Carnegie Mellon’s name will definitely come up if someone asked you to name institutions with excellent engineering programs. Taking great pride in its tag of a leading research university, as well as the accomplishments of its student body and alumni. Carnegie Mellon gives students the chance to work with distinguished faculty from all fields to pursue real-world solutions.
Prospective students must respond to three 300-word prompts and one 150-word prompt as part of the application process. The supplements shouldn’t, however, be seen as a requirement by the students. The CMU supplemental essays are an increasingly important opportunity for you to stand out from the crowd as the admissions process gets more selective. The supplemental essay prompts for Carnegie Mellon can seem more open-ended than those for many other schools, which can initially baffle some students, but it can also give them a chance to stand out from other applicants.
The following advice will assist you in getting through your initial impediments. You may take a thorough, quantitative look at what Carnegie Mellon is looking for by visiting its Common Data Set, which includes data on everything from enrollment and tuition figures to student life and financial aid. Read the university’s strategic plan for more information about how it sees itself, its role, and how it wishes to develop. You can get a good sense of what CMU values by reading through this, and you could find some interesting bits you can include in your essay.
How to Write the Carnegie Mellon Supplemental Essay
Prompt 1
Most students choose their intended major or area of study based on a passion or inspiration that’s developed over time – what passion or inspiration led you to choose this area of study? (300 words)
In order to gauge your enthusiasm for the major you have selected, many colleges ask you to answer the question “Why This Major?” This typical question is often asked, but instead of focusing on what you expect to accomplish by studying your prospective major, the prompt places a strong emphasis on how past events have inspired your decision to pursue it.
If you answer this prompt successfully, you will:
- Explain how you came to decide on your major.
- Explain to the admissions panel why you should be allowed to pursue this major at their university.
The latter doesn’t always have to be clear. Instead, consider your life’s journey in a way that reveals your intellectual curiosity, inventiveness, and passion for the subject matter you intend to study in college.
When responding to this question, you have a few options. A storyline or anecdote is an option. Consider a memorable time when you became aware of the significance of your potential major. Maybe you participated in a robotics tournament, and after weeks of labour, your robot managed to move. Maybe that’s when you were certain that this was the course you needed to take.
Telling that anecdote has the following effect. It first demonstrates tenacity because you persisted despite experiencing weeks of failure. It also exhibits innovation. Even without saying it directly, you just informed the admissions committee why you should be admitted to CMU: it just so happens that CMU is known for having a robotics major!
Prompt 2
Many students pursue college for a specific degree, career opportunity or personal goal. Whichever it may be, learning will be critical to achieve your ultimate goal. As you think ahead to the process of learning during your college years, how will you define a successful college experience? (300 words)
You have the ideal chance to show off your enthusiasm for CMU and your knowledge of the prospects it offers in this essay. Although the question “Why This School?” is not specifically asked, it does ask you to talk about two things:
- What are your specific goals for completing your undergraduate degree program?
- How is CMU uniquely suited to assist you in achieving those goals, as implied?
- While answering the explicit question is undoubtedly crucial, your essay will stand out from those of other applicants if you also address the implied issue with concrete examples and thoughtful reflection.
Consider the goals you have for your time in college. If you wish to pursue an MD-PhD, it can be quite crucial for you to have solid research experiences under your belt when you are an undergraduate.
What particular endeavours and subjects are you hoping to pursue? How will your time at Carnegie Mellon prepare you for the pursuit of these initiatives and concepts? You can show that you are familiar with the university and its resources as well as that you support its culture and principles by briefly discussing Carnegie Mellon’s financial support for undergraduate research when you respond to this topic, for instance.
Prompt 3 (Required)
Consider your application as a whole. What do you personally want to emphasize about your application for the admission committee’s consideration? Highlight something that’s important to you or something you haven’t had a chance to share. Tell us, don’t show us (no websites please). (300 words)
This is your time to demonstrate to the admissions panel what makes you unique.The possibilities are unlimited within the constraints of the word count. But don’t let the options overwhelm you!
So how do you decide what topics to write about?
Do you feel the need to elaborate on anything you mentioned in your Common App? This essay’s subject should have absolutely nothing to do with your personal statement.
Consider your essays to be a portfolio; they have to complement one another without being unnecessary. Make this challenge regarding science, for instance, if your personal statement is about wildlife and science is one of your interests.
Is there anything you’ve been itching to talk about but haven’t been able to do so anywhere else? Express your personality to the world. Your interest can fit into this prompt, whether it be working with animals, disassembling technology, or virtually anything else. It shouldn’t, however, be so random that it says nothing about you as a candidate.
Essays with Rostrum
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