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02-23-2008, 05:09 AM
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#46 | | New Member
Join Date: Jan 2008
Threads: 2
Posts: 21
| Two questions, Mathmom, if you get back here, what are "impacted majors?" Also, the only negative thing I've heard about CM (besides the weather) is that students have to pick their field early and it's difficult to change later. DS loves comp sci and also loves physics--he could do both hopefully?--and is there room for other non-tech classes like political science? Thanks much. | 
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02-23-2008, 08:50 AM
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#47 | | Senior Member
Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: near New York City
Threads: 18
Posts: 3,556
| Oh sorried "impacted" is the word they use for overcrowded. It means that you have to apply for the major and if your grades aren't good enough they won't let you in.
CMU is a bit different. I'd say it's more pre-professionally oriented than most colleges. That has good and bad aspects. You apply to different schools, and so you start off with the assumption that your major will be one of the ones that school offers. Kids do switch majors and schools - but some schools are harder to switch into because of course requirements. The School of Computer Science is one of the hardest to get into, but is therefore also not generally as hard to switch out of. SCS also requires every kid to have a minor, so you could easily do a physics minor. (That's what Mathson is on track to do now - subject to change of course - he's a freshman.) CMU has some breadth requirements, but if you've taken APs and gotten 5s you can get out of an awful lot of them. There should definitely be room in his schedule for fun courses as well. On the plus side they have excellent job placement. Because it's a school not a department there seems to be an extra level of attention to the students. They bring in interesting speakers (like Bill Gates this week.) For a focussed kid it's a great place. | |
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02-23-2008, 07:32 PM
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#48 | | New Member
Join Date: Jan 2008
Threads: 2
Posts: 21
| Good info--thanks. I'm looking forward to us checking it out--so much closer than CA, too. Our sons sound alot alike--I'd love to chat again about CM as we get closer to looking at it, probably in the spring or early fall. Not being that familiar with sites like this, would I just start a new thread and hope you see it or how does that work? Thanks! | |
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02-23-2008, 07:44 PM
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#49 | | Junior Member
Join Date: Apr 2007
Threads: 16
Posts: 293
| If you click on her name, you can send her a private message. Or, just add a note to this thread to bump it to the top of the new messages in Parents discussion.
By the way, there are a lot of fun features here, if you start clicking on the buttons and exploring. Last week, we had a lesson on smilie faces....  | |
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02-23-2008, 09:32 PM
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#50 | | Senior Member
Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: near New York City
Threads: 18
Posts: 3,556
| Private message or new thread would be fine. I'll probably know more the longer that my kid is at CMU. Check out the college boards to - some CMU students answer questions there, they really know more than I do. | |
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02-23-2008, 09:57 PM
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#51 | | New Member
Join Date: Jan 2008
Threads: 2
Posts: 21
| Okay, thanks. | |
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02-23-2008, 10:16 PM
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#53 | | New Member
Join Date: Jan 2008
Threads: 2
Posts: 21
| Yes, got it, I just figured that out and I need to look at that for other schools, too, thanks. | |
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02-25-2008, 04:46 PM
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#54 | | Member
Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Pasadena, CA Gender: Male
Threads: 1
Posts: 795
| Quote: |
Two questions, Mathmom, if you get back here, what are "impacted majors?" Also, the only negative thing I've heard about CM (besides the weather) is that students have to pick their field early and it's difficult to change later. DS loves comp sci and also loves physics--he could do both hopefully?--and is there room for other non-tech classes like political science? Thanks much.
| I was a physics minor at CMU and there were a pretty decent number of CS students in my physics classes. I think most CS kids tend to do their minor in math at CMU because the curriculum overlaps so much, but if he's interested in physics there shouldn't be a problem.
Also, I'm one of the CMU alumni that posts on the CMU board here pretty frequently, so I'd be happy to answer any questions you have. | |
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02-26-2008, 09:01 PM
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#55 | | New Member
Join Date: Jan 2008
Threads: 2
Posts: 21
| Okay, great, thanks very much. | |
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