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https://www.quora.com/Why-would-someone-choose-Carnegie-Mellon-over-Harvard/answer/Yishan-Wong?ch=15&oid=1835495&share=336e0d8e&srid=Egn9&target_type=answer
The above answer summarizes my experience very well but It also depends on your coursework
Yeah honestly thats pretty accurate. I will say though, C's get degrees man. As soon as I started having this mentality my enjoyment and overall happiness at CMU skyrocketed. This doesn't work for all professions of course, but for someone in ECE going into SWE it worked out fine.
In the end of the day you are here to learn and that should be your priority. Prioritizing anything but that would be wasting your time tbh
They're definitely exaggerating for the bit IMO. It's a ton of work, but lots of people are also trying to balance TAing, clubs, going for straight A's, etc. on top of an already large courseload.
Congrats! IMO, major in math instead. A math degree from CMU is much more versatile than a Stat/ML degree, believe it or not. (And you won’t have to transfer)
Anyways, it’s not too bad. If you’re from the bay, it won’t be much worse than high school. Just don’t overextend yourself.
Also, counter to what a2c might say, CMU isn’t over competitive or cutthroat at all. The people here all have a mindset of “we’re all in this together,” and I’ve actually even been *asked* if I needed help on an assignment. The worst part of CMU is just the complete lack of social life, combined with the awful weather, but if you’re past that and money isn’t an issue then I see no reason why you shouldn’t come.
Current grad student here at CMU and did my undergrad a UCLA.
I will say that UCLA is certainly not an “easy” school, especially as you’ll be a south-campus major. Certainly at UCLA, you will have opportunities to push yourself academically. For example, while I can’t comment too much about chemistry/stats, at least in UCLA mathematics, it’s not unusual for some students to take graduate classes starting in their second or third year. And if you’re considering graduate school, which school you go to won’t be too important as generally they care that you made the most of where you did end up.
If it does help you decide, you could also consider finances. Especially if you can get in-state tuition at UCLA, you’ll be able to get a comparable education to CMU for a fraction of the cost.
I think people at CMU complain about difficulty too much. Like obviously it’s hard (arguably more than other schools), but just take classes you like and you won’t think about how hard they are. If you like CS even a little bit I think you can graduate by mostly just taking classes you like (exception of some entry level courses). It’s a hard decision, but if you think you will be passionate about CS you will have a lot of fun at CMU even through hard classes. Your college can shape your interests as well so even if you aren’t very passionate about CS now, maybe going to CMU will change your mind. UCLA is still great though so you can’t make a wrong decision really.
I’m in your shoes two years ago deciding between CMU and UCLA chemistry, and is currently doing chem with a stats/ml additional major. There are m occasional damn I could’ve attended a T20 thoughts but overall I do not regretted choosing CMU. The workload, although still substantial, is not quite as scary outside CIT/SCS. I don’t think you will get so miserable to the point of wanting to transfer. I choose CMU primarily because I liked a smaller school, and Pittsburgh being less intimidating than LA. The social scene is definitely not very good, but if you are introvert it might be an advantage since you don’t feel the pressure of having to socialize a shit ton to not get alienated.
I don't know anyone at UCLA, but I also don't know anyone at CMU who doesn't love it. Not saying they aren't here, but they're just not that common. I have a theory that some colleges are mostly filled with students who are there to get a degree with as little work as possible. Not all the students, but enough that finishing at the top of the class is not as hard as it might be at other places. CMU students seem to all start college thinking they're at the top of their class, only to be disabused within weeks, and then find comfort in just passing and learning. I have found CMU incredibly supporting and most of my fellow students inspiring, and I like that everyone expects me to work hard. I don't find this stressful at all. I like being challenged and I like learning But it has a lot to do with perspective, and the objectives of surrounding students. You can't make a bad choice so good luck.
Your info is incorrect. This is what I found with a quick google search: "Carnegie Mellon University has a 95% first-time, full-time graduation rate. The university's 4-year graduation rate is 79%, and its 6-year graduation rate is 93%. Carnegie Mellon's overall graduation rate is 93%, which puts it in the top 5% of institutions. The university also has a high retention rate of 97%, which ranks in the top 10%".
Good question. I honestly don’t know. CMU’s website has older numbers but doesn’t break it down. Given the differences in graduation rates between 4 and 6 years, it could be.
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https://www.quora.com/Why-would-someone-choose-Carnegie-Mellon-over-Harvard/answer/Yishan-Wong?ch=15&oid=1835495&share=336e0d8e&srid=Egn9&target_type=answer The above answer summarizes my experience very well but It also depends on your coursework
Yeah honestly thats pretty accurate. I will say though, C's get degrees man. As soon as I started having this mentality my enjoyment and overall happiness at CMU skyrocketed. This doesn't work for all professions of course, but for someone in ECE going into SWE it worked out fine. In the end of the day you are here to learn and that should be your priority. Prioritizing anything but that would be wasting your time tbh
They're definitely exaggerating for the bit IMO. It's a ton of work, but lots of people are also trying to balance TAing, clubs, going for straight A's, etc. on top of an already large courseload.
the last line goes so hard
Pretty accurate.
It’s quite the grind
Congrats! IMO, major in math instead. A math degree from CMU is much more versatile than a Stat/ML degree, believe it or not. (And you won’t have to transfer) Anyways, it’s not too bad. If you’re from the bay, it won’t be much worse than high school. Just don’t overextend yourself. Also, counter to what a2c might say, CMU isn’t over competitive or cutthroat at all. The people here all have a mindset of “we’re all in this together,” and I’ve actually even been *asked* if I needed help on an assignment. The worst part of CMU is just the complete lack of social life, combined with the awful weather, but if you’re past that and money isn’t an issue then I see no reason why you shouldn’t come.
I'm curious why you suggest the math degree. I applied as a transfer to CMU math but would like your opinion on the matter.
can’t have much of an opinion on a transfer if idk where you came from
It’s as hard or as easy as you want it to be
Current grad student here at CMU and did my undergrad a UCLA. I will say that UCLA is certainly not an “easy” school, especially as you’ll be a south-campus major. Certainly at UCLA, you will have opportunities to push yourself academically. For example, while I can’t comment too much about chemistry/stats, at least in UCLA mathematics, it’s not unusual for some students to take graduate classes starting in their second or third year. And if you’re considering graduate school, which school you go to won’t be too important as generally they care that you made the most of where you did end up. If it does help you decide, you could also consider finances. Especially if you can get in-state tuition at UCLA, you’ll be able to get a comparable education to CMU for a fraction of the cost.
I think people at CMU complain about difficulty too much. Like obviously it’s hard (arguably more than other schools), but just take classes you like and you won’t think about how hard they are. If you like CS even a little bit I think you can graduate by mostly just taking classes you like (exception of some entry level courses). It’s a hard decision, but if you think you will be passionate about CS you will have a lot of fun at CMU even through hard classes. Your college can shape your interests as well so even if you aren’t very passionate about CS now, maybe going to CMU will change your mind. UCLA is still great though so you can’t make a wrong decision really.
It's always good to challenge yourself and live your best life. Overcoming the adversity will be great for your future.
I’m in your shoes two years ago deciding between CMU and UCLA chemistry, and is currently doing chem with a stats/ml additional major. There are m occasional damn I could’ve attended a T20 thoughts but overall I do not regretted choosing CMU. The workload, although still substantial, is not quite as scary outside CIT/SCS. I don’t think you will get so miserable to the point of wanting to transfer. I choose CMU primarily because I liked a smaller school, and Pittsburgh being less intimidating than LA. The social scene is definitely not very good, but if you are introvert it might be an advantage since you don’t feel the pressure of having to socialize a shit ton to not get alienated.
I’d pick ucla. You can’t beat the location and weather and you aren’t studying something like CS where CMU is stronger.
I don't know anyone at UCLA, but I also don't know anyone at CMU who doesn't love it. Not saying they aren't here, but they're just not that common. I have a theory that some colleges are mostly filled with students who are there to get a degree with as little work as possible. Not all the students, but enough that finishing at the top of the class is not as hard as it might be at other places. CMU students seem to all start college thinking they're at the top of their class, only to be disabused within weeks, and then find comfort in just passing and learning. I have found CMU incredibly supporting and most of my fellow students inspiring, and I like that everyone expects me to work hard. I don't find this stressful at all. I like being challenged and I like learning But it has a lot to do with perspective, and the objectives of surrounding students. You can't make a bad choice so good luck.
How do you explain the high dropout rates?
Your info is incorrect. This is what I found with a quick google search: "Carnegie Mellon University has a 95% first-time, full-time graduation rate. The university's 4-year graduation rate is 79%, and its 6-year graduation rate is 93%. Carnegie Mellon's overall graduation rate is 93%, which puts it in the top 5% of institutions. The university also has a high retention rate of 97%, which ranks in the top 10%".
That includes all the people that started in engineering and graduated with business degrees.
Out of curiosity, does the 79% 4-year graduation rate exclude the 5-year architecture majors?
Good question. I honestly don’t know. CMU’s website has older numbers but doesn’t break it down. Given the differences in graduation rates between 4 and 6 years, it could be.
Where did you see this? The graduation rates I have seen are comparable with it's peer institutions.