Carnegie Mellon University Top Questions

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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).