Pittsburgh, PA
Carnegie Mellon University

I was pretty set on not attending CMU but it ended up being the last school I visited right before the decision deadline and I knew I had to go. It has ended up being the best decision I have ever made. From the size to the people, CMU was everything I could have wanted in a school. One of my major concerns was the social scene because I had heard all the rumors about how CMU is all nerds and there are no parties. This could not be farther from the truth as I have never had trouble finding a party on the weekend and there are plenty of drinking opportunities throughout the week as well (Wine Wednesday lol). The social scene is definitely what you make it out to be. If you are not interested in partying then there will be ample people on your page and if partying is your thing then you will not have trouble finding them (except maybe during finals week but there still tends to be something). The only thing you have to do is make sure to put yourself out there because it would be hard getting invited to parties if you don't know anyone (obviously). Usually the people who complain about the lack of social scene are the ones that don't really put any effort into meeting people and developing their social circle. One huge positive of CMU is that most students are extremely passionate about what they're doing in/out of school. I have had run-ins that have lasted hours because we tend to get very excited about whatever we are talking about. I once ran into a friend while eating with my bf and my friend (an art student) and my bf (comp sci) talked for almost two hours about compression algorithms and the intersection between science and philosophy. People here are very open to talking and love to have mentally challenging (but also silly) discussions. Another example is when my friend group had a two hour discussion at night during midterms about the complexity of mirrors. We then proceeded to challenge each other with riddles and mind games until almost 3 am. If you enjoy kind of goofy mental stimulation then CMU is definitely the place for you because the balance between fun and brains is pretty good and the people here will challenge you to be the best version of yourself as well as support you through difficult times.

The school itself is not outstanding. Nothing in particular draws your eye, and the stereotypes - to an extent - are true. Yet there are also plenty of different people from completely different backgrounds so each person is sure to find a group of like-minded friends.

Carnegie Mellon is amazing. But it's certainly not for everyone. CMU's motto is "my heart is in the work" and no college takes their motto more seriously. Be prepared to spend most of your time doing very tough but fun and rewarding work. You will be challenged but you will also learn so much that it's totally worth it. The job placement for STEM is phenomenal (job fairs are huge here) and graduating from CMU is a serious badge of honor. There is a good variety of extracurricular activities to balance out the intense academics as well. CMU doesn't have a huge party scene; there are some parties but most people are here to study. If you're serious about your studies, like being challenged, and receptive to failure, CMU is for you. This is especially true if you wish to study computer science; CMU has an amazing CS department and graduates from SCS are some of the highest paid college grads in America.

Carnegie Mellon is a great university, located in a great city, my main complaint is that a lot of funding for the CS and robotics department comes from the US government, and that prevents the school from being bold and politically active. It is oddly neutral.

Despite the challenging academic rigor of Carnegie Mellon, the teachers and students there create a passionate and encouraging community. I feel a strong connection to my fellow students. In addition, when I have time to take a break from academics, there are often activities to attend either on campus or in the city.

I felt like it can be a decent environment for me to pursue my degree in Computer Science. It is ranked number 5 in the nation in some websites, which astonished me since the acceptance rate is bit more lenient than most top schools. It would be a good place to have a nice college life from all the research I have done.

Carnegie Mellon is a great school, especially in terms of academics. Everyone here is really smart and works very hard to reach their goals. However, with this comes a lot of stress, where students maybe care a little too much about what goes on in the classroom rather than what goes on in the world outside of it. In terms of sports culture and typical expectations of a college campus, you might not find a lot of that here.

I'm my opinion, Carnegie Mellon is one of the best colleges in the United States. The thing I like best about this college is that there isn't that cut-throat competition feel to the school that plagues many other top colleges, and the environment is pretty chill and relaxed.

It's great! I love the the many, many hackathons and the variety of clubs. The vegetarian dining options are surprisingly decent. Everyone you talk to is smart, but there's no cutthroat competition either. While classes can be hard, help is definitely available. Also, we have snake robots: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8VLjDjXzTiU.

I know Carnegie Mellon has a reputation for being very academically rigorous. However, I believe that despite the academic rigor CMU provides a lot of support and assistance for students to handle their workload and stress. For example, just about everyone - professors, Resident Assistants (RAs), deans, alumni - emphasize that asking for help is not a sign of weakness, but a sign of strength. I have found this to be true, as asking for help decreased my anxiety and allowed me to do better in my classes. My professors have really supported me and helped me and other students manage our workload.