Would it be bad to consider CMU as a safety?

Chance Me / Match Me
1

First of all, here are my stats (recycled from an old post):

Class of 2016, will be applying this fall. I’m a Hispanic male.

GPA: 3.91 UW
ACT: 34 (35 E, 36 R, 33 M, 33 S, 12 Essay)
SAT II: Haven’t taken yet, but will take English & Math 2.

APs: Euro (5), English Lit (5), Calculus BC (5); will be taking Art Hist., US History, Gov and Politics, Physics, Spanish, English Lang and maybe Stats in senior year.

Extracurriculars:

  • Student Body Officer for 2015-2016. I'm a Publicity Officer, in charge of publicizing the school and activities/events throughout the school through the use of multimedia. I've also helped to plan various activities directly, including the Homecoming Dance, and our school's first ever Multicultural Week.
  • Over 100 volunteer hours through the state Natural History Museum. I work with children ages 5-10 on science-related activities throughout their day at the museum, and this has made me want to go into teaching as a profession (which I will write about in my essays).
  • I'm also a babysitter on the side for extra money, and a peer-tutor through the National Honors Society.
  • I have participated in the National Novel Writing Month Competition three years in a row, winning twice.
  • My main passion is graphic design, and I will be submitting an art portfolio along with my application to show this.
  • Member of the NHS, Spanish Club, GSA, and Multicultural Dance Club. I also did Speech and Debate for a little while and won a few awards, but nothing major.

Special circumstances: I’ve moved around a LOT in my life, so I plan to discuss this in my essays. It has helped shape me as a person, but it has also held me back in many ways, as I’ve been unable to gain many consistent leadership positions in my extracurriculars. I’m currently attending my third high school in three years, so it’s been tough.

Anyway, I’m looking to apply to CMU this fall. Columbia is my top choice but I’m assuming I won’t get in, so CMU is a great school too. I’d be applying to Tepper School of Business with the intention of doing a BA in Economics and maybe a second major in English. I have double legacy (dad and brother), and my brother got in with stats that were about on-par with mine, if slightly less: a 2120 SAT, a few minor leadership roles, standard-quality essays. I feel like with my legacy I can sort of consider CMU a safety, but that 23% acceptance rate makes me think this is stupid and I should be applying to “real safeties.” Any advice?

2

It’s a match.

3

I think you may not understand the concept of safety schools. Schools like CMU is not a safety for anyone.

4

@NickFlynn Alright, that’s more what I would think too. I’ll keep looking for real safeties.

5

I’ll respectfully disagree. You are a hispanic male who scored a 34 on his ACT. Assuming your grades are congruent with your test scores (it’s hard to gauge class rank from your “3.91 UW” GPA - and you also mentioned you moved around a lot), the world is your oyster. I’m merely acknowledging the reality of admissions - race continues to play a crucial role, and your status as a hispanic male will be a MAJOR boon. Apply to absolutely all of the top engineering schools.

To answer the original question: yes, CMU is a safety for you.

6

^^^^ If race were truly as important as you seem to think it is, why are certain races under-represented at many elite colleges?

I do agree that it is a definite boost to this applicant, as is his double legacy at CMU. Combined, I think they raise his chances up above 50%, possibly considerably higher, but not to the point where it can be considered a safety.

7

CMU might be a match but it is not a safety for anyone. Tepper’s acceptance rate in 2015 was 19%. Check admissions statistics for Tepper. The highest acceptance rate at CMU is for the Dietrich College (29%).

http://admission.enrollment.cmu.edu/pages/undergraduate-admission-statistics

8

If CMU feels you have not demonstrated interest and that they are your safety, you run the risk of being denied or waitlisted (WL is more likely, given your double legacy) to protect their yield. Depending on the relative strengths and numbers of this year’s applicants v. the applicant pool the year your brother applied, the fact that he was admitted with similar/slightly lesser stats may not signal that CMU is a safety for you.