CMU

I applied Early Decision to CMU.

I think the best way to describe why I wanted to go is summed up in the essay I had to write describing why I wanted to go there.  Here it is:

            When my junior year started, I realized that the time had come for me to give serious introspection and consideration towards applying to college.  I realized I needed to consider what kind of a student I was, and what type of college I should be looking for.  I remember one day, early on in my junior year, a booklet of information from Carnegie Mellon had come in the mail.  Although I had discarded several such booklets from other schools, I knew that I wanted to keep and read over this one.  The more research I did, the more I began to realize how perfect a fit Carnegie Mellon University was with my talents, my character, and my goals.  Because of this fit, I have decided to apply Early Decision to the Carnegie Institute of Technology, so that I may become part of all this University has to offer.

            First, I know that Carnegie Mellon is a university in which I could use and build upon my talents to my full potential.  I have always been a student who has excelled in Mathematics and Science.  I recognize that I need to go to a school where I can build on these skills that I have developed, and there is no better school to do this than Carnegie Mellon.  Even during my undergraduate schooling, I would be able to participate in research with my peers.  This is not simply learning in the traditional sense, but it is also creating knowledge for others to learn.  Not only this, I would be receiving a world-class education that is incomparable to most other institutions.  Here, I could use the talents I possess to do good, while enhancing these talents to the greatest extent possible.

            Also, Carnegie Mellon fits well with everything non-academic that I could hope for in a college.  First of which, I have lived in Sewickley for most of my life, and have come very close to all that the city of Pittsburgh has to offer, but I don’t want to live in what one might call a “city school”.  I hope that I can go to a college that enables me to continue to take advantage of this, and I would love for Carnegie Mellon to be that college.  While it offers the advantage of the city’s opportunities, it is a school where one is not necessarily crossing six lane highways between every class.  In addition, the campus community is one where I see myself fitting in., which I could clearly tell after visiting on October 4^th.  As a friend and member of the Carnegie Mellon Class of 2017 puts best, “One thing I’ve really come to like about CMU is just being surrounded by incredibly motivated people.”  I have always been a self-motivated person, and would love to join this community.

            As to my pursuits at the university, the motivation is clear.  I have always been strong in the math and sciences, and engineering is the perfect fit for me.  I would love to become an engineer some day, and Carnegie Mellon, as one of the country’s top engineering programs, can help me achieve that goal.  As to the type of engineering, that actually came from a conversation I had with a Carnegie Mellon Professor, Dr. James W. Schneider.  We talked about what Chemical Engineering really is, and I began to realize not only my strong ties to Chemical Engineering, but also how much I would love to take a class taught by this professor, and I am confident that there are others like him.  This conversation on October 4^th was the final factor for me.  I realized that I could not see myself anywhere but here, so close to the city I love, taking classes with people I fit in with, and taught by teachers that I felt a connection to, while using my experiences to achieve my goal of becoming an engineer.  For all these reasons, I have decided to apply Early Decision to Carnegie Mellon University.

Last Night, the letter arrived.  I got accepted!  I now know where I am going to college, and am thrilled!  I told everyone, my family, JR, all my friends (sorry if I left anyone out).  It's the beginning of a new era.  And I like it!

-NM