SCS and IS ED Chances

shortnuke
Thu, 30 Aug 2018 15:42:55 +0000

Which one is your true first choice? I realize that a lot of people view ED as a “silver bullet”, but that’s not the intent. Suppose that you get into Rice ED but also get accepted to CMU RD. If your first thought is “How do I get out of my ED commitment?” then I would say that you need to apply to CMU ED.

I don’t know anything about Rice’s CS program, but I do know that CMU appears to be very friendly to full-pay students. This will certainly work to your advantage. 22% of CMUs UG student body are international students, and CMU does not offer financial aid for international students. Only 49% of freshmen receive need-based financial aid, and CMU offers very little merit aid. 29% of the UG student body identifies as “Asian only”, so being an Asian male is probably not as much of a disadvantage as it may when applying to other universities.

Your stats and EC experience will definitely make you a compelling applicant for CMU. If it truly is your first choice, then I would recommend you apply ED.