PP. CMU's location is fine but not as convenient as Pitt for those who live directly on campus. CMU kids have to walk 15-20 minutes to get to what Pitt kids can get to in 5-10 (downtown Oakland amenities like chain restaurants, stores, popular bars). The CMU kids who live in Shadyside might have different views, since that adjacent neighborhood has a shopping district.

Years ago, I also found their campus less aesthetically pleasing since they did not have buildings as interesting and inspiring as the Cathedral of Learning, William Pitt Union, and Frick Fine Arts building. But that's very subjective.

I think kids from in-state are probably a bit more excited to attend CMU than OOSers who likely missed out on Ivies or MIT. CMU STEM offers a bigger salary bump-up for local kids looking to leave Puttsburgh than other local options. I've never understood the value proposition for humanities majors at CMU. So I'd say the school seems a bit lopsided in its strengths.

I also think well-roundedness and inferred EQ help get people into the STEM majors at Ivies or MIT. People who could realistically major in either STEM or non-STEM. CMU students have more of a flavor of extreme geeking on the preferred STEM major/topic. For example, the autonomous car R&D world is still being shaped almost two decades later by former CMU grads who worked together on DARPA challenge cars.

Some people find Pittsburgh's weather overcast/grey and cold compared to DMV. I personally did not have concerns with the weather vs. MoCo, etc. I think DMV summer humid heat is worse weather. Again, a highly-subjective opinion, and some won't notice the difference.

The people I know who were there were miserable. But also the kind of people who were happiest when they were miserable, if that makes sense? It’s a very specific place and if a prospective student chooses it after speaking with current students and doing a visit and is surprised by the atmosphere once they get there, they weren’t paying attention.

Also, CMU is still focused on providing an excellent education. The Ivies have a slew of other agendas. Sports teams, raising billions of dollars for budgets rivaling those of whole nations, , catering to current and future broligarchs, getting cozy with every influential media outlet, promoting political agendas, etc. It’s a heady and thrilling environment for lots of people. CMU doesn’t offer as many thrills and chills. It’s about the work.

Tell your CMU tales to Central Michigan, whihc also calls themselves CMU:
https://www.cmich.edu/offices-departments/university-communications/brand-guidelines/signature-marks/official-cmu-seal

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What the hell is CMU?

Central Michigan University

I live in Michigan now but grew up in Pittsburgh and lived in DMV for 7 years before moving to Michigan.

"Central" does not have much brand awareness outside of Michigan.

Similarly, DMV people are rarely aware of Pittsburg State University in Kansas. Pitt is never confused with this school even though the "h" in Pittsburgh is frequently left off by out-of-towners.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pittsburg_State_University

CMU is very rigorous and highly respected. One of the reasons why students don't rave about their experience there is that there is much less ego-stroking of the students by the faculty. Faculty members don't tell their students that they are the future masters of the universe. You can actually listen to lectures at Yale that begin with the professors telling the students "you'll want to know this information when you sit on the boards of international banks." That doesn't happen at CMU. Humility. It's a rare and undervalued commodity, until CMU grads get into the real world, when they start quietly wiping the floor with their ego-inflated Ivy graduate colleagues.

Glad my kid was rejected (CS) because seems so many kids miserable.

Anonymous wrote:Oh - good school obviously, but I’ve never heard anyone rave about their experience there.

NP - I loved it. But I was and am very intellectually driven. The faculty was across the board excellent.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What the hell is CMU?

Google still works.

Yo, a-hole, several schools could be CMU. What a child.

When you google CMU carnegie mellon pops up first. But keep on cursing.

And CMU.edu is Carnegie Mellon, too.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I just ran into a third freshman from CMU home for fall break and each one separately said it’s okay/meh/so-so. This really surprised me. One turned 3 ivies down for cmu’s CS program, one is a recruited athlete who really wanted to go there, and one had it as her first choice.

Is this typical or atypical and just a coincidence?

The CS program at CMU is hard. Kids who use test prep or consultants to get in are setting themselves up for misery.

True. It is hard for kids who don’t as well. Ivies are hard for CS/Engineering too. CMU grade inflates more thanthey used to, but less than the ivies. CMU Cs grads , like Ivy grads, can do anything they want afterwards—they need to find a way to stay sane and blow off steam with nonacademic stuff.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What the hell is CMU?

Google still works.

Yo, a-hole, several schools could be CMU. What a child.

When you google CMU carnegie mellon pops up first. But keep on cursing.

Anonymous wrote:What the hell is CMU?

Central Michigan University

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:DD suffered through 4 years. She did not enjoy college and was happy to graduate. With that said, she got a job and is excelling. Most of her friends felt similarly. It’s just a really hard school and the location isn’t great. She will not make the same mistake for grad school.

I thought people live Pittsburgh? Is it CMU’s particular neighborhood that is bad?

Also surprised by that. CMU is in a nice area - Squirrel Hill, Oakland, Shadyside.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What the hell is CMU?

Google still works.

Yo, a-hole, several schools could be CMU. What a child.

Anonymous wrote:What the hell is CMU?

Google still works.