Carnegie Mellon University Reviews

"Generally, the school cares more about outward appearances and what its students produce, rather than the students themselves. Mental illness is something many undergraduates here grapple with and the school has yet to really address this. I'm glad for my education here and I'm glad that I made it through, but I can't help but remember those who didn't."

"As an international student From Brazil I found the university of multicultural environment and wonderful study program. CMU is a reference for software and Engineering cares, professors and infrastructure are excellent. I will recommend for the student who is willing to take off in Technology career."

"I am very pleased with the networking opportunities that CMU's Heinz College has and the collaboration that is always available. Everyone within the department is always very helpful. The coursework can be difficult at the beginning, but professors are always eager to help and they want you succeed."

"The program is tough, but you definitely learn a lot! The research here is top notch, and there are a lot of opportunities to distinguish yourself in your field. The mechanical engineering department is also spread out over a really large variety of subdisciplines, which is awesome!"

"Definitely a top program (if not the top). If you are passionate about energy, committed, smart, and willing to make a change, this program is for you. It will give the tools you need in an 'Energy' world, and you get the chance to learn from the bests."

"Pittsburgh is fantastic. It's a great city to live in, there's lots of cultural stuff to do: lots of concerts, both in gritty neighborhood bars as well as gilded concert halls downtown. It has opera, ballet, a symphony orchestra, half a dozen (that I know of) museums—Pittsburgh weighs in as a big city, in terms of entertainment and culture available, while still being only moderately sized. Plus, the cost of living is quite small, and given Mellon College of Science's graduate student stipend/salary (which, I've heard, is one of the highest in the country), I've lived very comfortably and enjoyably during grad school. No ramen noodles for me. The physics department's main weakness is a small number of pen-and-paper theorists, though those we do have (Xiao, Rothstein, Swendsen, Widom, Deserno) are quite good. And we have a lot of top notch computational theorists, especially in cosmology. That's probably, currently, the highlight of our department. With that said, the experimental side is quite big. Being in condensed matter, I don't know much about how our other experimental groups are doing. I know they're involved with the big collaborations; people are constantly traveling to and from Jefferson Lab, CERN, that beamline at Cornell, I don't know... lots of places. As for condensed matter, we have experts in magnetic materials and in applied devices (Feenstra is a pioneer of certain microscopy techniques and did a lot of important work on MOSFETs; now they work on more generic FETs and 2D materials like graphene and h-BN). And we have a new experimentalist who sounds quite interesting, working on fractional quantum hall, graphene-like materials, and Hofstatder's butterfly, to name a few things. We also have bi-weekly socials with pretty high end craft beer and pizza (with a vegan option!). The department is quite friendly, and worth checking out."

"I enjoy the freedom of course selection in CMU,a lot of resource available makes the life on campus attractive.While,the compulsive policy that the third semester has to be full time leads to higher tuition."

"I feel like I have really grown as a learner from my time at CMU. I learned a lot and feel prepared to enter the work force. However, I feel like the school didn't support me as a person. I didn't feel that much care taken for my stress, mental, or emotional health. Also the social scene is quite segregated by school/major."

"It was a great experience and I learned a lot. However, I would not spend nearly as much money on it if I were to do it over again."

"Carnegie Mellon has provided me with many opportunities to expand my horizons and further my career. I am very grateful for that. The powerful alumni network will definitely be useful as you go about your career."

"One of the World's great research Universities. In a few disciplines (notably most things Computer Science-related), it is the best. The school is very well suited for getting your first job and being competent at it. In 2015, the average starting salary for those from Computer Science Undergrad are the highest in world. That includes *every* school and *every* degree. If you want a traditional liberal education, then others (such as Columbia, which is rare in defending its core) may be better options. I found the campus and the city (Pittsburgh) to be far better than I expected. It is my favorite between Denver and New York. It isn't the weather-paradise of UCSB, UCSD, or Stanford, but neither are its winters as brutal as those in Cambridge, MA. Like all elite Universities, the people are driven, smart, and hard working. I have found that is only getting worse (or better, from the school's perspective). Its puny endowment compared to its peers is a drag on what would otherwise be much higher overall ratings. The good and bad of the school is that it is small, with neither a law school nor a medical school. It is comparable in size to CalTech in the U.S., but has a reputation (deserved, in my opinion) for being much more practical."

"It was clean, consistent and well worth the money. The education I received was exactly what I was looking for in a grad school."

"Tepper is an amazing program. Although the campus is quite small and the facilities a little too cozy at times, the warmth and brilliance of the people within shall surely tickle the heartstrings of anyone who passes through these halls. Tepper counts a number of smart professors and students among its ranks. Although the program is quite quantitative, in this day and age such skills are becoming more and more necessary for daily life. I heartily recommend that you choose Carnegie Mellon University for your educational experience, as I myself have, for it is truly an immersive and wondrous decision to make. I am deeply satisfied with my own decision to matriculate, and I hope that my comments can serve as guidance for those undecided students who also are looking to pursue studies in Business Administration at Carnegie Mellon University's Tepper School of Business."

"Unless you are going into finance, I would not suggest CMU. The tuition costs are extremely high and for business degrees in areas other than finance the school is not good at helping you find internships or jobs."

"Pros: Carnegie Mellon is well-respected in the region and worldwide so the reputation goes a long way; strong emphasis on quantitative skills and technology that makes graduates much more employable; Pittsburgh is a very affordable and enjoyable city to live in; access to world-class faculty and research Cons: Intense work-load; competition between students is unbearable sometimes; ability to seek help from professors is hit or miss"

"I have a learnt a lot in this short period. It has been a great experience overall. However, I found some days extremely hectic which is probably understandable given the level of competitiveness."

"pro: have a good study environment, good teacher con: need more eat choice"

"Heinz College offers a great program in Public Policy. Although it is known for being one of the most quantitative policy programs, it is not as rigorous as I thought it might be. Having come to Heinz with a quantitative background, I was expecting the program to be more quantitative than it is. However, the program is set up to take students with a liberal arts background and bring them up to speed with respect to quantitative skills. The professors are extremely knowledgeable, and most of them are still active in their fields. The school offers a considerable amount of financial aid, and they have an incredible alumni network."

"The education at CMU is outstanding. Classes are challenging and faculty is dedicated to every students individual success. The downside is that the program is very expensive. Accepting the student debt is difficult and not all students are provided with the financial assistance they may need to attend."

"A lot workload, learning a lot meanwhile, Not enough financial aid."