Carnegie Mellon University Visit Report by estargrl88

Visit Activities:

Campus Tour: Yes - see below

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Campus:

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Off-Campus:

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Campus Visit Notes for Carnegie Mellon University

Visit Description:

Here is the report I wrote after my visit.
I took a tour of CMU, and since the location is near, I will probably go back again for an information session and interview. The campus is better when you get back onto the main cut, though there isn't really a main center area. Most of the buildings are nice looking, there's only one cement one that's ugly but it's in the back. The arts building is really old and really pretty. another long building we went inside had a really dark long hallway, but i guess andrew carnegie, who founded the school, was planning to turn the building into an assembly line room if the college failed. the gym, pool, and racquetball facilities look very nice. one cool room in the student union was just for recycling, and had options for everything from pop cans to cd-roms.
Some facts I learned include: printing and copying is free. There is a neat program that allows one to study between the humanities/arts and sciences for those who like both fields. The library has a huge collection of botany stuff, though they don't offer botany as a major. They also have a ton of old original documents like the Bill of Rights and a folio of Shakespeare's. I'm personally interested in music opportunities, and I found out that you can take lessons for a fee and there are many performance opportunities. Some things that seemed popular were a theater group, the choir, and I think the marching band. Music minors are supposed to be pretty tough (the music program at cmu is very competitive and good). Housing is given all 4 years, but there's a lottery system. The campus is also supposed to be safe, and is very wireless. Infact, computers outnumber people 2 to 1. There are also many computer labs. Intramural sports are also supposed to be popular and there are many sports offered.
I was expecting to see more geeky looking people, but I was wrong, and i thought that many students i saw were fairly fashionable though not "preppy." i also saw several international students.
The University of Pittsburgh and CMU are really just up/down the street from one another, and you can take one class at one of the 9 colleges in the area per semester. The pitt guide said that a lot of times pitt students went to cmu for computer related stuff and Cmu students came for lab stuff. However, atleast for pitt, you can only sign up for classes not offered at pitt. CMU's location is awesome. CMU is kind of back into a more residential area and borders I think the 4th largest park on the east coast which has many recreational opportunities. Then, right down the street you come the Oakland neighborhood, with the Carnegie complex with the art and natural history museums and main branch of the city library, and lots of shops and restaurants. Downtown is also maybe a 10 minute drive away. Transportation-wise, CMU gets free access to the city buses, and they both have shuttles and night time escort services. One of the CMU pamphlets said a lot of great stuff about the city, so I think it is a great location and there are many other schools in the area.
Now, some more reflecting comments. As I mentioned above, I live in the area and so I hear a lot about CMU. It does have a stigma as more of a geek/computer person school. Truthfully, I cannot verify if that is true or not, but I know several people who, while intelligent, would not fit that image. The spring carneval is always a fun time at CMU, and the local community often attends too (I did several years ago). Atleast in Pittsburgh, it's a well respected school.

Hotel/Lodging Recommendations or Comments:

Some nearby hotels include a Hilton in Oakland and a Marriott in Shadyside.

Dining/Restaurant Recommendations or Comments:

Oakland is right beside campus and has a lot of great places, varying between the more fast-foody places and upper-end restaurants.

Other Comments (Transportation, local attractions, parking, etc.):

If you want to take in some cultural things along with your visit, the Carnegie Museum of art and natural history are beside CMU. The soldier and sailor's museum (an alright museum, though I'm sure much more interesting for a war enthusiast) is