Carnegie Mellon University Top Questions

CMU is a school that feels smaller than it is, which is nice. There are a ton of different departments and things that the school is involved in that I might never hear about, but I'm always associated with them, which is cool. The best part about CMU is the job opportunities. I'm a junior business major, and I had probably 6 or 7 offers for internships in New York City this summer. I'm doing investment banking with a bulge bracket firm, and I never would've gotten even an interview if it weren't for the network I've built here at CMU. These opportunities come at a bit of a price - there is definitely a very real workload here. Classes can be really challenging and they make sure you know what you're talking about by challenging you with group work and projects that can take a lot of time. But this is actually a blessing in disguise as it gives me a TON of great stuff to talk about in interviews. Also, at my internship last summer with Goldman Sachs, I stood out becuase of the work ethic I had built at CMU.

The best thing about CMU is being in the city but having the park in our backyard and alot of open green space on campus. The school is a little small but I like it. If people know about the school they'll open there mouth and say wow but for those that dont know how good the school is often ask me why i didnt go to a good college because i'm smart. I tend to spend most of my time in the ChemE cluster or in my room when i'm working. When its nice out I'll spend the time on the cut just relaxing or reading. School pride varies. We're not a huge sports school only DIII but we do root for are teams. The unsual thing about CMU is carnival and what takes place during it. The second to last weekend of April we have off Thursday and Friday. We have carnival rides come to campus and the student body builds carnival booths with games for little kids in them. The booths range from 8ft tall to 24 ft tall. All are built by the students to a specific theme. The main event that happens during carnival is Sweepstakes, informally called buggy. The easiest way to think of it is a 5 person relay race with a human as the baton. There are 2 uphill portions and 1 downhill. The baton is called a buggy and it has a small college student (5'2 or smaller) laying superman style inside of it stearing. The buggy is pushed up the first hill by 2 pushers and then is shoved down hill. The driver than navigates the course reaching speed of 40 mph then it reaches the bottom of the hill and 3 pushers push the buggy up the last hill. The buggy is only driven by manpower or gravity no motor. All the buggies are built by the student organizations and is ultra competitive. my favorite moment was being there when a new course record was set after 20yrs.

I liek school

I'd say the best part of CMU is the people, definitely. There are sooo many people from different backgrounds, ethnically and culturally, I love it! Also, the networking capabilities, this is the best place to network and realize how many opportunities are out there for you, from faculty/staff/guest to the wide variaty of majors available. I would definitely change the number of people smoking!! I never realized how big smoking was until I came to CMU, international students are the major smokers but are not the only ones. If I could some how convince people to stop smoking, I would do it immediately!:) I also would definitely change the cost, everything about CMU is so expensive, from tuition, to food on campus, dorms, etc. I feel CMU is the perfect size, it's just right, not too big, not too small. Its big enough that i can see a new face everyday, but small enough that I can still recognize familiar faces each day. What's frustrating is that most people have never heard of CMU so when I tell them I go here they have no idea what I'm talking about or how amazing (academically) this school is; but CMU's name is getting bigger so in the future I know that won't happen anymore. I spend most of my time in my room doing work, or in the library/ meeting with friends to do work. Pittsburgh is a collegetown, but being an engineering major, i barely ever interact with anyone from another university; also I hear that when you're over 21 the city/nightlife is amazing; if you're into that. The administration is pretty cool, they're not stuck up for the most part and its very normal to interact/have a good relationship with your dean of your school for example. The biggest controversy on campus I can remember was my freshman year (3yrs ago) when the on campus movie organization wanted to show a porno for that weeks movie...which they did and it was all over the news! As an athlete, I would definitely say that there is not a lot of school pride, its mainly other athletes cheering on other athletes or close friends of athletes. This is very unfortunate because a lot of our teams are REALLY good, for example the volleyball team:)...also, we have a new director of athletics who is amazing and she has done so much in the short 3 years that she has been here and i think school pride has definitely increased!...What is normal about CMU should be the question and I'd say nothing:)...CMU is sooo quirky and has so really cool traditions which really makes me love this school even more because it isnt like the rest, from Buggy to the fence to Holi to Mobots and so on, this school is really cool. Volleyball is an experience that i can never forget, if you have the opportunity to play a sport, i would definitely suggest you do so. The most frequent student complaints is about the food (on campus) and the work load.

A very unique tradition at Carnegie Mellon is the Carnival that happens every year. It is my best annual experience at CMU. Big name performing artists are invited every year for a large concert. Student organizations all compete in two large competitions. The first is called Sweepstakes races, where we all build buggys, which are small missile-like vehicles with a small driver inside, no motor - but a handle attached for pushers to keep the buggy in motion until it gets to the downhill part of the course. It is a very competitive event that ignites student pride in their organizations as it takes dedication, engineering skills, and athletic ability for a team to be successful. The second activity is Called Booth, where a theme is given out each year and the and student organizations have to construct large structures that are fun, creative, appeasing to the eye, and have an interesting activity that accompany them. The Booths are a part of the actual carnival itself where families in the community come out for the rides and famous carny culinary delights. One thing I would definitely change at CMU is the lack of school pride. My junior year the football team was undefeated and maybe 10 percent of the school was aware or cared. The basketball team is also good, but few people care or know. The largest controversy's on campus are always centered around race issues. For instance in 2004 there was a series of distasteful racial jokes in the student newspaper that resulted in protest from several student organizations, especially the minority groups on campus, as well as minority greek organizations. The year following that a Nation of Islam racial extremist was invited to campus to speak by a minority organization on campus, which resulted in a large controversy where many students complained of reverse racism being promoted by the incident. The racial tension is present on campus and proves to be problematic from time to time.

For me, the campus is just the right size. I think this is something that is different for everyone and I just happened to find the right place. I would caution that if you love a large campus, such as a state school, then CMU is probably not the place for you. I think its just a matter of knowing what is right for you and seeking out a school tht meets your needs.

The best thing about CMU is that it is not a liberal arts school. If you go to this school for one thing and decide you want to work with computers, we have one of the best computer schools in the nation. Architecture instead? We have that, design, art, and performance major, all of which rate within the highest programs in the nation. Engineering, business, and psychology each are some of the best programs you can be in, so if you go here unsure, and decide what you want to do, there is no reason to move. The size of the school is fantastic because every day you will meet new people, but you will always see a familiar face around campus. When I tell people that I go to CMU, many don't seem to know that such a college exists. Recently it was rated to be up there with the ivy league schools, but obviously it's reputation is not. People familiar with the school either are very impressed, because of our academic program, or very put off, because of the stigma attached with "the CMU student". Most of my time on campus is spent either in my lovely on campus apartment or in the gym working off some stress. What college town? We have neighboring cities, sure, but it is definitely not just CMUers. If you want a college town, youve gotta go to UPitt's neck of the woods further into the city. Its not too far of a walk and almost nothing of a busride, but in the immediate vicinity, there isnt very much. There is no school pride at CMU. The people that attend sporting events are mostly fellow athletes. Since we don't have a big name, and that name is marred by a poor student body reputation, people don't put it out there too much. There is a huge horrendous statue right in front of the school. Its a long pole sticking out from the ground at an angle with people walking up it. Occationally students will climb it, deface it, or take pictures with it, but it's really not worth the millions of dollars we spent to get it there. Students complain that there arent enough parties, though there are as long as you know people. The problem with parties at CMU though, is that they can be hit or miss. There is little way to tell if it will be a good time or not, so the best bet is clubbing somewhere else in pittsburgh. Clubs can be rented out by organizations and will host parties throughout the year, to which there is transportation, and under 21s are allowed.

CMU gives a large amount of possibilities for students. There are a lot of opportunities to join research projects, clubs, or even take part in individual projects. The student culture is very education-oriented and makes it easy to join clubs and pursue goals. The 'party scene' may not be that large in CMU, however since it is in a big city, there is always a lot to do and it is easy to meet people of various interests, backgrounds, etc.

I came to CMU a happy kid who liked making friends, but CMU taught me during my first semester to hate. I walk around campus and pretend that I'm crazy so no one will talk to me because so many people here are idiots, or assholes, or both. people are very territorial, even in public areas, and you'll learn to be that way too. there isn't school pride--the closest thing to that is the bonding that occurs over the hatred of CMU itself--it's like anti-pride.

When you tell people who don't go to CMU that you go to CMU, they think you are really smart. When you tell people at CMU that you go to CMU, they think they are smarter than you. The sports suck. The big monument sucks. The facilities are ass.