellon also has campuses in other nations such as Qatar, and dozens of different locations around the world for students to study abroad. The Tartans Abroad program helps students find enriching internships and other opportunities in a place of their choosing.
Tips for the Application Process?
The admissions office at Carnegie Mellon is looking for some skill or experience that distinguishes you from the other qualified applicants they are looking at. For visual arts, for example, an impressive portfolio is key to a good application. For STEM majors, some research or project you have completed that you can demonstrate affected your learning would be more impressive than good grades alone. Also, show that you are determined to succeed and that you are passionate about the topic you are applying to study. Carnegie Mellon is different from other colleges in that you aren’t receiving a traditional education, you are diving deep into a topic of interesting and learning the real-world skills to be successful in a profession related to that interest, so the admissions office wants to know you really plan to stick it out!
Fun Fact?
There is a large network of steam tunnels that connect all the buildings on campus underground. These tunnels can really come in handy during harsh winters in Pennsylvania, but very few students know where to find the entrances to the tunnels, and even fewer know how to navigate them!
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