Carnegie Mellon University Top Questions

Academics at CMU are rigorous, no doubt. You work hard, all the time, but it's largely rewarding. After graduation, most alums say that the real world never compares to the challenge and time you had to put into your work. The key thing about CMU is the Professors, who are open, helpful, and often spend plenty of time with students out of classroom settings. CMU flourishes with plenty of class participation, as well as small classes and exciting seminars.

My professors know my name, for better or worse. My favorite classes are the ones where I get to figure stuff out, rather than just try in find a model problem in the notes to copy line for line. The students are not competitive, because we are usually not graded on an overly strict curve. Everyone is helpful, because they know that next week they will need your help. CMU student's conversations generally revolve around classes...The academic requirements at CMU are very demanding, but I think it will pay off once I get a job. Once I graduate, I'll have to learn how to relax and feel non-stressed. It will be weird. There is such a strong emphasis on research here (and so many opportunities to do it) that there can't help but be an atmosphere of learning for the sake of learning. Oh, and my least favorite class was one where everything was graded by group work. Worst grading scheme EVER!! But, that doesn't happen too much.

School at CMU is tough; there is no way of getting around it, but I feel like the students here often thrive off of that intensity. People want to put their best into their work and so they do.

The academics here are, obviously, some of the best in the country. As a drama student I don't take a lot of "academic" classes, but the classes I do take don't make me feel like my major is inferior at all. I'm constantly working, constantly challenged, and constantly knowing that what I'm learning now will benefit me when I leave. All my professors know my name, and all my class sizes are small and controlled. There are a lot of interesting classes here and the main issue is scheduling them around your core classes. There is a huge list of classes I want to take before I leave here, and I know I'll enjoy every one of them.

I can talk more about CIT (CMU's school of engineering) than anything else on campus. First of all, CIT only has 8 general education requirements. I only have to take 4, because they are easy to get out of if you have taken AP tests in history, foreign languages, etc. My particular major lets me be flexible, however, and I can take more humanities courses if I so choose. Or I can choose to take more math or computer science. My favorite classes are ones with professors who make whatever they are lecturing about interesting and who really make you think (there are a lot of those on campus). I've been told many times that getting an engineering degree (especially in Electrical and Computer Engineering, my major) is about learning how to think and solve complex problems, which allows you to step into a variety of jobs after getting your degree, so the actual material you learn in your classes isn't extremely important. Most engineers go straight into the industry after CMU (some end up in consulting or on Wall Street). CIT pushes you to get internships over the summer and there are many career fairs on campus throughout the year.

CMU is a difficult school, although there are lots of resources to help get you through it. The student body is definitely an asset here since we're not competitive. People here are very smart, but also very well rounded. It can be strange at times. My major is Civil and Environmental Engineering, with a double in Engineering and Public Policy. What I really like about our CEE department (over schools like Berkeley) is that we are small which allows for a lot of collaboration amongst students and faculty. It's a very warm environment & we do lots of activities together (canoing, skiing, baseball games, BBQ). I have been very, very happy with our department. CMU requires engineering majors to take a certain number of humanities courses, some of which must be in the same subject. I think this is very valuable in creating a well-rounded individual. The education itself, at least for engineering, is practical, in the sense that most classes are project based. You get a real-life sense of engineering that I think prepares you for going on to a job later on. However, I know a lot of the other majors focus on theory, which is better aimed towards graduate school. I think that whatever you want to do afterwards, CMU prepares you for it. I, for instance, will be attending graduate school before I start working, & it's been easy to find internships, full-time jobs, and get into top notch schools (MIT, Cornell).

Well I'm a Civil and Environmental Engineering major so I take calc, physics, intro to civil engineering, and this semester I took the two required freshman courses that some people are taking next semester-computing and interpretation/argument (a writing course). Calc has an amazing teacher and includes a lecture 3 times a week that has about 100 kids in it and 2 recitations a week taught by a TA that has a bout 20. Same with physics. Calc the teacher is AMAZING. Intro to civil meets 3 times a week and is also about 20-30 kids and we do labs in there and lectures. Interpretation and argument is a required course and there are a million topics to choose from to be in including peace, race, Walt Whitman, sex, simpsons, and lucky me-comic books. I have the best one. In this class you talk about issues and write papers dealing with your topic. Computing is gay but its only for 6 weeks and its just a pass/fail so you only need a 75{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c} and a P goes on your transcript for pass. Easy 3 credits. Next semester I will be in a different Intro to engineering (I chose which), physics 2, calc 2, and any course in H & SS (humanities and social sciences) At one point I was sure I was failing Physics. But after an exam we had Monday I went to talk to the professor and he and I sat there for an hour and a half going through all my exams. So thats another thing I got to say about CMU...the professors dont have as many students as at state schools and they are teaching kids they KNOW are smart (nothing against state schools) so they really really care about you! He would have sat there with me many more hours if I wanted to. He even started talking about his brother and his wife it was cute. :)

CMU is very strong in academics. Students are here because they want to learn and they want to be the best in the field. Students are always willing to help fellow classmates, CMU is not so competitive that students want to sabotage others in any way. CMU has a very rigorous computer science program. It's difficult but worth it, top recruiters come directly to the School of Computer Science because they know we receive a fantastic education.

Professors almost always know your name, and if they don't, go visit their office hours, ask a question or two, and make sure they know you. They really do want to help you out. Another good thing about academics is that, by and large, people study things that they are really passionate about. I'm a nerd for finance and the markets, and I find people that I can talk about that with. It's not my whole life, not at all, but it's good that I can talk about interesting things with my peers on campus. I've seen the same thing among other majors like engineering, history, or even math and computer science.

The professor on campus are really friendly. You can walk up to them at almost anytime and start a conversation. Students tend to be working on class work often. Some students can be competitive about grade but not really. I'm a double major in Chemical Engineering and biomedical engineering. i love both departments and have close relationships with all my teachers in the departments.

runeen iz fun

For the most part, all the professors make an attempt to get to know you and your name, so its definitely up to you to follow through (office hours, for example). My favorite class was Heat and Mass transfer taught by Professor Kris Dahl, my first female professor as an engineer and she was the best professor ever. I usually prefer male professors but this lady knows how to teach! My least favorite class was Intro to Chemical Engineering and Modern Biology I. I didnt like these classes mainly because of the professors who taught it. I would say students study more hours than they sleep in a week! CMU is not an easy school, but all this work pays off in the long run! I would say that for the most part, the same students participate in class some professors actively encourage others (by calling on them or not letting the same people respond) but that's not the case for all classes. Also, most classes (engineering) are lecture style so its not necessary for you to "participate" but people usually feel comfortable asking questions.

Class sizes and professor-student interaction depends on ones major. As a Professional Writing major my classes are often seminar style, contingent upon student interaction with a maximum of 20 students to the one professor, hence the PW major is a small community where you tend to see the same professor for different courses and people know each other. However Engineers tend to have more large lectures with little participation and only really get in contact with the TA's through recitation. CMU students have to spend a great deal of time studying outside of the classroom to be successful, no matter what major they have. My largest grievance about the academic experience is that the school forces student interaction very heavily in the sciences and math field despite a students lack of interest in that field, and often forces students to engage in the study of philosophy and theory that does not appear to be significant in getting jobs.

All of my professors know my name, but its because I approach them and introduce myself. The classes are almost never too large where a professor cannot get to know you. My favorite class is Social Psychology. I took it my sophomore year and am now a TA. The professor is like a stand up commedian, asking students for examples of prejudice and stereotype that they have encountered and in turn telling hysterical stories to illustrate fascinating topics. Each semester her class has at least 60 students on the wait list, even when the class has 140 students enrolled. Students study very often at CMU. it is not a slacker school by any means, and the classes can be quite difficult if you are in a hard major. Participation is uncommon in larger classes but common in smaller ones. If you are lucky you find a large class that is intriguing enough to have participation, but mostly its only 3 or 4 students who carry the whole lecture by speaking up, and nobody likes them anyway. The most unique class I took was an English composition class titled "Vampires". Our Interpretation and Argument classes have many different themes, ranging from "the Matrix" to "the Simpsons". Mine was based around the lore and persistence of vampire lore and literature in the modern culture and what it symbolizes about western culture. I am a psychology major in the College of Humanities and Social Sciences. My major is one of the most easy, and one of the most interesting majors in the school. Because of this, I decided to take on additional course work including languages such as Chinese and Spanish and a Minor in Biology. It is definitely nice to have the fexibility to add to my education. Not all majors have room for additional coursework. I spend time with professors outside of class when I can. I find most of them to be great academic resources and very interesting people outside of the classroom, but many don't have time to sit around and chat. My education at CMU is a bit of both, to get a job and for the sake of learning. I am going onto a masters degree in a different subject, so my education is because I want to learn.

All professors are different, however most will go out of their way to help students and inspire them. Having transfered to CMU from a different university, I can definitely say the quality of professors in CMU is far more higher than others. Students, likewise are all different, however quite a few of them are happy to pursue academics outside the classroom in the form of research, individual projects, or clubs such as the Robotics Club. CMU's academic requirements are fairly tough however, and sometimes makes it difficult to pursue activities other than those required in classes. However, the number of classes a student is willing to take is up to the student after all. Compared the previous university that I have attended, CMU is far more geared towards learning for learnings sake. However, I believe this is mainly due to the fact that CMU students do not quite require a 'masking' of their ability to get things done. Although CMU does not spend as much time trying to get students job compared to my other school, its students are often employed at higher rates with higher salaries.

for alot of classes you are a number on a page--maybe they have your picture--teachers will mispronounce your name the entire semester because you'll never get close enough to them to correct them. alot of classes have over 100 kids in them. You are not an individual. There are some good classes where your teachers will give a shit about you, but alot of teachers are here doing research for the school and are teaching the classes on the side so they don't give a fuck. If you're not here to get sent through a tube directly into the job market then you are wasting your time. You're here to build the base of a career--if you think learning is fun then get out because learning is about getting a job.

Oh god.

The professors in classes that I go to know my name. Student study too much and bitch too much about it. Class participation is common in smaller lectures. CMU students talk a lot about intellectual stuff. CMU students are very competitive. CS is great cause everyone knows we're the best and most of the kids in my major are pretty smart.

some do. no favorite class, least favorite is interp. everyday. somewhat. yes. yes. principles of computation. business administration, very friendly staff. no. bull. applying what we learn to jobs.

Professors in H&SS tend to know your name-big science classes, not so much. Students study all the time, it doesn't make sense how much we all seem to work. Class participation varies by the subject. Some classes are horrible to participate in, other not so much. Students are extremely competitive in Tepper and MCS. It made me want to never want to talk to them again. CMU is geared towards getting a job.