Carnegie Mellon University Top Questions

What are the most popular student activities/groups?

Connor

Robotics engineering clubs, Formula SAE racing, service organizations and a plethora of business clubs that cover every field of business.

Anonymous

Popular organizations include athletic teams/clubs, fraternities/sororities and a huge assortment of clubs. Personally most of the clubs didn't do it for me, but many people get very involved. RAs freshman year will tell you to leave your doors open, but most people don't. Sporting events are pretty sparsely attended. Dating...oh boy. There's a saying here that you develop "CMU Goggles" due to the unattractive population, and I have to admit that attractive girls are pretty few and far between. I hear it's the same for guys. Whether you want a relationship or hookup is up to you, and many people who were unlucky dating-wise before (such as myself) will have better odds here. Traditions include the Fence, which groups will take over at night and paint as well as Carnival, which has Buggy races, building booths and about as much partying as the rest of the year combined. As I said previously, socially CMU is lacking. Plenty of people here have no interest in a social life. There's really no parties during the week even at Pitt, but that's just sensible as you should be doing schoolwork then. Fridays are pretty light with some house parties every now and then, and usually 2 frat parties on a Saturday. Although it seems like the school is trying to get rid of Greek life (about 10 frats have been kicked off in the last decade), most of the groups are solid and the vast majority of partying goes on there. There's plenty of stuff to do non-drinking (go to a restaurant, museum, anything in Pittsburgh) but most of the social students drink moderately.

Max

Seemingly fraternities and sororities are seen most often on campus selling things or whatnot. I am not really sure what other groups there are. I see students playing cricket sometimes or ultimate frisbee. There are a lot of student athletes as well. Also, students are fairly active in student government, i.e. it's a big deal here.

Jule

Starting answering!If you like designing and building the vehicles, driving them, or racing them up hills, you may become one of the many people captivated by Buggy. Drivers and mechanics get up as early as 4am on weekends to work on this unique sport, and its one of the most popular activities on campus. The fraternities create their own Buggy teams, and some of the independent Buggy clubs are so large and active they seem like fraternities themselves. Buggy is a great way to become part of a community, and groups tend to show a lot of team spirit. Improv is another popular activity with 2 clubs on campus. One of these clubs has gotten known by offering a weekly improv class to anyone interested in dropping by and free shows every other week. I made a lot of friends through this group, which tends to hang out and get dinner after meetings. Other numerous student productions include student music groups and the musicals by the student theater group. (Although rumor has it, it’s hard to get a part if you’re not already friends with members of the theater group). The Drama school also performs free student-run productions almost every week, in addition to its larger scale productions. Booth is another CMU tradition. Fraternities, sororities, and individual clubs compete by creating one or two level wooden buildings based on a theme given to them by the judges. Each building must contain a game for the public to play and be educational in some way. The booths are displayed in the end of the year Carnival and have lured many students into all nighters. In addition to on campus activities, it’s not uncommon for students to look off-campus, be it for jobs, volunteering with health care, or kung fu lessons. In general, it’s inconvenient to go downtown, but Shadyside and Bloomfield can offer interesting events like Slam Poetry and shows.

Joshua

Carnegie Mellon offers a wide variety of activities and organizations for students. Trust me, when you walk into the Activities Fair at the beginning of each semester, you will know there is something for everyone. Academic groups and activities are very popular; these range from The Tartan (our newspaper) to organizations that support probably every engineering and mathematics program. Artistic groups are probably the most popular, and CMU offers a wide assortment of these fun and interactive clubs and groups. Scotch n' Soda (non-major theatre group), Dancer's Symposium, Lunar Gala (fashion show), and various vocal groups are all fantastic student activities, some of them even achieving national recognition. Last, but definitely not least, are social groups and sports groups. Around 20{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c} of the student population participates in Greek life, and a large majority of the population participates in sports (for non-athletic people like myself, fun intramural sports are offered). Cross-country, rowing, tennis, and swimming are some of the most popular on campus. Outside of clubs and organizations, CMU hosts many fantastic events and guest speakers. Just this year, Mark Zuckerburg (CEO of Facebook) chose Carnegie Mellon as one of only three campus to speak to. Outside of school, the social life is also at a great high. The city offers great venues for eating, music, film, and shopping for some fun on the weekend. And if you're looking for the 'classic college experience', there is almost always a party somewhere near campus that all are 'free' to attend (sometimes there is an entrance fee, especially for guys). No matter what your particular interests are, the school offers great opportunities to meet new people and develop great friendships.

Tahirah

There are 276 student organizations on this campus, and if it's possible that one doesn't match your interests you can pretty easily start a new one. Twice a year at the Activities Fair these organizations set up tables with plenty of information about themselves, and the members are eager to connect with you.

Anna

If you don't know what Carnival is, then you don't know Carnegie Mellon University. Every April, CMU students literally construct a carnival from the ground up for a four day holiday. Complete with carnival rides, student-made booths, Buggy races, frat socials, free music concerts, etc., Carnival is the weekend that CMU students live for. Carnival stretches from Thursday until Sunday with back-to-back-to-back activities. It is the time that students get to show their true colors and sport their neon hats and rainbow sunglasses while they chill in the sun with friends.

Caroline

If there's just one word to describe the Carnegie Mellon student activity experience, it'd be involved. Despite a heavy course load, most students find time to get involved in at least one (although usually upwards of 4) student organizations. Greek life encompasses about 20{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c} of our student body on any given year, and those folks are extremely active on campus. Other than that, Scotch n Soda Theatre, a student-run theater company for non-majors, is extremely popular with students that loved drama in high school but aren't majoring in it. There are several campus publications to work on, 5+ a cappella groups, international service organizations, intramural and club sports teams, and so much more. I've been involved in The Oakland Review, our oldest literary journal, as editor-in-chief and poetry editor; a committee member for the Hillel-Jewish University Center; a Highland Ambassador, a student link between Alumni Relations and our current students; and IMPAQT, an ambassadorship program to bridge the gap between our Qatar and Pittsburgh campuses. Every semester, countless speakers and musicians come to campus (often free events)--everyone from the New Pornographers to Chuck Klosterman to Mark Zuckerberg to the president of Rwanda to Guster. There is always something interesting going on, either on or off campus. Pittsburgh is awash with art gallery crawls, concerts, major league sports events, opera, orchestra, museums, and parks.

Joshua

Carnegie Mellon offers a wide variety of activities and organizations for students. Trust me: when you walk into the Activities Fair at the beginning of each semester, you will know there is something for everyone. Academic groups and activities are very popular; these range from The Tartan (our newspaper) to organizations that support probably every engineering and mathematics program. Artistic groups are probably the most popular, and CMU offers a wide assortment of these fun and interactive club and groups. Scotch n' Soda (non-major theatre group), Dancer's Symposium, Lunar Gala (fashion show), and various vocal groups are all fantastic student activities, some of them even achieving national recognition. Last, but definitely not least, are social groups and sports groups. Around 20{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c} of the student population participates in Greek life, and a large majority of the population participates in sports (for non-athletic people like myself, fun intramural sports are offered). Cross-country, rowing, tennis, and swimming are some of the most popular on campus. Outside of clubs and organizations, CMU hosts many fantastic events and guest speakers. Just this year, Mark Zuckerburg (CEO of Facebook) chose Carnegie Mellon as one of only three campus to speak to. Outside of school, the social life is also at a great high. The city offers great venues for eating, music, film, and shopping for some fun on the weekend. And if you're looking for the 'classic college experience', there is almost always a party somewhere near campus that all are 'free' to attend (sometimes there is an entrance fee, especially for guys). No matter what your particular interests are, the school offers great opportunities to meet new people and develop great friendships.

Daniel

No one group is particularly influential or large on campus, although the performing arts are somewhat prevalent. The non-major theater company (Scotch 'n' Soda), various a capella groups (Soundbytes, Counterpoint, etc.), and dance groups (Chak De, Dancer's Symposium) are a common interest among the student body. Video games are universally played, if not particularly organized. Fraternities and sororities have grown exponentially in the last few years, and are a strong pillar of the school's social life, though not required to have fun. CMU is a geeky school, and its greek organizations are very different from those at any other university.

Cassie

Banghra, intramurals, Greek life, parties, social discussions. Carnival is huge.

L

So I have no clue because I'm busy in rehearsal.

L

So I have no clue because I'm busy in rehearsal.

David

Student Activities Some suggested topics: What are the most popular groups/organizations/clubs/teams on campus? · Tell us about a group you're involved with. · Do students in dorms leave their doors open? · How popular are athletic events? Guest speakers? Theater? · Tell us about the dating scene. · How did you meet your closest friends? · If you're awake at 2am on a Tuesday, what are you doing? · What traditions/events happen each year? · How often do people party? · How important are fraternities/sororities? · What did you do last weekend? · What can you do on a Saturday night that doesn't involve drinking? · What do you do off campus?

Jesse

If you are awake at 2 am on a tuesday you are either doing laundry, studying, working on a project, or hanging out with people in an attempt to have a social life. One of the best things of the year is Carnival. We get a 4 day weekend, party, have events, free food, and just get to relax a little but. A lot of social people are in frats or sororities, but you don't have to be in one to be social.

Andy

I loved a cappella. The theater performances are among the best in the country at a university level. Lots of interesting speakers, many of whom are huge names. I saw Bill Gates and Obama speak. There always tends to be a party somewhere.

Chris

Lots of leaders on campus, so the clubs are really active and do a lot of cool events. There's an Indian club that puts together amazing parties with great food and amazing dances every year. They also do this one event where people spray paint all over each other. The A Capella groups put on lots of concerts. The frats host campus events like a huge BBQ every year that is actually really good, etc. All sorts of fun events: hot dog eating contests, water slides, white-water rafting...

Ryan

You won't have time for a non-stop social life, but you will meet and interact with people who you will love for the rest of your life. We work hard, and we play hard (ish). We're not a party school, but we're also not prudes. There are parties, and friends provide entertainment amoung themselves. There is also a greek life option, though this is not my domain and not something I see as very prevalent/necessary to a good four years. Expect to work on the weekends, and schedule friends around exams/projects. Also expect to spend time in labs late at night and early in the morning. However, know that free time will be worth that much more to you.

Blake

A bagpipe practice on the Cut at Carnegie Mellon.

Jesse

Social hierarchy: Tier 1 - Half-Life 2 and WoW Tier 2 - Starcraft chat and RL time in the computer lab (not doing hw) Tier 3 - Cool non-cs majors Tier 4 - Uncool non-cs majors Tier 5 - Faculty

Heather

Everyone has their own group or club that they're a part of, so it's difficult for me to say which is the most popular. Because CMU has an unusually large Asian population, their groups tend to be quite large, Such as the Taiwanese and Asian Student Associations. I would like to say that the dating seen is non-existent, but that could be a bit extreme... My closest friends lived in my dorm, including my room-mate, but it took us a while to become friends, and for a long time it seemed like we were heading towards not being able to stand each other, but then that suddenly was reversed. If I'm awake at 2 am on a school night, I'm studying for an exam or else finishing up a long homework assignment. Fraternities and sororities are a big deal to some people, particularly because of the buggy races ( a HUGE CMU tradition that is fueled mainly by the frats and sororities). Also, frats are where most of the parties are held. To avoid drinking on a Saturday night, you can go to a party with friends and just dance w/0 drinking (I do that because I don't drink, but my friends say that I already act likeI'm at drunk at parties because I get kind-of hyper...). Also, you could go out ot eat (many restauraunts in Oakland), go to a movie (buses to the Waterfront until late at night), or go bowling, etc.

Tristan

My closest friends are my floormates, especially the one that lives next to my room. Every Friday or Saturday night, students here always hang out with their friends on or off campus. There are many events, which will be informed via email, going on everyday at CMU.

Alex

I've heard the expression "CMU is where fun goes to die." Completely false. Many students live by a Work Hard Play Hard sort of rule. CMU kids party, and CMU kids know how to have fun. Parties at a smaller school like CMU tend to feel safer also, since you will always know most people there. All the studying on weekends and sober seasons for sports are ENTIRELY worth it by the time Carnival comes around. 2 days off of classes plus a weekend meant for nothing but partying, relaxing, and carnival rides. This is definitely one of the best college traditions I've heard of at any school. Sports aren't very popular to watch, but being a college athlete is an incredible opportunity. Most CMU sports teams are ranked pretty high in NCAA Division 3, so our sports are very competitive for a nerd school. Being a girl at CMU, I find myself out numbered, at about a 3-2 ratio. Being a girl in the Carnegie Institute of Technology (Engineering), I find myself VERY out numbered, about 3-1. It's not so bad though, unless you are boy shopping. The odds are good, but the goods are odd.

Amanda

Not everyone here is a nerd like most people think. What seperates CMU from other institutions is that the students know how to buckle down and study but they also go to parties and have fun. I once hated Pittsburgh, but it has grown on me. Everyone calls it a "fake city." I agree with that sometimes, but there is a lot to do. All the sporting events - Pirates, Steelers, Penguins - are easily accessible by bus. There are some great restaurants and shopping too. Definitely not just a college town.

Alonzo

So this is where CMU sucks. Doing all your work and having a social life is tough. Usually, you have too much work to do anything else. If you want to be an A student, you will be doing more work than fun. You will see nerds in the computer clusters, and you will see the drama/theater majors outside dancing or singing somewhere random. Since I joined a fraternity, it has been pretty easy meeting fun and easy going people. If you have the time, I would definitely consider going greek if you want to take your social life to the next level at CMU. Do not get me wrong, it is still possible to have a great social life w.o being greek but it will be harder for those of you who have lots of work. In summary, I actually like CMU a lot and I would not change my choice. Also, the closest bar, Phi bar, started scanning ids so the population of students with fake ids is pretty unhappy at the moment.

Laura

You don't have to join greek life to have a social life, but it's always there as an option. There's a club on campus for almost anything and they actually mean it when they say you can start one if you don't find one you like. Every weekend there are $1 movies playing in one of the auditoriums which is great. Really it's all about finding a group of people who are into doing the same type of things for fun that you are, and that can be anything from playing laser tag through the dorms or party hopping or having a soccer tournament.

Alex

I've been fortunate to see student life from a few viewpoints. First, I was a resident in a hall. The dorm was this great old mansion converted into a dorm, and our floor had a very tight family feel to it. We felt safe to leave our doors open when we were there, and most of my close friends were from that first year. I was an RA for my second and third years at CMU, and I got to see student life from a different viewpoint. I didn't realize during my first year how much time people invested to make our first year experience what it was. There are always a lot of dorm events going on, which is great. Floor events include trips to the ballet, the theatre, student productions, sporting events...you name it, we do it. I also joined a sorority in my sophomore year. At this point, most of the girls that I know outside of student life are also Greek. Percentage-wise, Greek life doesn't look big at CMU, but if you look closer, most of the student leaders on campus--student government, student life, volunteering organizations, tour guides, etc.--are Greeks. We're an involved group of people, who have a huge role in Carnival, Booth, and Buggy. Being Greek during Carnival, after putting in sleepless nights for building these things, makes you really appreciate the strong network you have around you. For me, my sorority and the Greek community in general has played a huge defining role in my experience at CMU, but I know lots of people who could care less about it. My roommate was the captian of the crew team and never had any interest in Greek life, and yet we're still great friends. It's all about what YOU want personally and joining an organization for the right reasons.

Jake

Student life at CMU can be fun if you simply take chances and try new things. Students are found doing any number of activities including sports, art, theater, research, coding, and having a good time.

Miriam

Do students in dorms leave their doors open? - I do

Alex

CMU has athletics but in all honesty there are about equal numbers of players on the field as there are fans. There is one thing that CMU has that no other college can offer-BUGGY! It sounds a little crazy to the uninitiated but once you get involved you can have a great time. Buggy is part of Spring Carnival and involves teams gathered from fraternities, sororities, and independent organizations. Teams build a buggy, and participate in a race-sort of like a soapbox derby where you have to push it up the hill too. Teams practice and prepare all year for the race and those 4am build sessions are insane, exhausting, exhilarating, often silly and something that you'll remember forever(unless those paint fumes get to you).

Lauren

In freshman housing, there is a greater sense of community than in upper classmen dorms. Extracurriculars exist on campus however, academics take such a focus that student tend to limit their envolvement. Athletics are available at all different levels (varsity, club, intermural). If I am awake at 2am on a Tuesday I am either studying, writing a paper, finishin the last bit of my homework or in studio, working on a project. Every year we have Carnival in the spring which is our extended weekend equivalent to thanksgiving in the fall semester. We get Thurs - Sun off and there are special activities planned like a concert, a comedian, etc. Also there is booth which consumes many people's free time throughout spring semester as greek and other organizations each build themed 2 story structures that are later exhibited and toured by the student body and other visitors in the area. When people party on the weekends (Fri and Sat) there is often an excessive amount of drinking because the students cannot participate at any other point in the week like many other schools do. Therefore, many students decide to party "harder" on the weekends.

Ryan

Whatever you want, you got it. Greek life, music, dancing, intramural sports, club sports, cultural groups....

Jason

There is always a lot going on on campus on weekends. One social highlight is the annual evening football game in the fall. With Pittsburgh there is plenty to do that doesn't involve booze, museums, concerts, etc. But if you want parties, you can usually find somewhere to go. The hook up culture is definitely prevalent. Dating, not so much, probably because people don't think they have time for it.

Cody

First-year dorms start with an open door policy. For the first month of school, if you are not having a confidential conversation or studying, your door should remain open during waking hours. This is just to make sure that everyone mingles and gets to know eachother. By October, everyone leaves their door open to make sure that they don't miss person x walking by. This is how I met my closest friends from freshman year. Random people stopped by to say that they liked my room or that they had heard of me and BAM--Its effect is amazing. The campus can be highly social if you are. Most weekends at the beginning and end of the school year have frat parties or club parties that you can go to. During midterms, it tapers off just a bit. You have to restrict yourself when it comes to parties before exams. Still, if you really just want to stay in one weekend, tehre are tons of people who will stay in with you and play Cranium or talk until 6 in the morning. Late night talks are really big in residence halls. If you are involved in so much, like I am, it's one of the only times during the weekday that you can talk to your friends. The key, again, is balance. DON'T stay up until 5 in the morning talking about politics when you have a calculus exam at 8.30am. CMU's in an interesting location because it's right near downtown and right next to UPitt, but it doesn't feel likea city. If you're looking for an NYU, this is not it. Campus is its own entity. We do not have scattered buildings and if you live in an off campus apartment, most shuttles will take you there. This allows us to go into the city for shows, games, and clubbing, but also helps to build our own little community. CMU provides tickets and shuttles to a lot of events and places, but if you can't rely on CMU, you can count on the Pittsburgh bus system which is free for students. Also, every spring we have a fourday carnival. There are rides (ferris wheel, mini roller coaster, etc.) concessions, and booths built by different campus organizations. Also, we bring a comedian and we have a concert every year. Classes are cancelled and buggy races commence. Everybody looks forward to these days. Alumni come back and look at the booths that their organizations built. There is always an awards ceremony at the end and everyone waits anxiosuly to see if their booth or buggy will make the top three. Even if you don't decide on CMU, come to carnival.

Robin

I have a tea party every Thursday night, which I bake for on Wednesday nights with my friends. It took me most of Freshman year to find a good group who didn't drink to hang out with on Saturday nights. When I wasn't in DC, I usually read late and blogged.

alex

You are at one of the toughest schools around and if its 2AM and you are awake you should be working.

Mark

Everybody does Intramural sports. It's a lot of fun and you get to be destroyed by a bunch of 30-year old business majors in football with their kids watching. I think about every other week, some club or organization hosts a party at, well, a club. They're nothing great, but it's something to do. Frats will have parties pretty often, and one (no, I won't say) is pretty awesome, even by normal standards. If you're awake at 2 A.M. on a Tuesday, you're probably with your friends in their room thinking, "I have to wake up in an hour to go to work." Or maybe that's just me; I work the graveyard shift... And I sleep about 2 hours a night.

Alexa

The most popular groups to try and get involved in are probably the Greek Life. There are five sororities and lots of fraternities that people can get involved with, and the Greek life is really exceptional at the school. There are so many ethnic organizations people can join, clubs based on what people's career focuses are, there's a theater organization that puts on shows three or four times a year that you can do on the side, no matter what your major is... Also, there are sports. While the football and basketball teams aren't exactly well known, they do exist and people enjoy them. In addition there are lots of club sports, like racquet ball or ultimate frisbee or soccer. There's a track and football field, tennis courts, swimming pool, so we're well equipped for anyone is interested. Dorm rooms are fun- a great way to get to know a lot of people... doors are usually always left open, there are usually several lounges per floor, etc. There's also a tradition called The Fence. There's a fence on CMU's campus that has been painted so many times, the layers make the fence absolutely huge. You have to take it over over night and stay with it, or it can be claimed. People have BBQs and tents there and try to stake it out as long as possible. Saturday nights, if you don't want to drink or party, Oakland is a fun part of Pittsburgh to be in. There are lots of restaurants that serve half price food after eleven. Also, there is a movie every weekend that hasn't gotten on film yet and is just out of theaters that they show at the University Center for a dollar, and lots of people go.

Jennifer

There are many organizations on campus to be involved with. We have sports teams, music groups, a student run theatre program, and many other groups. Since my major is music, I have not gotten involved with the organizations on campus in this sense. I did join Sigma Alpha Iota which is a music service fraternity. I am also in a social sorority as well. Fraternities and Sororities are not something that everyone is involved with on campus but it is something that I highly recommend. Every year CMU has Greek Sing, Carnival, and Buggy which are highly participated in by the greeks on campus. Greek Sing is where the sororities and fraternities put on 13 min musical performances. It is a huge charity event and competition. This year we made $12,000 for a local charity. Every April we have Carnival as well. This is a CMU tradition where the whole University shuts down for 4 days to let loose and have fun. Some events that happen during carnival are booth, buggy, food, and concerts. Booth is where organizations on campus spend time building mini fun houses. The Thursday of carnival the booths are open for the whole Pittsburgh community to check out. There are also rides and other activities for people to do. Buggy is a huge carnival event as well. Organizations on campus spend the whole year training for this race. It can be compared to a soap box derby and is a great competition to watch. The concerts are a great event as well during Carnival. This year The Roots performed and last year we enjoyed the band Spoon. Carnival is one of my favorite things about CMU and I look forward to it every year.

Paul

A few of the biggest and most well-known student activity groups are the Activities Board (events planning and publicity), The Tartan (student newspaper), Scotch'n'Soda (student-run theater and performance), KiltieBand (kilt-wearing concert/marching band), KGB (semi-anarchic weirdness), and student government itself. Every spring there is a massive Carnival, with local/student bands and acts, rides, student-constructed themed booths, a major concert and comedy act or two, and a four-day weekend to enjoy it all. Frats and sororities aren't really that important. They're usually things that people mention they take part in off-hand. The male-to-female ratio is a bit high. For the guys: you'll probably have to look towards University of Pittsburgh about a mile downtown. For the gals: The odds are good, but some of the goods are odd.

Becca

lots of parties are fun and there are lots of people to meet at them

Lauren

The christian organizations have a huge amount of members, some of the teams like Crew are also very large. I'm on the girls' frisbee team and I couldn't be happier. I could barely play before I joined but they teach everyone how to throw a disc and now I'm quite good. They are also very social outside practices. In freshmen dorms many people leave their doors open, but it declines with the year. Again, most people do not go to sports events and I've never been to a guest speaker event. The drama school puts on many good theatrical productions or Scotch and Soda (drama club) also shows musicals year-round. Dating? haha, well freshmen year there are a lot of things to go to meet people with the frats having frequent parties to recruit. But after that it's mostly whoever you happen to know and if you're looking for a significant other. I met my boyfriend at a party, but I know a few people who were friends for about a year and then started dating. I'm also happy to know that a lot of my gay friends recently connected with a partner (there are a few gay clubs to go and meet people). I'm very rarely awake at 2am on a Tuesday, but if I were it would be for fun. If I had an early class the next day I'd go to bed around 12, but I'd rarely stay up that late for work (unlike a lot of other students here). Carnival happens in April, it's a lot of fun traditional events like buggy races, booth building and almost constant drinking. Mid-way through the semester and definitely towards the end the parties slow down because almost everyone is too busy with work. I think only about 20{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c} of students join a fraternity/sorority but they're good outlets for members and non-members to meet people. Most weekends I stay in and watch movies, but I'd like to be more active in going to clubs/parties. There are many good restaurants that serve food half-off after 11pm. Again, going to clubs tho is often hard because buses stop running and not a lot of students have cars to get out there.

Danielle

The percetnge of the population that even has a social life is small. Within the first couple weeks of school you will either know personally, or recognize the face of every social person at CMU, or at least definitely in your year. At the same time, when you find that group, you will definitely have fun. There's a ton of fun people, some on greek life some not, who love to party and go out to the bars just as much as any state schooler does. At the same time though, you won't find much going on during the week. Everyone here works their asses off Monday - Thursday, and then the social people party hard on the weekends.

Jody

CMU has so many activities, organizations, and clubs that I could not even list them here -- heck I probably don't even know all of them since the list is so vast. The reason for this is simple -- if you can't find a club/organization you'd like to join, you can create it yourself and then apply for money and what not to the Student Body Government (look an organization). As far as a social life goes, well there is definitely the possibility of one at CMU (although not everyone exercises this choice, which is perfectly fine). Students can be found doing "normal" college activities (whatever those are...) on a Friday/Saturday night to entering video game tournaments, like Guitar Hero or Halo. Students can make more friends by attending school sponsored nightly events, which vary from week to week. As mentioned before, Oakland and Pittsburgh is full of a variety of activities to keep you busy. Sporting events, museum tours, shopping districts, etc. are all in/around Pittsburgh. Basically whatever you want to do is up to you, even if that means skipping all your classes (although I wouldn't recommend it).

Maggie

The most popular social event of the year is Spring Carnival. CMU creates its very own midway and the greek community as well as other on-campus organizations spend weeks building "booths" to go along with the rides on midway. Buggy races also occur during Spring Carnival. Students are giving a long weekend to relax and enjoy the carnival before the stress of finals sets in. Carnival is like nothing else and is definitely something you have to experience to understand. Most students do not attend athletic events. The school of performing arts has shows playing on campus every weekend, with discounted student rates. CMU always has guest speakers and presentations and most are extremely valuable if you make the time to attend. There are also $1 movies (recent releases) in the University center on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday nights, with 3 showtimes each night. Some people party every weekend, while others will not party once during their entire time at CMU. Greek life can be a main part of a students life, or not part of a CMU student's life at all. About 10{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c} of CMU students are Greek and nearly all who are involved with Greek life at CMU feel that it was the best decision they made in college, as it is very different at CMU from your stereotypical fraternities and sororities. And if you are awake at 2am on a Tuesday night, you are definitely in the library studying.

Alonzo

So this is where CMU sucks. the social life is tough. usually, you have too much work to do anything else. If you want to be an A student, you will be doing more work than fun. I joined a fraternity because it was too difficult to find students like me around campus. You will see your nerds and you will see the drama majors that are probably high dancing or singing somewhere random. Since I joined a fraternity it has not been so bad tho, I actually like CMU a lot and I would not change my choice. Also, the closest bar, Phi bar, started scanning ids so the population of students with fake ids is sad.

Nico

there are all sorts of organizations on campus, the most well known and active is probably the asian students association. ive met my closest friends by living closely with them in my freshman dorm, or by meeting them at group/organization meetings. ive also made many friends through mutual friends as well. carnival is the most well known tradition at cmu--classes are canceled for two days and its basically just a time to hang out with friends, relax, and party. there are different types of people who party at cmu. some people go out every once and a while on weekends, while some others go out every night. there are also people that never go out to parties. theres a wide range at cmu, and thats one of the things i like most about it. fraternities and sororities are well-known on campus, but they are by no means the most important social aspect of the campus. if you want to party a lot, its likely that youll either join one of these organizations or have many friends who do; but its not necessary to join one in order to meet people.

Liz

I'm involved in greek life and it pretty much dominated my social life. I met my closest friends because we lived close to each other in our freshman year dorm, and we all ended up joining the same sorority. Carnival is the highlight of CMU, and basically serves as the homecoming for alumni. It's a long weekend full of debauchery. People aren't huge party animals, but you can have fun if you look for it. The administration has been clamping down on the fraternities, so a lot of underclassmen now have fake IDs and head to bars on the weekend, to the upperclassmen's dismay.

Liz

Greek life is very strong and a good way to get involved- $1 movies if you dont want to drink

Libby

Theater is very popular, as well as when guest speakers arrive on campus. I am involved in Buggy Sweepstakes, which is a very big deal at CMU.